Author Amanda Cox is joining us today. We’ll be talking about her latest release BETWEEN THE SOUND AND THE SEA. Welcome Amanda! Let’s start with you telling our readers about the book.
Between the Sound and Sea is a story of a young woman who leaves behind her hometown to become a project manager of a lighthouse restoration after rumors and scandal disrupt her once-idyllic life in her quaint hometown. When things start to go amiss on the island and she finds notes from the 1940s hidden in the walls, Joey embarks on a quest to unravel the mystery, including the new owner’s connection to the island. Joey hopes to discover the truth behind the legends and restore one family’s reputation while getting her own life back on track.
Joey’s family is facing scandal, which leads her to take the lighthouse keeper position. Can you provide some background information on the scandal and why this prompted Joey’s decision to leave her hometown?
Joey’s father owned a construction business, a business that he always intended to pass to his son, but after the two of them have a falling out, he offers it to Joey instead. Joey doesn’t accept the offer, hoping that if she doesn’t step into that role, her father and brother will work harder to sort out their differences. Instead, her father sells the business to a man who takes advantage of the people of her small town by doing poor-quality work and skipping town after accepting payment for incomplete jobs. The people of the small town blame Joey’s family for various reasons. Because of this grudge and feelings of distrust, they stop enlisting Joey to plan their events, causing her business to tank. Joey takes the temporary job in North Carolina, returning to her construction roots, not so much as an attempted career switch but a chance to step outside of her current circumstances and gain a fresh perspective for her future.
What type of research was required to write about Joey’s new profession and the history of lighthouses themselves?
My husband is in the construction field and understands a lot of the behind-the-scenes of working on projects and working with clients. I asked him a lot of “would this be feasible” questions! For the lighthouse portion, I did a lot of reading and visited the Outer Banks lighthouses. I had so much fun exploring lighthouse museums, learning about the World War II history of the area, and getting a feel for this unique part of the United States.
Between the Sound and Sea explores the lives of two different women at different points in time. How are Joey and Mae connected?
Both women have defined themselves based on roles in the family and work, but when things change and the life they wanted is no longer their reality, they must re-evaluate how they define themselves. Rumors and gossip have both impacted how these women were viewed by the people around them. They each find themselves needing to overcome viewing themselves the way others view them. This underlying theme of searching for identity connects Joey and Mae.
In Between the Sound and Sea, legend and truth entwine. The island’s past is steeped in legend, rumors, and ghost stories. Can you give readers a hint to what these legends may be about?
The Outer Banks are steeped in fascinating legends and folklore, so I had a lot of fun creating some fictional folklore for my fictional island! There are legends about what really happened to the last lighthouse keeper and his daughter. Some suspect foul play, some suspect that they were spies who helped with the German effort to bomb passing Allied supply boats. People in the area say that they have seen their ghosts lurking on the island. There are also legends originating from the 1940s about Saint-Mae, a mysterious woman who locals still say will rescue those lost at sea that no one else can reach.
You have demonstrated your unique gift of writing deeply emotional novels that offer a fascinating read. What type of emotions or issues do you work through in your newest work?
The feeling of regret plays a central theme in the book. There are several characters in the book who obsess over past decisions and find themselves trying to undo the past. Regret is a strong emotion, and it can either motivate us to grow and change for the better or it can cause us to become stuck in the past, unable to move forward. I really enjoyed helping many of my characters navigate that journey through their regrets in this book.
What do you hope readers will gain from reading Between the Sound and Sea?
I hope readers have as much fun reading this story as I had writing it! I hope they are inspired to look at past regrets as opportunities to learn and grow. I hope this story inspires readers to take chances and pursue their hopes and dreams!
What about your own background influenced Joey’s journey?
I think there have been several different turning points in my life that I often look back on and think, What would my life look like if I had chosen “the other path”? How would it alter who I am today? We all have moments in which we look back over our lives and evaluate if the path we’ve chosen has taken us to the place we thought it would and ask ourselves if we’re happy with the choices we’ve made. Those questions are big ones for Joey!
What do you love most about writing novels that connect the present with the past?
The past, whether distant or recent, has a way of impacting our lives in surprising ways. I love unraveling the connections between past and present for my characters—how one decision affected the course of one life and how the impact of that decision continued to trickle down through the ages. Sometimes it is a legacy that lends strength. Sometimes it is something they must find a way to overcome . . . but it all connects!
How can readers connect with you?
You can find me at AmandaCoxWrites.com and on Facebook and Instagram @AmandaCoxWrites.
Where can readers purchase a copy of Between the Sound and Sea? Between the Sound and Sea is available wherever books are sold! I would especially love it if you would pop into your local bookstore to pick up a copy. If they don’t have it in stock, I know they would be thrilled to order it for you. I love supporting local businesses whenever I can!
Thank you so much for stopping by today, Amanda!
Reader’s, it’s release day for BETWEEN THE SOUND AND THE SEA. Here’s a quick look::
Every family has its secrets. Josephina Harris wouldn’t mind if her family still had a few of their own after a lawsuit tarnishes their name. When an opportunity opens to become a temporary keeper of a decommissioned lighthouse on a North Carolina island, she jumps at the chance to escape her small town to oversee its restoration.
As the work begins, “Joey” discovers strange notes tucked deep in the crevices of the old stone walls–pages torn from a lighthouse keeper’s log signed by someone named Mae who recounts harrowing rescues at sea. Fascinated by a woman lighthouse keeper, Joey digs into the past only to discover there’s never been a record of a lighthouse keeper by that name.
When things start to go amiss on the island, locals are convinced that it is the ghost of the lighthouse keeper and his daughter who were lost at sea during World War II. As Joey sifts through decades of rumors and legends and puts together the pieces of the past, what emerges is a love story–one that’s not over yet.
Multiple Christy Award winner Amanda Cox is your guide upon the raging seas of young love, heartbreaking loss, and learning to risk it all for a chance at happiness in this timeless novel.
