Lenore Skomal

Ida Lewis did not want me to write Keeper of Lime Rock. In fact, she didn't want anyone to write her story. She was an intensely private woman who viewed her own Herculean acts of heroism with a shrug, assuming those acts were things that anyone would do given the same circumstances. Thus, in the researching of her life of the course of an entire summer -- which took me to Newport, New York, Boston and Washington, D.C., in search of that one more piece of information -- I found very little in the way of primary sources.

Idawalley Zoradia Lewis (1842-1911) was born to ordinariness and destined to lead a hardworking life on the tiny lighthouse island of Lime Rock, off the coast of affluent Newport, Rhode Island. The daughter of a disabled lighthouse-keeper, she was able-bodied and steadfast; she and her mother assumed many of the chores of tending the lighthouse. She was also vigilant over the treacherous waters surrounding them, and at 17, saved the lives of four young men whose hijinks capsized their boat. Considering this part of the duties of a lighthouse-keeper, Ida continued her lifesaving rescues. In 1869, at the age of 27, Ida's life abruptly changed when a newspaper published a lengthy piece about her rescues, a piece which was then picked up by the wire services. Overnight, she became the darling of American society -- a real live heroine.

But Ida had no inclinations toward celebrity. When offers poured in for vaudeville tours and promises of fame, she turned a deaf ear. She would continue her job as lighthouse-keeper for the rest of her life, and never take advantage of that which fame and fortune could have brought her.

Ida Lewis didn't keep a diary; she didn't write in a journal about her long days keeping the wick at Lime Rock Lighthouse. She didn't document the day that President Grant requested a visit with her, or the details of the more than 18 rescues for which she put her life at risk. While she liked to talk to reporters following her catapult to fame, she spoke to them only of ordinary things, not of her deeds of heroism. A simple Yankee woman from sturdy mariner stock, Ida Lewis would have been very happy to remain forgotten to history…until I came along.

After months of research, I tried heartily to launch the first chapters of the book, but they were hard in coming. The words just would not flow. It wasn't until the day that I scotch-taped photocopies of Ida Lewis' photos around my desk, and began to talk to her, that the book began to take shape. That wondrous, weird thing that happens to writers -- when inspiration, divine or intrinsic, takes hold -- came over me. As I spoke with Ida as if she were there in the room with me, and made a promise to respect her privacy and try mightily to do justice to her story, the dam broke and the river of literature flowed. Thus Ida Lewis' incredible life was chronicled, well more 100 years after she was called "The Bravest Woman in America" by the Boston Herald.

As a person who defines herself as a writer, I feel writing is as much a part of me as my brown eyes. I knew I wanted to write books as early as third grade, when I handily won an essay contest with the hard-to-forget piece, "Sal the Shoe." As a kid, I preferred to read plays rather than novels. My all-time favorite is still Our Town by Thornton Wilder, and, of course, all of Eugene O'Neill's plays.

The macabre called to me in my earlier preteens, as I read everything by Edgar Allen Poe. I marveled at his ability to completely create atmosphere with his word-weaves. In his poem "The Bells," he taught me about creating my own language and rhythm -- which I expand on in my own writing, to this day. I realized as a young reader that words could be tasted, felt, smelled, and experienced, that taking chances with structure and vocabulary is the essence of interesting writing.

Historical fiction was ushered onto my reading scene with Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, and Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell. Breathing life into time periods that were painted as colorlessly as possible in history books was an art I, too, wanted to recreate. I particularly admire and enjoy the writing of Dorothy Allison (Bastard Out of Carolina and Cavedweller) and Jane Hamilton (The Book of Ruth.) Thankfully, there are so many talented writers -- they give the rest of us some great books to read!

Lenore Skomal is an award-winning columnist for the Connecticut Post, and is also the author of Heroes: 50 Stories of the American Spirit. She has written for national and regional magazines, and radio. Her syndicated humor column won top honors from the Society of Professional Journalists.

Author photo courtesy of Running Press