Historical novel ‘Becoming Beatrice’ linked to pioneer home

Published 1:30 am Sunday, October 14, 2018

The book is set in 1890s, a time of steam engines leaving tell-tale plumes of white smoke in their wakes, women sporting ankle-length dresses considered high fashion, and an era remembered through the patina of black-and-white photographs.

The novel tells the story of a teen who essentially fled her family and home in Oakland, California, to live with relatives in Snohomish.

What relevance could this have now for the young adult audience it’s targeted to?

“Young adult fiction needs to be current to today,” said Whidbey Island author Frances Wood of her self-published book, “Becoming Beatrice.”

“I’ve included themes around friendship and intimacy, bullying, racism and multiculturalism that young people are facing today but can be looked at from this historical perspective.”

Wood will read excerpts from her historical novel during a Snohomish Historical Society event scheduled for Oct. 21 at the Blackman House Museum in Snohomish.

The reading takes place in a setting that’s key to the book. “The novel is based in that house,” Wood said.

Wood herself is a descendent of the Blackmans, one of the city’s pioneer families. The story is loosely based on her great-grandmother, Nina Blackman Bakeman, who journeyed from Oakland in her late teens and stayed with her cousins, Ella and Hyrcanus Blackman, in their house on Avenue B.

Wood wants readers to know that the story is a reimagined life of her great-grandmother. Her character, Beatrice, arrives in Snohomish in 1891, a few years after Nina did in real life.

The types of things that Beatrice experiences made more sense by altering the timeline by a few years, such as one scene involving smallpox, Wood said.

Things such as what Beatrice wore and what she did are true to the times — details Wood gathered through her research.

Wood said she has spent years thinking of her great-grandmother’s story and how it might be turned into a work of fiction. This was due in part to spending a period in her life living with her great-grandmother’s daughter.

Her grandmother, Inez Bakeman Fulton, gave Wood a glimpse of their mutual ancestor, an adventurous woman who left both her family and the man to whom she was engaged.

“She came to Snohomish and then became a pioneer school teacher there,” Wood said, eventually falling in love with a man of German ancestry and starting a new life. Her story is recounted on the website of the Snohomish County Women’s Legacy Project.

The idea of why her great-grandmother would leave Oakland — and the obstacles she faced in traveling by herself to live with family in Snohomish — intrigued Wood and became the basis for her novel.

Although this is Wood’s first novel, she has published four previous works of nonfiction.

Wood, 74, who lives near Langley, is widely known for her work on birding.

Her book, “Brushed by Feathers: A Year of Birdwatching in the West,” published by Fulcrum Publishing in 2004, remains in print 15 years later.

Wood was a co-founder and writer for “BirdNote,” a segment originally broadcast on the NPR affiliate KPLU, now KNKX, which now is broadcast on 197 stations nationwide.

Wood said she has several other book ideas in mind. Among them may be a sequel to “Becoming Beatrice,” another book on bird watching and a children’s book.

That list of upcoming projects could change. “The top three might be different next week,” she said. “It’s pretty fluid where I would go next. But I have to say I love fiction writing. I’ve enjoyed the project of ‘Becoming Beatrice.’ ”

Sharon Salyer: 425-339-3486 or salyer@heraldnet.com.

If you go

What: A reading of “Becoming Beatrice”

Where: Blackman House Museum, 118 Ave. B, Snohomish

When: 1 to 3 p.m. Oct. 21

Cost: Free

More: www.franceswood.net or www.snohomishhistoricalsociety.org

“Becoming Beatrice”

By Frances Wood

Blue Heron Press. 256 pages. $16.95.

An excerpt from “Becoming Beatrice” by Frances Wood:

“After her father had left, her mother reached across the table and placed a firm hand on (Beatrice’s) arm. “I must remind you that your father’s business — and his health — depend on this marriage happening soon.”

“Yes, Mother.” Beatrice’s well-bred, obedient response masked the surge of resentment spreading through her body. She slumped in her chair hoping her face didn’t turn bright red and reveal her true feelings, as her pale skin often did.

“My dear,” her mother’s voice took on an artificial sweetness. “Sit tall. Those of us of short stature need to appear as tall as we can.”

Beatrice straightened.

“Have Sally Ann brush out that frizzy hair of yours. And you must wear blue more often; it brings out the color in your eyes.”