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.

26 October 2017

The Clock Mechanism - A Fact



While writing “The Wickie,” I deliberately chose several pictures to use in the book. I felt pictures would help my readers enjoy the story, learn, and have a better feel of the times. After selecting a publisher and we began communicating details of the book, I learned pictures are normally not used in fiction books. However, the company conceded to using my pictures, and I approved the higher cost to publish. 

Several times in my book, the lighthouse keepers refer to a clock mechanism. The photo below is one of several photos used in the story. Although the genre for “The Wickie” is fiction, there are several historical facts weaved into the story. One of those facts is the clock mechanism.

Posted by at

1 comment:

Unknown said...

I'm glad you used pictures in your stories. It certainly gave me, a non-Lighthouse informed individual, a great view into what you were talking about and the complexity of the equipment that had to be maintained by a Wickie. It wasn't just lighting the light, it was making sure some complex tools operated properly!

Well done!

Aaron Zook
Award-winning Author

Mon Oct 30, 10:37:00 AM CDT

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)