Elizabeth
Egerton Wilder’s debut novel, The Spruce Gum Box, began with her fascination in
Maine’s Aroostook River and its early pioneers. She has a BA in Art and
Education and has worked as a teacher, designer, colorist, small business owner,
photographer and watercolor artist. She is also a published poet who believes
that bits and pieces of it all, combined with raising her family and her innate
appreciation of nature, were all the ingredients needed to fulfill her lifelong
goal of writing a book. At seventy-two years young, Elizabeth achieved her goal.
GAIL: It is my pleasure to welcome you here today, Elizabeth.
Thank you for taking time to share information about your novel and a bit of the history
behind The Spruce Gum Box. (A review
of the historical novel follows the interview.)
Rather than the 140 characters we’ve grown accustomed to on
Twitter, can you share with us a more detailed account of the novel and your
research for The Spruce Gum Box?
ELIZABETH:
The seeds for the idea of The Spruce Gum
Box were planted in my imagination after a trip to northern Maine to find
the small town where my husband's father was born. We found that his ancestors
were among the pioneers that established the town in the mid 1800's. I heard
that Canadian families had lived along the Aroostook River prior to that and I
wondered where they came from and why they were there.
I
found no one that could give me an answer so thus began five years of research
to discover that both Great Britain and the United States claimed that the
valley belonged to them which led to a border dispute and a "war". Now
in retirement, I finally had the time to follow a dream of one day writing a
book of historical fiction. I knew how my story would begin and how it would
end so spent the next year filling in the blanks between and soon realized that
my characters led the way through the maze where they would many times surprise
me.
The
Spruce Gum Box is a story of a young father devoted to the survival of his infant
son Ben when they were forced into the Maine wilds with a bounty on his head;
how Jed found compassion and support among a struggling family circle of Micmac
Indians and how solutions were found through the strong bond created between
Jed and the leader of the tribe, Jacob. The book was launched on my 72nd
birthday in 2010.
GAIL: Congratulations! Elizabeth. You’ve set an excellent example
for people who think retirement signals the beginning of the end when in fact
it is a beacon for an exciting new chapter in life.
Is “the job” the most important part of your protagonist’s life in
The Spruce Gum Box?
ELIZABETH: If you consider Jed's "job" as one of
protecting and raising Ben under the most difficult circumstances, then it was
the most important part of his life. During the many months of the lumbering
season, he trusted his adopted community with the care of his son as he and
Jacob worked in the unforgiving forests in an effort to secure a better future
of them all.
GAIL: The Mystery/Suspense genre is the focus of Fast Five
interviews, but what unique twist makes your novel stand out?
ELIZABETH:
I would say the unique twist is that the genre is historical fiction but it
does offer suspense in the twists and turns of dodging bounty hunters, coming
within a toes length of being caught by his major antagonist and the everyday
danger of working within the falling giant pines where the ax men used their
skills.
GAIL: How does your main character’s profession draw him into
suspenseful situations, (murder, for instance?)
ELIZABETH:
Sorry, no murder but there would have been if his sweetheart's father had
caught him. You see, Ben was the bastard child of Jed and his beloved Addie. The
suspense is found in the struggle to survive.
GAIL: Is this book part of a series, and are you working on a
sequel?
ELIZABETH:
I have finished the sequel. Granite Hearts continues the story of the families
along the Aroostook River through a young couple introduced in The Spruce Gum Box who relocate 100
miles south to the Penobscot River where he hopes to find work building the
proposed granite fort to protect Bangor from a British invasion as is feared by
the US government.
Life
is still harsh for a "half-breed" and it is thought they could build
a better future in a new location.
Where
in SGB the father is the strong
figure, Granite Hearts features a strong young mother with opinions not usual
for a woman in the years between 1844 and 1865. This tale takes the Ryan family
through the Civil War and is scheduled to be launched on my 74th birthday at
the end of June. I have started research on the final in what is turning into a
trilogy. Working title, The Rail. (Not sure Mr. W is pleased but it keeps my
brain active.)
GAIL: This last is not a Fast Five question, more an “if/then”
scenario: If Paris is not an option, then where would you most like to spend
your time writing and why.
ELIZABETH:
It would be seasonal. Younger, I always yearned to be on an island off the
coast of Maine or perhaps at an isolated lighthouse like Jamie Wyeth. Now, a
bit more practicable dream would be a cabin (with wi-fi) at the tip of one of
the many 'fingers' of land that reach out into the ocean. A secluded peninsular
spot where I could sit under a pine and listen to the surf roll in beneath me
against the rocky coast while my muse danced from one wave crest to another.
Did
you know if all the inlets and coves of Maine were stretched into a straight
line there would be nearly 3,500 miles of tidal coastline? Of course, I am
happy right where I am for the winter in my senior community home where I can
watch the snow and not have to shovel it.
Links
to Elizabeth Egerton Wilder sites and her historical novel, The Spruce Gum Box:
Facebook:
Elizabeth E Wilder
Twitter:
@eewilder
Elizabeth
Wilder’s blog: http://www.lizlogic.com/
Review of author Elizabeth Egerton Wilder The Spruce Gum Box
by Gail M Baugniet
“Kept me Emotionally Invested Throughout”
One of my hobbies (or avocations - considering the amount of time
involved) is family genealogy research. Of special interest is a branch that
stretches from Wisconsin to Canada to France. Imagine my delight while reading
the first pages of The Spruce Gum Box to discover this novel relates, in part,
to Canadians in the early 1800's. This connection sent me sailing through the
story.
Author Elizabeth Egerton Wilder, a born storyteller, has created
characters that snap with personality. The protagonist, Jed, is a tall lanky
white male, transplanted from England to Maine. How the author keeps Jed
holding his own against a fatherly sagamore, a wizened tribal great
grandmother, plus a set of precocious triplets, escapes me. But she does it
very well.
After Jed is forced into the wilderness as sole caretaker of his
infant son, salvation comes in the form of an Indian Micmac settlement and its
leader. The generosity and caring nature of these people helps Jed to survive,
and his son to thrive. During this time, the source of Jed's dilemma hovers in
the background, always threatening to prevent or destroy any happiness for Jed
and the child.
With this conflict looming, Wilder's historical novel unfolds amid
a suspenseful blend of border disputes, greedy individuals, and the risks
inherent in lumberjacking. Several tense logging scenes mesmerized me.
Pleasantly predicable passages added to the enjoyment of reading this story.
Unexpected subtle humor, and an often frustrating display of human nature, kept
me emotionally invested throughout.
