When Bill Braine decided to write a novel, he didn’t have to look far to find a setting. “It’s intentionally set in this region,” he said when we met on a Saturday morning. “There are so many real stories here, and such a rich landscape, you can use it as the basis for a book.”
Mr. Braine’s first novel, “Bone Hollow” was released by Sloan Publishing of Cornwall this spring. The author will be speaking at the Cornwall Public Library at 6:30 p.m. on May 5. It will be his first stop on a tour that will include a visit to Scottsdale, Az.
But while Mr. Braine will be heading west in the near future, his story is rooted in the Hudson Heartland — the area between the Hudson and Delaware Rivers.
The title of his mystery dates back to a hiking and hitch-hiking trip in the Catskill Region in 2002. The author and a friend stopped at a non-descript building known as The Country Inn. A Pabst Blue Ribbon sign was the only clue of what they might expect inside.
But once inside the door, they were more than surprised. The food was good, and the establishment offered 500 different brands of beer.
Some time later, Mr. Braine studied a map to find out where he’d been. He located the hamlet of Krumville and spotted the name “Bone Hollow Road,” which he adopted for his first work of fiction. He had previously written for a newspaper and had articles published in “Runner’s World.”
The central couple in the novel share their creator’s love of the region. Expecting their first child, Jeffrey and Serena Gale travel northwest from Brooklyn to find a place to raise a family. They have lunch at The Country Inn, visit the shops in town and turn onto Bone Hollow Road when they see a sign saying “home for sale.”
The house is locked and vacant, but the Gales venture down a path to a wooded pond, where they discover the bodies of two men who have been murdered. Terrified, Jeffrey and Serena stagger back to their car and make two phone calls. First they dial 911. Then they call the real estate agent, because they’ve already been hooked. They want to buy the house.
The book is a local work of art. It was printed and designed in this area. Emily Waterfield of Cornwall-on-Hudson took the cover photo in Black Rock Forest. The story, which includes environmental themes, is clearly about this region. “The western Hudson Valley,” the author says proudly. “is just as interesting as Scotland.”
People can purchase the book at Jones Farm or by visiting www.hudsonheartland.com.
