Precipice by M.Pax, moving the Gay Head Lighthouse, & the real ghost of Aquinnah

I never intended to drop out of the blogosphere after May's IWSG meeting but, as seems to be the norm for me lately, I got distracted by some unexpected issues and next thing I knew May was almost at an end. The good news is the issues are behind me and were nothing serious, but the bad news is I am very late to the launch party for the latest book in M. Pax's amazing Backworlds series, Precipice.

Still, I am thrilled to be able to share another great installment in this series and help spread the word about all of M. Pax's brilliant books. If you are reading this and haven't checked her work out yet, do so right away! You won't regret it. :)

Before I get to Precipice though I just wanted to share a few things that relate to my book The Ghosts of Aquinnah and the island on which it is set, Martha's Vineyard.

I wrote this post in the summer of 2013 about the need to move the Gay Head lighthouse, which is featured on the book cover, due to erosion of the Aquinnah cliffs. After two years of planning and fundraising, the move is underway now.

Source: http://www.mvtimes.com/

While I can't begin to understand the engineering behind the move, the lighthouse will somehow be transferred to the track shown in the above photo and moved 130 feet back from its current location.

The lighthouse has been on the cliffs since 1856 and it is still a guiding light for those navigating the waters of Vineyard Sound. It will be strange to see it in a different place when I return to the island, but I'm so glad that it has been saved.

In another interesting tidbit related to my Aquinnah book, I learned that there is actually a real legend of a female ghost haunting the beach that is eerily close to my own story.

In the book Martha's Vineyard: Quiet Pleasures, author Phyllis Meras writes about a local legend which states that a young woman wearing a long cape can be found prowling the Aquinnah shoreline on the night of the full moon. While my ghost Stella didn't only appear during a full moon, she did wear a cape, she was very young, and the Aquinnah cliffs were her haunting grounds. It was bizarre and kind of surreal to come upon this story in Ms. Meras' book. Now I can't help but hope I get to see this ghost sometime! :D

Now on to Precipice!

Blurb:

In the far future, humanity settles the stars, bioengineering its descendants to survive in a harsh universe. This is the sixth book in the science fiction series, The Backworlds. A space opera adventure.

The Backworlds hang by a Quantum string, a thread about to snap. Annihilation is coming if Craze can’t stop it.

The genocidal alien he had trapped breaks free, destroying a ship belonging to the Backworlds’ oldest enemy, the Fo’wo’s. The murderous alien wants to overtake the galaxy. The Fo’wo’s want another war.

The Backworlds’ best chance to survive is to overcome a century of hate and forge an alliance with the Fo’wo’s. Because of his history with the alien, Craze is recruited to represent his people. Now he’s the most hated man in the galaxy.

The looming war will be a holocaust unless Craze can stop it, knowing salvation comes at a price.

Excerpt: 

Commander Hunninger tapped an icon on her tab and jabbed it in Craze’s face. “You really want to say no to this?”

The screen was too close. He grabbed the device from her manly fingers and brought the image into focus. A brand new, state-of-the-art, mini city docking facility. Pardeep Station had never seen finer and probably never would. Better protection from the dust storms was a necessity, and folks had to get out of the cold. Craze tired of the stench of the sick. “How much is it goin’ to cost? Everyone on this moon barely has three chips to jangle in their holey pockets.”

“No chips.” She smiled. Her wide mouth contained a lot of very white teeth.

Three good sucks on his air hose and Craze knew he wasn’t dreaming. He narrowed his eyes. “There’s still a price.”

Buy links: Amazon / B&N / iBook / Googleplay / Smashwords / Kobo / Other

About M. Pax:

Fantasy, science fiction, and the weird beckons to her, and she blames Oregon, a source of endless inspiration. She docents at Pine Mountain Observatory in the summers, and one of her cats has a crush on Mr. Spock. You can find out more by visiting her website: mpaxauthor.com

U is for Up Island

My favorite places on Martha's Vineyard, including Aquinnah, shown above, are all "up island," which is somewhat odd because they are actually in the southwestern part of the island. I never knew why the area was called "up island" but chalked it up to typical Vineyard eccentricity.

But while researching posts for the A-Z Challenge I learned that the name comes from the fact that as you travel west on the island you move up the scale of longitude. The longitude of Aquinnah is -70.800786399999990000 while the longitude of Edgartown on the eastern edge of the island is -70.51335990000001. 

Apparently the phrase "up island" is a holdover from the island's seafaring history. So I learned something new this year thanks to the A-Z! 

My A-Z of Martha's Vineyard theme is inspired by my book, The Ghosts of Aquinnah, which is set on the island. Click here for all the info on the book.

Aquinnah & The Spring Fling Scavenger Hunt

Happy April and Happy A-Z, all!

Before I get to my A post I wanted to announce that today is also the start of The Spring Fling Scavenger Hunt at Night Owl Reviews. I am one of the sponsors of this year's hunt and am giving away an ebook bundle in collaboration with my publisher. Visit the NOR site to join the hunt and enter to win loads of gift baskets and bundles!

Now on to the A-Z!

