#thesoapmaker

[arsenousapplepie]

This one goes way back, and instead of pin up or noir, I drew inspiration from the Ziegfeld girls. The story of Leonarda Cianciulli dates back to the early 1900's, and is filled with magic and folklore, so the drama and whimsy of the Follies seemed like the perfect style to use when depicting Leonarda. And of course, the lovely Art Nouveau style of New York's Evelyn hotel served as the perfect backdrop. This is the only set we've ever shot in black & white, and I can't say we have any plans to do it again, as I'm always contemplating the significance of color choices and the emotional impact color can have on us. So I enjoy that aspect when designing my characters. Nonetheless, shades of gray just seemed to fit the tone for this series.

[arsenousapplepie]

My name is Leonarda Cianciulli. I make all natural soaps from unique ingredients. Have you heard the stories? Oh, they're wonderful little stories. Come, sit closer, and I'll tell you the loveliest of tales.

[arsenousapplepie]

I was a troubled little girl. I attempted suicide twice before I came of age. Then I fell in love with a man named Raffaele. My parents were very displeased when we married, as they had already promised me to another man. It was at this moment my mother placed a curse on us. We moved to another town, but the curse followed us, destroying our home in an earthquake. We moved again, to Correggio.

[arsenousapplepie]

In Correggio, I opened up a small shop. I was a good neighbor and a doting mother to my living children. You see, throughout my marriage to Raffaele, I was pregnant seventeen times, but three pregnancies were miscarriages, and ten more died before they were toddlers, so my four children were my world.

[arsenousapplepie]

A threat loomed over me, however. When I was younger, before marrying Raffaele, I visited a fortune teller. She told me that I would indeed marry and have children, but all of them would die. I visited another gypsy who, studying my palms, saw prison in my right hand and a criminal asylum in my left. Now, I know that fate is surely inescapable, but if all of this was a result of my mother's curse, perhaps there was a remedy.

[arsenousapplepie]

Now, Giuseppe was my oldest son, and he was my sweetest child. I treasured my bond with him dearly. He was to join the Italian army, and to fight in the war. The curse still loomed over us, as I had done nothing to remedy it save watching over the children closely. I would no longer be able to protect my Giuseppe. He would be on his own in a dangerous environment. I had to do something quick. I couldn't allow this curse to claim my beloved boy.

[arsenousapplepie]

I knew that breaking this curse would not be easy. It would require hard work, dedication, and sacrifice. My first sacrifice was Faustina Setti, a spinster I'd promised a husband in a distant town. I drugged her wine, struck her with an axe, then set to work on the body.