Haunting the Deep Event Recap

On Sunday, October 22nd, I was fortunate enough to attend a book event at the Hawthorne Hotel in Salem, MA hosted by Wicked Good Books. Adriana Mather and Kali Wallace packed in a huge room full of book lovers. Adriana and Kali talked a bit about their current novels and answered questions from the audience. A book signing occurred after the talk and hot apple cider and delicious donuts were served!

I was able to see Adriana last October when her debut novel, How to Hang a Witch, was published. She had an event at Hawthorne Hotel last year as well. It was amazing to see how many new fans she gained over the year. Last year the event was fairly small and this year the hotel staff had to find more chairs for attendees!

When Adriana was looking for a particular book the only place that had it was in Salem, MA. When she inquired about the book, the lady at the bookstore said Mather is name not popular around Salem. This sparked the idea to write How to Hang a Witch. When Adriana was at her grandmother's house, she found a desk with older letters and old journals. There she found a letter about the Titanic and how a relative survived. Of course, Adriana did her happy dance when she found the Harper letter. This letter was inspiration for Haunting the Deep. Did you know the Harpers that Adriana is related to is also the Harpers of Harper & Brothers which is now HarperCollins? Adriana mentioned that the third book in the series (if she writes it) will take place in Sleepy Hollow since she is related to some people there. Adriana hit the trifecta jackpot for being a descendant.

The audience asked some very interesting questions this year. One person asked Adriana if she makes her books into movies. For those who don't know, Adriana is also a screenwriter in California on top of being an author. Adriana shot her book trailers in Salem, MA and in CT at her mother's house which is at least 300-years-old. How to Hang a Witch is optioned as a TV show but Adriana can't let us know the network or any of the details yet.

In terms of historical research, one person asked how was the research with the Titanic compared to the Salem Witch Trials.  With the Salem Witch Trials, the research was limited due to how far back in time the events occurred. Adriana used letters and written accounts. For the Titanic, it was a blackhole since there were so many people involved and there were a lot of interviews to comb through. One of the stories that Adriana told the audience was about Ester Hart who didn't want to go on the ship but her husband insisted. She had a feeling something bad will happen. Because of this feeling, she slept all day and at night she stayed in her day clothes. Another story was about a ship cat  who took her kittens off the boat one by one on a ramp at the last port before New York City. Adriana also read a lot of conspiracies whether it be socioeconomic, sociopolitical or even environmental.

Adriana spoke about her favorite scene that she wrote. She likes writing about Mrs. Meriweather's bakery called Sugar Spells. Adriana loves everything to do with the bakery whether it be the interior design to the bakery's sweet treats. Adriana's favorite character within the How to Hang a Witch duology is Alice. She has a soft soft for people who can't keep their mouths shut and she loves a good flawed character.

One person asked Adriana if she would bring back Sam's mother or grandmother in the series. Adriana said she was toying around with the idea to bring back an immediate family member or even Jaxson's father. In terms of a prequel, Adriana possibly will consider the option especially if the How to Hang a Witch TV show kicks off. Everyone seems to love Elijah and would love to read more about him before he met Sam.

For inspiring writers, Kali recommended to "keep writing. Your voice matters. You're the only one that can tell the story. Go with what you you like. Do it! You have to love it!" 

Adriana mentioned, "There is no right way to write. Complete it and you can break it apart. Have fun and learn. Keep writing. You learn stuff you don't know. Write what is interesting and fun for you."

How to Hang a Witch Book Signing Event

Happy Halloween everyone. I figured I will recap one of the book events I recently attended in the heart of Salem, Massachusetts! I was fortunate enough to attend book event where Adriana Mather, a descendant of Witch Trials Judge Cotton Mather, and author of How to Hang A Witch. You can read my review about the book here.

Adriana discussed about her lineage, the Salem Witch Trials and answered some audience's questions during the book event hosted by Wicked Good Books at the Hawthorne Hotel. Salem is a charming little town in the Northshore of Massachusetts and is one of my local book stores. And of course it's the perfect time to have a  paranormal witchy book event during the month of October.

