Read More About It

  • Reading is a great way to take a mini vacation—especially when the place you’re reading about is somewhere you’ve always wanted to go.

    When I write, I use many resources— books, websites, articles, conversations—to make sure the realistic parts of my stories are as accurate as possible. It makes the story more fun to write and, hopefully, more fun to read. Here are a few of the resources I used to write this book.

  • Books to Read

    House, Katherine L. Lighthouses for Kids. Chicago: Chicago Review Press, Inc., 2008.

    Wechter, Nell Wise and Bland Simpson. Taffy of Torpedo Junction. Chapel Hill, NC: Chapel Hill Books, 1957.

    Zepke, Terrance. Lighthouses of the Carolinas for Kids. Sarasota, Florida: Pineapple Press, Inc., 2009.

    Websites to Visit

    Lighthouses of the United States: North Carolina. Russ Rowlett. September 1999. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. November 2012

    “North Carolina Coastal Adventures.” Melissa Carle and Jennifer Rouse. 2006. North Carolina Division of Coastal Management, Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

    “Oak Island Lighthouse.” Friends of Oak Island Lighthouse

    “Oak Island, NC.” LighthouseFriends.com

  • A Really Old Book

    One of the most interesting books I came across was written in 1724 with the title, A General History of the Robberies and

    Murders of the most notorious Pyrates. The author is Captain Charles Johnson, but historians believe it was actually written by Daniel Defoe—the author of Robinson Crusoe! This is a big book—almost 300 pages—and has information about more than 35 pirates, including Stede Bonnet and Blackbeard. It’s hard to read, but I think it’s cool to be reading a book that somebody wrote almost 300 years ago. And, it’s still one of the best sources of information about Atlantic Coast pirates.

    Other Books and Online Sites

    I also like Miller Pope’s book called, Infamous Pirates and Their Incredible Lives. Mr. Pope offers lots of information about lots of pirates including those that sailed around Cape Fear.

    One of my favorite lighthouse books is Lighthouses of the Carolinas: A Short History and Guide, by Terrance Zepke.

    The Outer Banks Lighthouse Society (OBLHS) had a rare visit to the Price’s Creek Lighthouse in 2005, and Stephen

    Wilmoth posted an article with a great set of pictures at this link: lighthousedigest.com/Digest/StoryPage.cfm?StoryKey=2251

    The Whale Net website (administered by Wheelock College) has excellent information about satellite whale tracking that you can use to learn more or track whales on your own: whale.wheelock.edu

    The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) used to be the place to get navigational charts for the U.S. Now you can find them at this link: nauticalchartsonline.com/charts/NOAA Type 11537 in the search box to see the chart for the Cape Fear to Wilmington area. Zoom in on the chart and see what you can learn about the Cape Fear River.

    Last, but not least, we had a fun and very informative trip out on the Cape Fear River with Captain Bert Felton and his wife Becky (!) aboard the Solomon T out of Southport. I can’t begin to tell you all the things I learned from him. [ed note: Sadly, Captain Bert passed away in 2015.]

    By the Way

    If you want to send a letter to the president of Archer-Daniel-Midland (the current owner of the Price’s Creek Lighthouse) and ask them to take steps to preserve North Carolina’s smallest lighthouse, you can write him at this address:

    Mr. Juan R. Luciano
    Archer-Daniels-Midland Corporation
    77 West Wacker Drive, Suite 4600
    Chicago, Illinois 60601

  • Reading Makes It Real

    Reading is a great way to take a mini vacation—especially when the place you’re reading about is somewhere you’ve always

    wanted to go.

    When I write, I use many resources— books, websites, articles, conversations—to make sure the realistic parts of my stories are as accurate as possible. It makes the story more fun to write and, hopefully, more fun to read. Here are a few of the resources I used to write this book. You can find more at my website (mctillson.wordpress.com).

     

    • The WD-40 website at wd40.com has “Cool Stuff” about their magic elixir.

    • There’s a great underwater video about the Queen Anne’s Revenge at youtube.com/watch?v=RJfU_bplRJU. It shows some

    of the salvaging activities that took place after discovering the shipwreck.

    • The website for the Bald Head Conservancy is at oldbaldy.org and has tons of information about the lighthouse and the island.

    • “Bringing Home the Light” (ourstate. com/videos/cape-fear-lighthouse/) tells the story of an ongoing project to locate all the pieces of the Fresnel lens that once shone from the Cape Fear Lighthouse.

    • Bald Head: A History of Smith Island andCape Fear, by David Stick, published bythe Southport Historical Society in 1985 included maps and a lot of helpful data.

  • I love mixing make-believe characters with real places and events. That’s called realistic fiction or historical fiction. Even though I make up my story and the people in it, I use many resources—books, websites, articles, visits, and conversations—to make sure the realistic parts of my stories are accurate. It makes the story more fun to write and I hope it’s more fun to read too.

  • Check It Out Online

    The East Bay Regional Park District has all sorts of information in their curriculum by Dr. Beverley R. Ortiz, “Ohlone Curriculum with Bay Miwok Content and Introduction to Delta Yokuts.”

    In the video, “San Francisco Foghorn Melodies,” you can hear the different sounds made by the various foghorns on San Francisco Bay.

    “The Golden Gate Bridge Presents: Forged in the Fog | E03 | Phil Farrelly” is a video about an electrician who works on the Golden Gate Bridge, making sure the lights and foghorns are always operating to keep people and ships safe.

  • Check It Out Online

    Point Bonita Lighthouse is still active and is maintained by the U.S. Coast Guard. The National Park Service has tons of information about Point Bonita—as part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area—on their website, here.

    If you can’t visit the lighthouse but want to hear the Point Bonita audio tour like Sam and Becky did, you can find it and other audio tours for the San Francisco Bay Area here.

    Point Bonita provides up-close encounters of interesting rock formations and opportunities for budding geologists. The National Park Service has some great pictures and corresponding curriculum.

  • Oh my goodness!

    There are so many different resources I used to help explain things in The Secret at Pigeon Point—mainly because there were so many things to explain, including tunnel bores, fresco murals, and convex lenses.

    For more about the Pigeon Point Lighthouse, visit their website.

    Every year in mid-November the Pigeon Point Lighthouse celebrates its anniversary, and in 2022, it celebrated its sesquicentennial! If you’re in the area in November, be sure to check out the website for special activities and events. Click here for the latest information about the restoration.

    This helpful videoexplains the idea behind the Fresnel lens in more detail.

    This Lighthouse Friends website has a great description of the shipwreck that gave Pigeon Point its name.

    You can see colorful closeups of the Coit Tower murals at this website.

    If you’re interested in learning more about Devil’s Slide and the Tom Lantos Tunnel, check out these videos:

    • This is a fun video of a walk along the Devil’s Slide trail and shows you some of the amazing views.

    • This is a very interesting but really long video that goes through the whole history of building the tunnel. But, if you start watching at minute 43:06, you’ll see Caltrans’ map and plans for making old Highway 1 into a walking and biking path. (But be careful. The last time I walked it, the fog was coming in fast— just sayin’...)

    Just a Note…

    When I first started writing this book, friends of the Pigeon Point Lighthouse were still looking for funding sources to restore the lighthouse and grounds. Happily, the state of California has set aside funds to finish the restoration. In fact, many projects have already started and some have even been finished. After the restoration is complete, visitors might be able to go to the top of the tower. Fingers crossed!