Jill G. Hall is the author of the new novel On a Sundown Sea. It focuses on the life of Katherine Tingley (1847-1929), a sociologist and theosophist who created the community of Lomaland in California. Hall's other books include The Black Velvet Coat. Also an educator, she lives in California.
Q: What inspired you to write a novel based on the life of Madame Katherine Tingley?
A: I grew up in Point Loma, near Madame Tingley’s Lomaland. Though she’s been gone nearly a century, the tales about her life—and what took place on the property—still echo throughout the region.
I’ve always been intrigued by the mysteries surrounding her. Was she really a medium and clairvoyant as some claimed? How did she build a thriving Theosophical community, complete with lush gardens, a school, and an arts colony, on what was once barren land? And did she truly believe her husband had been reincarnated as a turtle?
Q: What did you see as the right balance between fiction and history as you wrote the book?
A: Even though this is a work of fiction, I felt compelled to be as accurate as possible—quite a challenge because many references had conflicting information. With secrecy, gossip, and yellow journalism, it was impossible to determine timelines and truths.
For instance, some sources said Madame Tingley stayed at a convent for three months and others three years. Between 1868–1880, there is little documentation of her life and lore states she spent time overseas in a traveling theater troupe.
Also, no one knows exactly when she met her teacher William Q. Judge as she was feeding poor immigrants at her Do-Good Mission in New York. However, it was after a cloakmaker’s strike when families were starving and as a giant storm ensued. I found an obscure article that there had been a tailor strike before 1888 and the Great White Blizzard of 1888. So I decided to have them meet then.
Many times, I relied on intuition to determine what made the most sense of what might have happened. I also used imagination to shape her thoughts and feelings. In several instances, I adjusted and condensed event dates and facts for the sake of the story, noting these changes in my author’s notes.
Q: How did you research the book, and what did you learn that especially surprised you?
A: For inspiration, I walked the Lomaland property near my home, traveled to Newburyport, Massachusetts, where Madame Tingley grew up, and visited New York City.
I delved into court testimonies, archival documents, newspaper articles, letters, photographs, passports, ship logs, and interviews, and I listened to oral history from Kenneth R. Small, whose parents had lived at Lomaland with her. Although no biography has been published about her, copies of her talks, speeches, and quotes remain available.
Reading the unpublished Captain P. L. Westcott and His Children, compiled by Ron Irving at the Newburyport Public Library, gave me valuable insight into the challenges of her youth. I was especially excited to uncover early newspaper articles and ads documenting her first mediumship readings.
Q: What do you hope readers take away from the book?
A: I hope readers will reflect on their own ambitions and spiritual paths.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: I’d love to publish a collection of my nature poetry and create a personal growth book using my blog posts, centered on my philosophy of Crealivity: The Art of Practicing a Creative Lifestyle. I believe an artist isn’t just creative in the studio or while writing in their journal.
I’d also incorporate some of the activities I developed when teaching in public schools and facilitating creativity groups.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: To keep in touch readers and writers can subscribe to my Substack at https://crealivity.substack.com/
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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