Interview with Meredith Allard Author of Down Salem Way
Happy holidays to all! Give a big welcome to , author of Down Salem Way. Have a seat and grab an insulated mug. I’ve got hot chocolate, hot cider and coffee. Choose your pot, they’re labeled. Pick your choice of a Snicker-doodle, Chocolate Chip or Peanut butter cookie from the plate. Yep, I baked them myself. Pssst…Don’t forget to enter the Rafflecopter at the bottom of the post. 
Lets see find out a little about Meredith Allard and what Down Salem Way: Prequel to Loving Husband Trilogy is all about. Thanks for joining us! Lets start with Meredith.
What inspired this particular story?
Down Salem Way is the prequel to the Loving Husband Trilogy, so the story itself was inspired by the trilogy, mainly the first book, Her Dear and Loving Husband. 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. 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.
What do you want your readers to take away from your books?
Since I write primarily historical fiction, I’d love it if readers made connections that people haven’t changed much over the years. What people want now is what people have always wanted, which is to know they matter. Fashions change, and technology, and medicinal knowledge (thank goodness), but beneath society there is just this inherent humanness that we all continue to share. Also, history does tend to repeat itself. I’ve had more than one fan see connections between events in my novels and events in the news today. I don’t do that on purpose, necessarily. But it is interesting to see how the more things change, the more they stay the same.
Do you find it easier to write from a male or female point of view? Why?
This is an interesting question because Down Salem Way is written from a male point of view and I’m female. I wouldn’t say it was hard, especially since I was writing from the point of view of James Wentworth, a character I had been writing about since 2009 when I started writing the Loving Husband Trilogy. Actually, the entire Loving Husband Trilogy is written from both James and Sarah’s point of view, but Down Salem Way is different because it’s written in first person as James’ diary. I didn’t find it particularly hard to write from James’ point of view because of all of the characters I’ve written over the years, James is probably the one I most identify with. We’re both bookish scholars who would rather read, write, and contemplate than deal with the real world. I didn’t think of it as writing from the male point of view. I thought of it as writing a character I innately understood. I think it’s good for writers to press themselves out of their comfort zones sometimes and try something different.
Why do you write what you write? Ie. Contemporary, paranormal, suspense, etc.
I write primarily historical fiction because I’m fascinated by history and I love to learn about the past. By researching the history for my novels, I have a chance to learn things I might not have otherwise learned. Also, historical fiction is my favorite genre to read. My fiction crosses over several genres and it also has paranormal elements, like with the vampires, witches, werewolves, and ghosts in the Loving Husband Trilogy. Down Salem Way also has its share of witches and vampires, though I was sure to make it clear that those accused of witchcraft were not witches. I also write sweet romance, and often it’s the love story, like the love story between James and Elizabeth in Down Salem Way, that drives the story forward. There a great quote from Toni Morrison that says if there’s a book you want to read and it has not been written then you must write it. And that’s my reason for writing right there. I write books that I like to read, and one of my greatest joys is hearing from fans from all over the world who like my books. For an author, there’s nothing better.
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.
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?
“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.
About
the Author:
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.
It was wonderful having you with us today. Please feel free to stop by anytime. Good Luck with Down Salem Way!
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Posted in Authors' Secrets Blog and tagged historical/paranormal/sweet romance, Meredith Allard by Tena Stetler with 2 comments.
Thank you for hosting me today! I appreciate it!
My pleasure. Good luck with Down Salem Way!