I am your host, Deborah Grace Staley, the author of the Angel Ridge Novels.
The first novel in the Angel Ridge series is Only You, and it is a May 2009 release from Bell Bridge Books (www.bellbridgebooks.com).
Angel Ridge is a small town in East Tennessee. Dixie Ferguson runs the local diner and also serves as our host while in Angel Ridge. Here's what she has to say about her corner of the world:
Hey, ya'll. Dixie Ferguson here. I run Ferguson's Diner in Angel Ridge, Tennessee. Population three hundred forty-five. Even though I wasn't born here, well, I call it home now, and most of the locals accept me as one of their own. Let me tell ya a little bit about our corner of the world.
It's a picturesque town in the valley of the Little Tennessee River, established in 1785. In the early days, its first families-the McKays, the Wallaces, the Houstons, the Joneses, and, of course, the Craigs-staked their claims on hundreds of acres of the richest bottom land anyone had ever seen. They built large homes near the meandering river and operated prosperous plantations. Well, all except for the Craigs. They were traders and craftsmen. Men of commerce, as it were. Meanwhile, the town developed above the river on a high ridge.
In the early 1970s, the Flood Control Board came in and bought up about all of the property along the flood prone river, and those stately homes that some called relics of a bygone era were inundated in the name of progress. But those who built more modest houses near town up on the ridge, well, their homes are still standin'. Of course, the families who lost theirs to the newly formed Tellassee Lake moved up to the ridge as well and built elaborate Victorian mansions such as this quaint little town had never seen.
Most of the families I mentioned earlier are still around. These folks are hardy people. Why in all the time they've lived here, they've endured Indian attacks, floods, divided loyalties in the Civil War, and yes, even feuds. The older folks are still marked by the hardships of the past, but the young people of the town hope to move beyond old hurts to create a new generation made strong because of their roots, yet free of the past.
After all the years I've spent behind the counter at Ferguson's, I could probably tell ya'll a story about near everyone in town. But we only have so much time, so I'll narrow it down to just two for now.
This is a story about coming home. It's also a story about acceptin' folks for who they are. You could say it's a story about a librarian and a handyman, but I say it's a story about finding love where you'd least expect to. Ya know, those kinds of things always seem to happen when you open up your heart to possibilities. Of course, a little help from our hometown angels and yours truly don't hurt none either!
So, come on along to Angel Ridge. Sit a spell and enjoy.
Stay tuned for news about the upcoming release of Only You, visits with Dixie and other Angel Ridge residents, and chats with me.
Thanks so much for taking the time to visit. I look foward to chatting with you!
Deborah
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