Hi, my name is Janice Thompson and I’m the author of Dry Tinder: A Tale of Rivalry and Injustice in Salem Village. Thanks for visiting my website!
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Dry Tinder is a historical novel based on the true story of the Towne sisters — three innocent, godly women falsely accused of witchcraft in 1692. Told through the perspective of Sarah Towne, the story becomes personal.
I am available for book signings and “meet the author” events. Please contact me at jt@janicethompson.net or (207) 504-4428. You can also find me on Facebook at JCTAuthor or Instagram at janice.thompson.1364.
Dry Tinder is available in paperback, hard cover and e-book on Amazon. If you would like a signed copy please let me know and I can send one directly to you.
It can also be found at Gulf of Maine Books, Lands End Gifts, Salt Cod Cafe and Sherman’s Books in Topsham.
Dry Tinder
So much has already been written about the Salem witch trials. We see the drama depicted in countless screenplays, movies, novels and scholarship treatises.
So what don’t we already know about the story?
Dry Tinder is an historical novel based on the true story of the Towne sisters – three innocent, godly women who are falsely accused of witchcraft in 1692. It offers a new perspective, as the narrative starts in 1670, a full twenty-three years before young girls begin accusing their elders of witchcraft. The trials are not a strange anomaly of history: Were the children possessed? Did witchcraft actually run rampant in Salem Village? Was it something strange that… happened? Instead, told through the perspective of Sarah Towne, the story becomes personal. The hysteria grows from the extreme polarization and struggles of the Salem Village people at the time, including boundary disputes, the harsh judgment of their Puritan faith, wars with the native tribes and the sometimes troubled relationship between the Massachusetts Bay Colony and Mother England.
Like dry tinder to a carelessly lit match, the conflagration that follows should not be a surprise to anyone.
Understanding the hysteria of the Salem witch trials by imagining the day-to-day lives of the early colonists, Thompson shines a piercing light on the harsh judgment of their Puritan faith, wars with the native tribes and the sometimes troubled relationship between the Massachusetts Bay Colony and Mother England.
— Tim McCreight
I’m not much of a history buff but was pleasantly surprised that this was part history of the land feuds and Salem witch trials but in a very reader friendly story that kept my interest throughout. It was easy to follow along with all the characters. I highly recommend this book to anyone that is interested in the Salem Witch trials and a good story. Kudos to Janice for a job well done.
— Paula (Amazon)
I enjoyed this book. The view through Sarah’s eyes and experiences were interesting. The story went back years before the actual trials, so the reader understands the backstory. There are a lot of factual information along with some made for the story to flow. I recommend this book.
— Through Different Eyes (Amazon)
Today, religious extremism is increasingly being used to justify horrendous behavior. This is similar to colonial Massachusetts in 1692 when 19 people were executed and hundreds more lives were lost or shattered by jailing innocents. These cruel and atrocious acts were justified by selected biblical quotes.
Fortunately, the religious leaders of the time found other quotes to support kindness, fairness, and reason. Society shifted as a result, and people were no longer persecuted as witches using hearsay and spectral evidence.
Dry Tinder gives a flavor of life and customs in colonial Massachusetts. It tells the personal stories of events leading up to the hysteria, what it was like during the trials, and ultimately how it was resolved.
Dry Tinder exposes the underlying reasons for the madness and how it was remedied. It also conveys the emotional impact of such injustice on peoples’ lives. It is a story of how kindness and reason ultimately overcame emotional fanaticism. We can learn from this today where misguided people are commonly using hearsay and misinformation to justify horrendous acts.
— Jeremy Jones (Amazon)
Janice Thompson is a writer and co-founder of Harpswell News, a new nonprofit launched in 2021 to publish the monthly Harpswell Anchor newspaper.
She is a lover of local history and fascinating, character-driven stories. She served as a board member and then president of the board of trustees at the Framingham History Center before moving to Maine in 2017.
Her day job is to run the Harpswell News nonprofit organization. She is a veteran fundraiser with 35+ years of experience at places like MIT, Harvard and the Boston Athenaeum. Before co-founding Harpswell News she served as Director of Development at the Harpswell Heritage Land Trust.
She first became intrigued with the true story of her Dry Tinder characters, the Towne sisters, in 2004 when she was living in Ashland, MA, a town that abuts the town of Framingham. She learned that the town of Framingham was founded in 1700 by these Salem witch trials refugees who were invited to the region by Thomas Danforth, the Deputy Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, who was also the magistrate who sent Sarah Towne Bridges Cloyce to jail on accusation of witchcraft.