Blog Tour: Widdershins by Helen Steadman ~ Guest Post

Hi guys! I've been so looking forward towards this blog tour of Widdershins. I've already reviewed the book in May. Click here to go to the post of the review. Today I have a guest post by the author of the book, Helen Steadman. Feel free to check it out and let me know what you think of it. ♥

The different methods used to find out whether someone was a witch

Waking was used, and as the name suggests, the accused witch would be prevented from sleeping. In theory, this would prevent the devil or his imps from suckling the witch; in  practice, it ensured the accused would be exhausted and more willing to confess to anything in order to get some sleep.

The accused were also walked, often as part of ‘waking’. This prevented them from sleeping, but also acted as a form of torture, walking barefoot for hours on hard floors would create enormous discomfort that would encourage confession.

Pricking was used as a definitive test for witchcraft. First, the accused would be closely examined for any sign of the devil’s mark or a likely teat for him to suckle. In reality, these might have been moles, warts, skin tags, birth marks or scars. Anything resembling a third nipple, irrespective of where it was found on the body, would then be pricked with a special blade or bodkin. When the devil’s mark was pricked, if the accused felt pain and bled, then innocence was declared. But if no pain was felt and no blood flowed, the accused would be found guilty of witchcraft and executed accordingly.

There are many theories attached to witch pricking. The lack of pain or blood might be to do with the witch pricker targeting parts of the body that are insensate to pricking. There is also evidence of witch finders forcing people to bend double, making the blood rush to their heads, which might make a mole on the leg less likely to bleed. It seems that this technique was favoured by the Newcastle witch-finder.

Another explanation (and one which I prefer and use in my forthcoming novel, Pushed by Angels) is that witch prickers used doctored blades where the blade could retract into the handle (as with the middle pricker in the image above). In this way, the witch finder was free to choose which witch to find guilty and which witch to set free.

Source

Image from http://shanmonster.net/witch/traits/mark.html (public domain)

More about the book and author:

Title: Widdershins
Author: Helen Steadman
Publication: July 1st 2017 by Impress Books
Genre: Historical Fiction

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

‘Did all women have something of the witch about them?’

Jane Chandler is an apprentice healer. From childhood, she and her mother have used herbs to cure the sick. But Jane will soon learn that her sheltered life in a small village is not safe from the troubles of the wider world.

From his father’s beatings to his uncle’s raging sermons, John Sharpe is beset by bad fortune. Fighting through personal tragedy, he finds his purpose: to become a witch-finder and save innocents from the scourge of witchcraft.

Inspired by true events, Widdershins tells the story of the women who were persecuted and the men who condemned them.

Helen Steadman lives in the foothills of the North Pennines, and she particularly enjoys researching and writing about the history of the north east of England. Following her MA in creative writing at Manchester Met, Helen is now completing a PhD in English at the University of Aberdeen. When she s not studying or writing, Helen critiques, edits and proofreads other writers work, and she is a professional member of the Society for Editors and Proofreaders.
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Instagram

Review: Widdershins by Helen Steadman

Title: Widdershins
Author: Helen Steadman
Publication: July 1st 2017 by Impress Books
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 4/5

‘Did all women have something of the witch about them?’

Jane Chandler is an apprentice healer. From childhood, she and her mother have used herbs to cure the sick. But Jane will soon learn that her sheltered life in a small village is not safe from the troubles of the wider world.

From his father’s beatings to his uncle’s raging sermons, John Sharpe is beset by bad fortune. Fighting through personal tragedy, he finds his purpose: to become a witch-finder and save innocents from the scourge of witchcraft.

Inspired by true events, Widdershins tells the story of the women who were persecuted and the men who condemned them.

Widdershins was a book that took me by surprise in the best way possible. The start was a little bit slow for me and I had to get used to the writing style a little but soon enough I was totally hooked by this story. I thought it was really, really great!

The story is written in two points of view that take place over some years. We've got the POV of Jane, a young girl who's an apprentice healer and John who eventually grows from a kind little boy to a callous witch-finder in this book. I probably liked John's POV the most even though it's quite shocking and even disturbing at times in the way he changes throughout the story. It was quite chilling, actually. 

I really liked that this story was based on the real witch trials in Newcastle in 1650, although the characters were all fictional. I also thought the writing was wonderful. It took me really back to the 17th century. As someone who enjoys historical books above all else this was really great for me.

