Hope versus Fear in USA Today
There are at least three books coming out about Salem this year.
The Lace Reader is not about witches, though it is difficult to write anything about contemporary Salem and not include something about the witches who didn’t exist at all back in the days of the witch trials but thrive here in great numbers now.
I was recently asked to comment on this for USA Today. Click here to read it.
They asked me why writers would choose to create stories about Salem now. At first I wasn’t sure. Unlike the other writers, I live in Salem, so for me it was a natural setting. But it was more than that. In one respect, The Lace Reader is a cautionary tale. We live now in fearful times. And just as in the Salem of the 1600′s, we have to be careful not to let our fears make us recklessly assign blame and create enemies.
But there is another more optimistic side to the story, and that is the quote they chose to use from my interview for the USA Today story.
I talked about the Harry Potter series, and how those books give children, who are relatively powerless, a feeling that they can change the world. I think this ability to connect with our inner strengths is a very important part of my story as well. Magic and everyday miracles are a very hopeful part of our collective consciousness and thus appear frequently in the stories we tell.
I can’t speak for the other authors, but, ultimately, my book about Salem is optimistic. More than anything else, The Lace Reader is about healing our deepest wounds, recovering our strength, and moving on. I can’t think of anything more hopeful than that.
August 1st, 2008 at 9:21 am
“And just as in the Salem of the 1600’s, we have to be careful not to let our fears make us recklessly assign blame and create enemies.”
I really agree with your insight here on fear. We can treat others in life with fear and never know who they are. We seem to be especially fearful of other cultures we don’t know or even attempt to understand.
Wishing you all the best with the book.
August 1st, 2008 at 2:41 pm
Hopeful. You’re so right about the state of our country right now. A few weeks back I had an unusual experience: I’m an illustrator and I’ve been working on an illustration a day project this year. Someone blogged about one of the images and all of a sudden I had hundreds of requests for prints.
There were 2 images people wanted:: One says ” Everything is going to be OK” and the other says “We are all connected”.
Some of the emails were very personal, mentioning hope in the face of a difficult time, optimism found in a simple phrase. It was an incredibly uplifting and humbling experience.
I haven’t read your book yet.. but this has sent me in that direction, without a doubt. Thank you!
September 23rd, 2008 at 1:55 pm
So sorry to hear of your mother’s passing. The difficult times make us realize just how lucky we are to have special people in our lives.
Our thoughts are with you.
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