My theme for this year's challenge is the A-Z of Martha's Vineyard, which is the setting for my book The Ghosts of Aquinnah. I am cheating a little bit with this post because it is actually the very first post I wrote for my very first A-Z challenge back in 2011. I used Aquinnah for the letter A and I certainly never could have guessed then that Aquinnah and the island would come to mean even more to me just a few years later.

So here is my post from April, 2011.

For the start of the A-Z April Challenge, and the letter A, I'm writing about one of my favorite places in the world, the town of Aquinnah on the island of Martha's Vineyard.

Aquinnah is at the westernmost point of the island, and is known for its beautiful beach and spectacular cliffs. The name is a Wampanoag word that means "land beneath the cliffs," and the area is a sacred spot to the Wampanoag tribe. When you're there, it's easy to see why.

I visited the Vineyard last summer, as I have for so many summers of my life, and spent a good deal of my time on the beach beneath the cliffs. It's always one of my favorite places to visit, as there is nothing I love more than sitting on the beach and listening to the roar of the waves. On the last day we visited, the sand was especially cool and welcoming on our bare feet, and the ocean was such a bright shade of blue that it was hard to tell where the ocean ended and the sky began.

The highlight of this trip, as with any other trip to Aquinnah, was the cliffs, with their colorful mix of red, brown, and white clay.

I love walking the length of the beach to the edge of the cliffs, and the tip of the Island. It is undeniably beautiful, but it is also quite raw and somewhat intimidating, as you almost feel as if you are at the edge of the world, with nothing in front of you but the Atlantic Ocean stretching out for countless miles. Sometimes I've seen a boat way out on the horizon and I find myself wondering, who is out there? In my head I try to imagine who they are, and I've often thought one of these far-off boats could provide great inspiration for a story.

I think one of the reasons I have always had an interest in and affection for Aquinnah is that my great-great grandfather was the lighthouse keeper for the town in the 1850s. His name was Samuel, but everyone called him Squire because of his ability to read and write, skills that were uncommon in those days. Squire lived at the lighthouse with his family, and whenever I am there I can't help but wonder what it must have been like for them at the top of those cliffs in the middle of a fierce storm, with the wild ocean raging below.

Photo courtesy of wikimedia commons

The house is no longer there, but the red brick lighthouse remains, and it is still a working lighthouse. Even now, the cliffs and the beach are pitch black at night, and only the rotating beacon of the lighthouse penetrates the darkness. I took a tour of the lighthouse back in the 1990s, and it was a thrill to climb to the top and get a 360 degree view of the sea and surrounding area.

Photo courtesy of wikimedia commons

I'm not sure when I'll go to the Vineyard again, but I know that I will at some point, just as I always have. And I know when I do, Aquinnah and the ocean will be there to welcome me back.

(Unless otherwise noted, photos courtesy of my niece, Melanie.)

The Ghosts of Aquinnah and the Gay Head Lighthouse

As I've mentioned on this blog before, my upcoming novel The Ghosts of Aquinnah is set on the island of Martha's Vineyard. The original idea for the novel came to me when I was looking at this webcam of the Gay Head lighthouse, which sits atop the cliffs of Aquinnah and is the oldest lighthouse on the island.

I have a sentimental attachment to the lighthouse for many reasons, not the least of which is the fact that my great-great-grandfather Samuel Flanders was the principal keeper of the light from 1845-1849 and again from 1853-1861.

Horace Greeley wrote a story about a summer in New England and on the Vineyard in an 1860 edition of Harper's magazine and Samuel, who was known around the island as Squire, was featured in the article. Based on the information in the article, Squire was quite a colorful character. Greeley wrote:

In short, notwithstanding some eccentricities of appearance and manner, no one can long sojourn with Squire Flanders without being touched with his obliging and amiable character, and impressed with his substantial worth and honesty. It is a matter of conscience with him to keep his lamp always trimmed and his light always set upon a hill.

When I visited the island back in May I learned that the lighthouse is now in danger of being demolished because of safety concerns due to the erosion of the cliffs. In June, the lighthouse was placed on the National Trust for Historic Preservation's list of the most endangered historic places in the United States. The light now stands less than fifty feet from the edge of the cliffs and needs to be moved within the next two years due to the ongoing erosion and the fact that the move will require at least forty feet of space in order to accommodate the necessary equipment.

Islanders and Aquinnah residents have started a campaign to save the lighthouse and raise the money needed to move it to a safe and sustainable location on the cliffs.

I have heard arguments that the cost of the move is simply too high and the lighthouse should be let go. While there's no question the move is going to cost a great deal of money, I think the alternative would be a terrible loss to the island and to the maritime history of New England.

I visited England some years ago and one of the things I loved the most about the trip was seeing all of the old buildings and structures that date back hundreds or even thousands of years. As a history buff, that appeals to me and I think we are often too quick to tear things down in this country.

When I am on the Vineyard and see the Gay Head lighthouse, I love to imagine my great-great-grandfather Squire and all the other people who have been there before me. I also think of how many countless people have been out in the Atlantic ocean during a dark night and seen the lighthouse beacon guiding them. I can't imagine going to Aquinnah in the future and not seeing the red brick lighthouse on the cliffs.

