My latest release isn’t a western—it’s set during the Salem
Witch Trials. Saving Marina was
released on February 1st.
Seduced in Salem
Sea captain Richard Tarr must claim his child after the death of his estranged wife. Arriving in Salem, he's shocked to discover his daughter is in the care of Marina Lindqvist—a rumored witch!
This beautiful, gentle woman awakens unfamiliar feelings in Richard. And as the threat from the Salem witch hunters grows, he knows he must protect misunderstood Marina at all costs. Little does he know that with Marina helping him bond with his little girl, she might just be saving him right back…
‘Bewitched’ was one of my favorite shows growing up, and I’d
heard my grandmother mention there were witches in our family way back when,
but hadn’t thought about it for years, until my son was exploring Ancestry.com
and told me that my eight times great grandmother was arrested as a witch during
the Salem Witch Trials. When I mentioned that to my editor, she asked if I was
interested in writing a story based then and I instantly agreed.
There are many theories behind the witch trials. Some I read
amazed me, others were staggering, and then there are those that, although
incredulous, seem understandable considering the time period and the beliefs
and ways of life back then.
My ancestor’s name was Elizabeth Dicer, and though I dug up
as much material on her as I could, there isn’t much. It seems she was arrested
after accusing several others of being a witch—which wasn’t uncommon. From my
understanding, it was late in the year when she was imprisoned, and cold. Her
son-in-law, whose name was Richard Tarr, (my paternal grandmother’s maiden name
was Tarr, and Richard would have been her several times great grandfather)
petitioned the courts to release not only Elizabeth, but several others because
they would never survive the cold winter in the jail which had no heat. Just
the previous month, The Court of Oyer and Terminer, which had been specifically
created to try accused witches, had been overturned, or dissolved, by the
Superior Court of Judicature which specifically outlawed the use of spectral
evidence in any of the hearings. Richard obtained Elizabeth’s release by paying
her bail and promising to return her to the courts for a set upon hearing date
the following spring. Between the date of her release and trail date,
additional changes and orders came about which led to the end of the accusations
and trails, therefore Elizabeth, as well as several others, never needed to
return. A few years later, monetary reparations and public apologies were
granted to some families for false proof and wrongful deaths.
Although I used my family history and Richard Tarr’s name in
my story, I did not use Elizabeth’s premise. Marina, my heroine, has her own
reason for believing she is a witch.
I certainly enjoyed writing a story set during the Salem
Witch Trial, and had lots of fun writing a series set during the Roaring
Twenties, but westerns will always remain my favorites. Both to read and write.
I’m excited to share I’ll have three of those released in 2016. April will
bring Western Spring Weddings, and
anthology including my story, When a
Cowboy Says I Do. June will bring Her
Cheyenne Warrior. My November title is yet to be determined, but is a
Christmas tale set in Colorado.
So…is there an old wives tale in your family that has proven
true?
Lauri, This is a great book! I loved it! It always makes a book more interesting to write when you have a bit of your own history to push you to write a book. Wishing you many sales!
ReplyDeletebeautiful cover Good luck!
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