Grace Helena Walz is a former social worker who writes heartfelt book club fiction with Southern settings and characters you’ll want as friends. Her titles include Southern by Design and Good Hair Days. Grace resides outside of Atlanta, GA with her husband and two children and writes in the moments between driving carpool and making grocery lists. Pretty as a Peach is her third novel.
FF: Pretty as a Peach is steeped in Southern charm and small-town dynamics. What drew you to this setting for Delilah’s story?
I love stories where setting is a character in the story, and as a Southern fiction author Southern charm is a top priority. Perhaps it’s a house or a small business or in the case of Pretty as a Peach, the town of Pearl, GA plays an important role. Pearl is a glossy town, a place where excellence is expected of all, lawns are neatly kept, and appearances matter. Despite having lived her entire life in Pearl, Delilah doesn’t fit in. She doesn’t care about fashion, and she’s found purpose in her job as a preschool teacher, and yet she continues to feel the pull of Pearl’s expectations. I’m very interested in the impact the places we grow up have on us, as well as the families we’re born into, and the courage it takes to step outside of those traditions. Delilah embodies all of this, and the Pearl, GA setting is ideal for setting her up with the challenges necessary for growth.
FF: Delilah has built her life around keeping the peace, even at her own expense. What interested you about exploring a character who avoids conflict—and what happens when she can’t anymore?
Delilah grew up as the black sheep in her family, and from a young age she learned that avoiding rocking the boat at all costs was the way to keep her life conflict free. But as she moves through her adult life she’s left wondering if a conflict free life is the same as an authentic one where she is completely herself. When a multilevel marketing business, Peach Pit, arrives in town and starts creating problems in her group of friends, tension grows inside her. Eventually she reaches the point that staying quiet might mean she loses them. I think it’s a common experience as a modern woman to work hard at finding the line between showing up as a kind person who values others while also honoring her own needs and limits. Sometimes it’s the right thing to do to say nothing, but not always. Sometimes it’s important to speak up or stand up for what’s right.
FF: The arrival of Peach Pit disrupts not just the town, but Delilah’s closest friendships. What inspired you to examine how outside influences can reshape—or strain—female relationships?
When I started this story I was very interesting in the multilevel marketing business model that recruits salespeople through personal networks. We’ve all heard the old adage “don’t mix business and friendship,” and yet these network sales models have been prevalent for years and hinge on just that. I got really curious about how very overtly mixing business and friendship—especially when one friend stands to financially gain from the other—could impact life-long friendships. Even in the strongest relationships it can be difficult to navigate these types of conflicts. Especially in the south discussing money could be considered impolite. At the same time, it was important for me to address both sides of the coin, not only the potential harm of the business but also the real positives that women have experienced—the very parts that’ve kept these businesses alive and well. Ultimately I wanted to show the power of female friendships and the ability to rise above outside forces. I’m a sucker for a “girl power” moment!
FF: At its heart, this is a story about finding the courage to speak up. How did you approach developing Delilah’s voice as she moves from silence to action?
It was important to me to show Delilah’s deep care for both her friends and community, and show clearly at the beginning that she was afraid to use her voice because she believed she could lose those relationships. Delilah has a reason for staying quiet, and it’s the misbelief she internalized as a child that’s followed her into adulthood. She ultimately realizes that the people who love and care for her aren’t deterred by her taking a stand—in fact, holding on to those relationships ultimately requires her to speak up—but it takes coming up against some big challenges to make this discovery. I wanted readers to be able to relate to Delilah, and I hope that her big heart and genuine care for others translates.
FF: The novel blends warmth and humor with more serious themes of trust and accountability. How did you strike that balance as a storyteller?
Once I am done with a draft and I move on to revising steps, I try to put myself in the reader’s seat and gauge the types of emotions I’m feeling as I read through. I like to include serious themes to add depth and really make my characters work for their happy endings, but I also don’t want to exhaust the reader! By checking in with each scene, I feel out where the heaviest emotions lie and try to balance them out with more light-hearted moments alongside it.
FF: Delilah is supported by an unexpected and eclectic group—from her retired neighbor to a longtime pen pal. What role does community play in her journey?
Delilah is supported by her community in every step of her transformation from people-pleaser to brave advocate for the truth. Because she never really felt accepted in her family, she has built strong relationships in the community, and her life-long group of girlfriends have become a stand-in family. So when she faces challenges that force her to question what she believes—and what she wants—those people show up for her just like she’s always shown up for them.
FF: There’s a thread of uncovering truth as Delilah begins to question what she’s been told. What drew you to explore that idea within a women’s fiction framework?
As a reader I love a good mystery, and I love the momentum uncovering a piece of information can give a story. It can propel a reader through to the end. In Delilah’s case it felt particularly resonant, as she is reexamining a lot of the ways she thinks about her life and the choices she makes, so the elements of uncovering the truth ties in neatly with the larger themes in the book.
FF: What do you hope readers take away about friendship, courage, and self-worth after finishing Pretty as a Peach?
I hope readers will feel emboldened to love themselves and one another by full embracing their identity, that they will be deterred from people-pleasing, and that they will be reminded that community is a wonderful source of support and encouragement. I also hope they will leave feeling refreshed, cozy, and hopeful.
