One Blog Stop today!

To read an incredibly articulate review of Leah Starr Baker's The Bunko Babes, cruise on over to Mama Needs A Book Contract.

Happy Anniversary to me!

A day late, but... yesterday was the one year anniversary of this blog! I made a commitment last July to write every day, Monday thru Friday. For the most part, I've honored that.

The blog has evolved since it began. I had intended to write about Freelance writing, but it soon became much more about books. I'm good with that change.

So, yeah, just thought I'd mention it.

What a difference a day makes...

Woke up this morning full of energy and ideas. I've been letting baby-step thoughts hang out in the back of my brain for the last couple of weeks - giving them time to stretch and grow. Today, I can finally get them on paper and organize them.

I'm not so patiently waiting for ARCs to arrive in the mail. There are some great books being released this Fall, and I get to read a couple of them soon.

Lots to do, so I have to get to it. Have a great day!

I'm a witch... well, not really.

Yesterday, I reviewed The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent. I wanted to share what I discovered, about myself, while reading the book.

The names of the people accused are real. One of those people is John Proctor. John Proctor was the first man accused, tried and hung for witchcraft during the Salem Witch Trials.

I've been researching my family tree off and on for years. Last Fall, I finally traced my Brackett line back to Scotland. In my research, I had run across the name Proctor. So, after reading The Heretic's Daughter, I looked the name up, and discovered that the Bracketts married into the Proctors just after the Salem Witch Trials.

I am a 10th generation descendant of John Proctor. As one of my friends said, when I related this story to them, "Well, that explains everything!"

Book Review - The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent

The Heretic's Daughter
Kathleen Kent
Little, Brown and Company
ISBN # 978-0316024488

"Martha Carrier was one of the first women to be accused, tried and hanged as a witch in Salem, Massachusetts. Like her mother, young Sarah Carrier is bright and willful, openly challenging the small, brutal world in which they live. Often at odds with one another, mother and daughter are forced to stand together against the escalating hysteria of the trials and the superstitious tyranny that led to the torture and imprisonment of more than 200 people accused of witchcraft. This is the story of Martha's courageous defiance and ultimate death, as told by the daughter who survived.

Kathleen Kent is a tenth generation descendent of Martha Carrier"


Kathleen Kent's debut novel is a dark and enlightening tale of what happened to one family during the Salem Witch Trials. Daughters forced to turn against mothers, husbands against wives - this is what mass hysteria does to communities.

I have been interested in what happened in Salem, Massachusetts since I read The Crucible by Arthur Miller, when I was in grade school. The Heretic's Daughter is much more historically accurate than The Crucible, and (I think) a much better read. I really connected with the characters. I found myself wondering what I would be willing to sacrifice for my children, had I been in Martha Carrier's shoes. And, I wondered if my daughter would have been able to let me be hauled off to prison, if I had told her to let it happen, so that she could live.

The Heretic's Daughter is one of those books that I couldn't put down. However, the book didn't leave me wanting more. The story was told - clean and neat. There didn't need to be more.
(September 3, 2008, pp 352, $24.99)

Late to class... detention?

Okay, I'm a little late to post this morning. I already know I'll have detention, because I have work to do tonight.

One Blog Stop today at Mom Is Just A Nickname. See what Beth has to say about The Bunko Babes by Leah Starr Baker.

It's Friday, and it's Independence Day!

As much as I have been known to bitch lately about the sad state of our country, I happen to love July 4th. I love what it stands for, I love that it falls in the Summer and I love that I get to spend it with my family!

It's a beautiful, warm, clear day here. Perfect grilling weather.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!