Over the past year, I’ve developed a new obsession.
No, it’s not eating more chocolate. (I already have that obsession!)
And no it’s not reading multiple books all at once or watching every season of Downtown Abbey. (I already do those too!)
No also to baking, scrap-booking, crocheting, drawing, and gardening (although in another life, I’d love to do all of them).
So what is this new obsession, you may be asking?
Visiting lighthouses. Yes, I’ve developed an obsession with visiting lighthouses! And in particular lighthouses in my home state of Michigan.
As you may (or may not!) know, Michigan is a peninsula surrounded on three sides by various Great Lakes. In addition it has an Upper Peninsula that is also hemmed in by Great Lakes. That means Michigan gained notoriety for being the state with the most lighthouses. More than 120 remain compared to 500 total nationwide.
A couple of years ago when I was researching for a different novel, I came across a book entitled, Ladies of the Lights: Michigan Women in the U.S. Lighthouse Service by Patricia Majher. After reading some of the stories about those heroic and brave women, I just knew that I had to do a book on one of them.
So when the time came for my contract renewal, I wrote up an idea for a lighthouse book based on one of those real women. My editor loved it and asked me to write a whole series on lighthouses instead of just one book. Thus the Beacons of Hope series was birthed. A novella, Out of the Storm, just released and kicks off the series. The first book, Love Unexpected, releases in December.
Each book in the series features one real lighthouse in Michigan along with some of those real women keepers or assistants. Of course, in order to research, I began taking trips to lighthouses.
Last year I visited three on Lake Huron on the eastern part of the state:
Sturgeon Point Lighthouse
Old Presque Isle Lighthouse
New Presque Isle Lighthouse
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This past summer I also visited a couple lighthouses in the Upper Peninsula:
Eagle Harbor Lighthouse
Copper Harbor Lighthouse
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Finally, this fall I visited a couple more over in Ludington on the west side of the state:
Big Sable Lighthouse
Breakwater Point Lighthouse
I have to be honest. Before I started visiting lighthouses, I really didn’t know why people made such a big deal out of them. A lighthouse is . . . well, just a tower with a light on the top, right?
Wrong. Now after visiting numerous lighthouses, I’m IN LOVE WITH THEM (I told you they were my new obsession!). I can totally understand the appeal they have. Not only are they stunningly beautiful and picturesque, but they bring back a sense of nostalgia, poignancy, and romance that few other historical markers do.
They’re rich in historical details and stories. They’re wrought with danger and death. And they’re just plain fun to explore (if you’re not afraid of heights). Climbing the winding staircase, reaching the top, and peering out the tower windows (or in some cases going out onto the gallery) is breath-taking.
The men and women who lived in the lighthouses faced deprivation, isolation, and often great losses. And yet they served faithfully and heroically, sometimes even giving up their lives to save others. Every time I visit a new lighthouse, I gain a deeper appreciation for the people who devoted their lives to serve their country through manning the lights.
All that to say, my “bucket list” now includes trying to visit as many Michigan lighthouses as I can. If you’re ever in Michigan, I encourage you to visit at least one and maybe you’ll catch the lighthouse obsession bug too!
To get you started on a lighthouse obsession, I invite you to download my FREE e-novella, Out of the Storm. It just released and kicks off my newest lighthouse series. It’s FREE and available at all online bookstores. Did I mention it’s FREE? 🙂
Here’s a short blurb to wet your appetite:
Having grown up in a lighthouse, loneliness is all Isabelle Thornton has ever known–and all, she assumes, she ever will know. But when her lightkeeper father rescues a young man from the lake, her sheltered world is turned upside down.
Links to download the FREE ebook: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Christianbook.com
So what about you? What’s your current obsession? And have you ever visited a lighthouse? What was your experience like?
Jody Hedlund
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Loved this post, Jody, and love lighthouses!! I have visited numerous lighthouses and taken pics of each one. I lived in an apartment on a bluff overlooking Lake Michigan in St. Joseph, Mi. for a year – it was very near the lighthouse there. One of my favorite pastimes was walking on the beach and out the pier to the lighthouse – at sunset – in both St. Joseph and South Haven, Mi.. Love Michigan beaches, lakes, and lighthouses!!
