Joy Callaway

Current job and location:

Author of historical fiction and southern romance — Charlotte, North Carolina

Career background:

After I graduated from Marshall, I earned a master's degree in mass communication from the University of South Carolina and got a job in Greenville working in public relations for a luxury golf real estate company. When I got married in 2009 (my husband, John, is also a Marshall grad), we moved back to my hometown of Charlotte. I worked for a wealth management company in integrated communications for about five years, and during this time, I started writing fiction at night and during my lunch break. I got my first book deal with HarperCollins in 2013, four months after my daughter was born, and I'd resigned from my job. My debut novel, "The Fifth Avenue Artists Society," was published in 2015. Fast forward a decade, and I now have seven published books out in the world — two this spring. I'm beyond thankful that I've been given the opportunity to share these stories.

Tell us about how you come up with the topics of your novels and why you wanted to shine a light on historic locations such as the Greenbrier and the Omni Grove Park Inn?

The topics for my novels often come from a place of deep familiarity and interest — typically from my ancestry or from locations that I've been visiting for much of my life. Writers hear very early on that we should write what we know, that the truest stories come from our organic passions and gifts and interests. The advice is absolutely spot on.

I knew from the time I started writing novels that I wanted to write books set at both the Greenbrier and Grove Park Inn. My dad's side of the family has been in West Virginia for eight generations and has vacationed at the Greenbrier about that long, so from the time I was very young, we'd have family reunions there. I always loved going on the history tours offered by Greenbrier historian, Dr. Bob Conte, because I learned something new every time.

About eight years ago, while visiting the hotel on a family reunion, I became transfixed by the life of interior designer Dorothy Draper. My grandfather, whose family lived in White Sulphur Springs during the hotel's redecoration in the 1940s, recalled seeing the transformation in real time — he helped to install the fire alarm system on his summer break from Duke University. The personal connection was the spark that would eventually become my novel, "The Grand Design," about how Dorothy Draper's experiences at the Greenbrier encouraged her shift from Gilded Age heiress to CEO.

One of my earliest memories is standing in front of a glass display case at the Grove Park Inn. I'm around 5 and looking at an old photograph of the 400 skilled laborers who built the Grove Park Inn standing in front of the unfinished hotel. If I really think about it, I was probably interested in the photograph because the people in it looked familiar, a lot like the photos of coal miners I'd seen in our family albums. Ever since the first time I visited Grove Park, I've stopped to look at that picture and ever since I started writing, I knew I wanted to write a story that celebrated the people who built such a magnificent hotel — a veritable wonder of the world.

What do you love about writing and what do you hope is the impact of your work?

Writing allows me to step into another world. It allows me to feel what it would have been like to live in a particular time and place. Studies show that when you read or write fiction, your body engages with the content as though you're actually living it. I feel that acutely when I'm drafting a story. Books encourage empathy and bring people together and it's my hope that my work always accomplishes those two things. I also hope readers come away from my books understanding that they are living important stories themselves, that every single life touches and shapes others in vital ways we may never understand.

How did your time at Marshall help prepare you?

Marshall absolutely prepared me for both of my careers. I would choose Marshall over and over again. The professors were thoughtful and caring — in fact, I still keep in touch with Dan Hollis, George Arnold and Maryl Neff — the course material was applicable, and internships were plentiful. I felt incredibly prepared for my career in public relations and still use some of that knowledge in my role as an author.

Were there any scholarships, mentors or opportunities that were instrumental in your choosing Marshall?

I'd always loved West Virginia and had spent a lot of time in Beckley at our family's lake house and in the Charleston area with my grandparents, uncles and cousins. When I started looking at colleges, I thought of Marshall because my grandfather, Tom Wilkerson, had previously served on the Board of Governors, my grandmother, Sandra Wilkerson, had been on the institutional board of advisers, and my best friend from birth, Maggie Tardy, who is from Charleston, was seriously considering it. The moment I stepped on campus, I knew Marshall would be my college home.

What were your favorite experiences as a Marshall student?

I had such wonderful experiences as a student at Marshall and wish I could live it all again! I was in the Greek system for a few years as an Alpha Xi Delta, sang with the chamber choir in the music department for a semester or so, was very involved in Campus Crusade for Christ sophomore through senior year, and had the opportunity to intern with Fifth Third Bank and Camden Park. I loved going to football games and parties. I loved participating in J-school activities and campus events. I met my lifelong best friends and my husband at Marshall. My time there was truly priceless.

Can you tell us what you're passionate about?

I'm passionate about encouraging people to lean into their gifts and dreams. So often, dreams can seem far-fetched and out of reach — I know that first-hand — but I also firmly believe that each person is given certain talents and skills for a reason and to forfeit the use of them actually short-changes the world. It's easy to quit on the path toward achieving dreams because the path is often riddled with setbacks, but here's a secret — those of us that realize our goals are simply the people that weather the rejections and keep going.

What have you learned through your career and life experiences that is worth passing on?

The "small" things are really the big things. The ordinary moments with loved ones, the times you side-stepped yourself to either accept help from someone or extend a hand to others, the days you chose to approach life with hope, all matter tremendously and shape our lives more than we know.