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Charleston Light: Stories Inspired by Sullivans Island Lighthouse
Description:
Tales of Light and Love
A collection of faith-filled novellas all inspired by Charleston Light, the wonderfully awkward-looking lighthouse that sits on the shore of Sullivan's Island, South Carolina. The stories range from sweet romance to time travel to fantasy to a modern retelling of a beloved fairy tale. You will definitely find something you love on these pages!
All proceeds from the sale of this anthology will go to Sanctuary of Unborn Life in Charleston, a not-for-profit that provides support, mentoring, and housing assistance for local pregnant and new mothers in need.
Hosanna’s Light, by Dianne Miley: Homeless and pregnant, Hosanna Oliver returns from years of rebellion to reconnect with her family, but someone else lives in her childhood home. At the lighthouse, she runs into her old friend Jonathan Salvador and an unspoken attraction is rekindled. When he encourages her to find her family, will she be able to forgive herself enough to accept love?
Homecoming, by Jody Stallings: When a band nerd and a cheerleader find each other across a high school football field in 1988, love seems inevitable ... until they discover there's a far wider chasm to cross: time itself.
Looks Aren’t Everything, a Retelling of the classic Fairy tale, The Ugly Duckling, by Laurie Larsen: Pediatric nurse Wanda Byrd feels an instant kinship with ten-year-old cancer patient Kendall, and it's not just because of their matching scars. But a surprise encounter with Kendall’s Uncle Mark immediately ignites her long-held insecurities due to his good looks and confident demeanor. Can an awkward-looking lighthouse, the wisdom of a little girl, and a confession from the man himself teach her that true value comes from within?
Lighthouse of the Fireflies by Kelsey R Budd: Through a twist of fate, recent marine biology grad Lucia finds her plans to work at the local aquarium interrupted when Ben, a mysterious man in the Coast Guard, miraculously appears from the island lighthouse. Until they can figure out how to get him back to 1962, Ben plays Lucia’s boyfriend and helps as they act in a skit for the fundraising gala to repair the lighthouse. Together, they find healing for their pasts and hope for their futures, but will all the acting lead to real romance, and will time travel lead to real adventure?
Shattered Darkness, by Laurie Ingram Sibley: Six years ago, Will Edgar left his high school sweetheart behind. Now he’s back in town, and vandalism to their beloved lighthouse throws them together. But Will and Raven are haunted by the past. Can they break free and learn to trust again?
The Gold Note, by Christina Sinisi: Anna Rizzo has a long list of men she dated and dropped like loose change. She also lied, stole, and partied until she hit rock bottom, unconscious on her living room floor. By God's grace, she makes a fresh start. Can a mysterious admirer's coded gold notes help make her life whole again?
Second Time Lighthouse Love by Melissa Henderson: After two years, widow Lana Pierce continues to grieve the loss of her beloved husband Stan. When the older woman finds a mysterious notebook left on their favorite bench, she wonders if this could be a secret message intended for her. Is another “forever love” possible?
Following His Plans, by Annette Wiley: Consumed with the desire for wealth and status, Nora pours her energy into her prestigious interior design firm. But when her beloved aunt dies she drops everything to go to Rockland, Maine, where a set of precious gifts and a romantic relationship help light the way toward a new direction.
Book Takeaway:
Lighthouses are supposed to be scenic and beautiful and majestic. But even the ones that aren't, like Charleston Light, are important and functional, and teaches us that true beauty comes from within.
Why the author wrote this book:
Inside, you will find eight individual novellas written by authors who belong to the same writers group: The South Carolina Lowcountry Chapter of the national organization, American Christian Fiction Writers. We’re a fairly new chapter (just starting our fourth year) and relatively small (a dozen members) but we are all convinced that we’ve got something really special going on. Once a month on a Saturday we all meet to learn about our craft, listen to knowledgeable speakers, share our own questions, progress and challenges. We also support each other, pray for each other, and challenge each other to keep moving forward.
Last year, someone brought up the idea of publishing an anthology. After some brainstorming, we decided to all write stories inspired by the nearby lighthouse on Sullivan’s Island. It’s … well, how do I say this … you know what you think of when you think of lighthouses? Beautiful, majestic, scenic? Well, this one is not that. It’s awkward. It’s a little ugly. It’s triangular, instead of spherical, and it serves an important purpose; it’s just not exactly beautiful while doing it!
But we were inspired to write stories about it – there was a lot of material there to explore. Not to mention that literary celebrity Edgar Allan Poe was stationed in the Army on Sullivan’s Island in 1827 and wrote his story, The Gold Bug there. Several of our stories threw that angle in too!
As we worked on our stories and continued discussions in our meetings, we decided that we would select a charity to donate all our proceeds to. We didn’t have to look far before we found the right one. Our chapter member, and anthology contributor Dianne Miley is the Founder of SOUL: Sanctuary of Unborn Life. Everyone felt great about naming SOUL as the recipient of all funds earned from the sale of this anthology.
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