Thorn of Plimouth follows a young woman and healer accused of witchcraft who finds an unexpected ally in an Indigenous warrior, but their forbidden love could cost them everything. What do you hope distinguishes Thorn of Plimouth from other historical novels exploring early colonial America?

First, I hope that my novel paints a slightly different picture than the one promoted for the last four centuries. No doubt, the settlers of New England were a stalwart group–resilient, brave, and driven by faith. There is much to be admired in their ability to overcome insurmountable odds. At the same time, they were certainly hindered by suspicion and doubt. In his book entitled Mayflower, Nathaniel Philbrick explains how the colonists’ “intensely spiritual lives did not prevent them from believing in witches and warlocks and living with the constant fear that Satan and his minions were out there, conspiring against them. It was a fear that must have been difficult to contain as they stared into the deepening gloom of the American night” (p. 81). It is my hope that Thorn of Plimouth illustrates how, when fear grabs hold of a person or a society, logical thinking is cast aside, and extremism takes its place. People once thought of as intelligent and respectable transform into something unrecognizable, dogmatic in their beliefs and intolerant of anyone or anything that threatens those beliefs.

Second, I hope that my narrative examines the experiences of the indigenous people in a more nuanced fashion. As David Silverman points out in his book This Land is Their Land, the Wampanoag were thriving for thousands of years before the arrival of the Mayflower settlers. This was not an untouched wilderness upon which the settlers arrived; rather, it was part of an ancient, sophisticated network of sovereign nations. I hope that I present Keme’s point of view with fairness and sensitivity.

How did you develop Rachel Haverford’s personality, particularly her compassion, independence, and determination to help others despite the risks?

Rachel is a young woman who continually finds herself on the outside looking in. On the voyage, most passengers avoid her because she is not part of their congregation. Add to that her physical beauty and healing skills, and the seeds of jealousy and suspicion begin to grow. I wanted to create a character who could deflect that animosity without abandoning her optimism. Her Welsh background, embodied by her devotion to her mother’s memory, helps her to maintain an independent spirit as well as a tender heart.

What parallels do you hope readers recognize between the prejudice and fear portrayed in Thorn of Plimouth and the ways communities treat outsiders today?

It’s funny you should ask this question because it was something that I was considering before I began writing the book. Having recently lived through the COVID-19 pandemic, we all witnessed how easily an environment can transform into one of intense fear, isolation, and division. Neighbors turned against one another, families were split apart, and the general population struggled with making sense of the mandated rules. So I knew I wanted to explore the crippling power of fear, and I could think of no better setting than one besieged by questions of survival and sin, as noted in the early settlement at Plimouth.

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When the Fortune lays anchor off the coast of Cape Cod in 1621, Rachel Haverford believes she, like her fellow passengers, will be starting life anew.

But the bleak and desolate landscape bears no resemblance to what they had been promised, and the supposed thriving community at Plimoth turns out to be nothing more than a handful of crooked houses inhabited by a people twisted by hunger, grief, and fear. The harsh winter has left its mark on the settlement, and beneath the settlers’ prayers and pious words lies a growing desperation that threatens to consume them all.

Marked as a “stranger” by the devout settlers, Rachel struggles under the weight of their suspicious eyes, which follow her every move. She has brought with her little more than a few possessions and the knowledge of healing passed down to her through generations of women. But in a community where illness is viewed as divine punishment and death is blamed on hidden sin, her gift soon becomes a curse. When people around her begin to die under mysterious circumstances, whispers of witchcraft spread through Plimoth, and Rachel finds herself caught in a web of suspicion she cannot easily escape.

Yet it is not only the settlers she must fear.

Beyond the crude palisades of Plimoth lies a world the colonists barely understand-a land inhabited by peoples whose history stretches back generations before the Europeans arrived. When Rachel encounters a Pokanoket warrior, she expects hostility. Instead, she finds an unexpected ally, and eventually a man who awakens feelings she has been taught to distrust. Drawn into his world, Rachel begins to see the land and its people through eyes very different from those of the settlers. But their growing bond places them both in grave danger, for neither the colonists nor the indigenous tribes can afford to forget the wounds and betrayals that divide them.

As tensions rise between the European settlers and the indigenous peoples of New England, old alliances fracture and new ones are forged in secret. Rachel discovers that those she believed were righteous can be cruel, while those she was taught to fear may offer the greatest kindness she has ever known. With winter approaching once again and suspicion closing in around her, she must decide how much she is willing to sacrifice to protect the man she loves-and whether there is still a place for her among the people who once promised her a new beginning.

Thorn of Plimouth is a gripping tale of love, survival, faith, and betrayal set against the unforgiving landscape of early colonial New England. Rich with historical atmosphere and simmering tension, it follows one woman’s fight to survive a world where belonging comes at a price and where the line between friend and enemy is blurred beyond recognition.

For Rachel, finding home may mean abandoning everything she once believed about where she belongs.