Found! A Romance Novel Set in Stony Brook

Recently, an author acquaintance of mine learned for the first time that I live in Stony Brook. What made this moment so special was the fact that she set one of her stories in our charming town. Not only has she never visited Stony Brook, she lives in Germany! So I had to buy the book and check it out. As with all her stories, I found Stormy Times to be a fun, sweet read with lots of endearing characters. Seeing streets like Stony Brook Road in the pages added a special sense of pride. After I finished her story, I begged her for an interview for our local Patch. She was happy to oblige. 

Ladies and gentlemen, meet Beate Boeker. Beate is a marketing manager by day and a writer by night. If you mix Latin and German, Beate Boeker literally translates as Happy Books . . . and with a name like that, what else could she do but write romances and entertaining mysteries? Her books are well-known for their touches of humor and mischief. She has published several romances with Avalon Books, and two of them were chosen as finalists in writing contests. You can also find several “feel-good” e-books by Beate online. Check out her website to learn more: www.happybooks.de

Q. What made you decide to set Stormy Times in Stony Brook?

A. I once spent some wonderful days of vacation on Long Island and knew I wanted to set my novel there. So I checked the map for a city that might fit and fell in love with the name. Stony Brook made me think of a small stream, running with crystal clear water and a small, murmuring sound over shiny pebbles. I didn't find any reference to such a stream in my research, but that couldn't blot out the picture I had in my mind.

Q. How did you do your research?

A. I entered the name into Google and read a bit about the town, the size, the typical industries, to get a feeling for it. I wanted to set my story in a smallish town, and that fit nicely. I already knew that my heroine would be a vet, so I checked in how far there were possible customers for her. That's when I noted some horse breeders in the larger area which was an excellent reason to send her out onto the road in the middle of a snow storm.

 
Funny enough, I also had to learn a lot about dogs because I wanted to have a puppy in this novel, but I've never owned a dog before (both my Dad and my husband are allergic to dog hair). That led to an intensive discussion with my fellow writers about the international issues of micro-chipping a pet. Being a writer surely opens the mind!

Q. Did you discover anything unique about Stony Brook in your research?

A. When I went back to Google maps and chose the street view, I cruised around the streets and tried to get a good feeling of the neighborhood. I got the impression that Stone Brook is an interesting mix because on the one hand, it's not that big, but on the other hand, the university will create a bustling feeling and will certainly keep the city on its toes. I thought that this mix is very attractive. So often, picturesque little towns by the sea are only tourism-driven and turn into ghost towns during winter.

Q. Do you have any plans to visit Long Island in the future?

A. I'd love to! However, I haven't made any specific plans yet. As I live in Germany, I'd have to hop across the pond first, and that's not something I do on a regular basis. However, the next time I'm anywhere close, I'll make sure to check out Stony Brook in person (and see if I can discover that little stream!)

Q. What was the greatest challenge in setting a fictional story in a town you've never seen?

A. When doing my research, I learned a lot about the town and businesses, but then, I had to take a step back again. For example, I knew that I wanted a more local supermarket (not a huge chain) and I found Waldbaum's via Google. However, if you use real names, it's easy to get in trouble because someone might take offense if something happens there that's not quite perfect - and in a novel, things have to be less than perfect from time to time, otherwise, the readers will go to sleep. So I changed the name of the supermarket again, but that made me feel that I had done my research in vain.

Of course, I'm always nervous if people who actually live in the town read my novel. They might find that I've gotten it totally wrong! I console myself that feelings about a place are very subjective. While it's the most perfect place on earth for some people, others will hate it from their guts. 

I knew that Gina lived on Long Island, but as we're only e-mail buddies, I had no very clear idea where she was exactly. By chance, I came across her full address and imagine my surprise when I realized she lived in Stony Brook. Such a coincidence! I was delighted, of course, when she suggested this interview.

Q. Are there any plans to set future stories here?

A. That's possible, though probably not in the close future. At the moment, I'm writing an entertaining mystery series with a bit of romance thrown in that's set in Florence, Italy. More research to be done there, though at least I visited Florence several times in person. :-)

Stormy Times is available as an ebook at all the usual online booksellers including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and the Apple store.