ROSE ISLAND Lighthouse Series
Rose Island Lighthouse (Photo by author)
A few years ago, the Rose Island Lighthouse and Fort Hamilton Trust (RILFHT) contacted me and asked if I would be interested in writing a series of historical fiction books about the small, mansard-roofed lighthouse on Rose Island, a tiny 18-acre landmass halfway between Newport and Jamestown, Rhode Island. After meeting with the Trust’s executive director and seeing the source materials they had available for me to use to craft the stories, I was intrigued. Then, my husband Chris and I took a trip out to Rose Island and I was sold. What a fascinating and beautiful place!
RILFHT wanted this series of books to serve three main purposes. First of all, they wanted them to be available for sale in their Rose Island gift shop to provide visitors with a memento of their visit. Secondly, they planned for the books to be available for purchase online to let more people know about Rose Island and perhaps entice them to come for a visit. And thirdly, the books were to be used as educational tools by classroom teachers who were planning to bring their students on field trips to Rose Island.
So, the Lighthouse Series books needed to serve multiple purposes and to be interesting to readers of a variety of ages. I thought a good way to accomplish this would be to create books that included heart-warming stories about people who lived in the lighthouse combined with factual information about the lighthouse, Rose Island, Newport, Rhode Island, the United States, and the world during that time. And I decided to include original illustrations for the story chapters and historical photographs for the history chapters, to make the books even more interesting and fun to read.
Book One: The Curious Childhood of Wanton Chase
Wanton Chase’s Room at the Lighthouse (Photo courtesy of RILFHT)
In 2018 - 2019, I wrote The Curious Childhood of Wanton Chase (CCWC), the first of three books planned for the Rose Island Lighthouse Series. I had lots of help. My daughter, Julia, used her considerable artistic talent to illustrate the stories. Michaela Fournier, a gifted graphic designer and friend, designed the book’s interiors and crafted an awesome cover for it, too. My mother, Marilyn Harris, a retired teacher, provided us with all of the research assistance we needed, and my other daughter, Laura, helped by updating this website for us, to include information about this new, exciting project. Chris, my tremendously patient husband, even chipped in, assisting Julia with some of the layouts for the illustrations. Chris Madden, Colin Hosten, and Dave LeGere, three great friends I met in Fairfield University’s MFA program, published the Rose Island Lighthouse Series through their Connecticut-based company, Woodhall Press. With a Book Team like that, of course, the book is amazing!
The Curious Childhood of Wanton Chase is about a boy who lived in the lighthouse with his grandparents from the time he was 18 months old until he had to leave the island to go to school in Newport at age seven (1910 to 1917). His grandfather, Charles Curtis, was the lighthouse keeper, and his grandmother, Christina McPhee Curtis, managed the household, gardens, and their day-to-day lives. Before Wanton Chase died at the age of 99, he recorded his memories of life at the lighthouse and gave them to the Lighthouse Foundation. I’ve taken those memories and expanded them into short stories. The book is composed of ten such stories about Wanton interspersed with brief chapters of history concerning such subjects as Fort Hamilton (also located on Rose Island), life in America in 1910, and the duties of a lighthouse keeper. CCWC is written at a middle-grade level to appeal to readers of all ages; mature readers can enjoy the stories themselves or read them aloud to young children, who will love the pictures. And Woodhall Press published the book in both hardcovers as well as paperbacks to suit the needs of every reader. The Curious Childhood of Wanton Chase was published in June 2019 and is available for purchase. See the Shop page for details. Please contact me if you would like a press kit or sell sheet for CCWC.
BOOK TWO: The Island Adventures of Paul Stedman
Rose Island Lighthouse Keeper Jesse Orton and his grandson, Paul Stedman (Photo courtesy of RILFHT)
The Island Adventures of Paul Stedman (TIAOPS), the second book of the Rose Island Lighthouse Series, focuses on Paul Stedman, a boy who also spent part of his childhood at the lighthouse. In the 1930s and 40s, Paul’s grandfather, Jesse Orton, was the Rose Island Lighthouse Keeper. Together with Assistant Keeper Charlie Eldridge, the three “bachelors” toiled through the Great Depression and preparations for World War II to ensure that the lighthouse’s beacon and foghorn always functioned properly, guiding mariners safely through the mouth of Narragansett Bay. As an adult, Paul Stedman wrote down his recollections of his time on Rose Island and these became the bases for the story chapters in this book. One of these stories is about Paul once seeing a naked man peering through the lighthouse’s window. Another story focuses on how Paul helped his grandfather light the beacon at sundown every day. The history chapters for TIAOPS focus on such topics as the Great Depression, the workings of a Fresnel lens, and the Newport Naval Torpedo Station, which operated a torpedo-filling facility on Rose Island.
Most of the original members of our Book Team collaborated again on The Island Adventures of Paul Stedman. The new member of the team was Robin Roraback, a very talented artist and great friend, who joined us as the book’s illustrator, replacing Julia who was unavailable due to the increased demands of her career as the STEAM Director at a non-profit school in Boston. As with CCWC, Marilyn Harris provided the research for the book, Michaela Fournier did the graphic design, and Woodhall Press published the book in full color on May 20, 2021. I thoroughly enjoyed working with all of these talented people!
My older brother, Phil Harris, was kind enough to donate his time and talents to create a fabulous book trailer for The Island Adventures of Paul Stedman. Please click here to see it:
The Island Adventures of Paul Stedman was launched at a Book Launch Event at the Davisville Library in North Kingstown, RI, on Saturday, July 17, 2021. Friends and family joined the Book Team for an afternoon presentation about the book-writing process, a reading of one of the chapters, and a question-and-answer session, followed by a reception full of yummy treats and interesting conversations. Thanks to all who came out to make this a very special day for the entire Book Team.
Please visit the Book Reviews page to read some great reviews of the book and check out the Shop page to order an autographed copy—or two—for yourself. If you would like a press kit for this book—or one of the others—please send me a note through my Contact page.