Shelley Shepard Gray joins Fresh Fiction reviewer Susan Dyer to talk about her Amish
Susan: Hi, Shelley! Thank you for joining us here at Fresh Fiction. The
Orange
Blossom Inn from A
CHRISTMAS BRIDE IN PINECRAFT makes me wish I could book my next vacation there!
Did
you base the Orange Blossom Inn on an inn you traveled to?
Shelley: I didn't. The two times I stayed in Pinecraft, I stayed in hotels.
But we
walked by several adorable houses when we visited, one which had the most beautiful
flowers in the front yard. That house was the basis of the Orange Blossom Inn. I
also
wanted a place which could serve as a 'home base' for all four books in the series.
Susan: Since this is the last book in the Amish Brides of
Pinecraft series, where will your next series takes place in?
Shelley: I'll be heading back to Ohio for next year's series. Next year's
series
will be titled The Charmed Amish Life. All four books will revolve around a
lumber
mill in Charm.
Susan: Will we get to visit our Pinecraft friends again?
Shelley: I sure hope so! I would have set next year's series in Pinecraft if
I
could have! I've already had two of my characters in next year's books visit
Pinecraft. I
have a feeling I'll be visiting those characters again one day soon.
Susan: If A
CHRISTMAS BRIDE IN PINECRAFT was optioned for a movie, what scene would you use
for
the audition of the main characters and why?
Shelley: Oh what a fun question! There's a scene where Eric and Beverly are
putting
up a Christmas tree in the living room that I liked very much. Because Beverly grew
up
Amish, she never had a Christmas tree before. She's excited and unsure about what
they're
doing. Eric somehow makes such a common place event seem special for both of them.
Susan: I love to know what happens to Peter and Josiah? Did they ever find
their
father or did they stay with Emma and Jay? Will they have their own stories in the
future?
Shelley: I choose to believe that Peter and Josiah end up living with Emma
and Jay.
Emma and Jay were such kind and loving parents when their story was told in A WEDDING AT THE
ORANGE
BLOSSOM INN. I thought both of those teenage boys needed two people to love and
care
for them. I would love for them to have their own stories one day. I particularly
loved
the friendship Josiah had with his friend Effie. I would look forward to the
opportunity
to write more about the two of them.
Susan: What do you want people to take away from reading A CHRISTMAS BRIDE
IN
PINECRAFT?
Shelley: I tried to write the best story I could around the themes of hope
and
forgiveness. So, my wish would be that readers might feel uplifted about those
themes.
Susan: What are you currently working on? What other releases do you have
planned
for 2015 and 2016?
Shelley: As usual, I'm currently working on two books. I'm writing next
year's
Christmas novel, AN AMISH FAMILY CHRISTMAS and the second book in my western
historical series for Harper Collins Christian Fiction. Right now it's titled A
WANTED MAN. I'll have all four Charm books out next year, along with A
LOYAL HEART, the first book in the historical series.
Susan: Wow! You've written so many wonderful series that I am working my way
through reading all of them. I know I shouldn't ask, but do you have a favorite?
Shelley: Thank you! Usually, whatever books I'm working on are my favorites.
One series that will probably always be a favorite of mine is the Secrets of
Crittenden County series. It's an Amish series set in Kentucky around a
murder mystery. I loved writing it because it was a very connected trilogy-the whole
series takes place in eight weeks. It was also very challenging for me to write. I
was thrilled that my publisher let me give it a try.
Susan: Who are some of your go to authors and what is the last book you read?
Shelley: My favorite books are romances. I read a lot of books, usually
several a week. I recently read Hold On by Kristen
Ashley, Jan Karon's newest Mitford book, a couple novels by my Harlequin
author friends (I used to write for the American line), and some of author Lorraine
Heath's older historical romances. LOL!
That's quite a list, huh?
Susan: Thank you so much for joining us! We have a lot to look forward to
next year!
Shelley Shepard Gray writes Amish romances for Harper Collins’ inspirational
line, Avon Inspire and historical romances for Zondervan as Shelley Gray. Her novels
have been Holt Medallion winners and Inspirational Readers Choice and Carol
finalists. Shelley’s novels have appeared on both the New York Times and USA Today
bestseller lists.
To date, Shelley’s novels have been highlighted in the Philadelphia Enquirer, Time
Magazine, and USA Today. She’s also been interviewed on NPR as well as numerous
regional radio stations.
Before writing romances, Shelley lived in Texas and Colorado, where she taught
school and earned both her bachelor’s degree in English literature and elementary
education and later obtained her master’s degrees in educational administration. She
now lives in southern Ohio and writes full time. Shelley is married, the mother of
two college students, and is an active member of her church. Shelley is active on
Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.
Website | Facebook | Pinterest | Goodreads
Beloved bestselling author Shelley Shepard Gray concludes her Amish Brides of
Pinecraft series with a story of forgiveness and trusting your heart...just in time
for Christmas.
When Beverly Overholt’s beloved Orange Blossom Inn is broken into, she’s shaken to
her core. After all, the inn has been her whole life since her fiancé left her for
her best friend. In the face of repairing what’s been lost, Beverly calls Eric
Wagler, the inn’s handsome owner. To her surprise, he promises to be on the next
flight out to Sarasota. Beverly’s been closed off to love for years, but with Eric,
she can’t help seeing a glimmer of hope—even if they’re from different worlds.
From the moment Eric met Beverly, he’s tried to fight his attraction to her. Though
now Mennonite, Beverly was raised Amish, but Eric grew up in Philadelphia and got
into his fair share of trouble as a young man. Though he’s worked to overcome his
earlier mistakes, with Beverly’s security scare, Eric’s sure she’s not going to want
anything more to do with him. And considering how he might just want a future with
her…that’s a tough pill to swallow.
But as Beverly and Eric put the inn back together, prepare for Christmas, and even
witness a new love blossoming for another couple, the trust…and love…between them
grows. Will Christmas bring a second chance at love for Beverly? And if it does,
will she be brave enough to take it?
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