Historical Novel Explores Female Healing, Faith, and Choice in Post-Salem America

Historical fiction author Myriana Merkovic speaking on camera, with a New York city background graphic.

Award winning author Myriana Merkovic

Author Myriana Merkovic

Archival photograph of antique glass medicine bottles used in historical apothecary and early medical practices.

Historic apothecary bottles used for medicinal preparations

A post-Salem historical novel about women healers navigating faith, inheritance, and the cost of choosing their own futures.

I wanted to explore what happens when inherited knowledge becomes dangerous — and how women were forced to choose between survival, silence, and self-definition.”

— Myriana Merkovic

STUART, FL, UNITED STATES, January 31, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Historical fiction author Myriana Merkovic joins Down Under Interviews, hosted by Australian novelist Paul Rushworth-Brown, to discuss her novel The Healer’s Daughter, a story set in the American colonies in the aftermath of the Salem Witch Trials.

Set in 1695, The Healer’s Daughter follows Naida Galene, the last descendant of a long line of women whose healing knowledge predates formal medicine. In a society shaped by religious authority and male-dominated power structures, women healers exist under constant threat. When Naida’s grandmother is executed for reviving a stillborn child, Naida flees Massachusetts for the newly founded Carolina colony, where tolerance is promised but not guaranteed.

Merkovic’s novel explores the collision between inherited duty and personal desire, as Naida’s oath to preserve her bloodline and ancient knowledge is tested by love, memory, and moral consequence. As her powers begin to fail, she must confront an impossible choice: loyalty to tradition or the right to define her own future.

During the interview, Merkovic discusses the historical context behind post-Salem colonial America, the marginalisation of female healers, and the ethical questions that continue to echo through women’s history. The conversation focuses on research, craft, and the personal motivations behind writing historically grounded fiction that centres women’s voices.

The interview will appear on Down Under Interviews (AUS/US) and will also be distributed via the History Bards Podcast (US), extending the discussion to international listeners through video and audio platforms.

The Healer’s Daughter is a work of historical fiction examining faith, power, inheritance, and the cost of choosing love over legacy in a world that allows women little room for either.

About Down Under Interviews
Down Under Interviews is an international long-form interview series hosted by Australian historical novelist Paul Rushworth-Brown. The series features published authors discussing craft, research, and the human stories behind historically grounded fiction.

Media Contact:
Amanda Smith
Down Under Interviews
Email: amanda.media@paulrushworthbrown.com

Amanda Smith
Down Under Interviews
amanda.media@paulrushworthbrown.com

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