I arrived to Salem quite early after work and meandered down the streets of downtown while soaking the autumn colors and the magic of Salem. The Hawthorne Hotel hosted a contest to guest the weight of this gigantic pumpkin in order to win a one night stay at the hotel. How many pounds do you think this pumpkin weighs?

I ended up meeting Isalys and her husband in the lobby of the Hawthorne Hotel and we proceeded upstairs to the Essex Room. The event was quite intimate and the audience was treated to cider and donuts which added the perfect flair to the night.

Adriana wore a light weight flowy black dress and she started the night with a talk about the history of the Salem Witch Trials. It was interesting hearing her talk about her ancestors and what had happened within Salem back in the 1600s. This history is crucial to setting the plot of her story in How to Hang a Witch. I was quite excited to finally meet her and in Salem of all places. Salem is the ideal location for a signing for her book, especially because the setting of the book takes place in Salem. After Adriana's talk, everyone lined up to for the signing. She is super nice and I was so glad to finally meet her. I brought along my ARC to get signed but I also purchased a finished copy.

Wicked Good Books has been throwing some lovely signing events in the past couple years and I am very excited to attend more local events instead of trekking to Boston. Check out my Halloween Teen Scream recap here. Halloween Teen Scream was hosted by Wicked Good Books last year at the Hawthorne Hotel featuring Gena Showalter, Kady Cross and Amy Lukavics.

How to Hang a Witch by Adriana Mather

Title: How to Hang a Witch
Author: Adriana Mather
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Publication date: July 26, 2016
Pages: 368
Source/format: ARC from publisher

Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆

Synopsis (from goodreads.com):

Salem, Massachusetts is the site of the infamous witch trials and the new home of Samantha Mather. Recently transplanted from New York City, Sam and her stepmother are not exactly welcomed with open arms. Sam is the descendant of Cotton Mather, one of the men responsible for those trials and immediately, she becomes the enemy of a group of girls who call themselves The Descendants. And guess who their ancestors were?

If dealing with that weren't enough, Sam also comes face to face with a real live (well technically dead) ghost. A handsome, angry ghost who wants Sam to stop touching his stuff. But soon Sam discovers she is at the center of a centuries old curse affecting anyone with ties to the trials.

Sam must come to terms with the ghost and find a way to work with the Descendants to stop a deadly cycle that has been going on since the first accused witch was hanged. If any town should have learned its lesson, it's Salem. But history is about to repeat itself.

M Y  T H O U G H T S

Samantha (Sam) Mather relocates to Salem from New York to visit her father's hometown a few months after her father falls into a coma. After starting her sophomore year at Salem High School, she learns that a group of teens called The Descendants despise her just because Sam is related to Cotton Mather, a key player in the Salem Witch Trials. The Descendants consistently shun Sam and is making her life miserable. However, with a twist of fate, Sam and the Descendants must work together to save the families involved in the Salem Witch Trials.

I am a huge fan of anything Salem related. Because I live nearby to Salem, MA, I can vividly picture many of the locations Adriana Mather mentions in How to Hang a Witch. The plot of the novel is compelling and the character development is well paced. Mather's research for the novel is on point. The novel starts out as a historical fiction contemporary hybrid but then soon morphs into a thriller during the second half.

The plot being a modern day "Salem Witch Trials" is part of a curse that is more than 300 years old. Sam has no idea what she is in for when she moves to Salem. The beginning of the novel starts at a slow pace but quickly picks up in pace with many clues scattered throughout the book.

How to Hang a Witch will capture those who love everything Salem. The novel is one part Mean Girls, one part Sleepy Hollow (the film) and one part Hocus Pocus. The eerieness, the mystery and the ambience makes How to Hang a Witch the perfect autumnal read. Once you read this book, you'll want to plan your trip to Salem ASAP.