About Me

My photo
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.

22 September 2016

What’s In A Title?



Most people enjoy looking at lighthouse pictures, and when possible some may visit a lighthouse. However fewer of those who enjoy the pictures will take time to read a book about lighthouses. I recall talking to an editor about my manuscript and learned the book would be considered a "nitch book." He defined it as meaning only a small portion of the population would be interested in reading about a lighthouse. When I first heard this statement I was very discouraged. However, I quickly realized even the remainder of the population doesn’t all like reading love or mystery books. Knowing readers like different types of stories, I knew my book would still add to the many options readers have today.

Regardless of the genre someone might like reading; I know a book’s title can grab the shopper’s attention unless he or she is looking for a specific book. When designing the cover for my book, I chose the title knowing it would grab attention and hopefully spark peoples interest to read it. However, some folk have misinterpreted the book title and think it has to do with witches or evil doers.

Most readers can’t know from a book title exactly what the book is about until they read the book. Until then, their guessing and their comments can deter others from reading a good book. I chose The Wickie as the title for my book because “Wickie"  was a nickname the lighthouse keepers called each other in the old days. This name derived because keepers had to trim the wicks of the lantern to maintain a bright light. This book has nothing to do with Witches, but a lot to do with the lighthouse keepers, their families, and the challenges they all encountered but didn't expect.

If you like reading historical fiction, I hope you’ll enjoy reading “The Wickie.” This book is also written for young readers to enjoy.

No comments: