This week’s story behind the story is super cool for all you lighthouse buffs. Makes me want to go see this one!

Welcome, Karin. Tell us a little bit about the story behind the novel you’re writing right now.

Ten years ago, my husband and I spent the weekend in a lighthouse – a real, working lighthouse. At the time, my husband’s friend was employed as the park supervisor for the township that maintained the lighthouse and its park. As part of his compensation package, he received housing – in the lighthouse.

Like everyone else, he needed an occasional break, so he would ask friends – like my husband – to stay at the lighthouse and take care of park duties while he was gone. Having never visited the park (much less stayed in a lighthouse), I couldn’t wait to go!

Mission Point Lighthouse is located at the tip of Old Mission Peninsula, a scenic, 15-mile drive that offers views of east and west Grand Traverse bays. You wind your way up two-lane roads, past wineries and parks, until it dead ends at the lighthouse.

I wasn’t sure what to expect when we arrived. At the time I didn’t know anything about the history of the lighthouse, I just knew that it was old. It wasn’t the tall, narrow structure like the North Breakwater Light in Ludington, where I grew up. This lighthouse looked more like a house with a point on the roof. Though I didn’t really have expectations, I wasn’t quite prepared for what I stepped into.

A cozy, modern kitchen that led into a bright dining nook with wrap-around bench seating. Up three stairs into a lush man-cave living room, with an overstuffed recliner, built-in entertainment system, and wood burning stove. More seating filled the adjoining room through the rounded archway. There were two bedrooms and a bathroom downstairs, but up the narrow wooden stairs and around the banister, past a metal stairway, I found the master bedroom.

Two windows provided a clear view of the parking lot and half of the park. For the best view, however, I had to climb the metal stairs I had just past. That steep, narrow stairway took me to the light – the honest-to-goodness beacon that had been keeping ships safe for 135 years. With windows on all sides, I enjoyed the birds-eye-view of the park, the forest, and the bays.

I had just finished my first novel when we stayed at the lighthouse, and I immediately knew I needed to set a story at that amazing location. Over the years I spent three weekends at the lighthouse, and I collected plenty of stories. I’m finally working with my agent on the manuscript that includes a fictionalized version of the lighthouse and its park superintendent. I can’t wait to share it with the world!

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Owner of Write Now Editing and Copywriting Services, a wife, novelist, and homemaker, Karin Beery has had hundreds of articles published in various periodicals, in addition to writing her novels. She is an active member of American Christian Fiction Writers, the American Christian Writers Association, and Christian Proofreaders and Editors Network. She is represented by literary agent Steve Hutson at Word Wise Media. You can connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, or at her website, www.karinbeery.com.