B.B.
Oak is the pseudonym for the writing duo Ben and Beth Oak. Connecticut natives,
they met at Boston University and have been together ever since. Besides the
enjoyment they find in each other, the pair of writers has an affinity for Henry
David Thoreau. It is this kinship and respect, as well as a love of mystery
that inspired the Oaks to create a unique, though very real, role for the
iconic Walden Pond resident.
In
Beth and Ben’s debut novel “Thoreau at Devil’s Perch,” Thoreau adopts a
Sherlock Holmes style of investigating as the storied author and poet seeks to
identify the killer of a young black man he found at the bottom of a rocky crag
called Devil’s Perch. Told through the voices of Thoreau’s partners in this
investigation, displaced lovers Julia Bell and Dr. Adam Walker, the Oaks draw
upon Thoreau’s own documented words, passions, and survival skills to create a
scenario so believable, many will agree that Thoreau could have rivaled the
greatest detectives of the time had he chosen that pursuit.
The
Oaks go to great detail to remain true to the era, and the end results are
carefully crafted settings such as the woodlands, town streets and businesses,
and even a den of ill-repute. Historical fans will find little to raise a brow
at. Thoreau fans will discover a character much like the man himself who speaks
in his time-tested manner that has kept readers enthralled for centuries.
Mystery fans will have their powers of observation tested against that of
Thoreau, the American version of Holmes. And, of course, if Thoreau is Holmes,
then star-crossed lovers and narrators Adam and Julia are Watson.
“Thoreau
at Devil’s Perch” has something for everyone. Most of all, it contains a very
enjoyable, well-written story utilizing uncommon characters that will create
fans for books to come. And, yes, the next tale in the series is on the
horizon.
Q)
Placing Thoreau in any role other than “expected” could have been a literary
death knell. But, you pull it off. What gave you the self-confidence to turn
Thoreau into a man determined to solve a murder others scoff at?
A)
Ben – Thoreau's own self-confidence
inspired us. He never gave a hang about
what others expected of him. It was
Thoreau, after all, who coined the phrase about marching to the sound of your
own drummer. Like all great gumshoes, he
was a loner with his own sense of honor and justice.
Beth – And he was a
master of observation and deduction, as his journals demonstrate. So we simply portrayed him as he was in life,
a natural born detective devoted to seeking out the truth and fighting
injustices.
Q)
Had the two of you not met, what writing paths would you each have embarked on,
and, will those paths make appearances in your future works?
A)
Beth – Never to have met Ben? Impossible to contemplate! Even at eighteen we both knew that we wanted
to be writers and would most likely stay together.
Ben – What we
didn't know is that we'd be writing together.
Our career paths have gone in different directions until now, so we
bring separate skills and interests to
our writing partnership.
Beth - Ben is a lot
better at writing actions scenes and nature descriptions than I am.
Ben – Beth is
better at dialogue and character motivation.
As far as plotting goes, we talk it out together, bouncing ideas off
each other.
Beth – And trying to
top each other to make the action scenes more exciting and the plot more
complicated. Turns out Ben is quite
bloodthirsty.
Ben – And Beth is
quite devious.
Q)
Julia and Adam are risky characters – cousins in love. Why create an atmosphere of forbidden romance
for them in a story already rife with intrigue?
A)
Ben - We wanted the mystery to
unfold from both a male and female perspective because men and women lived in
separate spheres at that time. And to
make it all the more interesting, we decided to have the two characters telling
the story develop a strong sexual attraction for each other as the mystery
unfolds.
Beth – It's not just
a sexual attraction. Julia and Adam have
loved each other since they were children.
Their love might even go back centuries.
They could well be soul mates that have lived past lives together. This ties in with Thoreau's open-mindedness
to the possibility of reincarnation.
Ben – In any case,
if you're going to have romance in a mystery, it should be rife with conflict and
obstacles.
Beth - And isn't what is forbidden all the more
desirable?
Q)
Even Sherlock Holmes grew and changed as a character. Will readers see Thoreau grow as well
in
future books, and if so, what areas do you see as potential areas for change?
A)
Beth – Thoreau is only twenty-nine
when the first book opens, filled with expectations and wide open to
change.
Ben – As in real
life, he'll become less a loner when he leaves Walden Pond. He'll form very close relationships with
others.
Beth - Especially
with Mrs. Emerson. In our second book,
Thoreau is living with Lidian while Ralph Waldo travels in Europe.
Ben – Thoreau has a
lot of trials and disappointments ahead of him, but he'll always remain
purposeful and principled. We intend to
stay true to the basic elements of the real Thoreau's character, which we find
inspiring.
Beth - And we hope
to show him as he really was, a vital young man full of joy and warmth and
love.
Q)
Any parting comments for readers?
A)
Ben – Well, being big fans of historical
mysteries ourselves, it's tempting to tell them that "Thoreau at Devil's
Perch" delivers what readers of the genre want. But maybe that sounds presumptuous.
Beth - You're right,
it does. How can we presume to know what
other readers want?
Ben - Then I'll
speak for myself. The sort of historical
mysteries I want to read are well-researched, have fascinating characters that
reflect the era, and are filled with rousing action and unexpected plot twists. Weren't those the criteria we used when we wrote
our book?
Beth – Yes, but it's
up to the readers, not us, to declare if we met them. My only parting comment for them is that I
hope they enjoy reading "Thoreau at Devil's Perch" as much as we
enjoyed writing it.
Ben – Ditto.
Beth – And we also
appreciate having this opportunity to answer such interesting questions. They really made us stop and think about our
book and why we wrote it.
DA Kentner is an
award-winning author www.kevad.net
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