Why I Chose to Write a Trilogy
Sometimes a story tells the writer how it wants to be written. This was one of those stories.
When I first began writing The Witch That Never Burnt, I imagined telling a single story. The more I researched the Scottish witch trials, the more I realised one book simply wasn't enough.
I wanted readers to experience the story from different perspectives.
Book One tells Ava's story—a young woman accused of witchcraft in Scotland in 1662, and the events that change her life forever.
Book Two steps into Barnabas's world. Rather than portraying him as simply a witch hunter, I wanted to explore the journey that shaped him and the difficult choices he faces.
Book Three explores what happens after the capture. It looks beyond the accusation itself to the lasting consequences for everyone involved and asks what remains once fear has passed.
Together, the three books tell one complete story. By seeing events through different eyes, I hope readers will discover that history is rarely as simple as heroes and villains—it is made up of people, each carrying their own truths, fears and hopes.
— Rose Campbell Smith
The Saltwater Storyteller
