Working on my next book, a bio novel about Sophia Hawthorne, I wanted to add a murder subplot. Since I don't put fictional characters in my books, I wanted a real murder case--the more high profile the better. I Googled murder cases in 19th century Salem MA, and what popped up? A famous murder that happened in a mansion on Essex St. that I've walked past a million times, and the tour guides always point out the brutal stabbing that happened there. Voila! Why didn't I think of it before? It's so obvious! The murder also inspired Poe and Hawthorne in their stories, especially Hawthorne in The Scarlet Letter.
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