Let’s welcome another newcomer to the Scribbler.
I met Bernard at a book event. There
was a crowd around his table interested in his books. Now he’s here to tell us
about one in particular.
He will also be participating in the
GMRD Book Fair in April.
I know you will enjoy meeting him, so
please read on my friends.
Bernard J.
Bourque, PhD, was born and raised in Sackville, New Brunswick. He is an Adjunct
Senior Lecturer at the University of New England (Australia) and is the author
of eight scholarly books and numerous peer-reviewed journal articles in the
field of seventeenth-century French literature. His fictional works include the
novels in the Mr. Louis trilogy (Mr. Louis, The Shock Reader, and Upper-Case G)
and the novels in the Lupine trilogy (To Pick a Lupine, A Tale of Three Lupines,
and Corfu Seductions). The primary setting of the six novels is Campobello
Island (New Brunswick), where Bernard lived for thirteen years. His historical
play Friend of the King deals with the Acadian deportation and the
story of the Loyalists. He has acted in a number of theatrical
productions and appeared as a background actor in the feature film To Keep
the Light (2016; filmmaker Erica Fae), in the television series Frontier (2016;
Netflix and Discovery), and in the television series Mont-Rouge (2024:
Ici Télé - Radio-Canada). A strong advocate of literacy, Bernard is a past chair
of the New Brunswick Public Libraries Board and a past chair of the Campobello
Public Library Board. He now lives in Riverview, New Brunswick, with his wife,
Sandra.
Title: To Pick a Lupine (Book 1 in the Lupine
trilogy)
The
Story Behind the Story:
I wanted to write
a novel which had a similar feel to L. M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables
but with the added elements of mystery and a unique historical perspective. As
I lived on Campobello at the time, the island was the logical choice for the
setting of the story. The lupine flowers are glorious on Campobello in June,
and these play an important role in the novel. One of the characters is called
Lupine, hence the double meaning of the title To Pick a Lupine. Although
the plot takes place in present day, there is a sub-plot which takes us back to
the late nineteenth century, with references to Campobello’s glory days as a
summer resort for wealthy American families, including Franklin Roosevelt’s
parents. There is a mystical feel to the novel, primarily due to the story of
the two children, Julia Louisa and Theophilos.
A question before you go, Bernard:
Bernard: I wrote To Pick a Lupine at my home on Campobello Island in an upstairs office overlooking the glimmering waters of the harbour. While I usually like a very tidy desk, a certain amount of clutter and disarray seems to help me in the creative process. While writing, the beverage of choice is coffee. Usually, one cup in the morning and one in the afternoon will suffice. (I rarely write in the evenings.) Now that I live in Riverview, my favourite spot to write is a room which I have commandeered as my office in our third-floor apartment. The large windows overlook a peaceful landscape of trees and hills. While I do miss the water view that I had on Campobello, I have happily adapted to my new writing environment.
An Excerpt from To Pick a Lupine:
In June of 1882, a blue-eyed South Carolinian, who had made his fortune by illicit means, evaded the hot pursuit of legal authorities and fled to Campobello. At the time, the Canadian island enjoyed the reputation as a summer resort location for wealthy Americans who wished to escape the heat, the humidity, and the hubbub of city life. Benjamin R. Benjamin—yes, dear reader, that was indeed his birth name—felt very much at home among the other “fugitives” who had taken up seasonal residence that summer at Campobello’s newly built Tyn-y-Coed hotel. It was there that he fell in love at first sight with a petite twenty-three-year-old who claimed to have been the sole survivor of a recent shipwreck. No one believed her, of course, nor did she expect anyone to believe her. It was simply her way of telling people to mind their own business whenever they enquired about her reasons for staying unaccompanied at the grand hotel. The clothing she wore communicated a certain risqué character, while still identifying the wearer as a dignified lady of means. She spoke several European languages and was extremely adept at five-card stud, a type of poker game that originated during the American Civil War. Exuding confidence and ease, the young lady was popular with many of the gentlemen staying at the hotel and was generally mistrusted by all the other female guests. Her favourite colour, she claimed, was lavender and her favourite flower, the lupine. Because no one at the Tyn-y-Coed knew her name—the hotel register listing her only as Lady L—a fellow card player began to address the mysterious beauty as Miss Lupine, a sobriquet which she immediately embraced and which was soon accepted and employed by the other residents. It must be said, however, that some of the less empathetic guests at the hotel preceded the appellation with the term so-called when gossiping about the controversial visitor, while others even referred to her as the “invasive species.”
Thank you for being our guest this week, Bernard. We wish you continued success with your stories.
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