Author's Note: Here are some "behind the scenes" details that may interest you about this story. Warning - this may contain spoilers so don't read before you've finished all the chapters that came before it!

Beethoven's Immortal Beloved letters as found in the excerpt at the start of the story inspired the name of the group of immortals that Max leads. Beloved translated into Italian is amato (masculine form), which could theoretically sound like immortal to someone with less than ideal hearing.

The amnesia that comes with becoming an immortal in this book was inspired by the Greek myth of the Lethe River, one of the seven rivers in the Underworld. The Lethe was said to contain the waters of oblivion that washed memories away. Initially, the memory loss in the book was written to be somewhat temporary, lasting only about a year before everything was recalled. However, this was changed to be permanent (with the caveats introduced in Book Two) in order to make the threat of dying more serious.

The book originally started with a Prologue that took place as Reine first awakened in the Venetian church after drowning in 1498. This was removed from the beginning in the final edits, but most was re-inserted into a later chapter.

Some dialogue was also removed from Chapter 1, including Reine's explanation that her name (pronounced like wren) meant queen in French. Her mother was originally from Lyon and she named her that because after having four boys, she was very happy to finally have a daughter.

Amara's name is a reference to amaranth, which is a dark, red flower that's a symbol for immortality. The color - which is also a subtle nod to pomegranate (another immortality symbol) is repeated in both Max's Maserati, as well as his home. The fleur de lis - which appears as a silver charm on Jameela's bracelet - also references both the Holy Trinity, as well as immortal life.

The first painting that Reine shows her tour group in the National Gallery of Art - a portrait by DaVinci of Ginevra DeBenci - is also a bit of foreshadowing to the explicit DaVinci connection that comes later. There is additional significance to Reine's two favorite pieces of art that she mentions to Gabe in this same chapter.

The portrait Reine and the Professor visit in Venice that is supposed to be of her does exist in real life. The chalk on vellum La Bella Principessa (Portrait of a Beautiful Princess or The Young Fiancée) was linked to Leonardo da Vinci in 2010. Although there are some strong arguments for the attribution, not all experts agree and many think it was made by another artist.

Although Reine leaving her shoes in the boat during the gondola ride seems to recall the story of Cinderella, this was only a happy coincidence and not intentional.

Max's house outside of Philadelphia was inspired by the Rock Rose mansion in Radnor, Pennsylvania. It is located at 200 Pine Tree Road in Wayne, north of Radnor. Built in 1912 by Zatzinger, Borie and Medary, it is 14,000 square feet and sits on 5.4 acres. In 2013, Rock Rose was for sale for $4.8M.

Reine's observation that the chandelier in the mansion "is a Barovier" alludes to her having been chandelier shopping with Max before she drowned. The Barovier glassworks has been making chandeliers in Murano, Italy since 1295.

Sylvana was originally called Veruschka. Her last name of Banica is not mentioned until Part Two.

The name of Max's butler is Connor, a subtle nod to Connor MacLeod the famous immortal from THE HIGHLANDER movies.

Morgan and Paisley's last name is Pendle, which is a subtle nod to the Pendle Witches of 17th century Lancashire.

The Maserati Quattroporte that Max drives did in fact come in the color Bordeaux Pontevecchio between 2005 and 2013. The Ponte Vecchio is the iconic bridge over the Arno River in Florence, Italy.

When riding in Max's car, Reine makes a reference to an iconic line from Bram Stoker's Dracula. Did you catch it?

The painting of Leda and the Swan that hangs in Reine's living room has significance for the events of Part Two, namely that she is pregnant with twins who have different fathers.

A character called Liam Vander Berg was cut entirely from the book in final edits. He was one of Reine's students who also worked part-time at the car dealership she bought her new BMW from, and he also briefly showed up in Glen Echo Park. His scenes were cut to improve pacing.

Most of the book was written while listening to Pachelbel's Canon and it's considered the story's theme song.

The Confraternity of the Resurrection's Council is modeled on Florence's Council of Ten, which was the city's governing body during the Renaissance.

Very few real locations were altered in the story and most can be found just as described. A handful were changed, including the name of Gabe's old school, however, a private boys' preparatory school does exist in that area of Maryland. Scoby Castle in reality is called Cliffe Castle in Yorkshire, and the name in the book was changed as an homage to Scooby Doo. The Byrd Theater is really located in Richmond, Virginia, but in reality, it has not been converted to a restaurant as in the story. However, all of the other place names and descriptions are accurate, including the contents of the National Gallery, the Dodge's Palace, Glen Echo Park, Chambord Palace, Brugge, the Vasari Corridor in Florence, and the Crypt of St. Mary Undercroft at Westminster.

Part 1 takes place in less than an eight week time span, from the first Friday in January until mid-March. Since Valentine's Day (February 14) falls on a Sunday, the year can be 2010, 2016 or 2021.