A lighthouse keeper is chained to his rock. Bound to it by duty. Lighting the light might seem a simple, small thing. But to those at sea, it means everything. - Todd Gipstein
In 1938 a simple gust of air changed the world. It began in at the Bilma Oasis in the Sahara Desert and was first noted by Phillipe LeTendre from the French weather service. The gust of wind was duly noted as a shift from east to west and created a small vortex in its wake. The small vortex grew and gained power until it crashed on the shores of Long Island and New England on September 21, 1938. To date, it is still the strongest, costliest and deadliest hurricane in New England's history.
Award winning National Geographic writer, photographer and producer, Todd Gipstein, grew up and still resides within site of the lighthouses that inspired his debut novel, Legacy of the Light.
Following the lives of two generations of lighthouse keepers, Gipstein uses factual information he has gained as president of the New London Ledge Lighthouse Foundation and member of the board of the American Lighthouse Foundation, to create the 'perfect storm' of suspense, action, romance and mystery.
With uncanny insight into human nature and a healthy respect for the forces of nature, Legacy of the Light includes:
Historical information about lighthouses and the Great Hurricane of 1938
An insider's look into the life and duty of a lighthouse keeper
How unexpected people, events and objects can change lives
The power of fate both good and bad
A love story wrapped in a mystery that spans generations
A lighthouse keeper pitted against the storm of the century
"We don't always know who or what will end up having a profound effect on our lives," says Gipstein. "It may be something big or something seemingly small. The mystery of life and fate lies in our inability to know, at times, what may change us and our lives, forever."
Todd Gipstein has been a writer, photographer, producer and lecturer for 40 years and has spent over 20 of them working with the National Geographic Society. He has received over 40 Gold Awards in international competitions for his multi-media shows and is the recipient of several lifetime achievement honors. He is also the president of the New London Ledge Lighthouse Foundation and is on the Board of Directors for the American Lighthouse Foundation. Legacy of the Light is his first novel. He lives with his wife by the sea in Groton, Connecticut, and is at hard at work on his second novel.
Legacy of the Light is available for e-readers and in traditional format through www.amazon.com, www.barnesandnoble.com and Apple iBooks. It is also available through his website and Dog Ear Publishing.