This story was as heartbreaking as it was suspenseful. I really had no idea of Jane would make it out of the witch trials alive or if John would be stopped at any point. I won't give away any of these details but it sure was a page-turner, especially towards the end of the story. I had a hard time putting the book down because I just needed to know how everything would end. And trust me when I say the end will make you gasp out loud. I loved how unexpected that was. 

Overall, Widdershins by Helen Steadman is a book I'd really recommend. The story will slowly but surely pull you in and not let go until you read the last page. I enjoyed it so very much!

Helen Steadman lives in the foothills of the North Pennines, and she particularly enjoys researching and writing about the history of the north east of England. Following her MA in creative writing at Manchester Met, Helen is now completing a PhD in English at the University of Aberdeen. When she s not studying or writing, Helen critiques, edits and proofreads other writers work, and she is a professional member of the Society for Editors and Proofreaders.
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Instagram

Book Beginnings | The Friday 56: Now I Rise by Kiersten White

Book Beginnings is hosted by Rose City Reader

Share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. 

The Friday 56 is hosted by Freda's Voice

Grab a book, any book. Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader. Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it) and post it.

~~

I'm doing something new today and participating in Book Beginnings and The Friday 56. I'm not sure if I will participate every single week but I'll definitely try.

Book Beginning:

Hell was a party. At least, Radu was fairly certain that whatever hell there was would certainly resemble this party.

Friday 56:

Lada's knife paused. She looked down at it as it trembled in her hand. This was the first time she would kill a man outside of battle. It was not a reaction to save her own life. It was a choice.

I'm actually not far into this book yet. I had to put it on hold for a few days while I read another book but I'm definitely enjoying it so far. I thought the start was really great and I can't wait to read more about Lada and Radu.

Now I Rise by Kiersten White

The Conqueror's Sage #2

Expected publication: June 27th 2017 by Delacorte Press

Lada Dracul has no allies. No throne. All she has is what she’s always had: herself. After failing to secure the Wallachian throne, Lada is out to punish anyone who dares to cross her blood-strewn path. Filled with a white-hot rage, she storms the countryside with her men, accompanied by her childhood friend Bogdan, terrorizing the land. But brute force isn’t getting Lada what she wants. And thinking of Mehmed brings little comfort to her thorny heart. There’s no time to wonder whether he still thinks about her, even loves her. She left him before he could leave her.

What Lada needs is her younger brother Radu’s subtlety and skill. But Mehmed has sent him to Constantinople—and it’s no diplomatic mission. Mehmed wants control of the city, and Radu has earned an unwanted place as a double-crossing spy behind enemy lines. Radu longs for his sister’s fierce confidence—but for the first time in his life, he rejects her unexpected plea for help. Torn between loyalties to faith, to the Ottomans, and to Mehmed, he knows he owes Lada nothing. If she dies, he could never forgive himself—but if he fails in Constantinople, will Mehmed ever forgive him?

As nations fall around them, the Dracul siblings must decide: what will they sacrifice to fulfill their destinies? Empires will topple, thrones will be won . . . and souls will be lost.

Cover Reveal: Widdershins by Helen Steadman

Title: Widdershins

Author: Helen Steadman
Publication: July 1st 2017 by Impress Books

Genre: Historial Fiction

‘Widdershins was inspired by the seventeenth-century witch trials in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Although fifteen people were executed on the same day for alleged witchcraft, the trials aren’t widely known about outside the north east of England. So, I’m pleased that the story of this travesty will now reach a much wider audience.’ (Helen Steadman, Author)
‘I’m thrilled that we are publishing Helen Steadman’s engrossing novel, Widdershins. I loved following the interplay of John and Jane’s stories in this vividly evoked and fascinating period of history.’ (Laura Christopher, Commissioning Editor)
‘Her writing reminds me of Hannah Kent’s bestselling novel, Burial Rites, which follows the final days of a young woman accused of murder in Iceland in 1829. Helen’s writing has a similar persuasive and empathetic force, weaving together historical fact with modern concerns about the treatment of women.’ (Helen Marshall, Award winning author)
‘Did all women have something of the witch about them?’
Jane Chandler is an apprentice healer. From childhood, she and her mother have used herbs to cure the sick. But Jane will soon learn that her sheltered life in a small village is not safe from the troubles of the wider world.
From his father’s beatings to his uncle’s raging sermons, John Sharpe is by bad fortune. Fighting through personal tragedy, he finds his purpose: to become a witch-finder and save innocents from the scourge of witchcraft.
Inspired by true events, Widdershins tells the story of the women who were persecuted and the men who condemned them.