SAN DIEGO – Point Loma author Jill G. Hall has a new piece of historical fiction coming out, On a Sundown Sea: A Novel of Madame Tingley and the Origins of Lomaland.
Based on years of research, Hall’s book will be released in October.
Growing up in Point Loma, Hall heard many wild rumors about Madame Katherine Tingley and her turn-of-the-20th-century Lomaland. Locals whispered, among other things, that Tingley conducted seances and occult rituals. Some even accused her of running a cult.
Derived from the Greek for “divine wisdom,” Lomaland, founded and led by Tingley, was a Theosophical community in Point Loma from 1900 to 1942 on the site where Point Loma Nazarene University is today.
“I grew up with all the rumors about who she was,” Hall said, “one being that she was this kooky lady who thought her husband had been reincarnated as a turtle.”
Hall, a longtime educator, is an award-winning author whose previous works include the Anne McFarland Series, a three-book trilogy featuring The Black Velvet Coat, The Silver Shoes, and The Green Lace Corset.
Hall’s poems and personal narratives also have appeared in a variety of publications and on her blog. She is an instructor and past board president at San Diego Writers, Ink, which is a nonprofit offering classes, workshops, readings and other literary events in Liberty Station.
Hall never intended to become a writer. “I wanted to be a teacher, that was my calling, which I did for over 20 years, teaching art and history,” she said, adding her creative background also encompasses the visual arts, including mosaics, patterns or images made of small pieces of colored stone, glass, or ceramic covering a surface.
So, what compelled her to become an author? “What happened was the pendulum swung away from creativity in the arts,” answered Hall. “I was unhappy, unfulfilled and stressed out.”
Hall took a leave of absence and at first thought she’d start out writing children’s books. But she moved in a different literary direction with the McFarland series, fanciful tales about a struggling San Francisco artist who buys a coat at a thrift shop with a key in its pocket. Afterward, strange – even magical – occurrences begin to unfold.
As she considered a new project, she wasn’t going to write another novel, but once she turned to the subject of Tingley and Lomaland, she realized “I was called to write this book.”
Hall was impressed by the Tingley, who was described as a medium and a clairvoyant. “As a young child, she’d had a vision of a white city on a sundown sea,” she pointed out, hence the title.
“Later in life, she was in New York City. She met a man who became her teacher and saw her potential. She became a Theosophist, a philosophy that still exists today.”
Theosophy draws from Hinduism, Buddhism, and Neoplatonism to understand the universe and humanity’s place in it. Hall’s research for her book included extensive interviews with people who’d lived at Lomaland or had some direct connection to it.
What Hall ended up with was an enthralling story about one woman’s quest to explore spirituality and the meaning of life with like-minded seekers.
The group came to Point Loma to establish a community that would model Theosophy’s philosophical and humanitarian goals. Lomaland, which became a school, cultural center and residential facility for Tingley’s followers, left a lasting legacy on its campus that still retains many of the community’s unique architectural features.
“Theosophists believe in God, nature and beauty,” Hall said. “They were also very intellectual and active, studying ancient cultures. She (Tingley) built the first Greek amphitheater in the United States, which is still there today on the PLNU campus.”
Added Hall: “When she (Tingley) took over Lomaland, it was a total desert. She planted thousands of trees and had beautiful gardens there.”
Lomaland dissolved in the aftermath of the Great Depression of the 1930s and the death of Tingley in 1929. In 1942, the campus was sold to Coronado developer George W. Wood.
Hall said she hopes everyone “enjoys (reading On a Sundown Sea) and learns about Madame Tingley and who she really was. I want people to reflect on their own spirituality and what they believe in, and to think about how they can help make the world a better place.”
Book launch
Where: Warwick’s, 7812 Girard Ave. in La Jolla.
When: Oct. 20 at 7:30 p.m.
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