This month, we spotlight Joy Wilkerson Callaway, an international bestselling author of historical fiction and southern contemporary romance.
Callaway has a bachelorƵs of arts in journalism and public relations from Marshall University and a masterƵs in mass communication from the University of South Carolina.
She is an incredible storyteller and a wonderful person. SheƵs always a delight to talk to and makes you feel like youƵve known her forever. SheƵs the author of one of my favorite books, ƵThe Grand Design.Ƶ It takes place at the Greenbrier and is the story of famed designer Dorothy Draper. Callaway grew up going to the Greenbrier and carries on the tradition with her children.
Q: Tell me about your memories of going to the Greenbrier.
A: It would take a year for me to tell you about all of them, but IƵll mention a few of my favorites! My family has been vacationing at The Greenbrier for generations, and some of my most-treasured memories are from our annual family reunions. WeƵd go to tea each day, of course, and my grandparents (both sides, we went with my momƵs family AND my dadƵs) would often recount their experiences at the Greenbrier when they were younger.
My maternal grandfatherƵs family actually lived in White Sulphur Springs in the Ƶ40s Ƶ my great-grandfather was a ribbon mill manager. My grandpa would talk about his summers home from Duke Ƶ he was there playing football and studying engineering Ƶ and how he was hired to help put the fire alarm system in at the Greenbrier while Dorothy Draper was decorating. I also heard stories of fancy dances in the ballroom, landmark golf games, and anniversary trips from the rest of my grandparents. Stories like that were absolutely enchanting to me. ItƵs because of those stories and the concurrent familiarity and wonder I felt each time I visited that I knew I had to write a novel set at The Greenbrier.
Some favorite more recent memories are from my trips with my husband and children. ThereƵs nothing like sharing a favorite place with the people you love most. IƵve loved watching them run around the grounds under the big old trees that have seen so much history. IƵve loved hearing them squealing and splashing in the pools. Last year, my son asked to visit for his birthday, and we invited our best friends from Charleston to join us. The kids danced in the lobby to the fantastic Greenbrier singers, and we laughed so hard at each other and simply had an all-around great time.
ThatƵs the thing about The Greenbrier. Dorothy Draper set out to decorate every room in a manner that made each one primed for joyful memories, and she Ƶ and later, Mr. Varney Ƶ succeeded. ItƵs tough to pick favorite memories because every memory I have at The Greenbrier is a favorite.
Q: I know we both have fond memories of Carleton Varney; do you have one youƵd like to share?
A: IƵve always been in awe of Mr. Varney. So much so, that after I wrote ƵThe Grand Design,Ƶ I was absolutely terrified to send it to him. I ended up gathering the nerve when I got my advanced copies. I wrote him a very long letter about how much his work meant to me, how much Mrs. DraperƵs work meant to me, and that the novel was a love letter to The Greenbrier and Dorothy Draper & Co. About a month later, he called me and told me he loved it and that he was going to recommend it to everyone. He offered an endorsement as well.
Mr. Varney was out-of-this-world talented, an icon, but he was also incredibly humble and kind, quick to offer a helping hand. A few months before my novel was released, I had to change my title. Advanced review copies had already been sent out and I was a little stressed about it. I told Mr. Varney about what was going on and he picked up the phone once again and called me. IƵll never forget it. I was sitting on the side of a YMCA pool watching my daughter swim, worried about finding a new suitable title for my book, while THE Carleton Varney Ƶ the man whoƵd decorated for countless celebrities, royalty, presidents Ƶ brainstormed ideas with me until we came up with a good one. IƵll never forget his generosity.
Q: What inspired you to start writing?
A: Like so many writers, IƵve loved reading and writing since before I can remember. Growing up, I was only allowed to watch TV for 30 minutes on Friday evening (TGIF) and I wasnƵt allowed to say I was bored or I got assigned chores, so I leaned heavily into books and writing to entertain myself. I would write plays and rope my neighbors and brother (who hated it) into performing or IƵd create magazines on various topics and sell them door to door.
