Margo, Iwant to be the first one to buy a copy of your book! Good luck. Blessings, Pamela ----- Original Message ----- From: "Margo Burns" <margo@ogram.org> To: <SALEM-WITCH-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Tuesday, March 04, 2003 11:40 PM Subject: Re: [SALEM-WITCH-L] CBS & Ann Pudeator? > On Tuesday, March 4, 2003, at 10:48 PM, Lisa Small wrote: > > The real story would be fascinating, but it will never be told unless > > PBS gets the urge and the funding to tell it. > > > > <sigh> Or maybe get a law school to put it on from the transcripts > > with a voice-over narrator for Law Month (which is March) some year? > > Court TV would televise that. Gee, can we think of any good law > > schools up Massachusetts way? > > Just so you all know, the reason I started this list in the first place > was because I am working at what I call a "non-fiction novel" about the > episode, with the determination to get it right -- no action or > character except what can be distilled from the historical record. > Historically accurate, but brought to life with the tools of a > novelist. The full Parris household is present. The story of Andover > told. Rev. Burroughs' tale recounted. The correct legal procedures of > the day outlined. My personal library contains every book imaginable on > the subject. I am working hard to get all the families fleshed out > accurately, which is the biggest challenge. I started this list as a > way to find the people who were most passionate about the history of > what happened, and had it hosted at Rootsweb to make sure it would find > people who were researching their own ancestors who were involved, so > that I could have a wealth of knowledge available if I would but ask. > In the course of my research, I encountered Bernie Rosenthal, author of > Salem Story, and have been working with him and others for the past > several years to produce accurate, scholarly transcriptions of all the > original manuscripts. (Boyer & Nissenbaum's 1977 publication of the WPA > transcriptions done in the 1930s has errors, omissions, and is missing > texts which have surfaced since then.) This has delayed my work on my > novel, but the time and effort I have been investing has been priceless > to me in the long run. I expect to make a lot of headway over my summer > vacation this year. > > I have mixed feelings when I watch something like this CBS > gobbledeegoop (since *when* did Joseph Putnam and his wife ever get > arrested??? And stripping Rebecca Nurse in front of a group of men??? > Come on!) -- I'd like to hear the story told properly, but if someone > else does it first, where would that leave my work-in-progress of eight > years? LOL! For every botched telling of the tale, there is an > increased need for my accurate one! So when I periodically post a > request for genealogical info on various people, this is why: I really > want to get it right, and you are the folks who I trust to help me find > the resources I need to do so. > > Now I have to stop laughing at that drivel and try to get some sleep. > (No one told me it was "Salem Witchcraft Trials: The Comedy"!) > > Cheers to one and all, > Margo > >