Welcome to my stop on the excerpt tour for The Salty Rose by Beth M. Caruso. This tour was organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. On my stop, I have an exclusive excerpt from the book for you! There's also the tour wide giveaway for a chance to win a $25 Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift card. Be sure to follow the rest of the tour for more exclusive excerpts. Enjoy!
--
Author: Beth M. Caruso
Publisher: Lady Slipper Press
Publication Date: September 1st 2019
Print Length: 308 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
~
Marie du Trieux, a tavern keeper with a salty tongue and a heart of gold, struggles as she navigates love and loss, Native wars, and possible banishment by authorities in the unruly trading port of New Amsterdam, an outpost of the Dutch West India Company.
In New England, John Tinker, merchant and assistant to a renowned alchemist and eventual leader of Connecticut Colony, must come to terms with a family tragedy of dark proportions, all the while supporting his mentor’s secret quest to find the Northwest Passage, a desired trading route purported to mystically unite the East with the West.
As the lives of Marie and John become intertwined through friendship and trade, a search for justice of a Dutch woman accused of witchcraft in Hartford puts them on a collision course affecting not only their own destinies but also the fate of colonial America.
Goodreads * Amazon * Barnes & Noble *
---
EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT:
Chapter 4
John Tinker walked across the threshold, observing rows of fine books on shelves. Many of Winthrop’s cherished volumes were open on tables alongside odd flasks and other glassware. The fire in the furnace was filled with red, hot embers cooking an unknown white substance. An unopened crate contained a curious insignia of the sun, half-moons, and Mercury— the same one he’d seen on the cover of Dee’s book.
“Before we go any further, John Tinker, you must know this. Men have died in their quest to learn the secrets of alchemy and thereby the secrets of the universe. There must be absolute secrecy in what we say to each other. God has bestowed his secrets and knowledge of his natural laws into the hands of few men. They have risked their lives to pass on their knowledge. Men such as Giordano Bruno and other great philosophers and seekers have burned in the flames of the Inquisition as perceived heretics. I beseech you; there must be complete trust between us. Are you ready to know and tell more?” Winthrop asked, gazing at Tinker intensely, testing his reaction.
“Sir, I am honored to be in your circle and even more honored that you deem me worthy of such mysteries. I know in my heart that I am ready to tell all,” vowed Tinker.
Winthrop smiled in his gentle way.
“Then be not afraid to share your dream. Does it still hold power over you?”
“Sir, the dream of the emerald stone stays with me, and another of equal power has appeared in another dream,” said Tinker reverently.
Winthrop nodded, “Go on, what is it?”
“A vision of gold rays from the heavens in a field bordered by ancient trees. They surrounded my heart, providing me with an unfamiliar peace,” Tinker said.
Tinker looked intently at Winthrop, feeling more vulnerable than ever before. It was a strange feeling for a confident, intelligent young man of worldly pursuits. He would normally not open up to another in such a candid way. But with Winthrop, he was at ease.
---
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Award-winning author, Beth M. Caruso, is passionate to discover and convey important and interesting stories of women from earlier times. She recently won the literary prize in Genre Fiction (2020) from IPNE (Independent Publishers of New England) for her most recent novel The Salty Rose: Alchemists, Witches & A Tapper In New Amsterdam (2019). The Salty Rose is Beth’s second historical novel and explores alchemy in early colonial times, an insider’s view of the takeover of the Dutch colony of New Netherland, and the Hartford Witch Panic with information she gathered from previous and ongoing research. Beth’s first historical novel is One of Windsor: The Untold Story of America’s First Witch Hanging (2015), a novel that tells the tale of Alice ‘Alse’ Young and the beginnings of the colonial witch trials. She based the story on original research she did by exploring early primary sources such as early Windsor land records, vital statistics, and other documents. She lives in Connecticut with her family. Beth kayaks and gardens to unwind.
---
GIVEAWAY:
Beth M. Caruso will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift card to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter. To increase your chance of winning, leave a comment at a different stop on the tour each day. Good luck!
Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a good book.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the excerpt. Thank you for the giveaway!
ReplyDeletethanks this sounds like a wonderful book
ReplyDeleteThanks for hosting this stop on the tour of The Salty Rose!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a great book.
ReplyDeleteHappy Friday, thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteHow long was the writing process?
ReplyDeleteHi Deborah- Thank you for your question! It took the good part of a year to write this novel but the research took several years more. This story is largely about real people. All three main characters and many others lived in the mid 1600s as the English and Dutch colonies in America competed for power. John Winthrop Jr. was an alchemist and governor of Connecticut Colony. Because of his influence, you do not hear about the witch trials that took place in Connecticut as often as the Salem Witch Trials. He stopped them three decades earlier. Marie du Trieux was one of the first colonists in New York when it was still a Dutch colony. She was an independent and rebellious tavern keeper in New Amsterdam. I was fascinated by the histories of the witch trials, the strive to create an alchemy center in the New World, and the behind-the-scenes reasons for the downfall of New Netherlands and New Amsterdam, which later became New York colony and New York City. They were taken over by the English without a single shot or cannon fire. The real history is fascinating and I had to share it in the story form of a historical novel.
