Ariel Lawhon on bringing midwife Martha Ballard to life in her bestselling murder-mystery, ‘The Frozen River’

Ariel Lawhon learned about Martha Ballard, an 18th-century midwife and healer who delivered over a thousand babies years before she wrote ‘The Frozen River.’ Lawhon remembers ‘thinking that would make an incredible novel.’ She wrote several books before penning this latest hit, which served her well. ‘I am now in the stage of life where Martha Ballard is in this story. My children are growing up. I've got two in college, two in high school. The primary work I've done all these years is kind of winding down. I relate to her in ways I could have never related to her as a younger woman.’ Learn about the in-depth research she did to recreate the era (from candle-making to cooking) and how Martha’s own diary served as a reference guide and inspiration.

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