When I got older, I continued reading, but my creative writing sort of petered out. I knew writing was my strength, though, so when I started college at Marshall University, I knew IƵd choose something writing-related. I studied public relations and journalism at Marshall and really loved it. I went on to graduate school at the University of South Carolina for PR as well, and then worked in the field for a luxury real estate firm and a financial services company.
One summer Ƶ the summer after I got married, in fact Ƶ I was looking at my bookshelf and randomly remembered how much IƵd loved writing stories when I was younger. I started thinking up my first novel idea that day. It wasnƵt a winner. It was two books too long and included all sorts of publishing no-nos, but it reignited my passion for creative writing. After that, I couldnƵt stop. Eventually, during a Christmas vacation at my grandparentsƵ house in St. Albans, I came up with the idea that would eventually turn into ƵThe Fifth Avenue Artists Society,Ƶ my debut novel.
Q: How do you deal with the emotional impact of a book on yourself as you are writing the story?
A: Writing fiction means putting on another personƵs skin and stepping into a different world. It requires empathy for your characters and demands that you feel every high and every low youƵre writing in order to ultimately take the reader on the same immersive journey with you.
After a day of intense writing, I take a walk before I pick my kids up from school to clear my mind and refocus on my actual life. I also generally donƵt write on the weekends and choose, instead, to let myself rest. I find that my mind is sharper that way.
Q: ƵThe Grand DesignƵ is an amazing book. How was it received by The Greenbrier and the Dorothy Draper Company?
A: ƵThe Grand DesignƵ absolutely wouldnƵt have been possible without the support of The Greenbrier and Dorothy Draper & Co. On the Greenbrier side of things, Dr. Bob Conte, The GreenbrierƵs longtime historian, was incredibly supportive from the start. In fact, the book wouldnƵt have happened without him, full stop. IƵd been going on his history tours forever, but when I finally decided to write ƵThe Grand Design,Ƶ I got his email address and peppered him with questions for a solid couple years.
Ƶ I mentioned earlier, Dorothy Draper & Co has embraced me and ƵThe Grand DesignƵ from the get-go. I attended my very first Dorothy Draper Decorating weekend at The Greenbrier three years ago and was immediately welcomed as family by a staff that embodies the bright, sunshiny Draper brand. Rudy Saunders, design director at Dorothy Draper & Co, is a dear friend and keeps ƵThe Grand DesignƵ in stock at the Dorothy Draper Home store at The Greenbrier, and Stacy McLaughlin, the companyƵs public relations genius, is a kindred spirit as well.
ƵThe Grand DesignƵ was a true heart project for me, stemming from my lifelong love of West Virginia, The Greenbrier, and Dorothy Draper & Co., so to have the support of both companies has meant more to me than anyone may ever realize.
Q: What is the key theme or message in your books?
A: Strangely enough, I donƵt ever intentionally weave themes into my books, but the same themes keep emerging anyway. Over and over I write books about the importance of using your gifts, even when itƵs hard to do so or when you donƵt think using them will make a difference. There are absolutely no small lives. EveryoneƵs contribution is vital. I truly believe that each of us are given various skills and interests for a reason. ItƵs only by all of us using our gifts that we make the world a better place.
Q: What was the highlight of writing your latest book?
A: My latest book, ƵWhat The Mountains Remember,Ƶ centers on the remarkable ƵordinaryƵ men who were hired by business magnates and pharmaceutical manufacturers, E.W. Grove and Fred Seely to build the breathtaking Grove Park Inn in Ƶheville, North Carolina. It was an honor to learn more about the 400 skilled laborers that worked around the clock for a solid year to complete such a special project Ƶ a project that ultimately transformed Ƶheville from a haven for tuberculosis rehabilitation to a vibrant city built on tourism.
Q: What is the most surprising thing you discovered while writing your books?