DeleteSounds great, it's informative to read about stories that take place at a different time in our history.
ReplyDeleteI like the cover. It has very nice artwork.
ReplyDeleteabfantom at yahoo dot com
Susan Tait Porcaro is the artist. https://susantaitporcaro.com
DeleteThanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a very good book.
ReplyDeleteLove the cover and anything that has witches.
ReplyDeleteThis book sounds like an interesting and unique read for this winter.
ReplyDeleteNancy
allibrary (at) aol (dot) com
The cover art seems appropriate for the book. Good job.
ReplyDeleteLooks like an interesting book.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the contest.
nice book cover and the book sounds interesting. :)
ReplyDeleteLooks and sounds like a really great read.
ReplyDeleteLove historical fiction and this time period really interests me....Best of luck and thank you....
ReplyDeleteThe excerpt is interesting. Thank you for sharing it.
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful day!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great read! Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteNice cover
ReplyDeleteThanks again for the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteI love historical fiction books.
ReplyDeleteDo you listen to music when you write?
ReplyDeleteThanks for the question. Sometimes I do for certain chapters or places to help set the mood in my mind as I write. For example, in The Salty Rose there's a rowdy tavern scene where Marie's tavern is hopping and a traveling fiddle player is pounding out native Walloon folk songs. This is the ethnic group that Marie is a part of. Youtube is wonderful sometimes in helping one to find obscure yet meaningful things. I was able to find some ancient Walloon folk songs, especially ones about little red hens, in a dialect of French. I could imagine the rowdy crowd ,a few beers along, tapping the floor and dancing to the beat of this music.
ReplyDeletethis looks like a great read
ReplyDeleteI love historical reads. I enjoyed reading the excerpt.
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful day!
ReplyDeleteYou too Deborah!
DeleteWhat author do you most like to read?
ReplyDeleteI like to read many other authors' works. Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction,Magical Realism, Mystery and Non-Fiction are the genres I visit most. LOVE Susanne Aspley. Look her up.
DeleteHave a wonderful day!
ReplyDeleteWow! I would love to read your book! It has intrigued me for sure!
ReplyDeleteI like the cover! The colors and design are great!
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like an interesting book. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful day!
ReplyDeleteI love the title subject and cover for this amazing book!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing the review.
Do you relax on the weekends?
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful day!
ReplyDeleteDo you write every day?
ReplyDeleteWhat was your best success as a writer?
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful day!
ReplyDeleteHave a great holiday!
ReplyDeleteHow was your Christmas?
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas!
ReplyDeleteAs a food historian, I am extremely interested in any meals mentioned in this book.
ReplyDeleteFood of the Puritans as well as food of the early Dutch settlers of New York is certainly mentioned in The Salty Rose.
DeleteMerry Christmas!
ReplyDeleteWhat was your best Christmas memory?
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful day!
ReplyDeleteHave a good weekend.
ReplyDeleteWhen did you know you wanted to be a writer?
ReplyDeleteHow many books do you read in a year?
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful day!
ReplyDeleteI like the cover love to read it too.
ReplyDeleteDo you have a specific writing spot?
ReplyDeleteHow do come up with ideas for your book?
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful day!
ReplyDeleteHave a nice day!
ReplyDeleteWhat author do you most admire?
ReplyDeleteHow do you start yr writing week?
ReplyDeleteHave a great day!
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful day!
ReplyDeleteLooks awesome! Hope you are having a wonderful holiday!
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful day!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a good read
ReplyDeleteHave a great day!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like an interesting read! When did you decide you wanted to be an author?
ReplyDeleteWell, it's a long story but let's just say Alice 'Alse' Young, the first witch hanging victim in colonial America, decided that I needed to be a writer to tell her story. I was pulled in and then it took off from there. You'll understand what I mean if you read my first novel, One of Windsor: The Untold Story of America's First Witch Hanging.
DeleteI can't wait to read this book - it looks so good. Happy Holidays!
ReplyDeleteWhat was your best day this year?
ReplyDeleteWhat are some tips for writer's block?
ReplyDeleteCommit to a writing schedule and a determined word count every day.
DeleteHave a wonderful day!
ReplyDeletesounds like a fun one
ReplyDeleteI love anything with witches and magic in it! I will definitly be reading this!
ReplyDeleteHave a great day.
ReplyDeleteThis story sounds like it has a little bit of everything! It's different than what I usually read but I would love to give it a try. I love the cover!
ReplyDeleteAny fun plans for the evening?
ReplyDeleteAs long as corona is making rounds, nothing more exciting than a movie at home or a fire pit.
DeleteHave a wonderful day!
ReplyDeletesounds like a fun one
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year!
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year!
ReplyDeleteWhat are your writing resolutions?
ReplyDeleteThanks for hosting this stop on the tour of The Salty Rose.
ReplyDeleteI am looking forward to reading this!
ReplyDeleteThis book sounds very interesting!
ReplyDeleteThe cover looks very interesting and different.
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful day!
ReplyDelete