Judy Molland began her career as a high school teacher of French, English, and Spanish, and soon added freelance writer to her job description. Her articles and blog posts have appeared in numerous publications, including Parents, New York NewsDay, and Care2.com. She has published two nonfiction books, Straight Talk About Schools Today and Get Out! 150 Easy Ways for Kids and Grown-Ups to Get Into Nature and Build a Greener Future. The Making of a Witch is her first work of fiction. She grew up in England before moving to California. She now lives in Missoula, Montana.

Inspired by true events, this novel tells the tale of young Alice Molland, who must grapple with accusations of witchcraft and the persecution of women with mysterious gifts in turbulent seventeenth-century England.

In the tumultuous era of seventeenth-century Exeter, England, ten-year-old Alice Molland is forced to attend the brutal execution of her mentor in the healing arts, Goody Luscombe, who has been condemned to death for witchcraft.

In the years that follow, with her use of herbs such as mugwort, slippery elm, and comfrey, Alice becomes well known as a magical healer. But such gifts come accompanied by danger in the misogynistic age she lives in, and it’s only a matter of time before a prominent Exeter merchant raises suspicion that she is a witch. When a love spell leads to an unexpected pregnancy, Alice becomes a target and must flee for her life.