Down
Salem Way
Prequel
to Loving Husband Trilogy
by Meredith
Allard
Genre:
historical/paranormal/sweet romance
Publisher: Copperfield Press
Date of Publication: 6/25/2019
ISBN: paperback 978-0578500645
ASIN: B07QPBFYRP
Number of pages: 336
Word Count: 93,000
Cover Artist: LFD Designs
Book Description:
How would you deal with the
madness of the Salem witch hunts?
In 1690, James Wentworth arrives
in Salem in the Massachusetts Bay Colony with his father, John, hoping to
continue the success of John’s mercantile business. While in Salem, James falls
in love with Elizabeth Jones, a farmer’s daughter. Though they are virtually
strangers when they marry, the love between James and Elizabeth grows quickly
into a passion that will transcend time.
But something evil lurks down
Salem way. Soon many in Salem, town and village, are accused of practicing
witchcraft and sending their shapes to harm others. Despite the madness
surrounding them, James and Elizabeth are determined to continue the peaceful,
loving life they have created together. Will their love for one another carry
them through the most difficult challenge of all?
Down Salem Way is the
long-awaited prequel to the bestselling paranormal historical Loving Husband
Trilogy.
Topic: What is it about this
book that makes it special?
Down Salem Way is the prequel to the Loving Husband Trilogy,
so the story itself is special because it was inspired by the trilogy, mainly
the first book, Her Dear and Loving Husband, which is set in both present day
Salem, Massachusetts as well as Salem during the witch hunts in 1692. Her Dear
and Loving Husband is one of those books that’s hard to explain without giving
a lot away, but I will say that Down Salem Way fills in the bits about the
Salem witch hunts that Her Dear and Loving Husband leaves out. The truth is,
Down Salem Way wouldn’t exist without the amazing fans of the Loving Husband
Trilogy. After I finished writing Her Loving Husband’s Return, the final book
in the series, I thought my time with James and Sarah Wentworth was done. But
fans kept asking for more. For as long as I year I said no because the story is
pretty well wrapped up. But the fans kept asking for more James and Sarah
books. Finally, I came up with the idea for Down Salem Way as a way to talk
more about James and his wife’s experiences during the Salem Witch Trials.
Mainly, this book is special because it’s the fans who wanted it to exist, so I
wrote it for them.
Down Salem Way is also special because people continue to be
fascinated by the Salem Witch Trials. There’s something about the fact that
we’ll never know exactly what happened in Salem in 1692 with all the witch
accusations and the executions that makes us still wonder about it today.
Writing about the Salem witch hunts has been my way of trying to make sense of
them. After all, we still deal with many of the same issues today—false
accusations, fake news, everyone jumping on the bandwagon whether or not
they’re acting on accurate information. Although the witch hunts took place in
the late 17th century, in many ways they feel very real today.
Excerpt:
“Would you like
a lesson?” I asked.
“Aye,”
Lizzie said. “Thank you.”
Lizzie has
progressed well in her reading. And quickly too. I believe our nightly lessons
help bond us more quickly than we might have otherwise since our readings
prompt long discussions where we learn much about each other. After we read the
rest of the passage together, I did the impossible: I cajoled my wife into
reading aloud on her own.
“No one has such
a lovely voice as you,” I said.
Lizzie laughed.
“You think your sweet tongue will persuade me to read alone? When you are such
a learned man?” She turned away, her cheeks flushed.
“But you know
how I love listening to you speak. Tis like hearing a serenata by Alessandro
Stradella.”
“Who?”
I reached for
our favorite volume of poetry. “Tis time, Lizzie. Read to me.”
Lizzie turned
the book in her hands, over and over. Finally, she nodded. She tentatively
opened the book. “What would you like to hear?”
“You know.”
Lizzie’s smile
rivals the brightest sunshine. She opened to the page, exhaled, and read,
haltingly, with pauses, some from a struggle to sound out or recall the words,
some from embarrassment that she read alone. After the first two lines, her
voice grew in confidence.
If ever two were
one, then surely we.
If ever man were
loved by wife, then thee.
If ever wife was
happy in a man,
Compare with me,
ye women, if you can.
I prize thy love
more than whole mines of gold,
Or all the
riches that the East doth hold.
My love is such
that rivers cannot quench,
Nor ought but
love from thee give recompense.
Thy love is such
I can no way repay;
The heavens
reward thee manifold, I pray.
Then while we
live, in love let’s so persever,
That when we
live no more, we may live ever.
Lizzie closed
the book. “Tis true, you know.”
“What is?” I
asked.
“This poem, To
My Dear and Loving Husband. Tis as though everything I feel for you has been
written here, by this woman, a magistrate’s wife I’ll never meet. You are…”
Lizzie blushed, hot along her jaw. I touched her cheek and lifted her head so I
could see into her eyes. “If ever man were loved by wife, then thee. That is
how…”
“Tis all right,
Lizzie. You can tell me anything.”
“That is how I
feel about you. You are my dear and loving husband, James Wentworth.”
I knelt before
Lizzie, pressing her hand to my lips.
“I knew the
moment I saw you over the supper table that you were the one for me. I cannot
imagine waking up every morning for the rest of my life without looking into
your beautiful eyes. I cannot imagine walking through this world without
knowing that you were here waiting for me. I cannot imagine having the strength
to breathe without you. You are my dear and loving wife, Elizabeth Wentworth.
And I love you. I shall never leave you. Ever.”
I swept my wife into my arms and
carried her away.
Meredith Allard is the author of
the bestselling paranormal historical love story The Loving Husband Trilogy and
the sweet Victorian romance When It Rained at Hembry Castle, named a best
historical novel of 2016 by IndieReader. Meredith's latest release is Down
Salem Way, the long-awaited prequel to The Loving Husband Trilogy set around
the Salem witch hunts. She lives in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Thank you so much for hosting me today!
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