About Me

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After retirement, for two summers I worked as a tour guide at the Umpqua River Lighthouse in Oregon. This opportunity enabled me to learn more about that lighthouse than any of the others I've seen. Although I have personally visited and photographed over 300 lighthouses in the United States and three Provinces in Canada, the Umpqua River Lighthouse has special meaning for me. That Lighthouse inspired me to write two fictional books with the characters working, living, and enduring the challenges of lighthouse keeping. All pictures posted in this blog were taken by myself, unless noted otherwise.

Book Info.

I hope you will find time to enjoy my books. Preview the book covers below at the right side of page.

Book #1: "The Wickie and the Umpqua Lighthouse." Detail: "The Wickie and the Umpqua Lighthouse" is an 1860's story about the lighthouse keepers and their families at the Umpqua River Lighthouse. It will stir your emotions and warm your heart. Discover the challenges they met but never expected, and their determination to maintain navigational aid to mariners on the Oregon coast. (Wickie is a nickname used by the early lighthouse keepers at the Umpqua River Lighthouse in OR.)

Book #2: "Spirit of The Lighthouse" is a sequel to The Wickie. Detail: Jesse Fayette, assistant keeper at the Umpqua River Lighthouse, finds himself alone to operate and maintain an Oregon lighthouse after the accidental death of his head keeper. After notifying the Lighthouse Board and requesting help, he is surprised but must deal with an acquaintance, Red Saunders, who believes the lighthouse is haunted.

Book #3: "Unexpected Moments" has a different theme than those of Book #1 and #2. Detail: Dan and Megan, as well as their old friends Jim and Anna, experience unexpected moments of hardships and tragedies in Arizona and California. Will they survive these unexpected moments and find any hope for their futures?

All of my books are available on Amazon.

19 May 2016

The Name Can Make a Difference


Have you ever had hindsight about a big decision in your life? Most people have probably experienced such an event, but few will admit it when they later discover a different decision would have yielded a better outcome.

A big decision for most Authors is choosing a book title. Whether published independently or through the traditional publishing method, normally the author has a say in the book title. In my case, I named my book and my publisher gladly approved it without suggesting any alternatives. The Wickie is a story about two lighthouses in OR, the keepers and their challenges with weather, family, friends, and death. I chose the name Wickie as it was a nickname the keepers called each other in the early days. 

Although I think the title is great, not long ago, I was made aware that my book could not be found on the Internet when searching for lighthouse books. In hindsight, after seeking additional knowledge of the Internet, I realize a better title for my book would have been The Lighthouse Wickies’. This can be corrected if I republish the book. However, in the mean time, “The Wickie” can be found on Amazon or Barnes and Noble by entering The Wickie in either web sites search field for books. For your convenience, links to their web sites are provided under "Tabs" in the heading of this blog. Whether you order via the Internet or from myself, I hope you will join other folks who said they really enjoyed reading “The Wicki.”

2 comments:

Unknown said...

As one of your first readers, I'd say I still prefer The Wickie over The Lightouse Wickies' but I can see your point about the search-ability.

Still waiting on a sequel, btw. :)

Al said...

Hi John. Good to hear from you. I appreciate and respect your comment.

Long time coming, but I am working on the sequel.