Thanks for the novella “Out of the Storm” – looking forward to reading it and the rest of the series!! I’ve also just purchased every one of your books in paperback – within the last 2 weeks. Just have to find the time to read them now,(LOL), what a treat!!
Shared post!!
Hi Bonnie, I totally agree! One of the most relaxing and beautiful things is to see a lighthouse at sunset! I had the privilege of staying at Eagle Harbor lighthouse for a week. So on a couple of the clear nights, my daughter and I sat out on the edge of the lake by the lighthouse and took sunset pictures. It was AMAZING. Too beautiful to describe.
And thank you from the bottom of my heart for purchasing all my books!! Now I’ll be praying that you are rewarded with LOTS of reading time! 🙂
P.S. Congrats on your award at ACFW!!!!
THANK YOU!!! I’m really honored! 🙂
Great topic. I work just 2 houses away from the Harbor Point lighthouse. I took several of my grandchildren to tour the place. They were fascinated with the old time furnishings. They had already read the children’s book about the lady lighthouse keeper by Hramiec-Hoffman.
Hi Mary Louise, How fun to work so close to a lighthouse! I’m sure after a while it loses its novelty, right? 🙂 But seeing it again through the eyes of your grandchildren must have been fun!
Jody, I had no idea there were so many lighthouses in Michigan! Wow! I wanted to say thanks for the free novella which I downloaded yesterday! Our book club has read two of your books and we are big fans!!!:)
Hi Karen,
I never realized Michigan had so many lighthouses either until I started doing all my research! But because it’s surrounded by the Great Lakes, which are actually quite savage at times, there was a great need for the lighthouses during the steamboat era. In fact, there are numerous ship wreck museums in Michigan too!
Tell your book group thanks for reading my books!! I’m so glad they’ve enjoyed them! 🙂
I love lighthouses too! The only one I’ve been to is the Marblehead lighthouse here in my home state of Ohio, and I’ve been to the top of it twice now. The first time I had a bit of a panic attack as I’m afraid of heights. But in an attempt to overcome that fear, I went up the second time a few years later and it was a wonderful experience! I hope to visit more of the Lake Erie lighthouses soon. Thanks for the free novella! :0)
Hi Terry,
Some of the lighthouse towers are really high! The Big Sable Lighthouse is over one hundred steps (I think 120). It is daunting at the top, especially for those afraid of heights! But if you can overcome the fear, the view out the windows and from the gallery is WELL worth it, isn’t it? Enjoy the novella! 🙂
My husband and I love lighthouses as well! My husband proposed to me at the top of the Fort Gratiot Lighthouse. We spent a few anniversaries and some family trips visiting other lighthouses in Michigan. We have seen at least 18 lighthouses (most being in the lower peninsula). We moved to Texas a few years ago and that is one thing I miss about Michigan.
Hi Loraine,
Oh my goodness! What an awesome place to propose!!! I haven’t yet visited Fort Gratiot Lighthouse, but it is one that I mention in my first lighthouse novel. So I really want to go! Eighteen is well on your way to perhaps seeing them all some day! 🙂 Maybe if you move back to Michigan . . . 😉
Jodie, as a fellow Michigander (and as an employee at Baker Publishing Group) I wholeheartedly approve this post! The last lighthouse I saw was the Au Sable lighthouse at Grand Marais Dunes in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. GREAT location on Lake Superior’s graveyard coast. I’m looking forward to reading this series and downloaded the novella just now. It was already at #2 and #3 in its categories in the Kindle store. Let’s make it #1!
Hi Erin!
What a pleasure to see you here today! I REALLY wanted to visit the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore this past summer when I was up in the UP. But we were in the Keweenaw Peninsula and there was already SO much to see there. Some day I’ll make a special trip just to see Pictured Rocks along with all the waterfalls and lighthouses in that area!
And yes, I’m really excited about the novella’s release and that it’s doing well! Let’s keep our fingers crossed! 🙂
I meant Jody. Not Jodie. Sorry. :/
No worries, my dear! It happens all the time. I answer to all forms! 😉
Living in Nebraska I haven’t seen too many lighthouses but I do enjoy all of you pictures & information. I enjoy reading about them 🙂 I’m Off to to Amazon to get your book!
