Introducing Past to Present and me!
Welcome!
I can’t wait to share with you all my latest articles and research. We will cover:
History of Leisure
History of Beauty
History of Health
What subscribers will get within those categories will vary but because my work primarily focuses on where those histories intersect with science and technology you can expect topics like X-ray hair removal, nuclear cruise liners, the history of illuminated dance floors (which come in earlier than you would think!) as well as lots of other topics that catch my eye.
There will also be the occasional historical cocktail recipe with full ingredients list, instructions and the weird and wonderful history behind its creation.
The other strand to this newsletter is sharing my journey as a freelance historian so those posts will focus on behind the scenes of my work, updates on new projects, visits to archives and plenty about the writing process, getting jobs, and basically surviving as a freelancer in this industry.
Why Substack and now?
I have been floundering for a while between writing articles on my website, the horrors of trying to decide what to include (and what not) in a newsletter, and the ever decreasing community in the various social media platforms.
After attending a professional development session put on by the Society of Authors, I decided to try Substack. And here we are.
I am old enough to remember the types of community that came with blogging - reading each others posts, commenting and getting to know each other and I really would like to recreate that but this time with video, audio and all the other fab things that better technology has given us.
And I would love for you to join me.
What subscribers get
FULL ACCESS to my extensive achive of articles as they are added
Behind the scenes content, previews of new historical exhibitions,book reviews and anything else that catches my eye.
What PAID subscribers get
All of the above PLUS
One full article of brand new and exclusive research every month
The ability to post comments and become part of the community
Extracts from my work in progress as well as first look at my book covers and news.
If you were able to upgrade to the paid level, it will allow me to dedicate more time and resources to producing the best possible material and is much appreciated!
More about Lucy
Specialising in the late 19th and early 20th century Lucy Jane Santos is a freelance historian examining the crossroads of health, leisure and beauty with science and technology.
Lucy has appeared as a contributor on TV and radio, and her historical research has been featured by History Today, BBC History Revealed, Jezebel, LitHub, New York Post, Vogue, and on the BBC2 documentary, Makeup: A Glamorous History. Her most recent project is as Creative Consultant for the documentary Obsessed With Light a film that tells the story of the performance artist Loïe Fuller.
Lucy’s debut book was Half Lives: The Unlikely History of Radium (Icon: 2020, Pegasus: 2021). Half Lives was shortlisted for the BSHS Hughes Prize in 2021. Her next book, Chain Reactions: A Hopeful History of Uranium will be published in the UK on 4 July 2024 and in the US 5 November 2024.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucyjanesantos/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lucyjanesantos_/
Book 1 to 1 chat with me: https://www.skolay.com/writers/lucyjane-santos