This week on Romance Weekly, Carrie Elks wants to know as an author what are my oddest Google searches.  Hope you’ve already visited Victoria Barbour on the blog hop.

Compared to a mystery writer, my search history is pretty tame. I haven’t researched how to emulsify dead bodies, but I can tell you the various evolutions of the local fire department’s certified abilities test and that you must complete the test within ten minutes or fail.

Researching my first manuscript,  I culled extensively through the Roman culture. And while the Romans bathed regularly, interestingly enough, they the didn’t use soap. They used oil and a tool called a strigil to scrap dirt from their skin.  Further investigation revealed that  soap is more complicated to make than I’d imagined. Be glad you can just buy some from the store.

For another manuscript, I researched the earliest cervical cap and other means of ancient contraception. The Egyptians  used barrier methods.  One was a mix of acacia and ground dates with with honey.  Lint was moistened with the mixture and placed at the opening of the cervix. The lint acted as a barrier against the passage of sperm and honey was used to maintain the lint’s position. Acacia is a tree sap found to have spermicidal properties. Ancients were pretty smart for the time.

My most recent odd Goggle search was on how the male orgasm feels. I found an answer on a reputable site that included comments from men which were straightforward and realistic. I’d list the link but don’t want to get spammed.

Oddly, my most bizarre internet searches were done right after 9/11 when I was concerned about dirty bombs and a small pox outbreak.  I decided I better quit scaring myself  and before the FBI showed up at my doorstep. 😉

Let’s see what Jeanne McDonald says about her darkest Google searches.

BTW my newest release, Hot as Blazes is on sale for $.99 at Amazon, Barnes and Noble,  and Kobo.