Ah! I feel sorry that you’re surrounded by plains!! 😉 I’m sure it’s pretty too! But I have to say that nothing beats Michigan for its lakes and lighthouses! 🙂
An obsession with lighthouses is a good one!
My husband I have talked about trying to see all of them in Michigan. We don’t live too far from Holland, so I get to see Big Red quite often as well as the one in Grand Haven. But Ludington was where all my summers were spent as a kid, so I was thrilled to see you were able to visit the Breakwater! And the walk to Big Sable is so enjoyable!
Hi Dana,
Yes, Ludington is such a delightful town!! We ate lunch at House of Flavors. The hike out to Big Sable was much longer than I’d anticipated! But once we were started we couldn’t turn back. It was WELL worth the hike! 🙂
The first time I walked out there, a huge storm started rolling in over the lake. It was a race to get back to the car and that walk felt extremely long!
House of Flavors is always so much fun! If you head out that way again and want some good ice cream, Jones’ in Baldwin is where my family always stops.
We have a couple pilot lights marking the canal here (which are not nearly as romantic as light houses up the shore). On a related note, a ship ran aground in the harbor just this past week, right up the mucky bank of the bayfront, but it was not damaged – after an inspection they sent it on its way back east to Michigan, past all those lighthouses on your map.
Sounds awesome, Jody! I loved all your pictures. Isn’t it ironic that something that create such loneliness and isolation for its keeper is such a beacon of hope for those caught in a storm? Such rich symbolism there. I’m going right now to download your free novella!
Ooh, I love the irony you noticed, Karen! That is SO true, that the deprivation on one end provided so much hope to the other! Hope you like the novella! 🙂
Ahhh! I’m so excited to read this series, Jody. I just downloaded the free eNovella! Thank you for sharing. 🙂
I also love lighthouses. One of my favorites is Split Rock Lighthouse on Lake Superior, just north of Duluth, MN. I’ve been there many times, and I’m always in awe. It’s owned and operated by the Minnesota Historical Society and the site manager lives in one of the light keeper’s homes (there were several homes on site). The history is incredible. They still light the beacon for special occasions, and one of the light keeper’s homes has been restored to depict the early 20th century. It’s incredible to stand at the top of the light house tower and look out over that immense lake. It’s also crazy to think of the people who lived there and how isolated they were. It does lend itself to a very romantic setting… 🙂
Thanks for downloading it, Gabrielle! I agree! Lighthouses do lend themselves to such a romantic setting! 🙂
The stories of building many of the precariously perched lighthouses fascinate me. The Split Rock lighthouse in Minnesota is one of my favorites. I’ve never been there, but I love the photos. I even have a lighthouse Pinterest board for the fun of it.
P.S. Thanks for autographing your bookmark for me at conference!
I’ve really enjoyed visiting lighthouses too thinking about what life would have been like, especially with a family to care for, being so isolated. So much interesting history in them! We have a lot of nice lighthouses here on the west coast, particularly Oregon. If you’re ever out this way, check out Heceta Head near Florence or Yaquina Bay north of Newport. Would like to see the Michigan ones someday. My grandma was from Kalamazoo. Looking forward to your new book–have read almost all of them and really enjoy you writing–thanks for the novella!
Got to tell you, Jody, I had no idea there were all those lighthouses in Michigan! I love the lighthouses on the Pacific Coast. Been to many areas all over the country but not the Great Lakes. What an amazing country we live in and so beautiful.
It is so nice to see the Lighthouses through your eyes.. My obsession has to be reading books, I love to read and review them for authors and for others to see what the story is about and if they might like to try a new author. I have found many that I have read more of by starting with just that first one. I look forward to the your next book, I think I have read them all.
Keep writing and enjoy all the lighthouse because it sure looks like a lot out there for you to see still.
We lived up in New England (in New Hampshire) for a year back in the late 1990’s and we were able to visit some lighthouses up in Maine. It was so fun to go to the coast there. It is really rocky and unlike any beaches I had ever been to. It was also COLD at the coast, even in the summer! We are from Texas and that was a new experience. I wish we could have gone up in the lighthouses, but they were not open for people to go inside them. I would love to visit the many lighthouses of Michigan (a state I have never visited). I now have a new item on my “bucket list”!
