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.
“Lafayette” and me in Havre de Grace, MD
On July 29, 2025, I had the honor of participating in a Lafayette Bicentennial celebration in Havre de Grace, Maryland where “Lafayette” reenacted his arrival 200 years ago. As you can see, I wore a Moravian-style dress, and I was thrilled to meet reenactor Ben Goldman. I was charmed by his French-accented English, and we even got to share a laugh together.
For more information about the Bicentennial: Lafayette 200
Upcoming Events in
Historic Bethlehem, PA
The Bookmark Walking Tour September 17, 2025
Wine and Cheese with Lafayette October 11,2025
Tickets are going fast!
The Bookmark Walking Tour is SOLD OUT. I may offer a tour in October. If interested, contact me at aesupsic@gmail.com
Meet a famous Lafayette reenactor for a fun night in Historic Bethlehem. To learn more: Wine and Cheese with Lafayette
Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Bethlehem
Lower Macungie Library
What a fun time at this wonderful library. I fell in love with the statue out front.
Historic Bethlehem’s Blueberry Fest!
Fun time talking about The Bookmark in Johnson Barn at Bethlehem’s Blueberry Fest!
The Bookmark has a Voice!
The Bookmark is now available as an audiobook on Amazon! This audio was created using virtual voice narration (AI), and I have to admit I was leery at first. But, it’s really not bad at all. For a limited time, the audio version is free with a free trial with Audible. Amazon offer
From the Blog
Prayer in the Side-hole
“Prayer in the Side-hole” by Marianne von Watteville
The early Moravians had an unusual fascination with the Savior’s wound, which is why in The Bookmark, the Labouress displays this painting (shown above) over her desk. Liesl describes the painting as a “macabre picture depicted a young girl inside a chasm that had been slashed into the side of a hill like an open wound.”
Click the link below to learn more about this painting and the concept of wound worship.
What Readers are Saying
