Linda Crew

Once a theatre major, Linda Crew graduated from the University of Oregon with a degree in journalism. Though she has never really worked as a journalist, her training shows up in her latest work of YA fiction, BRIDES OF EDEN. The author of many books, including the bestseller, CHILDREN OF THE RIVER, Linda Crew lives and writes at Wake Robin Farm in Corvallis, Oregon.

Linda Crew is the author of BRIDES OF EDEN: A True Story Imagined, a riveting novel based on the cult of Joshua Creffield, a leader who wreaked havoc on an entire town --- the author's hometown of Corvallis, Oregon. Teenreads Writer Tammy Currier read the book and interviewed Crew about her inspiration for BRIDES, her intensive research, the challenge of writing in the voice of a once living person, and much more.

Teenreads: First off, what inspired you to write BRIDES OF EDEN?

LC: Since I've lived all my life in Corvallis, it seems I've always been aware of the story of Joshua Creffield and the scandal surrounding his cult. Whenever a new cult story hits the news, our papers rehash the story from file clippings. For instance, when the Heaven's Gate suicides made news in San Diego, articles pointed out that the leaders of that group had once recruited members in Waldport, on the Oregon Coast, and that Joshua Creffield had also been in that area around the turn of the 20th century. The Creffield story has been written about a lot in articles, and a lot of it has taken sort of a smirky tone, as if it was rather amusing how all these men in Corvallis lost control over their wives and daughters. When you look at the impact cult involvement has on families, though, it's not one bit funny; and I wanted to tell the story as it might have seemed to the people actually living it. I wanted to look at it from the female point of view. I've always thought it was an incredibly intriguing story and I wanted to take a shot at telling it in an interesting way.

Teenreads: Given it was based on actual events, what kind of research was involved?

LC: First, of course, I had to find out as much as possible about what actually happened and the details of the lives of the real people involved. Then I studied the era and what life was like in general for women at that time. Beyond that, I read lots of books about cults and how they operate to control people. The parallels between Creffield's group and modern day cults were amazing! Cults often rely on certain principles to keep members in line. An important one is separation from other family members and anyone not involved in the cult. They don't want anyone trying to talk sense into people! When someone first joins a cult, she is "bombarded" with love and acceptance. Later, she is threatened if she tries to break away. To keep people from thinking straight, they are often not allowed to get proper sleep or food, and chanting is used to numb their minds and make them space out. Although Creffield wouldn't have had access to a lot of books dissecting the elements of successful cult recruiting, it's amazing how many of these techniques he used. I also did a lot of research on insane asylums at the turn of the century and just how easy it was for men to have their wives and daughters committed. Sometimes a whole lot of research ends up being reflected in only a sentence or two in the finished book, but a writer has to know the background. And I really don't mind, because I find all the research fascinating. Sometimes, in fact, I have to fight the urge to research way beyond what's necessary. I can't stop trying to find out what happened to these real people and their descendants long after the story ends. But who knows? Maybe I need to know those things too, because what people did later on sometimes give clues to their personalities, and in most cases, I only had a few shreds to go on. I spent a lot of time collecting the pictures for the book, searching through archives and taking my own photographs at the actual places where the story took place. Again, a lot more was left out than was included, but perhaps I needed to do it all. Also, for what it's worth, I visited the grave site of just about every person in the story. As it turns out, Eva Mae's grave is just a hundred yards or so across a vacant lot from a cabin where I lived two summers working for the Forest Service at the Cape Perpetua Visitor's Center!

Teenreads: You mentioned in your "Afterward" that most of the factual information (official records and trial transcriptions, etc.) pertaining to this case had disappeared. How then did you bring this story to life?

LC: Maybe I wasn't clear about that. Although I didn't have court records, I had tons of newspaper articles. This was a big story back then, and there were ongoing stories not only in the local papers, but also in the Portland and Seattle papers. And in those days, things were printed in the paper we might not see today --- stories of the women being committed to the insane asylum, for instance, and when they were released. Also, like many newspapers of the time and even small rural papers today, the local paper ran a column detailing the comings and goings of the citizens. Something as minor as a person taking the train to Portland for the day might be noted. So in that way, I could keep better track of these folks than you might be able track someone by reading a newspaper today. I also went through a lot of census records, just sorting out people's names, ages, occupations, etc.

TBB: Teenreads: Was it difficult putting yourself into the minds of your characters?

