HOLDEN — A documentary led Eileen Charbonneau to delve into another historic topic, resulting in her latest novel, The Folklorist.
Charbonneau, a Holden resident who writes under the name of Eileen O’Finlan, took the idea and explored a dark piece of New England history lost under the shadow of the Salem Witch Trials.
“Several years ago I watched a PBS documentary on the New England Vampire Panic. I’d never heard of it before seeing the documentary,” O’Finlan said. “I found it fascinating. It’s a piece of New England history that few people know about. I knew shortly after watching it that I wanted to use it in a novel.”
The research started six months before she started writing and continued through the writing of the novel. From books on a wide variety of subjects to connecting with experts, O’Finlan worked to ensure historical accuracy.
“Probably the most important resource was my very dear friend Tom Kelleher, historian and curator of mechanical arts for Old Sturbridge Village, to whom the book is dedicated. Tom read every chapter as it was written for historical accuracy. He has helped with making sure all of my historical novels are accurate, but he really went above and beyond with The Folklorist,” O’Finlan said.
“For a long time I only knew I wanted to write something about it, but didn’t know what. For a while, I thought the entire book would be set in the 19th century, but I kept changing my mind about what the plot would be. I was writing other books at the time, so this was mostly going on in the back of my head,” she said.
“I had been reading a lot of books with dual timelines, and it struck me … that that format would work for this book. Once I had that in my mind, the characters and plot started to take shape, and I had a much clearer idea of how to craft the story.”
Do you have the story plotted out when you write or does the story develop as you write and the characters make their way as the story progresses?
O’Finlan said she explores the story much as a reader does, not knowing what comes next.
“I do not plot out stories before I write them. I have always let them unfold as I write. I usually know several things about some of the characters and the plot before I begin, but I know that both are going to develop on their own as I write.
“With The Folklorist, I thought I might need to do things a bit differently, because I had never attempted a dual timeline before. So I tried creating a very basic outline. It probably did help me get a few things straight in my mind, but otherwise, I’m not sure it helped much. I never looked at it once I started writing the story. I don’t even know where it is.”
The book’s Vermont locale came from her background, although the main character, Charlotte Lajoie, is originally from Massachusetts.
“Both of my parents are from Vermont, and my best childhood memories are of times spent in Vermont, so I’ve always wanted to set a novel there.”
Exploring the history, O’Finlan said that “there were incidences of the Vampire Panic in every state in New England, but Massachusetts only had one known incidence, so it wasn’t a good setting for this story. Rhode Island was the real hotspot, but I’m not very familiar with that state. Besides Massachusetts, Vermont is the New England state I’m most comfortable writing about, and since they did have at least three known occurrences, I felt it was a viable setting.”
She said she has had a lot of positive feedback from readers of all of her books.
“I have had a few suggestions from readers for what they’d like to see happen in future books in the Cat Tales series. It is very heartening when readers tell me how much they enjoyed one of my books. It validates my desire to publish. I would probably write no matter what because I love it, but actually having books published and go out into the world for people to spend money and time on only makes sense if readers are enjoying them.,” she said.
She has also been encouraged that the books get critical recognition. Her novel Erin’s Children was a finalist for Chanticleer International Book Award’s Goethe Award and All the Furs and Feathers, Book 1 in the Cat Tales series, won a Literary Titan Gold Book Award.
With The Folklorist heading to readers, O’Finlan is moving on to a new book.
“I’ve just started writing the second book in the Cat Tales series (the first book, All the Furs and Feathers, was released on February 1, 2023) and a fantasy, tentatively titled The Winter House. I have also just started the research for two follow-up books to my debut novel, Kelegeen, and its sequel, Erin’s Children,” she said.
The Folklorist is just out, and O’Finlan will be at the Rutland Public Library on Oct. 28 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for a book fair that will feature 30 authors selling and signing books.
