Orphaned as an infant by the congregation who killed her parents in a fire, Mel was adopted by the "Saints", but was made a servant. These Seperatist Congregationalists lived in isolated communities in 17th century England. We follow mel from her familiar English village in the Midlands, to the wilds of Newfoundland and New England-from passionate romance to the rawest struggle for suvival.
Andrew Beahrs’s writing takes deep dives into unexpected historical pools. In Twain’s Feast: Searching for America’s Lost Foods in the Footsteps of Samuel Clemens, he explored the links between flavor and place that defined Mark Twain’s favorite wild dishes–and have since caused them to disappear from American tables. He has written about food and history for Smithsonian, the New York Times, the Atlantic, Gastronomica, Virginia Quarterly Review, and many more. His pair of historical novels, Strange Saint and The Sin Eaters, drew on his graduate work in archaeology to offer a unique vision of early America. Andrew lives in Berkeley with his family.