by Amanda Cox
After her family name is tarnished, Josephina escapes to a remote North Carolina island to oversee the restoration of a lighthouse—one complete with ghost stories, rumors, and notes tucked into the old stone walls. Perhaps if she can untangle the secrets of the past she can restore a family's reputation and correct the course of her own life in the process.
I love writing stories that show the impact of the past on the present. It is a part of the way I am wired as a human being and as a counselor. It only makes sense, I suppose, that in each of the books I’ve written, an element of the past comes into play in a significant way in the present.
The idea for setting Between the Sound and Sea in the Outer Banks of North Carolina had a lot to do with an article I stumbled on years ago that talked about the danger to supply ships off the banks of North Carolina during World War II. At that time, I had no idea how close the attacks were to the eastern coast of the United States. I had learned about Pearl Harbor, but I’d always thought of the war as being far away. But then I learned that hundreds of unarmed ships were routinely torpedoed by German U-Boats en route to supply Allied troops—some bombings were as close as seven miles from the shore of North Carolina’s barrier islands.
During the research for this book, I was amazed as I read personal accounts of civilians who talked about their knickknacks being jarred from the mantle because of nearby explosions, shipwreck debris washing ashore, beaches slick with oil, and the fear of invasion on locals’ minds.
I was also drawn to this area because it feels like a unique world. I can only imagine how much this was true before major bridge systems connected the island chain to the mainland. Time and tourism have changed the landscape from what it was back then, but the place still feels like a location unlike any other.
While Between the Sound and Sea is set in 2007, one of my main characters was on one of those supply ships in the 1940s. His choice to take a position on one of those vessels forever altered the course of his life. Sixty years later, he’s trying to make peace with his past by restoring his childhood friend’s abandoned lighthouse.
This character faces something we all encounter when we’re confronted with the knowledge that our life story didn’t go the way we planned and that history cannot be rewritten, no matter how much we wish it could be. But there is still a path forward.
About the Author
Amanda Cox is the Christy Award-winning author of The Edge of Belonging, The Secret Keepers of Old Depot Grocery, and He Should Have Told the Bees. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Bible and theology and a master’s degree in professional counseling, but her first love is communicating through story. Her studies and her interactions with hurting families over a decade have allowed her to create multidimensional characters that connect emotionally with readers. She lives in Chattanooga, Tennessee, with her husband and their three children. Learn more at AmandaCoxWrites.com.
About the Book
Her family name tarnished, Josephina escapes to a remote North Carolina island to oversee the restoration of a lighthouse—one complete with ghost stories, rumors, and notes tucked into the old stone walls. Perhaps if she can untangle the secrets of the past she can restore a family's reputation and correct the course of her own life in the process.
Did You Know?
Today firefighters utilize powerful diesel engines, drones, infrared cameras, and other high-quality modern equipment to eradicate blazes and keep us safe. Fire hydrants are a common sight in American neighborhoods. Yet organized firefighting history goes back to ancient times.
Municipal firefighting has its roots in ancient Rome. The first known organized fire department was created in ancient Rome, under Caesar Augustus early in the first century, AD. It began with five hundred ex-slaves called the Corp of Vigiles who were trained to fight fires using water transported in buckets and later hand-pumped from the aqueducts.
Benjamin Franklin was instrumental in establishing firefighting in Colonial America. Inventor, statesman, philosopher, and co-drafter of the Declaration of Independence, Franklin was also known as the “Father of our Fire Service.” He established the Union Fire Company, a volunteer firefighting force in Philadelphia in 1736. Soon after, many other volunteer forces were formed.
In 1853, Cincinnati established the first professional fire department in the United States. The co-inventor of a more easily used steam fire engine, Miles Greenwood became its first fire chief. By the 1900s, the development of the internal combustion engine, and better equipment, such as the electric pump, led to the formation of more fully paid fire departments.
While researching early 1900s fire departments for my most recent novel, I became aware of just how blessed we are with today’s modern innovations in firefighting.
Kathleen Rouser, Scandals and Mercies
Why I LOVE My Local Christian Bookstore
“I love shopping in bookstores! In fact, it’s one of our favorite date-night activities! We explore the various sections together and pick out one book each. We get to spend time together, and we both get new books! It’s a win-win!”
-Michelle Medlock Adams, Dachshund Through the Snow
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