Nissitissit Witch by Rosemary Chaulk
Topic: Blog Tours
There are some books that seem to have events connected with them that are unexplainable. My book, Storm, was surrounded by many of these so-called "coincidences". The next couple of days, we will be exploring the debut novel of Rosemary Chaulk, Nissitissit Witch. This is another one of those books that has brought about many unexplained events. Not only the book, but the area portrayed within its pages has long been associated with such events. Enjoy our brief adventure!
Perfect Paperback: 317 pages
ISBN: 98-1-4389-1713-9(SC)
ISBN: 978-1-4389-1714-6 *NC)
Pre Order now - books will be shipped Oct 5.
Mail check or money order to Rosemary Chaulk
PO Box 406
West Groton, MA 01472
About the Author: I was born under the sign of the bull, forever connected to the earth. As far back as I can remember I have spent as much time as possible outside. When I was younger I played outdoors, later in life I worked outdoors. Up until the last few winters I have worked outside year round doing land survey. Hiking in the White Mountains, canoeing in the Alagash. It is this constant contact with the earth which drew me to North Village.
Can land be cursed or is it just the tortured souls who roam it who are cursed? If man disappeared would the land still be cursed? North Village caught my attention because of the curse of the witch. In doing my research I found that North Village was doomed long before the witches ever came.
Nissistissit Witch
My book, Nissitissit Witch suggests that the original curse on the valley was from the Indians who were slaughtered when the invading white settlers took the Nissitissit. We as victors wrote the history, but what about the history of those who came before us, what about the troubled Indian spirits? While telling tales of Indian Spirits and witches I use this platform for my true message, which is pollution. We took America from the natives and the first thing we did was to decimate the woods, pollute the rivers and torture the land for anything we could take for profit. We dammed the rivers and killed the salmon. During the Eighteen hundreds the Nissitissit was no different than any other river. During that time our rivers were the recipient of every waste product and poison produced. North village is located in a narrow valley that concentrates the flow from about forty thousand acres of land upstream.
There were many little villages along the Nissitissit and any toxins they wanted to dispose of was dumped into the river. Right in North Village I found that they made felt and had a velvet shop.
The process of making felt uses mercurous oxide. Velvet cloths use felt in the collars and the colors in the velvets were also very toxic. Long-term exposure to mercury causes death by fits of insanity and people died in 'an unusual way'. Nissitissit Witch takes all of these factors and spins a fictional entertaining yarn that has lots of history of the area spun into a tall tale.
Description
The Nissitissit Witch captures the essence of a bygone era and exemplifies how narrow-mindedness and ignorance can lead to tragedy and regret. Following rumors of witchcraft, curses, and the work of the Devil, panic and hysteria force a community to retreat and ultimately vanish. Set in the town of North Village (which is now Pepperell, Massachusetts) the story begins in the late nineteenth century and, with the author's clever use of flashbacks, takes the reader further back in time. Ailing, old-timer Ebb recounts painful memories from both the Civil War, and his childhood, trying to make sense of the trauma in his life. His return home is bittersweet, as he is controlled by an undeniable desire to enter the river's mist and embark upon a remarkable, spiritual journey.
Posted by joyceanthony
at 3:50 AM EDT
Updated: Monday, 29 September 2008 3:58 AM EDT
