Readers & Writers
Kingsport native starts Angel Ridge series
LEIGH ANN LAUBE, Feature Writer, Kingsport Times News
December 11, 2004
After years spent reading book after book after book, Deborah Grace-Staley decided to write one of her own.
Problem was, she had no idea how.
Grace-Staley, a graduate of Sullivan North High School and King College, took three novel-writing courses at the University of Tennessee, but it still took nine years for her to be published.
"Only You" (Echelon Press; $11.99) and "A Home For Christmas" (Echelon Press; $13.99) are the first two books in Grace-Staley's Angel Ridge series, set in the small town of Angel Ridge, Tenn.
"I think anybody from a small, Southern town will relate," Grace-Staley said. "All the books are set in the same small town, an East Tennessee town and they're based on actual events in the Maryville area."
In "Only You," Josie Allen has returned to Angel Ridge to head the town's prestigious library. With the debt of her education hanging over her head in the form of her benefactor breathing down her neck, Josie barely has time to concentrate on the new computer system giving her almost as many problems. She definitely has no time for the distractions of a man from the wrong side of the ridge - no matter how handsome he is.
Cole Craig, the town handyman, is a blue collar constant in the small town. For as long as anyone remembers, he and his family have worked hard and kept to their own kind, but things aren't always as they appear. When Josie comes back to town, Cole can't keep his mind on business or his eyes off the girl of his youthful dreams. Determined to win Josie over, Cole sets a course for romance - the old fashioned way.
In "A Home For Christmas," Dr. Janice Thornton arrives in Angel Ridge to take over her uncle's medical practice. To Thorton, Angel Ridge is the one place that holds the key to what family should be.
Local contractor and carpenter Blake Ferguson comes from a big family. He'd like to fill his rambling old Victorian with one of his own. But there's one problem - he needs a wife. When Janice shows up at his house, Blake sets out to win her heart, but soon finds she's built a wall around her heart this master carpenter finds difficult to dismantle.
The Angel Ridge series grew out of research Grace-Staley did when she and her family moved into a circa 1867 farmhouse on five acres near Maryville, Tenn. The house features gingerbread trim that has angel's wings.
"When I was doing the research, the story just came to life. I found out about them putting in the dam, and people losing their homes," she said. "People around here don't like to talk about it. They're still bitter about it. The characters just sprung to life out of the research I was doing. The town came to life for me."
Readers familiar with the Angel Ridge series will find recurring characters in the books. Dixie Ferguson, who runs Ferguson's Diner, opens and closes each book. In "A Home For Christmas," readers will be introduced to Candi Heart, who own's Heart's Desire, which is the title of Grace-Staley's third book, due in bookstores in November 2005.
Although she writes about many of the same characters, it doesn't make the writing any easier, Grace-Staley said.
"I don't know what about writing is really easy," she said. "But it's fun to be able to explore the characters in more depth by returning to them and the same town."
As long as her books are selling and she's happy writing, Grace-Staley will continue with the Angel Ridge series.
"Heart's Desire is a little salon in town. It's a beauty salon. It's a place where you can buy clothing, lingerie, flowers, candy, that kind of thing, and the lady who runs it is called Candi Heart. She is of Asian heritage and she is really different in this little Southern town," Grace-Staley said. "She has opened up this business in the middle of town and it's really rattling cages. ... The hero in that one is the sheriff, who you meet in 'A Home for Christmas.' He is all about rules and she's never met a rule that she didn't want to break, so this one is going to be interesting."
Grace-Staley maintains strong ties to Kingsport through her parents, Sherman and Betty Grace, who live in the Bloomingdale area, and her sister, Christy McKinney, a teacher at Church Hill Middle School.
She will sign copies of both books from 2 to 4 p.m., today at Waldenbooks in the Fort Henry Mall. The books are available through local bookstores or online. For complete ordering information, visit www.deborahgrace-staley.com.
A WARM FEELING
Grace-Staley writes what are known as "sweet" contemporary romances. In other words, there are no explicit sex scenes in her books as there are in other types of romance novels.
" 'Wholesome' is another word used to describe them," she said.
"Only You," which was released in June, focuses on a romance between a librarian and a handyman who comes from "the wrong side of the ridge." "A Home For Christmas," which debuted in October, chronicles the relationship between a lonely doctor and a contractor.
The books also feature a recurring cast of colorful characters, including Miss Estelee, the oldest resident of Angel Ridge and a firm believer in the town's angels. "She says that there are angels guiding the romantic lives of the residents," Grace-Staley said. "She'll say, 'This is what the angels are doing today.' The other residents humor her because she's so old."
In the books, legend has it that angels appeared to the town's founder and told him to name the settlement Angel Ridge. Events happen that are not easily explained, but no angels actually appear in the books, Grace-Staley said.
Another recurring character is Dixie Ferguson, who runs the town's diner and serves as the books' narrator.
"Each book begins and ends with her," she said.
Grace-Staley is currently at work on the third book in the "Angel Ridge" series, titled "Heart's Desire," as well as an inspirational romance.
She won't say whether or not the town's angels will ever actually make an appearance in an "Angel Ridge" book.
However, one thing is for sure - Grace-Staley has already gotten her happy ending.