Sure! I’m a self-employed father of one from Auckland, New Zealand. My writing journey started a very long time ago when I was just a kid. I loved writing short stories and poems and would spend hours with my head buried in a notebook writing all sorts of nonsense. From an early age I was always remember being drawn to the written word and being attracted to the power of what it could unlock. Unfortunately, as I grew older, my writing fell away and it wasn’t until I was in my 30s and had the idea for The Lighthouse that I decided to revisit my childhood hobby.
If you had to give an elevator pitch for your debut novel The Lighthouse, what would it be?
A chance encounter leads to an enchanting weekend for Amy and Ryan, whose lives are forever changed when they uncover the secrets of Seabrook's mysterious lighthouse.
A chance encounter leads to an enchanting weekend for Amy and Ryan, whose lives are forever changed when they uncover the secrets of Seabrook's mysterious lighthouse.
Amy Tucker is only visiting for the night and has no plans to get caught up in the hysteria, but that changes when she meets Ryan, the loyal, hard-working son of a ranch owner who lives on the outskirts of town.
Their chance encounter turns into an unforgettable weekend, and against the backdrop of the lighthouse-obsessed town, the two of them forge a deep connection, opening their hearts, baring their souls, and revealing secrets long kept hidden.
But as they grow closer, and as the lighthouse glows ever brighter, a startling discovery about Ryan leaves Amy questioning everything she thought she knew. To uncover the truth about her new friend, Amy will need to enter Seabrook’s ominous tower, where waiting inside she will not only find the reason why fate has brought them together… but a shocking secret that will change the course of their lives forever.
Where did the inspiration come from to include a dormant lighthouse as the central feature in your story?
From the moment I knew my story would involve a visit to a small town, I wanted to include a lighthouse. I absolutely love lighthouses and wanted to use this element to give the small town its personality. Making the lighthouse dormant and creating the myth of the ‘haunted lighthouse’ simply came from asking the question of myself: “What makes this lighthouse unique – and why would the town be so obsessed with it?” I’ve found a lot of plot and character development simply comes from asking yourself questions, as the answers can often snowball into other questions, and on and on you go!
From the moment I knew my story would involve a visit to a small town, I wanted to include a lighthouse. I absolutely love lighthouses and wanted to use this element to give the small town its personality. Making the lighthouse dormant and creating the myth of the ‘haunted lighthouse’ simply came from asking the question of myself: “What makes this lighthouse unique – and why would the town be so obsessed with it?” I’ve found a lot of plot and character development simply comes from asking yourself questions, as the answers can often snowball into other questions, and on and on you go!
Why did you choose to set The Lighthouse in Oregon when you live in New Zealand? And how did you go about doing research about the location?
This was driven by my characters. Ryan lives and works on a ranch, and in a very early draft Amy was a college student on a swimming scholarship. These elements felt more quintessentially American than New Zealand. As for setting it in Oregon, I picked the state for its dramatic scenery and the stunning lighthouses that dot the coastline - it felt like the perfect place. And as for Seabrook itself, the town is entirely fictional which gave me a lot of freedom. Instead of intensively researching the geography and specific characteristics of a real town, I was able to create the town as I saw fit, which, given the role Seabrook plays in the plot, was incredibly important.
This was driven by my characters. Ryan lives and works on a ranch, and in a very early draft Amy was a college student on a swimming scholarship. These elements felt more quintessentially American than New Zealand. As for setting it in Oregon, I picked the state for its dramatic scenery and the stunning lighthouses that dot the coastline - it felt like the perfect place. And as for Seabrook itself, the town is entirely fictional which gave me a lot of freedom. Instead of intensively researching the geography and specific characteristics of a real town, I was able to create the town as I saw fit, which, given the role Seabrook plays in the plot, was incredibly important.
Which came first, characters or the plot?
The characters arrived in my mind first – a father and daughter reeling from a recent tragedy. From there, though, both the plot and characters developed alongside each other. As plot ideas would form in my mind, I would ask myself how best to tie these into the journey of the characters, and if the characters needed to do something to fulfil their own particular arc, I would try and find neat and unique plot points to help that along. It was like a harmonious tug of war!
What message do you want readers to take from your book?
I didn’t write the book to convey any specific message. If readers come away with a message then that’s wonderful, but from my point of view as long as readers are entertained by the experience and have a good time reading it – and want to read another one by me - then that’s all I can really hope for.
If you could give some advice to your younger self about writing, what would it be?
Don’t stop reading! I stopped reading in my teens and didn’t start up again until I started writing The Lighthouse, and this made the process more difficult than it needed to be. It wasn’t until I started reading again (widely and more analytically) that I began to learn more about the craft. Had I kept up with my reading, I would have had more a head start and mightn’t have needed ten years to finish the manuscript!
What would you say is the best thing about writing? And on the flip side, what is the hardest?
The best part is the feeling of pride and satisfaction you get, not just from reaching the end but all the small little victories along the way. From writing a great sentence to fixing a problem in the plot, there are so many challenges and interesting problems and it can be incredibly satisfying to not only solve them, but get better at solving them, too. Conversely, though, it’s easy to put too much pressure on yourself. The hardest part of writing for me is the responsibility of knowing that a reader is giving up a lot of their time to read your book, and unlike a TV show or a movie, all I have are my words on a page to hold their interest, entertain, and create a satisfying experience. Often this can create a lot of stress and the perfectionist in me can agonize of a particular sentence of paragraph far longer than I really should. I guess it shows that I really do care about trying to give the reader a good time!
Christopher Parker was born in Takapuna, a seaside suburb in Auckland, New Zealand, where he currently lives with his daughter. Having loved writing stories growing up, it was a walk along Takapuna beach and a chance glimpse at a distant lighthouse that made him want to revisit his childhood passion and try his hand at producing a novel. Nearly 10 years on from that fateful stroll, he is proud to finally share his story. You can find him on his website at https://www.christopherparker.com.
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