What is the title of your latest release?
THE BRUNSWICK
What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
When a woman in small-town Georgia offers to house Jewish refugee children in her family’s old hotel, she must confront the choices her own parents made in order to finally feel worthy of love herself. Inspired by real people and events, THE BRUNSWICK is a fresh spin on historical fiction set in both Norcross, Georgia and Austria in the months preceding World War II.
How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
The story is inspired by a true story that took place in Austria and Philadelphia, but as I tried to imagine it, I could only picture my small town of Norcross, Ga. So, I moved the story there! The Brunswick is a hotel in our town’s past that I’ve long been fascinated by, and it was such fun to imagine this story inside its walls.
Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?
The heroine is so closely based on me and my own life and struggles that I think I hang out with her already, every day.
What are three words that describe your hero?
Entrepreneurial, (unhealthily) self-reliant, loved
What’s something you learned while writing this book?
I learned how fun it is to have readers! I really enjoyed drafting and editing, but my goodness, the experience of having a reader enter this world with me and then banter back and forth about what they thought might happen was unlike anything I had imagined. It’s addicting!
Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
I definitely edited in the early months of writing, but then I learned that I really needed to just get the story out. I love the editing process though, so I have a hard time holding back from that.
What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
Fancy fries with different sauces
Describe your writing space/office!
I have a little nook in a converted porch with an antique secretary desk, although I often end up curled up in bed or on a couch.
Who is an author you admire?
Allen Levi, not just for the way he writes but for how he’s managed to make and maintain so many new relationships in the process. He’s been incredibly gracious to me as a new writer friend. How he has the time or capacity, I’ll never know!
Is there a book that changed your life?
My friend Peyton Roberts’ novel BENEATH THE SEAMS changed the way I shopped, as it made me think about the humans behind fast/cheap fashion. It’s been years since I’ve read it, and I still think of it often.
Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published). Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.
This was THE BEST. I was sitting in my daughter’s middle school play and got a call from my agent. I snuck out during intermission to call him, and he said he was about to email the details of my book deal. But by the time the email came through, I was back in the dark auditorium, sitting front and center. I knew I couldn’t open my phone without being a total distraction, so I sat through the whole back half of the play knowing I had an unread book deal in my inbox!
What’s your favorite genre to read?
Historical fiction
What’s your favorite movie?
Slumdog Millionaire, although it’s been years since I’ve seen it.
What is your favorite season?
Fall and the very beginning of winter - so many celebrations.
How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
Since my birthday is in early December, we usually throw a huge neighborhood Christmas party around that time. This past year (my 40th!), we added a surprise DJ in our living room.
What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
I really enjoyed Allen Levi’s memoir THE LAST SWEET MILE, about saying goodbye to his brother.
What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Korean
What do you do when you have free time?
We have seven kids in the house currently (four of which joined last summer through foster care), so free time is hard to come by these days! I love carving out little moments for a walk with friends, a solo lunch, reading, or doing a project in our old house.
What can readers expect from you next?
I just finished the first draft of a second novel, also set in Georgia in the late 1930s but in an entirely different setting, with entirely different characters. I’ve been so surprised by the story as it’s showed up on the page, and I’m really excited to see how it shapes up.
Historical Southern World War II Novel set in Georgia and Inspired by True Events with Themes of Foster and Adoption
In 1939 Georgia, far removed from the war brewing overseas, Cora Cain's world feels small--and shrinking. There, she runs The Brunswick, her family's once-grand hotel, which is now struggling as the town's general store. When Thomas Watkins arrives seeking work and solace after his mother's death, a connection sparks between them. Through Thomas, Cora glimpses a life beyond obligation and her war hero father's unpredictable moods.
But everything changes when Cora's asked to turn The Brunswick into a sanctuary for Jewish refugee children fleeing persecution in Germany. As Cora and Thomas prepare for the children's arrival, they struggle to confront their pasts--and the prejudice of their neighbors--as their fragile hope is put to the test.
Meanwhile, in Vienna, ten-year-old Charlotte is offered refuge in America. But even with the horrors she sees around her, Charlotte wonders how her parents could possibly send her away. As war's shadow begins to reach small-town Georgia, each person must face what love demands and decide what they must hold on to and what they must let go.
Inspired by true events, Callie Murray weaves a sweeping and heartfelt tale of courage, romance, and the extraordinary choices that define us.
Romance Historical [ Revell, On Sale: May 19, 2026, Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9780800747787 / eISBN: 9781493454006 ]
Callie Murray is an entrepreneur who has been featured on The Today Show and in The New York Times. Her debut Southern fiction book delves into the lesser-known historical details preceding World War II. Callie and her husband live in Norcross, Georgia with their seven children, four of whom came through the honor of foster care.
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