Conversation with Jane
I’m taking some time for a cozy chat with Jane Drew, heroine of my cozy mystery series, Gramma’s Off Her Rocker. Hopefully we’ll bring out some answers to those burning question you may have been left with after reading about Jane’s adventures in Toasted to Death and the just released sequel Sinnin’ Buns.
Long, long ago – there was a privateer.
LK: Toasted to Death starts out with you surrounded by three of your best friends who also happen to be grandmothers. How did BJ, Lynne, and Eleanor come to be living with you in such a remote location as The Hollow?
JD: The friendship between BJ, Lynne, Eleanor and I goes back before the ‘dawn of time’, meaning pre-marriage and kids. We knew of each other’s families since we were small because our grandfathers were all sailors who worked on the privateer ships that patrolled the seas in the mid to late 1700’s. The four of us ended up attending university together before branching off and following our personal interests. BJ went to law school, Lynne studied psychology, Eleanor majored in economics and I … well I specialized in staying home and having children, four of them to be precise.
Our grandfathers ended up sailing with a privateer named Amos Agnew who patrolled the waters off New England in a schooner called Tyrannicide. My great-great² grandfather was Captain Agnew’s Executive Officer while BJ, Lynne and Eleanor are descended from other members of the crew who sailed on the Tyrannicide. When Captain Agnew realized that he was tired of life on the ‘high seas’ he decided to move inland and settle down.
The castle that houses the Secret Springs Spa and Wellness Center was built as Captain Agnew’s residence and he gave the stone outbuildings that are scattered around the estate to any of the crew members who wanted to stay here with him and start a new life. Virtually everyone living here at The Hollow is descended from the sailors who gave up their sea-faring days to follow their captain wherever he led them.
LK: A Privateer! That basically means a legitimatized pirate ship, doesn’t it?
JD: That is definitely one way of explaining it. We usually just say that our grandfathers were all shipmates who chose to retire with their captain.
LK: How did Captain Agnew and his men end up so far away from the sea?
JD: The story that has been handed down over the generations is that Captain Agnew and his fearless crew managed to take more than a few prize ships before deciding that they didn’t want to share the wealth they were accumulating with the colonial government of the time. They left New England — and life at sea — for what is now described as ‘up-state New York’.
From Pirate to Lord of the Castle.
LN: That explains how the pirates turned respectable. Tell me how your family remained connected with Captain Agnew!
JD: My grandfather, Tobias Drew was a Master Mason, so he was responsible for overseeing the construction of a castle, its surrounding walls and a secret tunnel system that connects everything in The Hollow with a series of caves going back into the mountain. Captain Agnew had heard tales of a place tucked up against a mountain where numerous caves and tunnels could be found, during a lull in his privateering activities as he recovered from a injury. After a particularly successful series of victories he, along with his crew, were ready for a new adventure. They all set out from the port of Beverly, Massachusetts to search for the hidden caves their Captain had heard about.
Caves and a ‘place of hot waters’ were often mentioned in stories they heard from Native Americans that they encountered during their trip into the wilds of New England. When the travelers stumbled across a natural depression with numerous hot pools, Captain Agnew knew he had found what he was looking for, a secure, safe haven for himself and his crew. He and my grandfather designed the castle at the heart of The Hollow to be a refuge for the rich and infamous of the day, meaning his closest associates who wanted a break from their life of piracy.
LK: Moving forward, how did you end up as the Chatelaine or Estate Manager of all this?
JK: Captain Agnew died childless but his will made provision for my family to remain as the caretakers of the property in perpetuity — or forever, to put it simply. As the Estate Manager of The Hollow today, I’m responsible for looking after the maintenance and upkeep of the grounds and buildings on the property.
LK: Who actually owns The Hollow and its castle now?
JK: Over the years the actual ownership of The Hollow has vanished into a haze of bureaucratic documents. The land itself is a private forest and taxes are paid, thank goodness, by the Bank of Scotland! I’m not entirely sure who actually owns The Hollow at this point. Occasionally the mysterious owners send gifts to us, like our stretched Hummer, known simply to those who have to drive it as ‘The Beast’. It’s the perfect way to transport those privacy-seeking folks who come to The Hollow for rest and rehab.
LK: Let’s talk a little bit about the Secret Springs Spa and Wellness Center since you’ve brought up rich people and rehab in the same sentence. What can you tell me about the Wellness Center? Or the ‘secret springs’ for that matter.
There are fully equipped spa and medical facilities inside the walls of the castle itself, and half of the 12 houses scattered around the estate outside the castle are available as bed and breakfast spots for the entourages that accompany visitors to the Secret Springs Wellness Center. Guests at the Center can enjoy relaxing mineral baths in a number of different hot pools that feature a range of mineral content and a variety of water temperatures. For guests needing medical attention, provision is made for their personal physician to accompany them, or they can benefit from Lynne’s expertise in helping heal the mind of any dependencies they may have developed.
Rock On!
