Zara’s Salem: Truth and Fiction
Willows Park
Population-wise (40,000), Salem is a small city but unique. It has everything you would find in a big city: a university, a hospital, a museum, a no-kill animal shelter, District Court, Superior Court, and Federal Court.
Salem is also a tourist mecca. Its harbor was once an important port, and there’s a maritime history. More famous than its maritime history is its witch history. There were no witches in 1692, but psychics and witches abound in these modern times.
Wiccan (aka- White Witches) is a peaceful philosophy that sees the divine in everything. No curses. No black magic. No broomsticks.
Gallow’s Hill
Halloween in Salem is like Mardi Gras in New Orleans. ‘Haunted Happenings’ is a month-long party that builds anticipation until October 31. Halloween is an important holiday for Wiccans, and the annual Witches’ Ball is held in the evening after the city’s parade.
Gallows Hill Park does exist as I described it. There are a kiddie park area, a baseball diamond, and bleachers. You can follow a dirt path to the top of the hill (like I did) where you’ll find a residential street and the Italian-American Club.
Witch Hill Road, where Zara lives, exists and borders Gallows Hill Park.
Hawthorne Hotel
The Hawthorne Hotel is located on Hawthorne Boulevard at Washington Square. I passed a night there at a writers’ conference. Spirits live there. Trust me.
Witch Hill Road
The Museum Place Mall is where and how I described it. Walking down Hawthorne Boulevard toward the harbor, there’s a funeral home near the corner of Derby Street. Not Romano Funeral Home, though.
Cross Derby Street to reach Pickering Wharf. Yes, there is a Pickering Wharf with small shops and a couple of restaurants. Laurie Cabot, Salem’s official and most famous witch, had a shop here. She does have a website so you can reach her online.
Pickering Wharf
Cousin Aldo’s No-Name Restaurant does not exist. However, there is a No-Name restaurant in Boston. Dracula’s Castle is where I placed it. Though, I can’t think of any reason to bring Vlad to Salem. Further down Derby Street is the famous House of Seven Gables. The waterfront restaurant/bar where Zara and her friends meet is real.
Starbucks is where I place it. If you’ve ever been in Starbucks, you will note that I aptly described its clientele.
House of Seven Gables
There was (past tense) a Strega Restaurant. Strega means ‘witch’ in Italian. The Dairy Witch does exist on Boston Street, but the traveling ice cream truck is fiction. The public library, Collins Cove, and Willows Park exist where I placed and described them.
If you’re ever in Massachusetts, check out Salem. Even better, plan to visit in October and join the party.
Cover Reveal and Peek at Zara
Cover for my first cozy mystery, Flirting with Death. Zara will be available on September 14. My new Mystery Page will give a link for pre-order and first look at the book, including Chapter 1.
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Coping with physical impairment caused by a childhood accident, Samantha Douglas is certain her heart’s desire—a husband and children of her own—is forever out of reach.
Prince Rudolf Kazanov fled his homeland to protect his English mother and young daughter. Accustomed to society’s shallow beauties, Prince Rudolf is drawn to Samantha’s rare beauty that emanates from the heart.
But as passion brings them together, the prince’s enemies close in.
“Just the right amount of excitement and heat. Also quite funny.”
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FLIRTING WITH DEATH ( romantic mystery) will be released in 2018. I am now working n the next book in the Kazanov prince/ Flambeau sisters series. That will also be released in 2018. Join my readers list and get notified of the actual release dates. You have a chance to win a free book. I want to thank my readers for their patience.
Five Star review for Seducing the Prince
Regina Bradford, the Countess of Langley, did not get her “happily ever after”. Her father Reginald Smith, a wealthy business man, married her off to an impoverished earl to gain an aristocratic title for the family. Regina is miserable in her marriage to ‘Chuck’ Charles, the Earl of Langley, who is cheating on her on with the blonde beauty, Princess Adele Kazanov. Regina is an aspiring author, and despite her husband’s cruelty to her and his disdain for her writing, she is determined to finish her manuscript. She & her best friend Ginger Evans have an escape fund, using Ginger’s mathematical prowess the pair have investments & go by the name Mr Evans Smith. Reggie has her loyal butler Pickles, and her protective Great Dane, Hamlet who are definitely ‘in her corner’. Regina meets the darkly handsome Prince Viktor Kazanov at the Duke of Inverary’s house party, & the attraction between the pair is apparent from their first meeting.
Prince Viktor Kazanov wants a divorce. He is fed up with his wife Adele’s adultery with the Earl of Langley, and her lack of love for their daughter, Sally. At the Duke of Inverary’s house party, Viktor meets Regina and is immediately drawn to her wit, intelligence, and her fiery red-headed beauty. He decides then and there that he will begin divorce proceedings and free himself and his daughter from his cold-hearted wife. Then Adele and Charles are found murdered, suspicion turns to both Viktor and Regina, and the authorities seek to arrest them for the deaths of their spouses. Then there are more murders & the law turns it’s eye on Regina although Runner Amadeus Black thinks her innocent, he also thinks Ginger is amazing.
I’ve read other books by the author & thoroughly enjoyed them so I was a little disappointed when I started this book as it seemed very slow & not going anywhere for the first quarter. I think if I’d come to the book with no prior knowledge of the author I might have struggled, however I’m glad I did as the pace picked up & I was then engrossed. So persevere the house party is setting the scene for the rest of the book. Viktor & Reggie are immediately attracted to each other & he actually sees her as a lovely, intelligent woman & is great for her self esteem. They are both likeable as are the other characters. Both Reggie & Ginger are strong characters no simpering misses but intelligent strong women. The book is a mystery murder as well as an historical romance, there’s also more than one romance. An enjoyable read & I look forward to reading more from the author
Links:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35017367-seducing-the-prince