Thanks for reading Undercover Magic! If you’ve read any of my previous books, you may have noticed that I have a fondness for including historical places and mythological elements. I did the same with Undercover Magic. Sometimes the history of these things is so interesting that I want to share more, so I like to do it in the Author’s Note instead of the story itself.

On of the biggest historical elements of the book is Cade—otherwise known as Belatucadros, the Celtic god of war. The Celts were not actually a single kingdom or religion—rather, they were a people who shared cultural similarities during the Iron Age. Between 800 BC and 500 AD, they lived in a vast territory stretching from Ireland all the way to Eastern Europe and down into Spain, Portugal, and parts of Italy. Though we think of Celtic as being traditionally Irish and Scottish, it originated in what is now Austria. Celtic culture then spread outward, covering most of Europe. Because of the Roman Conquest, Ireland and the British Isles were the last places to have Celtic-speaking communities (all the way up to the 6^th century AD), which is why we initially think of them when we hear the word Celtic.

Because of the massive spread of Celtic culture and the many different kinds of Celts, there were multiple Celtic gods of war. Belatucadros was worshiped in northern Britain around the time of the Roman Conquest at the beginning of the first millennium AD. Evidence of his existence (in the minds of the ancient Celts and Romans) exists from 28 inscriptions on Hadrian’s Wall, which was built to keep the Romans from conquering what is now Scotland. Roman soldiers actually worshiped Belatucadros, who is associated with their war god, Mars. His name is often translated as ‘fair slayer’ or ‘fair shining one’. So I suppose he was handsome, which works for Cade.

As for the rest of the history in Undercover Magic, the scene in Venice was really fun to write, because Venice is full of great historical places. Poveglia Island really is a plague quarantine island used in 1776 to house plague victims who came in on ships destined for Venice. There was an asylum for the mentally ill built on the island in the early 20^th century, and the island is now mostly abandoned.

The Vampire of Venice is based on a body discovered on the plague island of Lazzaretto Nuovo, which is located close to Poveglia Island. The skeleton of a woman was dated to the Venetian plague of 1576 and was found with a brick jammed between her jaws. This was a medieval practice meant to prevent vampires from continuing to feed after they’d been put into the ground.

San Zaccaria is a real church in Venice with a flooded crypt. But even more interesting than that —the room of skulls and bones is based on a real place. It is based on the Capuchin Crypt in Rome (though there is a similar one in Paris). The Capuchin crypt is decorated with the skeletal remains of 3,700 bodies that are believed to be the Capuchin friars who served the order between 1528 and 1870.

The first bodies used to decorate the crypt in 1631 came from the friar’s old monastery—they brought 300 wagons full of the bones of deceased friars. The new additions to the crypt were allowed to decompose for roughly 30 years in the soil before being exhumed and placed in the crypt. There are six rooms in the crypt—the Crypt of the Skulls, the Crypt of the Pelvises, the Crpyt of the Leg Bones and Thigh Bones, the Crypt of Three Skeletons, the Crypt of the Resurrection, and the Mass Chapel. This place is meant to be a reminder of our mortality and short time on earth.

The fist fight bridge that Cade and Bree drive under in their boat is based on Ponte dei Pugni, the Bridge of Fists. The tradition of fighting atop the bridge began in the early 17^th century, and they were hugely popular. They were held in neighborhoods all over Venice (on more than one bridge) and the fighters were often sponsored by the wealthy elite. Four fighters would stand on the bridge—one in each corner—and fight to throw the others off into the water. The last remaining fighter won. In 1705, the fight devolved into a riot and they were outlawed for good.

As for some of the history in the rest of the book—Arach is Gaelic for dragon. The Bad Water is a real place in Death Valley—an ancient dried out salt lake—but I don’t think there are any salt monsters there. The final scene at the Aztec city is based on Tenochtitlan, the Aztec capital (1321-1525 AD). It was once surrounded by a marshy lake, though it now is in the middle of Mexico city. The giant frog, called the Cueyatle, is one of their mythical beasts. And the winged snake that attacks Bree on pyramid is Quetzacoatle, a god who contributed to the creation of mankind. He was protecting the sacrifice, which hadn’t happened there in a long time.

I mention that Cass, Del, and Nix are treasure hunters who return the artifact to its original resting place. They do this because its morally and legally the right thing to do, and I am an archaeologist as well as a writer, so it is important to me.

Well, I think that’s it for the history and mythology in Undercover Magic. I hope you enjoyed the book and will come back for more of Bree, Ana, and Cade!