The Heretic's Daughter

Even if you don’t listen to audiobooks on a regular basis, you should listen to The Heretic’s Daughter. Kathleen Kent’s debut novel follows Martha Carrier (one of the first women to be accused, tried and hanged as a witch in Salem, Massachusetts) and her daughter Sarah during the Salem witch trials. The story is really fascinating because Kent is a direct descendent of Martha Carrier. She did research for five years in order to meticulously depict the superstitious and ascetic environment of the time that led up to the trials. On top of that, Mare Winningham’s narration is exceptional, so much so that it brought the author to tears.

Checking in

So, we have some great guest bloggers lined up for next week: Amber Fairweather on HERETIC'S DAUGHTER and Anthony Goff on MIKE'S ELECTION GUIDE.

I'm going to finally get the chance to listen to OFF SEASON, since I hope to have a little time free this weekend (no pressing manuscript to read, and our big presentation was done this week). I finally have a chance to relax!

More to come soon!

Long weekend followup

Finished BOOK OF LIES! I don't want to ruin it for anyone else who's planning on listening, so I won't go into too much detail about the plot, but I have to mention a few of my favorite bits. As a Cleveland native, I get excited whenever the city is mentioned in a book or movie or TV show, so the fact that Brad set a great deal of the action there was a wonderful surprise! By the end of the story, I was nostalgic for home, despite the fact that the downtown gun chases are a little removed from the, ah, more suburban experience I had growing up.

I also LOVED the Jerry Siegel/Superman/comicbook stuff. I was so intrigued when I heard the premise of the audiobook- how would Brad get Superman's creation story entwined with the Cain story from the Bible? It ended up being seamless! I highly recommend that anyone who listens sticks around for the extra note from the author at the end of the audiobook. He talks a little bit about his research and quest to find a real-life murderer, and it casts an interesting light on the historical realities included in the book.

Brad's in the office for a signing today, and I'm totally going to get my copy signed, plus a few for online giveaway. One of the best perks of this job is getting to meet the authors! I'll try to post a picture later.

Oh, and almost forgot! Everyone should check out www.BradMeltzer.com for more information on the book, to see the trailer, and for information on the campaign to Save the Siegel House.