A: After a decade of writing and publishing books, IƵm always still surprised when at least one thing I write into each book as fiction ends up being fact. I suppose I shouldnƵt be shocked Ƶ I make my best educated guess when it comes to historyƵs blank pages and question marks based on what I know from the historical record Ƶ but thereƵs nothing quite so validating as finding out that a conclusion you guessed was, in fact, the right one.
Q: Are you working on anything at the present you would like to share with us?
A: Yes! I have two books releasing in 2025. My next historical, ƵThe Star of Camp GreeneƵ (Harper, 5.6.25) Ƶ Charlotte, NC, 1918: When Broadway darling, Calla Connolly, contracts Spanish flu during her tour stop at Camp Greene, a WWI Army training camp in Charlotte, North Carolina, she overhears an Army secret in the hospital that obliterates her plans to tour on the front in memory of her fallen fiance, forces her to remain at camp indefinitely, encourages her former mentor to steal her tour, threatens the musician soldiers sheƵs come to care for, and endangers the life of the man she loves.
And my debut contemporary romance, ƵSing Me Home to CarolinaƵ (Alcove, 6.10.25) Ƶ a ƵHart of DixieƵ meets ƵSweet MagnoliasƵ mashup in which a city dweller returns to her small Southern hometown and finds herself running an accidental music venue people are calling the next Bluebird Cafe from her familyƵs barn while navigating the competing affections of her old flame Ƶ a former MLB standout Ƶ and the mysterious new guy in town who owns the hardware store.
Releases
- Hubert Mullins, from Southern West Virginia, is releasing the horror novel ƵUnder Crete.Ƶ Six years have passed since Elisabeth Wingate faced the terrors under Snake Island. Life has settled into comfortable obscurity. Her business thrives, sheƵs healthy, and sheƵs distanced herself from the perilous world of Greek myth. When a series of unsettling global events unfolds, she is thrust back into the mythological nightmare she vowed to leave behind. The book is available on Amazon.
- Abigail Keam is releasing a cozy mystery entitled ƵDeath by Trauma: A Josiah Reynolds Mystery.Ƶ In the Bluegrass world of oak-cured bourbon, antebellum mansions and Thoroughbred horse farms are deadly secrets! Kentucky is not called the dark and bloody ground for nothing! The book is available on Amazon.
- C. Becker is releasing her romantic suspense book ƵEmbracing Euphoria.Ƶ Hailey Langley tries to wrap her mind around the news her husband survived a fire she thought had killed him. Before she can search for him, Hailey has a promise to keep that takes her to Colombia, where she must face the drug lord behind her husbandƵs attack. The book is available on Amazon.
- Rebecca Hemlock, of Eastern Kentucky, is releasing her Christian romantic suspense book ƵA NurseƵs Ambush.Ƶ How could she trust the police to catch someone they claimed didnƵt exist? When ER Nurse Eliza Duncan is preparing medication for her patient and good friend, she spots a familiar form sneaking into her room. She hurries back to find Esther terrified and crying, claiming her stalker had returned, but sheƵs alone. Whoever this person was, they threatened to reveal EstherƵs dark secret. Eliza calls the police and searches for the culprit but soon finds out sheƵs on his hit list, too. The book is available on Amazon and at Broadway Books in Ƶhland.
Awards
ƵTrios: Death, Deceit, and PoliticsƵ by Carl Parsons of Parkersburg, West Virginia, was named the best political thriller of 2024 by Global Literary Book Review Service.
Events
- The Porch Poets (Susanna Connelly Holstein, Cheryl Denise, Kirk Judd and Sherrell Runnion Wigal) will be the featured readers for MAC Lit Nights at the Morgantown Arts Center in Morgantown, West Virginia, on March 13 at 6 p.m., and at Argo Books in Buckhannon, West Virginia, on April 11 at 6 p.m.
- Kirk Judd will present a poetry workshop for the Manuscript to Marketplace Writers Conference on March 22 in Shepherdstown, West Virginia.
