About the Book:
Title: One of Windsor:
The Untold Story of America’s First Witch Hanging
Author: Beth M. Caruso
Publisher: Ladyslipper Press
Pages: 358
Genre: Historical Fiction
Author: Beth M. Caruso
Publisher: Ladyslipper Press
Pages: 358
Genre: Historical Fiction
Alice, a young woman prone to
intuitive insights and loyalty to the only family she has ever known, leaves England for the rigid colony of the Massachusetts Bay in 1635 in hopes of reuniting with them again. Finally
settling in Windsor, Connecticut, she encounters the rich American wilderness
and its inhabitants, her own healing abilities, and the blinding fears of
Puritan leaders which collide and set the stage for America's first witch
hanging, her own, on May 26, 1647.
This event and Alice's ties to her beloved family are catalysts that
influence Connecticut's Governor John Winthrop Jr. to halt witchcraft hangings
in much later years. Paradoxically, these same ties and the memory of the
incidents that led to her accusation become a secret and destructive force
behind Cotton Mather's written commentary on the Salem witch trials of 1692, provoking further witchcraft
hysteria in Massachusetts forty-five years after her death.
The author uses extensive
historical research combined with literary inventions, to bring forth a
shocking and passionate narrative theory explaining this tragic and important
episode in American history.
Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Book Excerpt:
NEW WINDSOR, BERKSHIRE,
ENGLAND, 1615
The infant was soon to enter the world. Alsie’s increased
labor pains and a sudden wave of panic made a swift announcement of her baby’s
imminent arrival. Gwendolyn, the midwife, motioned with a wise smile and nod to
Alsie’s cousin. Mrs. Mary Merwin Tinker and her daughters were to make the
final preparations for the newborn. The lines embedded under Gwendolyn’s eyes,
eyes still bright after many years of life, were a testament to her wisdom and
experience.
“Girls. It’s time. Quickly...Sarah, bring the rest of
Gwendolyn’s supplies to the bedside table. She’ll need the string and knives
shortly. Little Mary, come and support Alsie’s back. You too, Ellen. Assist
Mary. Margaret, make sure the linens are warmed and everything else is ready
for the babe! We must all give our support to cousin now,” spoke Mrs. Mary
Tinker, their mother.
“Yes ma’am,” they replied in unison as some sisters hurried
about making sure everything was in place for the birth, and the remaining
sisters stayed at Alsie’s side to comfort her.
Despite the excitement inside, a branch softly and
hypnotically continued to hit the leaded glass window of the thatched cottage
in a steady cadence. Alsie had already been in a trance for the past hour, the
trance a woman’s body and soul become held in toward the end of labor.
About the Author
Beth M. Caruso grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio and spent her childhood writing puppet shows and witches’
cookbooks. She became interested in French Literature and Hispanic Studies,
receiving a Bachelor of Arts from the University
of Cincinnati. She later obtained Masters degrees in Nursing and Public
Health.
Working as a Peace Corps volunteer
in Thailand, she helped to improve the public health of local Karen
hill tribes. She also had the privilege to care for hundreds of babies and
their mothers as a labor and delivery nurse.
Largely influenced by an
apprenticeship with herbalist and wildcrafter, Will Endres, in North Carolina, she surrounds herself with plants through gardening and
native species conservation.
Her latest passion is to discover and convey important
stories of women in American history. One of Windsor is her debut novel. She lives in New England
with her awesome husband, amazing children, loyal puppy, and cuddly cats. .