Brittany McEuen
Hi Jody! First of all, a BIG CONGRATULATIONS on your Carol Award!! 🙂
It was so wonderful meeting you in person while attending the AWESOME class you and Karen presented at ACFW – – I loved it, and apparently so did lots of other folks! 😉 All I heard was positive comments—including some saying that the class should
be an all-day “Continuing Education” class rather than one hour (and I agree!).
Oh my – – I LOVED your post today, because I have LOVED lighthouses for many years, and have a beautiful collection of lighthouse figurines (most have been given to me as gifts). If you lived closer you could come over for coffee and to look at my lighthouses!
For me personally, besides appreciating the beauty and nostalgia of lighthouses, they symbolize the way the Lord guides us—through storms and calm times alike. 🙂
With all of that being said, I must admit I’ve only visited 4 lighthouses in “real life” but do hope to visit lots more in the future. And I had no idea there were SO MANY in Michigan—Wow!
Thank you again for sharing, and again – – CONGRATULATIONS!!! 🙂
Hugs from Georgia, Patti Jo
First Jody, Congratulations on your Carol Award. I was so excited for you when I read about it. I do love reading your books. I’m excited about your new series and currently reading the novella. I love lighthouses and going to Maine is on my bucket list. Maybe Michigan should be, too! I love lighthouses. They are fascinating and hold a lot of history. Enjoy your research and continue writing and I will continue reading! Thanks, Linda
Absolutely fascinating! I don’t know much about lighthouses and had no idea there were so many (!) in Michigan. I can certainly see, though, why you love them, Jody. What a great historical inspiration for a series!
My mom is obesessed with lighthouses, too. I think they are neat, but I don’t go as overboard as she does. 🙂
Oh, and we’re going to the UP for a quick visit today and stopping at at least two waterfalls, one lighthouse, and going to the shore of Lake Superior. 🙂
What a great idea! Too often, we as writers look far afield to find inspiration and ideas, when the best ones are right at our feet.
Thank you for sharing.
First, thank you so much for the novella! I’m looking forward to reading it. Plus I have loved light houses for a long time now. I did collect them; but as I get older and older (LOL); I need to start giving things away; not collecting more! Truly. I even have a Thomas Kincaid border up in my living room full of beautiful lighthouses. So I share your love for them.
Have you ever considered taking a “Lighthouse Vacation?” A few years ago, a supervisor of mine loved lighthouses. I happened upon some info which described how you can spend your vacation being a lighthouse keeper! Although she opted not to try it, it sounds like something you may enjoy…although if I remember correctly, there was some hard work involved. Me? I’ll look forward to visiting lighthouses through reading your books!
My family and I love lighthouses too, and we try to visit lighthouses whenever our travels take us nearby. We’ve visited only one in Michigan though. So far! Perhaps we’ll be able to come again and visit a few more.
I downloaded the free book and am looking forward to reading it – such a wonderful premise for a series of novels!
I love your new obsession! From California I doubt I’ll get to Michigan, but if I did, I would put at least one lighthouse on my list of places to visit. Your pictures of the lighthouses you’ve visited are beautiful. Thank you for them and a huge thank you for the free copy of Out of the Storm. I just got it.
I am so excited to read these books. I, too, once loved lighthouses and ships, until I learned that I have a very sensitive equilibrium and even watching water move makes me dizzy. Still I have a blue and green glass collection and two paintings of ships that remind me of those days. Keep learning and sharing the history with us.
I understand completely how this love affair with lighthouses begins! Mine is a love affair with Florida lighthouses, We have 33 of them. Not as many as Michigan but the stories are just as fascinating. It all began when I was getting prepared to teach a group of homeschoolers about Florida Lighthouses. To get prepared, I decided to learn best would be to go see them. I took my vacation from the library where I am director and , so far, I have traveled to 13! The class went great but the love affair continues. I’m already planning to go see another one next week. I am looking forward to reading all the books about Michigan lighthouses.