LC: Yes! That was by far the biggest challenge in writing this book. In fact, in my first drafts of the story, I had created a fictional girl whom I set down among the real girls. I think I did this because I was actually afraid of trying to get into the mind of a person who'd actually lived. I had the manuscript all ready to send to my editor when I first saw the lovely portrait of Eva Mae which appears in the book. She looked so sweet and vulnerable. I distinctly remember thinking that day as I drove over the Yaquina Bay bridge, "Well, shoot! I should have written this from the viewpoint of Eva Mae!" In a subsequent revision, I did just that. In creating a fictional character, I was ending up tying myself in knots trying to explain how she would be in a situation where she would get involved in this cult. Once I switched to Eva Mae's viewpoint, it fell together easier because it made sense to me that as the younger daughter, she would be drawn in when the rest of her family got involved. I deliberately chose a person who was going to come through the whole ordeal as a survivor. This does distance her a bit from some of the big dramatic events of the story, but I couldn't see following a character who was going to descend into madness and never come out of it. Still, of all the main characters I've written, Eva Mae was the hardest because so many of the situations she finds herself in are unlike anything I've ever experienced. I could give her that very common feeling of wanting to belong, and the feeling that the older girls must understand things about life she doesn't understand. But some of the other situations are so bizarre, it was quite difficult to imagine how a girl might feel in such a situation. I'd get more specific except I don't want to reveal certain plot points! It took a lot of hard mental work and revising before I finally felt satisfied with Eva Mae's emotional trajectory.

Teenreads: Have you ever known anyone quite like Joshua Creffield (a.k.a. Franz Edmund Creffield)?

LC: Not in my personal life, but I have a file of clippings about guys like him who are the central figures in cults right now.

Teenreads: Why do you think the women of Corvallis, Oregon were so easily bamboozled by this religious charlatan or, as you refer to him, false prophet?

LC: Actually, I don't think they were any more easily "bamboozled" than many other groups of people who fall prey to cult leaders. Look at the whole David Koresh story in Waco. Or the guy who recently lead a bunch of folks from Colorado to Israel to await the end of the world. These people were educated and financially well off --- until they turned all their money over to the leader, that is! Outsiders always expect some incredible charisma bordering on magic to explain the leader's control, but I think it has more to do with the individuals who are sucked in and the subsequent group dynamics of the followers. It's about their need to find a leader and believe in him. Thinking for ourselves is hard and we are drawn to people who seem confident about having the answers. Also, it's about the seduction of being told you're special. Women fall for it all the time. We all want it. How else to explain girls who, despite warnings, run off to meet men who sweet talk them over the Internet? It's all about the needs people have, and leaders who figure out how to exploit those needs to their own ends. Teenreads: Even by today's standards, the events BRIDES OF EDEN is based on are pretty sensational. What do you hope your readers will take away from the book? Is there a lesson involved?

LC: Well, I didn't set out to write a cautionary tale with a hit-the-reader-over-the-head message. I just wanted to explore this fascinating story for myself and tell it in an interesting way. In most of my books it works this way, though. I don't start with a theme --- the themes surface as I work. I guess I'd say that in BRIDES OF EDEN, the message would be to try hard to think for yourself. Trust yourself. Don't let your longing for love blind you to someone else's need to manipulate you.

Teenreads: This book isn't your first foray in the world of young adult literature. How did you get into writing?

LC: Actually, kind of haphazardly! I didn't grow up insisting I would be a writer. In fact, I never considered it at all. All through high school I was determined to be an actress, but somehow that ambition evaporated rather abruptly at the beginning of my sophomore year of college at the University of Oregon. I think it was right about the time I was auditioning for a production of Midsummer Night's Dream and we were informed that the fairies would be topless, bouncing around up there on stage with nothing but body paint! This did not appeal to me! I dropped my theater major and phoned home. "They want to know what my major will be," I told my mom,"and I don't have a clue." She said, "Well, you've always been a good writer. How about Journalism?" And the rest, as they say, is history! I loved journalism, but right away I was slipping into fiction, always wanting to put dialogue in my stories, always wanting to change things "just to make the story better." I never did pursue a real journalism job, and turned immediately to freelance writing when I married and settled on our farm. I think my journalism background shows in my love for research and for interviewing and for basing my stories on real events. I'm interested in how life really is! This was particularly important to me in writing BRIDES OF EDEN. Because it was such a bizarre story, it was important to me that I stick to what really happened. They always say truth is stranger than fiction, and in this case, it certainly was!

Teenreads: Do you have any favorite YA authors?

LC: I'm tempted to list all my friends, whose work I admire enormously! To play it safe, though, I'll stick with a role model type answer. I've always admired Lois Lowry's work. She's managed to write such a variety of things and do them all well.

Teenreads: And lastly, are you working on anything now? If so, can you give us a sneak preview?

LC: Yes, I have a new book I'm excited about, but I'm afraid if I talk about it, I'll jinx it! After seven or eight books, I've finally figured out this very strange thing: I'm never getting to talk about the book I MOST want to talk about! That's because the one you're working on always has to be your favorite, but you can't risk talking out your energy. At least this is how it works for me.

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