Today, we welcome author Shelley Shepard Gray to the blog to talk about her latest release Her Secret Hope —
Lilly Kurtz decides to take a job at the Marigold Inn in Pinecraft, and she’s eager to spend more time with her best friends and make new friends who know nothing about her past. When guests Eddie Byler and his grandmother befriend her, she’s sure she made the right decision. However, as her romance with Eddie blossoms, she soon learns that everything in her past cannot be erased, just as Eddie must come to terms with the fact that his views on what is right and wrong might not be as correct as he believed. Only by being completely honest with each other—and with themselves—will Lilly and Eddie learn that their secret hopes and dreams can become their realities.
Readers were first introduced to Lilly Kurtz in Her Heart’s Desire, the first book in your series. Can you please explain why Lilly left her hometown in Middlefield, Ohio and went to Pinecraft?
Lilly Kurtz first leaves her hometown in an attempt to live her life without the stigma of her birth parents’ mistakes.
Lilly has a budding relationship with Eddie Byler, who highly values honesty and trust. But Lilly’s past could threaten their future. What do you feel readers can learn from Lilly and Eddie’s relationship?
This novel focuses not only on the themes of honesty and trust but also God’s grace. It’s my hope that readers will be able to connect with one of the characters in the novel who is searching for the Lord’s acceptance and love.
In addition to facing one’s past, are there other underlying themes found within Her Secret Hope?
I think another theme is friendship and accepting God’s grace. So many of the characters— whether they are in their twenties, forties, or seventies—are often reaching out to others for support or guidance. I loved that each character is eventually reminded that he or she needs not only God’s love but their friends’ and family’s support and love as well.
Her Secret Hope is the final novel in the A Season in Pinecraft series. What was the connecting element for all of the books in your series?
From the beginning, I was anxious to highlight three women who felt like “wallflowers,” who felt like they didn’t really click with their peer group in their hometowns. I wanted to empower them and have them not only find acceptance but learn to value their unique selves. Pinecraft, Florida, a place where Amish from all over America vacation, felt like the perfect spot. So, I strived for each novel to be a different play on “an Amish wallflower on vacation.”
Are there any threads that run through the whole series that will be wrapped up in this book?
No. Each book was written to stand alone.
How have you personally been impacted by this series?
I love to write novels about things that could happen to anyone—my characters just happen to be Amish. Writing this series, with each woman looking for acceptance, love, and friendship, reaffirmed this belief. On a personal note, I truly enjoyed writing this series. It was an upbeat trio of stories highlighting positive themes. It made for a lot of happy writing days!
Why did you choose Pinecraft, Florida, as the setting for your series?
Pinecraft is one of my favorite settings for novels because it’s the only place where Amish from all over the world come together. It’s a unique setting rich with possibilities for new stories. Honestly, I could happily write a dozen books set in Pinecraft—there’s such a fun mixture of people there!
How can readers connect with you?
I’m on Facebook, on Instagram, and on Twitter. I have a private FB group called Shelley Shepard Gray’s Buggy Bunch, which is easy to join and I post often. I also have a “short and sweet” monthly newsletter that readers can sign up for on my website, www.shelleyshepardgray.com.
Thank you for joining us today! It’s always fun to visit Pinecraft.
Readers, here’s a quick look at Her Secret Hope which releases November 7th!
Almost two years after Lilly Kurtz first traveled to Pinecraft, Florida, with friends, she’s decided to make a fresh start there. She’s ready to be new-and-improved Lilly, a Lilly without a past, a Lilly with no secrets. At first, everything goes well. She gets a job, her coworkers feel like family, and she enjoys reconnecting with her friends. But it turns out the past is reluctant to be left behind.
When Lilly meets hardworking farmer Eddie Byler, she can’t get him off of her mind. But then she discovers that Eddie actually lives just a few miles from her hometown in Ohio. Lilly knows that he’s not going to like it when he finds out what secrets she’s been running from. And she knows she could never follow the man she’s falling in love with back to a place where she’s never felt accepted.
Will Lilly have to give up on love in order to find peace? Or could it be that love is actually the solution to all of her problems?
