Dear Reader,

At long last, I have wonderful news. I have just sold my new novel, Hester, to St. Martin's Press!

How many of you read The Scarlet Letter as part of your required English classes in high school or college? As a high school teacher, I have taught the book to countless students over the years, and we often walk away with the same questions. What did a strong, intelligent, passionate woman like Hester Prynne ever see in a wimp like Arthur Dimmesdale? And where did Hester and her daughter Pearl go when they left New England? What did they do? Why did Hester return to America?

Hester answers those questions. It follows Hester and Pearl across the Atlantic, where they discover intrigue, passion, love, and fortune, but where Hester must also face the most formidable Puritan of all—Oliver Cromwell.

Don't worry, as passionate as I am about Hawthorne's original novel and would love it if my book inspired readers to either read it for the first time or reread it with a new perspective, you don't have to have read The Scarlet Letter to enjoy Hester. I have written it so that the key elements of the original story are clear; it is designed to stand on its own.

The book is scheduled for hardcover release early in 2010, though I don't have an exact date, yet. In the meantime, keep coming back. I will be updating the look and feel of my website and, as the release date approaches, I'll be posting excerpts, reading group guides, and other fun things to gear up for it.

Happy Reading,
Paula Reed