To celebrate the release of
Hope Undaunted by Jody Hedlund we are having a short Question and Answer session with her and a giveaway for
one copy of
Hope Undaunted.
1.
How did you come up with the idea for Undaunted
Hope?
For
this third book in my Michigan lighthouse series, I wanted to pick a
location that was different than the other books. The first two
books, Love
Unexpected and
Hearts
Made Whole, are
set in the "Mitten"
of Michigan. So to add variety to the series, I decided to place
Undaunted
Hope in the Upper
Peninsula on Lake Superior.
In
doing my research of Michigan lighthouses, I learned that there are
lighthouses dotted all over the coast of Lake Superior since it was
such a treacherous lake to traverse and an important place for
steamers due to the rich natural resources that were available. As I
studied the various lighthouses, I finally landed upon Eagle Harbor
Lighthouse in the Keweenau Peninsula because not only was the area
rich in resources, but it was rich in history and the makings of a
really great story!
2.
What special research did you do in writing Undaunted
Hope?
As
I wrote this third book in the Beacon's of Hope Lighthouse Series, I
had the wonderful privilege of visiting Eagle Harbor and the
lighthouse that serves as the setting for this book. In fact, I was
able to stay for a whole week in the assistant keeper's cottage that
now sits next to the lighthouse.
The
large covered front porch of the assistant keeper's house overlooked
Eagle Harbor and Lake Superior, so it was a gorgeous view! Every
morning I woke up to the sound of the crashing waves and every
evening I watched the sunset. It was one of the most beautiful,
peaceful places I've ever stayed.
Not
only did I get to do in-depth research on the lighthouse (and walk
around inside it as many times as I wanted!), but I also was able to
research the entire area taking lots of pictures of the lake,
flowers, wildlife, and the numerous waterfalls throughout the
peninsula. It's a remote wilderness area of Michigan, sparsely
populated, and cold! I visited at the end of June and brought short
sleeve shirts. I had to wear sweatshirts almost every day instead.
3.
The location of Undaunted Hope is in the Keweenaw Peninsula of upper
Michigan. Tell us a little bit about what makes this setting unique.
The
Keweenaw Peninsula is known as "Copper County" because it
has a rich vein of copper running down the center of the peninsula.
In the 1800's early explorers to the region discovered the copper.
And by the mid 1800's miners and their families were flocking to the
numerous towns that formed around the mines.
Due
to the decline of the copper mining industry in England at
approximately the same time as the mining boom in Michigan's UP, many
Cornish immigrants came to the Keweenau Peninsula to continue mining.
To this day, the Cornish have left a heritage in the area including
homemade famous "Pasties" that can be found at most local
restaurants. These were the hot meat pies that miners would carry in
their pockets down into the mines to eat for their midday meals.
The
bustling copper mining community was a rough and wild area that
resembled the Old West. If the danger from the mines wasn't enough,
the residents also faced incredibly harsh winters where they were cut
off from supplies from the lower part of Michigan.
Nowadays,
except for a few tourist towns, the area is a graveyard of ghost
towns and abandoned mines. During my research trip, I was able to
walk deep underground in one of those old mines and get a firsthand
look at just how dark, damp, and dangerous the mining life was.
This is an interesting bit of history about the area, Jody- I'm particularly intrigued as my great-grandmother was from Calumet, about 20 miles away, and her father was a copper miner.
4.
In your other lighthouse books, the heroines are inspired by real
women keepers. Did you use a real light keeper as part of the
inspiration for the heroine in Undaunted
Hope?
Most
of us gravitate toward the stories that glamorize lighthouse life and
honor the women who served in them. That's only natural. And I hope
in my other two books in this series, I give those women the laud due
to them.
However,
I didn't want to neglect the women who served in lighthouses whose
experiences weren't quite as glamorous, who served even though they
disliked the duty. One woman in particular inspired this book. Her
name was Cecelia Carlson McLean who was married to keeper Alexander
McLean who served at various lighthouses around Lake Superior. When
she was interviewed later in her life, Cecelia was very forthright in
stating that she hated lighthouses, that they were lonely places, and
that she'd had to sacrifice a great deal to live in them. She claimed
that if she had to do it over, she wouldn't choose life in a
lighthouse.
Of
course her story made me think about the many hardships that light
keeping entailed, especially for women–the extreme isolation, the
lack of luxury, and the constant threat of danger. So out of
Cecelia's hardships, I created Tessa and tried to imagine the
underlying motivations for what might cause someone to hate
lighthouses. Although I had Tessa work through some of her fears and
dislike of lighthouses, I'm sure most women like Cecelia took their
resentment of lighthouses with them to the grave.
5.
What have you enjoyed most in writing this lighthouse series?
Over
the past couple of years of writing this series, I've thoroughly
enjoyed getting to visit numerous lighthouses throughout the state.
Not only have I attempted to visit the lighthouses that are used as
settings for the books, but I've also been inspired to visit many
others. Every time I do, I learn a little bit more about how
lighthouses were operated and have come to realize that they're all
so unique.
During
the past summer of 2015 I toured several lighthouses including: Tawas
Point Lighthouse, St. Joseph Lighthouses, and Mackinac City
Lighthouse.
Each
time I climb a tower, reach the top, and gaze out at the spectacular
view, I'm always amazed by the beauty. I never tire of the experience
and can completely understand the fascination so many people have
with lighthouses. I think I caught the "lighthouse bug" and
will forever be visiting them!
6.
You have a busy publication schedule in 2016! In addition to
Undaunted Hope,
can you tell us what other books we have to look forward to?
My
second young adult novel, A
Daring Sacrifice,
releases in March. I'm super excited about this reverse twist on the
Robin Hood story set during medieval times.
In
June, Forever
Safe releases. This
is a fourth lighthouse book that involves a very special character.
While the first three books are set at all Michigan lighthouses, this
fourth book moves to the East Coast to Race Point Lighthouse on Cape
Cod, Massachusetts.
Finally
in October, my second historical will release. Following in the same
vein as my Luther
and Katharina book,
I will be bringing to life another historical couple. I hope to
reveal the couple, title, and cover in the next few months!
7.
Do you have any parting words?
I
love hearing from readers! Make sure you stop by one of these places
and say hello!
~ Now the Giveaway ~
1 (one) blessed reader will win a copy of Jody Hedlund's
newest book Hope Undaunted!
Open to US residents only.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
