Bit-O-Honey

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I had a book signing this weekend at a local Barnes and Noble store for my Daughters of the Roaring Twenties series, and brought along a candy dish full of Bit-O-Honey candies for the table. (I circled the candy dish in red.)

Why? Because Bit-O-Honey candy bars—I can only ever find the individual pieces—were one of the most popular candies in the 1920’s.

Invented in 1924 by the Schutter-Johnson Company out of Chicago, the ‘candy bar’ was a ‘brick’ of six individual pieces wrapped together in wax paper and then covered with a candy bar wrapper. The long chewing honey-flavored taffy with its bits of almond quickly became a hit from coast to coast. 

The recipe for Bit-O-Honey candies has not changed over the years, but the company making them has a couple times. The last time was in 2013 when the Pearson’s Candy Company of St. Paul, Minnesota bought the brand. 

I was excited a couple of years ago when I found a bag of Bit-O-Honey candies because I hadn’t seen them in years, and I’ve kept them in my candy jar ever since. It’s amazing the amount of people who are thrilled when they see these little candies. The same thing happened at the signing today. The dish full of Bit-O-Honey candies certainly was a conversation starter!

Other popular candy from the 1920’s includes Charleston Chews (named after the dance of course!), the Baby Ruth candy bar (yes, named after the old grand-slammer himself, Babe Ruth), Slo Pokes, and Teaberry Chewing Gum. This is also the era that brought us Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Butterfingers, and Milk Duds. So, in other words, candy lovers have a lot to appreciate about the 20’s!

The Rebel Daughter, the next book in this series, will be released September 1st. 

Blurb:

For every wild child… 

No more watching from the sidelines for Twyla Nightingale: her feet are firmly on the dance floor! She won't let anyone sour the delicious taste of freedom—especially not Forrest Reynolds, back in town after all this time.

…there's a guy who thinks she's the bee's knees. 

Forrest didn't expect a warm welcome from the Nightingale sisters, not after their lives had been so dramatically upturned. But seeing the challenge in Twyla's eyes, Forrest takes this rebel for a wild dance she won't forget!

RT reviews had this to say about The Rebel Daughter--You’ll experience plenty of the Roaring ‘20s atmosphere in the second in Robinson’s series. This time, she’s added some wild adventures, a mystery and loads of sexual tension to the mix, keeping readers on their toes. They’ll eagerly await the next installment of the saga. 

Daughters of the Roaring Twenties

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Significant changes during the 1920’s brought about a new breed of women. The 19^th Amendment guaranteed the right to vote, and opportunities to attend colleges and to pursue careers paved the way for younger women to embrace who they were. The increased availability of birth control made it possible to plan for children, and new technology brought freedom from the drudgeries of house work with electric refrigerators, washing machines, and vacuum cleaners. 

People from coast to coast had access to the same merchandise thanks to chain stores, and new transportation opportunities allowed long distance traveling. Ford vowed to build a car that all Americans could afford—a Model T cost $260 in 1924—and dozens of other car manufactures grew from the demand for more options. By 1929 there was one car on the road for every five Americans and new business like gas stations and motels lined the roadways. Radios became a must have and radio stations popped up across the nation bringing the news as it happened and entertainment, mainly music, right into homes. Movie theatres and amusement parks also became popular businesses in large cities and small towns alike.  

There was also Prohibition—the 18^th Amendment had been ratified in 1919 and on January 16, 1920 at 12:00 AM the federal Volstead Act closed every saloon, bar, and tavern in the United States. The act made it illegal to manufacture and sell any alcoholic beverage. However, consumption of alcohol was not illegal. The liquor trade went underground and bootleggers, gangsters, and racketeers soon battled amongst themselves to control the wealth gained by this enterprising opportunity. Speakeasies were born and embraced.

Because of the time lapse from the ratification and the actual ban on alcohol, many people and business stockpiled liquor, and others started brewing their own, some of which grew in popularity not only across the nation, but the world.

I used all of these significant changes while writing a series of four books, about four sisters and their bootlegging father. Here’s the blurb for the Daughters of the Roaring Twenties series: 

Prohibition has made Roger Nightingale a wealthy man. With his bootlegging business in full swing, and his swanky hotel the most popular joint in town, his greatest challenge is keeping his four willful daughters in check!

Join Ginger, Norma Rose, Twyla and Josie as they foxtrot their way into four gorgeous men’s hearts!

First travel with Ginger to Chicago in The Runaway Daughter, coming July 1^st. 

 

Then see Norma Rose go head-to-head with Ty Bradshaw in The Bootlegger’s Daughter coming August 1^st. 

Find out if Forrest Reynolds can tame the mischievous Twyla in The Rebel Daughter coming September 1^st. 

And last, but not least, discover Josie’s secret in

The Forgotten Daughter coming October 1^st.

 I’ll leave you with a few slang words from the twenties:

Applesauce- an expletive same as horsefeathers, As in "Ah applesauce!"

Bank's Closed - no kissing or making out - i.e. - "Sorry, Mac, the bank's closed."

Bee's Knees - An extraordinary person, thing, idea; the ultimate.

Dead soldier - an empty beer bottle.

Flat Tire - A dull witted, insipid, disappointing date. Same as pill, pickle, drag, rag, oilcan.

Handcuff - an engagement ring (bracelets or nippers means actual handcuffs).

Ossified - a drunk person.

Torpedo - A hired gun.

Wet Blanket - a solemn person, a killjoy.