Secrets in the Woods

Today, I’m delighted to host Secrets in the Woods by Susan D Levitte. The book is on a blog tour with The Coffee Pot Book Club: The Coffee Pot Book Club: Blog Tour: Secrets in the Woods by Susan D. Levitte

About the Book

On October 8, 1871, fire turned night into a living hell.

While Chicago’s blaze claimed the headlines, a fiercer and more devastating inferno swept across Wisconsin’s Green Bay peninsula-obliterating farms, forests, and families in its path.

Here, among immigrant settlers carving new lives from the wilderness, survival came down to split-second choices: to run, to hide, to fight the flames. Mothers shielded children with their bodies, fathers vanished into smoke, and neighbors faced the firestorm with nothing but faith and will.

Inspired by forgotten accounts and newspaper fragments, Secrets in the Woods brings to life the untold human drama of one of America’s most harrowing nights-a story of resilience, loss, and the fragile hope that rises from the ashes.

Praise for Secrets in the Woods

‘This book will stay in your thoughts long after you finish it!‘

~ Patricia Cords, 5* Amazon Review

Buy Link

https://books2read.com/u/4AB0oA

The Book Details

Publication Date: October 18th, 2025

Publisher: Historium Press

Pages: 269

Genre: Historical Fiction

Triggers: Corporal punishment, spousal abuse, deaths by natural disaster, death in childbirth.

Excerpt

The assignment was going to mark the anniversary of a tragic period in the region’s history. The Peshtigo Fire, or the Great Fire as those on this side of the bay often referred to it, killed at least fifteen hundred white people and countless American Indians in a few hours.

Because it had happened sixty years ago, there were not many people left to tell their stories. Many of those still alive had just been small children at the time, with memories dimmed and shaded by stories they had heard in hushed tones during their lives.

When Edna Mae was told she would be interviewing a woman who had been fifteen when the fire happened…

About the Author

Susan was born and raised as the fifth generation to live on the family land in Northeast North Dakota (nearly Canada).

She moved to Wisconsin in 1997, living in Door and Manitowoc County and now resides in the pastoral Kewaunee County. Married to Quentin, they share their home with Olive and Penny, their silly Labrador retrievers, and Gil, their ever-lazy cat.

As a devoted reader of historical fiction and nonfiction, she brings her passion for history and desire to educate readers into her work. With twenty-five years of experience in global advertising and marketing, she holds a master’s degree in communications and currently contributes her expertise to the Green Bay Austin Straubel International Airport.