THE BOOKMARK
AND OTHER STORIES
OF BETHLEHEM, PA
1777. After being wounded at the Battle of Brandywine, the Marquis de Lafayette is taken to the isolated religious community of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, where he is cared for by a Moravian Single Sister named Liesl Boeckel who has little patience with the arrogant Frenchman and his unwelcome curiosity about her life.
2005. When Abbey Prescott inherits her grandmother’s house in Bethlehem, she discovers an eighteenth-century bookmark, which may reveal a romance between Liesl and Lafayette, and she becomes determined to solve the mystery. However, her quest is complicated by the aftershocks of a failed love affair and a possible romantic entanglement of her own.
The Bookmark is a work of historic fiction and an immersive romantic mystery that illuminates a little-known piece of American history through the lives of two women, separated by the centuries but alike in their determination to confront the past and find a way forward.
Breaking News:
Historic Bethlehem becomes a UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE Site
This morning, Moravian Church Settlements - Bethlehem was inscribed on the prestigious UNESCO World Heritage List at the World Heritage Committee meeting in New Delhi, India. Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites extends our heartfelt gratitude to the supporters and volunteers dedicated to this decades-long process. And to everyone in our community who has crossed the thresholds of Bethlehem’s beautiful historic sites, you have played a role in this landmark moment. Thank you!
Visit today and see why the esteemed World Heritage Committee unanimously agreed that Moravian Church Settlements have outstanding universal worth!
Read The Bookmark to learn more about the fascinating history of this newest UNESCO World Heritage site!
The Bookmark’s TV Debut
Thanks to Ann Marie and the wonderful group at the Slatington Library, this video appeared on our Channel 13. What a thrill for The Bookmark to get television coverage!
Thank you, Slatington Library Book Club for a truly memorable book event!
Happy Birthday to The Bookmark!
Exactly two years ago, when I launched this book at McCarthy's Red Stag Pub and Whiskey Bar in Bethlehem, I never dreamed of sales like this. I certainly never thought this book would have such staying power. Incredibly, I have a busy line-up of fall book events, and I even have some scheduled for 2025.
THE BOOKMARK is not done yet!
Heartfelt thanks to everyone who has supported this book!
I could not be more grateful!!! đź’™
Lafayette 200—Bicentennial of Lafayette’s Farewell Tour
Between August 14, 2024 and September 9, 2025, the nation will celebrate the bicentennial of Lafayette’s return to America. Hundreds of events will trace Lafayette’s footsteps on the exact dates and in the exact order he followed on his tour of America as the “Guest of the Nation” between 1824 and 1825.
In June of 2025, I will have the honor of participating in a Lafayette 200 Webinar focused on books written about Lafayette. I’ll provide more details closer to the date.
For more information about the Bicentennial: Lafayette 200
From the Blog
Seeking Azilum
Join me as I explore Azilum, Pennsylvania, a little-known place of refuge for French aristocrats escaping the Reign of Terror in France. Although the original buildings are long gone, a historic site marks the location of the original town and preserves the memory of the brave souls who avoided the guillotine by fleeing to the backwoods of Pennsylvania. (And there is even a Lafayette connection!)
What Readers are Saying
