Salem’s Trial by Judge

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For those that don’t know me, I’m Amanda Kimberley and I’ve been writing for a little over three decades. I live in Connecticut with my family and growing zoo of pets. I started out my indie career writing about the disease fibromyalgia. It has just been within the past five years that I have taken the paranormal fiction plunge.

Salem’s Trial by Judge is a novelette that came about from a mini vacation to Salem, MA. My family and I go as often as we can because we love the people, the town, the rich history, the shops, and the calm and relaxing feeling the shore gives us when we are there. We usually go to at least one of the museums there because my husband and I want our kids to understand the importance and the history of the Salem Witch Trials.

This year, though, we had decided to do something completely different. We took a ghost tour. The tour was very fun. We learned some new things about Salem and the Witch Trials that you typically do not hear when you get a museum tour and one of those stories was the inspiration behind Salem’s Trial by Judge.

One woman that was tried for witchcraft owned the largest apple orchard in Salem. I thought it was a strange thing to want to try someone who could potentially feed the entire town with her crops unless of course, they wanted the orchard for themselves. This thought stayed with me through the tour, even as I captured something rather interesting on one of the snapshots of Judge Jon Corwin’s house (pictured on the cover) and Sheriff George Corwin. I’m not a professional ghost hunter and I don’t even presume to have it as a hobby, but that thing on the photo I captured on the lawn made me wonder if any of the poor accused souls hated the Corwins and their greed.

When I came home I wrote the entire outline in an hour and then quickly started to work on the characters of Jon Corwin, George Corwin, Hedria Coleman, Bryna & Brody Gilchrist, Lord Arwood Cromwell, and Bartholomew Corwin. The story may not be exactly what happened during the trials, but I do believe there were accused during that time, and The Burning Times of Europe, that were accused because of the very petty reasons of gaining property or forcing one into marriage.

**********

Excerpt:

Arwood started to drag his feet as he approached the entryway to the massive house. The siding slats were a dark and foreboding color that was causing him a pause in the decision he was about to make. He felt she had left him no choice in the matter, and therefore, should not feel remorse for what he was about to do, but that did not make things any easier.

John Corwin, a man that matched his house with a tall and dark stature, greeted him at the door before he could knock. “Lord Cromwell! What a pleasant surprise! What do I owe for this pleasure?”

“I have to report a crime of Witchcraft.” Arwood swallowed out.

“Come in, my good man. Let us talk.”

“John, it was the strangest thing. And I am all set to marry her. Please. I don’t want her hurt. I just want my Bryna back!”

“Now Arwood, you know how these things go.”

“I’m good for the money Corwin! I always have been in these sorts of things.”

John Corwin smiled as he said, “Well then it is settled I will have George pick up Mrs. Bryna Gilchrist. Perhaps George can press a Christian sense into her.”

“John, please, not that. Isn’t there another way?”

“For a larger fee, of course there is! A few acreages of her land in exchange for her soul would suffice.”

“I’m willing to pay for it. I will do anything for her. I really love this one, John.”

“It’s settled then. George will pick her up and bring her to me. And Arwood, I need not remind you, not a word of what we have spoken should pass your lips or I will make sure the Lord, your God, takes no pity upon you.”

“You have my word. And as always, no one shall know of this.”

**********

Salem’s Trial by Judge is available for purchase on Amazon in eBook and print editions.

**********

For those interested, I am giving away a few eBooks in this rafflecopter giveaway:

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/OThmYzVjMzZkOWY0MzQzMWQzNDkwZGZlZjFhYTMyOjc=/?