With my mom and dad at Gay Head - 1976

Are there any historic landmarks or sites that are particularly meaningful to you? Do you think historic preservation efforts are worthwhile?

On a side note, I am taking some vacation days this week and don't expect to be around the blogosphere for the rest of the week. I hope you all have a good one and I'll see you next week! :)

Travels with Clancy: Martha's Vineyard

Clancy and I at Owen Park in Vineyard Haven

Clancy and I hit the road with some family members back in May and spent a week on the island of Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts.

This was Clancy's first trip out of the Midwest, and he was thrilled to death and couldn't wait to get on the road the morning that we left. There's nothing Clancy loves more than riding in the car, even if the ride involves driving more than 900 miles over two days. He couldn't have been happier in the van.

As I've mentioned in previous posts, my family on my father's side has been on the Vineyard for centuries. My grandparents bought a small summer cottage in the 1960s for our family to share and I've spent many vacations there throughout my life. It's always fun to get back to the island and pull in to the drive of our little place.

Our cottage is in the town of West Tisbury, which is also home to the most charming town hall I've ever seen.

 

Red maples at the Town Hall

My favorite place on the Vineyard is Aquinnah, home of the famous Aquinnah cliffs and the historic Gay Head lighthouse, and the setting for my novel-in-progress, The Ghosts of Aquinnah.

Clancy liked being there too.

Coming in a very close second is the fishing village of Menemsha.

 

The Coast Guard station at Menemsha

There's no better place on the island to watch a sunset, and I've spent many nights on the Menemsha beach watching the sun slowly disappear into Vineyard Sound. 

If there was one place on the island that Clancy hated, it was the south shore beach called Katama. As the southern coast of the island is all open ocean, the waves are generally fairly big. And while there is nothing I love more than the sound of the waves crashing onto the shore, Clancy completely disagreed.

Clancy was scared to death of the waves but tried to put on a brave front. He raised his fur and barked at them to let them know he wasn't going to stand for any of their nonsense.

He was much happier when we moved farther up on the sand and away from the reach of the water, and he even agreed to smile for the camera.

He wasn't any happier about the calm water at Lobsterville Beach.

But I told him he had to just deal with it because I love it.

As vacations always seem to do, the week flew by and before we knew it it was time to head home. But I couldn't have asked for a better week to relax and unwind while enjoying the island I love.

Menemsha Sunset

I'm not sure when it will be, but I'm already looking forward to the day when Clancy and I can return to Martha's Vineyard.

First Day of A-Z in April Challenge!

For the start of the A-Z April Challenge, and the letter A, I'm writing about one of my favorite places in the world, the town of Aquinnah on the island of Martha's Vineyard.

Aquinnah is at the westernmost point of the island, and is known for its beautiful beach and spectacular cliffs. The name is a Wampanoag word that means "land beneath the cliffs," and the area is a sacred spot to the Wampanoag tribe. When you're there, it's easy to see why.

I visited the Vineyard last summer, as I have for so many summers of my life, and spent a good deal of my time on the beach beneath the cliffs. It's always one of my favorite places to visit, as there is nothing I love more than sitting on the beach and listening to the roar of the waves. On the last day we visited, the sand was especially cool and welcoming on our bare feet, and the ocean was such a bright shade of blue that it was hard to tell where the ocean ended and the sky began.

The highlight of this trip, as with any other trip to Aquinnah, was the cliffs, with their colorful mix of red, brown, and white clay.

I love walking the length of the beach to the edge of the cliffs, and the tip of the Island. It is undeniably beautiful, but it is also quite raw and somewhat intimidating, as you almost feel as if you are at the edge of the world, with nothing in front of you but the Atlantic Ocean stretching out for countless miles. Sometimes I've seen a boat way out on the horizon and I find myself wondering, who is out there? In my head I try to imagine who they are, and I've often thought one of these far-off boats could provide great inspiration for a story.

I think one of the reasons I have always had an interest in and affection for Aquinnah is that my great-great grandfather was the lighthouse keeper for the town in the 1850s. His name was Samuel, but everyone called him Squire because of his ability to read and write, skills that were uncommon in those days. Squire lived at the lighthouse with his family, and whenever I am there I can't help but wonder what it must have been like for them at the top of those cliffs in the middle of a fierce storm, with the wild ocean raging below.

Photo courtesy of wikimedia commons

The house is no longer there, but the red brick lighthouse remains, and it is still a working lighthouse. Even now, the cliffs and the beach are pitch black at night, and only the rotating beacon of the lighthouse penetrates the darkness. I took a tour of the lighthouse back in the 1990s, and it was a thrill to climb to the top and get a 360 degree view of the sea and surrounding area.

Photo courtesy of wikimedia commons

I'm not sure when I'll go to the Vineyard again, but I know that I will at some point, just as I always have. And I know when I do, Aquinnah and the ocean will be there to welcome me back.

Happy April everyone, and to all who are working on the A-Z Challenge, I wish you luck and I look forward to reading your posts!

(Unless otherwise noted, photos courtesy of my niece, Melanie.)