Here's the interview I did for New in Books where we talk a bit about Down Salem Way. Here's the link if you'd like to read it directly on their site. Also, New in Books featured Down Salem Way as a great read in literary fiction. Let's face it, Down Salem Way is literary fiction … Continue reading Down Salem Way: My Interview With New in Books
Salem Witch Trials
Down Salem Way: An Excerpt
After an annoying bout of illness, I'm back to bring you the second sneak peek of Down Salem Way. I'm having a lot of fun writing from James' point of view. It's allowing me a unique perspective into James and Elizabeth's lives in Salem in 1692. For those of you who have been contacting me … Continue reading Down Salem Way: An Excerpt
Books About Life During the Salem Witch Trials
Since I've been spending most of my time writing Down Salem Way, a lot of my reading has been about either the Salem Witch Trials or life in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. One of my favorite parts of writing historical fiction is learning about the time period I'm writing about. I had a pretty good … Continue reading Books About Life During the Salem Witch Trials
Down Salem Way: An Excerpt
I'm sure at this point Loving Husband Trilogy fans have put Down Salem Way into a category with Big Foot, the Loch Ness Monster, and other urban legends: people want to believe in it yet no one's actually seen it, so maybe it doesn't exist after all. Rest assured, the new James and Elizabeth story … Continue reading Down Salem Way: An Excerpt
Clothing in Colonial Massachusetts
What Did They Wear in 17th Century Colonial America? Clothing in Massachusetts wasn’t much different than clothing throughout the rest of the American colonies. However, living in the Massachusetts Bay Colony was different because Massachusetts was a theocracy ruled by Puritans. The colonial Puritans were stricter in many ways than their English counterparts, and, oddly … Continue reading Clothing in Colonial Massachusetts
What I’m Reading: The Salem Witch Trials and Some Time Travel
Here are some books I've read recently, when I found time between revising my dissertation, as well as the next books on my To Be Read list. Books I've Read Virgins by Diana Gabaldon I read the first five of Diana Gabaldon's Outlander novels while I was knee-deep in dissertatin'. I love the Outlander books … Continue reading What I’m Reading: The Salem Witch Trials and Some Time Travel
Daily Life in the Massachusetts Bay Colony
How Did They Live in Colonial Massachusetts? The main reason I felt drawn to writing Down Salem Way was that there wasn’t much space to explore James and Elizabeth’s lives in 1691-1692 in Her Dear and Loving Husband. We get glimpses of that time through James and Sarah’s memories, but the focus in Her Dear … Continue reading Daily Life in the Massachusetts Bay Colony
Christmas in the Massachusetts Bay Colony
What Was Christmas Like in the Massachusetts Bay Colony? I started wondering what Christmas would have been like for the Wentworths in Salem in the late 17th century. I hadn't researched Christmas during that time since it wasn't necessary for Her Dear & Loving Husband and the diary for Down Salem Way begins in January … Continue reading Christmas in the Massachusetts Bay Colony
Jobs in the Massachusetts Bay Colony
What Kind of Work Did They Do in Colonial Massachusetts? The North American continent was largely a question mark to those who left their European homelands behind to seek their fortunes, or, in the case of those immigrating to the Massachusetts Bay Colony, religious freedom. The immigrants may have heard great success stories about others … Continue reading Jobs in the Massachusetts Bay Colony