Born and raised in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, Georgia holds dear the three inherent mountain values of faith, family, and the land. Her debut Christmas romance novel, The Ornament of Hope is rich with voices from the past, memories of heartwarming stories and traditions of her cherished heritage.
In this interview, the author talks about how the Hallmark Christmas movies influenced her, her goals writing the novel, and the essential qualities of a romance’s leading lady and leading man.
What inspired the story in The Ornament of Hope?
I was born and raised in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, I hold dear the three inherent mountain values of faith, family, and the land. My debut faith-influenced Christmas romance novel, The Ornament of Hope, is rich with voices for the past, memories of heartwarming stories, folklore, and traditions of my cherished heritage.
When we relocated from Kentucky to Jonesborough, Tennessee to be near our family, on our first drive down Main Street I fell in love with this quaint little historic town and thought it would be a perfect setting for a movie or book. Jonesborough is the inspiration for the fictional town, Spring Valley, a charming artsy Appalachian town.
I’m a huge fan of Hallmark Christmas movies and had been tossing around in my head the story line. I wanted to go deeper with the struggles and journey of loss with Shauna and Gabe, so it’s not all candy canes and lollypops. It’s a contemporary love story set against the struggles of the Appalachian region and the internal emotional struggles of moving beyond loss with Shauna and Gabe.
What were your goals writing this novel?
With the year of the COVID pandemic I wanted to offer a story where we can find hope when life seems dark and how sometimes in loss, you discover love.
No matter what I write, non-fiction or fiction I gently point readers to scripture and weave timeless advice through the pages. God is concerned with your living your best possible life. My goal is always helping readers discover meaning and purpose in your life and help make sense of uncertain times, suffering, and loss.
The Word of God offers hope when a crisis hits, comfort in time of grief, encouragement when you are weary, and guidance in relationships. Readers will find love in the whispers of hope in The Ornament of Hope.
What do you want readers to take away after reading The Ornament of Hope?
The Ornament of Hope is definitely a heartwarming, feel-good Christmas read but also has the main characters dealing with underlying deep struggles and loss that I think we can relate to in our daily life. In our own struggles we can choose joy and cling to hope.
What’s an example of how your storytelling is impacted by your Christian faith?
The Word of God offers hope when a crisis hits, comfort in time of grief, encouragement when you are weary, and guidance in relationships. Readers will find inspiration and love in the whispers of hope in The Ornament of Hope.
What do you consider the essential qualities of a leading lady and a leading man in your fiction?
Both the leading lady, Shauna, and the leading man, Gabe, are on the journey of healing from tremendous loss. Following the advice of her therapist, Shauna Murphy left her dream career and nightmare life behind in the big city.
She made the dreaded trip home for the holidays to spend time with her family and reconnect with her heritage. Nestled in the shadow of the Appalachian Mountains, her hometown enveloped her like a cozy quilt–wrapped her in comfort to calm and heal her hurts.
During her trauma Shauna clung to the encouragement of scripture to be strong and courageous but finds it overwhelming at times to move beyond her loss. She pushes through her fears and trauma and gains strength from her beloved Gran’s whispers of hope.
When Gabe Anderson, a Northerner, moved to the South with his new bride to manage her family’s historic inn, he never imagined in a few short years he would be a widower, living alone in Spring Valley. After his tragic loss, just when Gabe began living again, he suffers another life altering event that leaves him questioning his future and purpose. An avid hiker, he finds solace in the mounts – his refuge, his sanctuary where he met God.
Both Shauna and Gabe realize they have to let go of fear to find hope as together they begin their wish granting mission for The Giving tree to help provide assistance to struggling families in need. Along the journey they find an ordinary Christmas ornament is an extraordinary symbol of the hope, love, and joy to be found in giving.
Visit Georgia Curtis Ling’s Author Page:
https://www.familyfiction.com/authors/georgia-curtis-ling
The Ornament of Hope
Spring Valley #1
Georgia Curtis Ling
Birds On A Wire Media
Buy the book here (affiliate link)
An artsy Appalachian town…A miraculous ornament of hope…A divine appointment with love.
Following the advice of her therapist, Shauna Murphy left her dream career and nightmare life behind in the big city. She made the dreaded trip home for the holidays to spend with her Christmas crazy family in Spring Valley, Tennessee, a heritage-crafters haven. She wasn’t convinced reconnecting with her family roots would be a cure-all, but she had nowhere else to go, except home. She finds moving forward from past trauma is no easy task. Nestled in the shadow of the Appalachian Mountains, her hometown enveloped her like a cozy quilt – wrapped her in comfort to calm and heal her hurts.
When Gabe Anderson, a Northerner, moved to the South with his new bride to manage her family’s historic inn, he never imagined in a few short years he would be a widower, living alone in Spring Valley. After his tragic loss, just when Gabe began living again, he suffers another life altering event that leaves him questioning his future and purpose. An avid hiker, he finds solace in the mountains – his refuge, his sanctuary.
After retirement, Ada Taylor joined the little downtown business community and opened the Mockingbird Coffee House in an historic church building. It was perfect for Ada, since she also claimed the title, First Lady, at the AME Zion Church. She was known for her traditional Southern desserts, but what really drew people to her coffee house was her listening ear and tender heart. As a prayer whisperer, she made sure every cup of coffee had an extra-shot of blessings. On more than one occasion, she was guilty of playing matchmaker. It turns out to be a favorite hobby.
When Ada recruits Shauna and Gabe to sponsor a wishing ornament of hope from the Giving Tree, they are miraculously chosen to be teammates. Together, they begin their wish granting mission to help provide assistance to struggling families in need. Along the troubled journey they find an ordinary Christmas ornament is an extraordinary symbol of the hope, love and joy to be found in giving.