For the history of late nineteenth-century Charleston and its unique architecture and culture, I consulted several online sources, photographs, and maps. Charleston! Charleston! The History of a Southern City by Walter J. Fraser Jr. was also very helpful. Miss Munro’s school is entirely fictional, although such finishing schools were in abundance in the South during the time in which Deirdre inhabited the city.
For the green witchcraft, herbology, conjure work, midwifery, and magic mentioned within, Green Witchcraft: A Practical Guide to Discovering the Magic of Plants, Herbs, Crystals, and Beyond by Paige Vanderbeck; Old Style Conjure: Hoodoo, Rootwork, and Folk Magic by Starr Casas; and for Ebba’s Norse form of magic, Trolldom: Spells and Methods of the Norse Folk Magic Tradition by Johannes Bj?rn G?rdb?ck were invaluable resources. I’m also grateful to Astrid Grim for her authenticity read of this manuscript and her guidance with the Nilsson family’s characterization and her advice concerning the Swedish language used herein.
Gracelynn’s ad hoc “trial” was directly inspired by the Salem witch trials. Truth is often stranger than fiction, and much of what transpired during the actual magisterial proceedings in Salem far outpaces anything I have written. American Witches: A Broomstick Tour through Four Centuries by Susan Fair, Six Women of Salem: The Untold Story of the Accused and Their Accusers in the Salem Witch Trials by Marilynne K. Roach, and A Delusion of Satan: The Full Story of the Salem Witch Trials by Frances Hill were consulted in my research, and they extensively cover the truly fascinating and disturbing aspects of the trials and the unfortunate men and women who were the victims of collective delusion and hysteria. What happened in Salem is a cautionary tale to this day, and a call to employ our own critical thinking and personal judgement in the face of sensation, public opinion, and hyperbole.
In closing, I’ve always found the thought of angels mildly terrifying. Ever watching. Ever present, ostensibly to protect us but also functioning as supernatural hall monitors, waiting to report our indiscretions to a higher power. The verse in Hebrews about “entertaining strangers” also strikes me as a bit ominous, and that verse inspired my antagonist’s various incarnations. Ironically, while revising this novel, I spent the winter at my mother’s house, being stared at by her collection of angel statuary in the wee witching hours of morning. （This may also have had a formative impact on my editorial decisions.） However, this novel is in no way an indictment of Christianity, or religion, but of hypocrisy. In my opinion, the most effective tool an evil being, fictional or otherwise, can use against us is our own capacity to judge others more harshly than we judge ourselves.
This novel is a work of fiction. Any errors within this novel are completely my own, and I take full responsibility for any and all historical inaccuracies.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The time period in which I wrote this novel was rife with unexpected challenges. Shortly after Lake Union Publishing acquired The Witch of Tin Mountain, I received a devastating phone call that had me packing a suitcase and flying home. Soon after, I became my mother’s live-in caregiver while she underwent treatment for cancer. That this book exists at all seems something of a miracle, and there have been many times over the past two years, in general, where I’ve looked at my relatively new role as a published author with a combination of bemused disbelief and gratitude. This gratitude is extended to the many talented, compassionate, and patient people who have contributed to my success as an author, and I relish the opportunity to thank them on paper.
First, to my agent, Jill Marr, and the entire team at Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency, thank you for tirelessly championing my work and helping it find its way to readers. You encourage me to reach high and to believe in the worth of my words.
To my acquiring and developmental editor, Jodi Warshaw, who presented The Witch of Tin Mountain at her final acquisitions meeting at Lake Union and set me on the path to publication in 2020 with Parting the Veil, my gratitude is boundless. You are brilliant and kind, and I will always be thankful for your patient guidance and belief in my work.
Many thanks to the marvelous Melissa Valentine, who took me under her wing after Jodi’s departure, and reassured me that this book would receive her enthusiastic support and guidance. I look forward to seeing what we might create together in the future! Special thanks as well to Danielle Marshall, who managed the production of this novel in the interim period between editors and patiently addressed all my questions and concerns.
To the Lake Union author relations and production teams, especially Gabe Dumpit and Jen Bentham, bringing a book to the world is a team effort, and you all make me look good while enduring my incorrect comma usage and emails about pesky internet pirates! Thanks as well to the copyeditor, Kristin Carlsen; the proofreader, Valerie Paquin; and the cover designer, Amanda Hudson, for the gorgeous cover art.
Thanks as always to my steadfast critique partner, Thuy Nguyen, and her unflagging confidence in my abilities. I wouldn’t be able to draft a darn thing if I didn’t know you were on the other side of the internet, patiently waiting for my pages. We’re a dream team, and together, we persevere.
To Maria Tureaud, who reviewed this manuscript and critiqued it with her characteristic honesty and humor. You are matchless. Thanks for shoring up my decisions concerning complex villains and making them even more . . . appealing. wicked cackle
I had a brilliant group of beta readers, including Megan Van Dyke, S. Kaeth, and Alex Gotay. Thank you all for taking the time to read this manuscript in its early stages. You’ll see many of your recommendations reflected in the finished work. Megan and Alex, special love and thanks for commiserating with me over weird southern colloquialisms, the tendency to use an abundance of superfluous words to convey a simple thought, and the strange naming conventions of our kinfolk. Also, cicadas. A book can’t be set anywhere in the South without cicadas.
To my WiM family: You held me up during a very difficult year. Your cards and letters brought smiles and tears, and I can’t thank you enough for the gift of your friendship. I love you all.
Special thanks to Jeni Chappelle and the #RevPit editors for continuing to nurture writers and to educate them about the publishing industry and writing craft. You elevate us.
To my “APub debut” family: Jennifer Bardsley, Mansi Shah, Elissa Grossell Dickey, Kate Myles, Eden Appiah-Kubi, and Sara Goodman Confino—thanks for all the support, advice, and encouragement during our debut year and onward. I love you all so much! I hope to meet over a bucket of champagne someday soon. Thanks also to the 2021 Debuts group on Facebook. Wishing you all much success and longevity in art as well as in life.
Thanks to friends and authors Libbie Grant, Aimie K. Runyan Piper Huguley, Jane Healey, and Kris Waldherr, as well as Hester Fox, Lydia Kang, Dawn Kurtagich, Kim Taylor Blakemore, Stacie Murphy, Nicole Eigener, Elle Marr, Barbara Davis, Rachel McMillan, Georgina Cross, Clarissa Harwood, Jessica Lewis, Laura McHugh, Jo Kaplan, Olesya Salnikova Gilmore, Alyssa Palombo, Megan Chance, and Elizabeth Blackwell—all tremendously talented authors who have demonstrated a willingness to give of their time, support, and knowledge. You exemplify humility and gratitude in action. I’ll be happily paying your kindness forward for the rest of my career.