May

A book review:  WITCH HUNT

To my readers: This book review that follows here was written by Emily Tanner, who reviews fiction for Examiner.com/Atlanta. Witch hunts today are like the witch hunts in 1692—in more ways that you would ever want to think.

WITCH HUNT is a novel of intrigue, a psychological drama, and an investigation into a mindset we thought had been forever banished from the national dialogue.

The book begins twenty-five years from now, when three additional eight-year presidential administrations have come and gone. Lee’s story takes her grandchildren back to 2010. With some trepidation, a medical anthropologist who guests on Lee’s radio show researches the apparent intrusion of the past into the present. Together, they find a frightening way out, all the more intriguing because it is immersed in both historical fact and situations straight out of today’s headlines.

The book is fiction, but includes my bibliography of books, documents, and journals about the Salem witch trials and politics. Amazon offers a free Kindle reader download to computers and other reading devices with the purchase of the book. Go to http://www.amazon.com/Witch-Hunt-ebook/dp/B005FI4O7M for the book’s Amazon page.

WITCH HUNT

A review by Emily Tanner

The words “witch hunt” usually make people in present day society think of Salem, Massachusetts and the infamous witch trials of 1692. Several people were found guilty of witchery and executed. It was a truly horrific ordeal and people today are grateful that we don’t live in a world that conducts witch hunts anymore… or do we?

Linda Chalmer Zemel’s new novel, Witch Hunt, discusses this very topic. In the story, we meet Lee Hunt who is a radio DJ with her own show. She has just moved from Buffalo, New York to… you guessed it… Salem, Massachusetts. At first things seem to be okay, but very quickly Lee realizes she herself is being accused and hunted like a witch. People don’t like her discussions on the radio about betrayal. People don’t like to think that this government they are supposed to be able to trust would gang up, so-to-speak, on an individual and ruin his or her life, maybe even cause this person to flee the country and find refuge in another one. That sort of thing just doesn’t happen in the United States! But as Lee Hunt discovers, it can and does happen and she is just the woman to shake things up and discover the truth, no matter what.

I had the opportunity to interview the author of this fascinating story to gain some insight on this subject of betrayal, among other things.

First of all, when and why did you begin writing? I know from your credentials that you are very experienced in this field!

"I started writing when I was four years old. I wrote some little verses, and my mother wrote them down on a piece of paper folded like a book. I drew pictures on all sides of it in crayon, and the title was Linda’s Book. I kept it for years! And I’ve been writing ever since."

How long does it take you to write a book?

"When I am sitting in front of the computer writing the first draft, I write about 1000 words a day. But before that there is research. Figuring out how to present the narrative takes time, too. Then after the first draft, there is rewriting and editing. This book took me about 15 months altogether."

Where did you get the idea for this book?

"I was a Visiting Lecturer in the English Department at Salem State University in the early 1990’s for a semester. So I was right in town a lot, visiting museums and walking to the places I mention in the book. Also, I am a news buff, so I recognized that sometimes current events are witch hunts."

Do you have a specific writing style that you like to stick to when working on a new manuscript?

"I tend to write a lot of dialogue between the characters because I have written plays. Writing dialogue comes more naturally for me than describing places or people, because in a play, the set and the actors take care of that part."

What inspired you to write your first book?

"Dreaming Your Dharma: Beyond Intuition was based on some themes and patterns I found while trying to organize my dream journal. I have kept the journal since 1980, and when I sat down in 1995 and literally read through it, some patterns emerged that seemed individual but also universal. So I wrote about them."

A big topic, if not THE main topic of Witch Hunt is betrayal. Lee Hunt, the main character, has several frightening experiences, things that at first seem coincidental or just merely accidental, but as the book progresses the reader quickly learns (as well as Lee) that there is more than meets the eye. Are you intending to convey a message through the occurrences in the story?

"Well, yes—that what we don’t see sometimes is there, hidden from view. In everyday life, that can range from cameras on top of signal lights to computer programs that track which ads we click on to—as in WITCH HUNT—wanting to believe that everyone has our best interests at heart when they may not. The theme of secrecy as it affects society is a rich theme in much of espionage fiction for centuries. Look at Macbeth, Hamlet, and Julius Caesar. They are all about betrayal, and secrecy is what allows betrayal to happen."

What was something that you were surprised to learn when you were doing research for this novel?

"I just loved finding that the quote about 'Better that 100 be set free than that one be wrongly convicted' was said about the Salem witch trials by someone living at that time who was well-known then! I had heard the quote before, but had thought it was a modern and progressive idea from the past century."

I was surprised to learn that myself! If you could do it over again, is there anything about this story that you would change?

"No, I don’t think so."

What does your family think of your writing?

"We enjoy seeing each other develop our own interests."

Did you experience writer's block while you were creating this story?

"No. But one of the best things to do for writer’s block is to get up and do something else for a bit. The big mistake that beginning writers make is to think that writing takes place just in front of the computer. It doesn’t. Writing takes place in your head, wherever you are."

Do you make an outline of your stories first, or do you just start writing?

"For WITCH HUNT, I had an outline in mind before I sat down to do the first draft, but I didn’t write it down."

Are Lee, Lou, Johanna, Josh, Tom, Mimi, Nancy, Gandy, Teddy, or any of the other characters in this story, based on real people?

"No, they aren’t based on anyone real. But writers use as raw material what they know about relationships, or friends, or family events, or jobs—the things that create a life. It’s like this: If you bake a cake and it turns out great or it turns out badly, you then know something about baking cakes. If afterward you write about baking a cake and that you shouldn’t put too much sugar in or it will fall, you aren’t specifically talking about your cakes, but about what you know about cake-baking."

Do you have another project you are working on now? Or plans for one?

"I’ll have to say what most writers say, which is that I never talk about a work in progress."

Finally, do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

"Read as widely as possible to see how various authors tackle their craft. Then, if you want to write, just do it."

Witch Hunt is a very intriguing story. If you love a good mystery with a lot of history, Witch Hunt is the book for you. At this time, it is only available as a Kindle purchase. You can buy your copy at http://www.amazon.com/Witch-Hunt-ebook/dp/B005FI4O7M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313676438&sr=8-1

Originally published on Examiner.com/ Atlanta.