Readers & Writers
Award Winning Author Deborah Grace-Staley on the Angel Ridge Series
2004-11-08
In 1995, my family and I purchased a fabulous circa. 1867 farmhouse on seven acres in the rolling hills of East Tennessee. On one side of the house, there's a breathtaking view of the mountains of North Carolina. On the other side you can see the backwaters of what is now Tellico Lake. The home has a unique "butterfly" design. That means that on either side of the front door, there are two wings--capped by two bay windows--that jut out, making a V shape around the trapezoid-shaped front porch.
Now, I am a lover of old homes. I have traveled extensively in the south and have toured more than I can name. I not only love the homes for their beauty and unique architectural elements, but also for the history surrounding them. So, naturally, when I moved into my own historic home, I immediately set out to research its roots. The more research I did, the more interesting facts I learned about the area surrounding the home.
The first settlers that came to this part of East Tennessee (present day Vonore, Greenback, and Maryville) settled along the Little Tennessee River. They built their homes near the river, grew cotton and other crops. Some had received these parcels of land as Revolutionary War pensions. One notable person who purchased land in the area was the father of Sam Houston. In fact, the man who built my house, A.B. Howard, was Sam Houston's brother-in-law. Additionally, the gravesite of Sam Houston's mother and the Sam Houston Schoolhouse are only a few miles from my house.
The people who lived in this area were wealthy. They lived well. Their homes were not quaint frontier cabins, but rather elegantly appointed plantations. They had weeklong parties when the paddleboats came up to the docks to pick up shipments of crops. Their children went to private schools. They rode fast horses. They intermarried. They stood together against Indian attacks. They feuded. But it all ended.
The river on which the people built their homes frequently flooded making rich bottomland in which to grow crops. It also left wide spread destruction each time it flooded. The Tennessee Valley Authority was established by the federal government to deal with this flooding problem. The plan was to install a system of dams to control the levels of the water along the rivers in Tennessee and also to create lakes for recreational purposes. Creating the lakes required flooding large areas of land along the river. So, most of those fine plantation homes that once stood near my home are now inundated. Covered by what is now Tellico Lake.
At this point in my research, I went into "what if" mode. What if you had lived this type of lifestyle and suddenly had it taken from you? What if you had to move up into town and live with all the other people? How would that affect you? How would you mix with everyone else?
That is the basis for the Angel Ridge Series. The McKay's and the Jones's, they were some of those displaced people. They moved up into a town called Angel Ridge, which had formed on a high ridge above the river, safe from the flooding. A town with quaint Victorian homes, now spotted with elaborate Victorian mansions more suited to its new residents. The McKay's? They owned the bank, were lawyers, accountants, professional people. The Jones's? Well, they got their money the old-fashioned way. They married money. Unfortunately, they lost it to gaming and drinking. Now the Jones home stands abandoned at the end of town, next to the McKay property, a shell of its former glory, decaying and damaged by fire. The Houston's are known for doing their civic duty. There has been a Houston mayor in Angel Ridge for as long as anyone can remember.
It would be safe to say that the older generation is set in its ways. It would also be safe to say that the new generation of Angel Ridge residents is determined to make their mark on the town and bring it into the Twenty-First Century. People like Cole Craig, Josie Allen, Dixie and Blake Ferguson, Candi Heart, Sheriff Grady Wallace, and even the town's current mayor, Patrick Houston.
You'll notice that the names of the town residents are Scottish, English, or Irish surnames. These are all names that are found on old tombstones in the area near my home. Some are still found on mailboxes and street signs.
And my home? Well, at the turn of the century, it sported gingerbread trim that was taken down when a former owner decked it out in crisp, white vinyl siding back in the 80's. But that trim is still in the barn, and my husband and I plan to restore it and put it back up in the eaves of the house where it belongs. The predominant feature of the trim is the fleur de lis and angel's wings. Thus the town name, Angel Ridge. And if you haven't yet guessed, I live in Miss Estelee's House.
On the cover of Only You, you will find four photographs. The home is Josie Allen's Victorian. That home is actually located in Fort Sanders in Knoxville. The arched entryway is the entrance to Hoskins Library, the old library on the campus of the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. The person portraying Cole is model and actor, Martin Thomsen. The angel may not be the one standing in Town Square, but you get the idea!
On the cover of A Home for Christmas, we could only place three photos because the name of the book was longer than on the first book in the series. The home you see there is owned by Ruth and Keith Law, and it stands on Highway 411 South in Greenback, Tennessee. When we first moved to the area at Christmastime, I immediately fell in love with the Law's house. Like Blake, they decorate it with hundreds of icicle lights at Christmas. Seeing it gave me the idea for the first chapter of the book. I'm so glad they agreed to let us scan a photo of the house all lit up at Christmas for the cover of the book. The model portraying Blake is Brooks Johnson (www.brooksjohnson.net). The antique angel tree topper was the perfect compliment to the book. You'll see why after you've read it!
If you have any questions about Angel Ridge that I can answer, please e-mail me at Deborah@deborahgrace-staley.com. I will collect the questions and publish them, with proper credits given, as well as the answers on my website. You could even pose the questions to Dixie. I'm sure she'd come up with some interesting answers! So, keep checking the website, www.deborahgrace-staley.com, for more information about Angel Ridge.