Local author sets sequel in Worcester

By Tanya Connor | The Catholic Free Press

Did you know Worcester has catacombs?
Have you heard about prejudice and racial riots of the past?
Could you use a dose of faith in your own “strange new world?”
You can gain such information, inspiration – and a good read –
Readers’ requests helped make this possible, according to Eileen Charbonneau, who’s second book, “Erin’s Children,” was officially released on Dec. 1. It’s a sequel to her first, “Kelegeen,” about the Irish potato famine, which left the reader hanging. But it can be a stand-alone; she gives background for those who haven’t read “Kelegeen.”
Ms. Charbonneau said she uses the pen name Eileen O’Finlan, after her Irish ancestors, because another Eileen Charbonneau, a friend and mentor in Vermont, also has historical fiction published by BWL Publishing Inc.
“She found our common ancestor” from several generations back, said the local Ms. Charbonneau, of St. Mary Parish in Jefferson, who is administrative assistant and ecclesiastical notary for the diocesan judicial vicar’s office.
For years, Ms. Charbonneau has worked for the Worcester Diocese and, in her spare time, done research and writing for “Kelegeen,” published in 2017. (It became a BWL bestseller in 2018.) She didn’t originally plan a sequel, she said.
“When I was writing ‘Kelegeen’ … I started having ideas of what could happ en in America,” she said. So she ended her first book with a main character marrying, then immediately heading to the United States alone to support her starving family in Ireland.
“Erin’s Children,” named for the Irish who immigrated to Worcester, wasn’t going to be her next book, Ms. Charbonneau said. But so many “Kelegeen” readers asked about the sequel that “I decided, ‘I’ll do it next.’”  She said she started research shortly after “Kelegeen” was published.
She’s not sure if she’ll write a third book for a trilogy, she said. She’s currently doing research for what was to be her second historical novel – an unrelated story set in Vermont in the 1830s and 1970s.
“This is what I’d like to be doing full time,” the author said. “It’s a tremendous amount of work, but I love every minute of it – both the research and the writing.” She has a bachelor’s in history from Atlantic Union College in Lancaster and a master’s in pastoral ministry from Anna Maria College in Paxton.
She said she’s a stickler for historical accuracy; she figures people learn some history when reading her works.
“As part of my research for writing ‘Erin’s Children,’ I studied the Worcester City Documents for the decade of the 1850s,” she writes in her “Author’s Note” at the end of the book.
“I really enjoyed … putting some real-life events into the story,” she told The Catholic Free Press, adding that she got directly from newspapers the account of the riot surrounding Federal Marshall Asa O. Butman, a suspected “slave kidnapper.”
Help also came from private tours of the Crown Hill neighborhood and a home there, the Worcester Historical Museum, and books: Timothy J. Meagher’s “Inventing Irish America,” St. John Parish’s history “To Preserve the Flame,” and Charles W. Longeway’s “Worcester’s Forgotten Catacombs.”
Reading about the now-closed underground rooms and tunnels, she thought, “This is way too cool not to go in that story.” She said there are many theories about their purpose and use. She chose some of the ideas for her book.
“My goal, my promise to my readers” is to write a story they can get lost in and don’t want to see end, Ms. Charbonneau said. “That’s my favorite kind of book to read.” She said she isn’t trying to make them think a certain way.
But, she said, “If it makes people think, then that’s a good thing.” While writing, she saw parallels with today that she hadn’t planned on addressing, she said, pointing out anti-Catholic, anti-immigrant and anti-slavery views of the day. She figures some readers could ask themselves, “How come it was wrong to treat my ancestors badly, but not wrong to treat people today that way?”
When it came to misunderstandings about Catholic teaching – present then and now – “I felt like I did want to clear up some inaccuracies,” Ms. Charbonneau said. “I liked the ability to ... explain some things about our faith.”
For devout Catholics from Ireland, “their faith held them together,” she said. “The Church was like a home to them.” Faith is important to Catholics in her book, and she tried to show the faith of a Protestant family in a positive light.
She also intentionally presented, in a non-stereotypical way, a character’s place of employment that began shrouded in mystery. (We won’t spoil the surprise; you’ll have to read it yourself.) The outcome was a sort of mystery even to Ms. Charbonneau; she said she did not plan it.
“Maybe that was the Holy Spirit,” she said.
Promoting this book will be different than with her first, because of the coronavirus.
“With ‘Kelegeen’ I did a lot of talks and book signings,” Ms. Charbonneau said. “With ‘Erin’s Children,’ I really wanted to take advantage of the local angle.” She can’t do that in person, but welcomes invitations for virtual talks.

Editor’s note: Paperback copies of “Erin’s Children,” for $16.99 each, and digital copies for $3.99 each, can be ordered from amazon.com.  Paperback copies are $24 and digital (Nook) copies are $3.99 at barnesandnoble.com. Those seeking more information can contact Ms. Charbonneau at eofinlan@gmail.com.