The "Charmed" Life of Shelley Shepard Gray

Dear Readers-- Today I have the pleasure of hosting author Shelley Shepard Gray here on Everything Writerly.

Shelley's Bio

Shelley Shepard Gray writes Amish romances for Harper Collins inspirational line, Avon Inspire and historical romances as Shelley Gray for Harper Collins Christian Publishers. 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 has published over fifty novels for a variety of publishers. Her novels have been highlighted in the Philadelphia Enquirer, Washington Post, Time Magazine, and USA Today. She has also been interviewed on NPR as well as numerous regional radio stations.

Andrea: Welcome, Shelly! Please tell us how God led you to write Amish Romances.

Shelley: I believe it was simply a matter of time before the Lord led me to write The Charmed Amish Life Series! Charm is very close to Sugarcreek, Ohio, where I’ve placed seven novels. It’s also just south of Berlin, the site of my Days of Redemption Series. All of that means that I’ve been driving through Charm a lot over the years. I was familiar with the area, the lumber mills, the fried pies, and the many cows and sheep that graze in the fields.

However, I knew God was nudging me toward this area when I impulsively decided to spend the night in a local inn where my Amish friend’s girlfriend worked. The inn was beautiful, and it was a pleasure to meet a friend of a friend.

However, the memory that I will always cherish was the amazing breakfast that was served. Yes, the food was wonderful, but it was the proprietor’s talk that touched my heart. Before leading us in prayer, he told a story of a man needing to reach out not only to God but to the special people in his life for support. It was a lovely tale and it resonated with me.

When I began to plot the four books in this series, I realized that I was inspired by that proprietor’s story. I decided that the books would begin after a terrible tragedy at a lumber mill, and that the only way for my characters to recover was to reach out to each other and to the Lord.

It’s been a pleasure to write the series. It’s brought back some wonderful memories, too! I hope readers will enjoy the books just as much.

Andrea: Thank you, Shelley, for stopping by today. Your books sound wonderful! 

Readers, you can find them on Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, ChristianBook.com and your local bookstores.

Don't forget to check out Shelley's website: http://www.shelleyshepardgray.com/