A Short and Quick Interview

Here’s my interview with Supernatural Central. You can see it on their site here.

1. Tell me a little bit about your main character of this book.

The main character of Down Salem Way is James Wentworth, a young man who left England with his father, John, in 1690 in hopes of furthering John’s prosperous mercantile business in the American colonies. They settle in Salem in the Massachusetts Bay Colony where James falls in love with Elizabeth Jones, a farmer’s daughter.

James wants to be a dutiful son and he stays in Salem helping John with his business, but he’s torn because he wants to return to England to his studies at Cambridge. Suddenly, the Salem Witch Trials rear their ugly heads and James and Elizabeth find themselves caught up in the madness. Really, it’s James’ love for Elizabeth that drives this story. Down Salem Way is written as James’ diary as he and Elizabeth experience the witch hunt hysteria in Salem.

2. Do you believe in the paranormal and if so, do you have an experience you can share?

I’ve had a lot of questions about whether or not I believe in the supernatural elements of the Loving Husband books. I don’t believe that vampires or werewolves actually exist. I don’t think it’s so much about believing in Wiccans because they’re really there. There are many all over the world who consider themselves Wiccan. Do they have magic powers like Miriam and the other witches in the Loving Husband books? I know Wiccans cast spells, and I’m not one to judge whether or not their spells work!

I believe that human beings are composed of body, mind, and spirit. I believe we’re more than our earthly experiences and five senses show us. I do believe our souls go on after our human bodies die, and I think it’s possible that those souls go on to be reincarnated.

Down Salem Way and The Loving Husband Trilogy are fiction, and the reason I love writing fiction above all else is because it allows me to explore the possibilities. Paranormal events may or may not happen—I don’t know for sure one way or the other—but writing these books was my way of wondering aloud what the paranormal world (and vampires and witches) might look like if it was real.

3. What titles are you working on now that you can tell us about?

My next novel is going to be a Christmas book from my Hembry Castle series. When It Rained at Hembry Castle is based on my love for Charles Dickens and Downton Abbey, and it’s a sweet Victorian romance. Christmas at Hembry Castle will be released in Winter 2020.

You can visit me online at www.meredithallard.com to learn more about Down Salem Way, the Loving Husband Trilogy, When It Rained at Hembry Castle, and my future books as well.