Virginia'dele Smith - Witty Characters, Clean Chemistry, and Holiday Cheer

Ashli Montgomery is a wife, a momma, and an author whose passion is sharing love stories, books, quilts, yoga, recipes, and all of her favorite things in life. She is quilting to mend the mind by spearheading a community of quilters through Quilt 2 End ALZ, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit she launched to use her quilting hobby as a platform to advocate for an end to Alzheimer's disease. 
Ashli writes under the pen name Virginia’dele Smith to honor Syble Virginia Tidwell, Adele Gertrude Baylin, and Etta Jean Smith. These three cherished grandmothers were beautiful role models, teaching Ashli to love without judgment and to always put family first. Through Grandma Sybil’s journals and appetite for books, through Momadele’s priceless cards and handwritten letters, and through many, many hours of visiting over fabric at Mema’s kitchen island, Ashli also learned to treasure words.
As our Author of the Day, she tells us all about her book, Undeveloped Love.

Please give us a short introduction to what Undeveloped Love is about

Undeveloped Love is an “enemies to forever” romance that proves miracles really do happen at Christmas. Our two protagonists like to antagonize one another! But along the way of fighting and digging in heels to have their own way, both what brings them the most joy is one another. The storyline entertains and engages while reminding readers that people aren’t always — in fact, they usually aren’t — exactly as they may seem from afar. The only way to truly know someone is to listen, observe, and be present when with that person. That time together might just be the very best gift of all!

What inspired you to write this story? Was there anything in particular that made you want to tackle this?

I cherish Christmas! And once I’d established my fictional world of Green Hills, I knew I wanted to share the holidays in Green Hills with my readers. On top of that, what better time is there for falling in love? In fact, my husband and I married at Christmas, used red and green for our wedding colors, and had a beautiful tree decorated at the reception. Twenty-eight years later, I still decorate a tree with those ornaments every Christmas, and it’s just as gorgeous and meaningful now as it was then. I love Christmas… I adore love stories… So I just had to write a Christmas love story!

Knowing how hectic and hurried we all feel throughout November and December, I decided my Christmas miniseries would have a shorter format, so I’ve planned The Christmas Collection novels to be novellas. At eighteen chapters instead of my full-length template of thirty-six, readers can escape to Green Hills for an hour or two and get back to their real-life festivities feeling refreshed and joyful from reading a cozy romance with a happy ending. I’ve already begun working on 2024’s book in The Christmas Collection, and I hope to publish one per year for a long time.

Tell us more about Blake Fisher. What makes her tick?

Determination! Blake grew up with a mom who loved and cared for her, but it wasn’t a charmed childhood. That upbringing created strength, perseverance, and motivation to create a life of independence on her own terms. Financially, college wasn’t an option for Blake after high school, so she pursued a career in real estate. In a short amount of time, she’d earned both her agent’s license and her broker’s license. Having a soft spot in her heart for Green Hills, and Green Hills not having a local real estate business in town, Blake moves there and establishes Front Porch Realty. When the CEO of Sharp Enterprises refuses to hear her out on a real estate deal that would ensure her success, Blake takes matters into her own hands. She’s not one to wait for life to happen to her; she’s smart, sharp, and willing to go after what she wants. In the end, what she wants just happens to be her sworn enemy: Mr. Hudson Alexander Sharp — the Fourth — who happens to be the CEO of Sharp Enterprises and the cowboy she’d never forgotten.

What makes Hudson Sharp so special?

Hudson wants to be a grump — a grinch — but his heart is simply too big. He’s the big brother who grumbles at his younger brothers but defends their gifts and strengths without hesitation. He’s a provider and a caregiver and a leader. Although he’s lived a privileged life and wears authority like a fine-fitting pearl-snap shirt, Hudson believes in hard work, loves his family deeply, and respects the timeless beauty of his land. He’s a quiet yet staunch supporter of his community, and once granted, Hudson’s love is unconditional and unending.

Why did you title this book Undeveloped Love?

The most straightforward answer is that the undeveloped Christmas tree lot at Twin Oaks is the catalyst for Blake and Hudson to fall in love, but while their battles are fun and witty, there’s more to the story than the überpopular “enemies to lovers” romance trope. Ultimately, this is a story of discovering love and allowing it to develop, to shape one’s life. Undeveloped Love is about the what if… What if one courageously accepts love when it’s offered? What if one is brave enough to give love a chance? What if…?

What do you find appealing about second-chance romance?

I see opportunities for love all around…with the person one sees at the grocery store (Book 1), with the one previously overlooked (Book 2), with the person one has secretly loved all their life (Book 3), or with the friend one can no longer live without (Book 4). And soooo many more places! And because love is all around us, the idea of needing a second chance (or a third or fourth) to embrace that opportunity feels real; it feel honest and relatable. I also love the moral found within that we don’t have only one shot at finding true love. The gift is there, even if it takes a time or two to recognize and grab hold of it.

What did you have the most fun with when writing this story?

This is my first “enemies” romance, and I had way too much fun writing the contentious banter between Blake and Hudson. I told my husband he might should worry at how much I enjoyed writing hotheaded arguments, and for some reason, he said he wasn’t the least bit surprised – LOL! From a craft standpoint, I’m pleased I created characters who are passionate in their beliefs and willing to stand strong without sacrificing the facets of their personalities that make them kind, sweet, and caring. I’m proud my characters prove that a bad moment (like an angry outburst or an ungracious thought) doesn’t make one a bad person. Good people have real emotions, too…even in a wholesome and cozy romance.

This is Book 5 of a series. Can it be read as a standalone? How do the other books in the series tie in with this one?

As a book collector, I envision a whole shelf of Virginia’dele Smith books lined up in my bookcase. The only way to keep them in publishing order is to number them, so all my novels fall under the umbrella of Green Hills, my fictional small town in Oklahoma. Not every book takes place there, but they all have a connection back to the community. Books 1–4 are The Davenports miniseries and introduce a whole host of characters. We will see and hear from those characters from time to time in subsequent books, but each story can be read as a standalone. Readers will enjoy going back to get to know those characters better, but they won’t feel lost or confused if they pick up Book 5 first.

Why did you pick Green Hills as the backdrop for this series?

Green Hills is homebase for all Virginia’dele Smith novels. It’s a mystical small town where love is present, residents are kind, and the community cares for all. It might be “too good to be true” in real life, but as the author, I get to invent my fictional world how I think the world should be, and Green Hills is it. As I publish more books, we get to know Green Hills and her residents in a way they become people in whom we delight. By the end of each Green Hills romance, readers are cheering for the characters and welcome their happily ever after because their journey to finding true love is shared.

Do any of your characters ever go off on their own tangent, refusing to do what you had planned for them?

Oh yes! I’m a plotter in that I have an idea of my characters’ personalities and backgrounds, their meet cute, and the overriding trope of the plot. But that’s about it! From there, I’m a true pantser…writing by the seat of my pants and discovering what happens as the words appear on the laptop. Oftentimes, I go back to reread or edit a scene or chapter and think, “Wait— Did I write that?” Even more often, I get lost in reading the story myself, which I take as a good sign. If I love these love stories, hopefully they will bless someone else’s week, too.

When starting on a new book, what is the first thing you do?

The first thing I do when tackling a new book is to create my character profiles. I find photographs to use as constant when describing them throughout the book, I write a sketch of their background which I add to as I work through the story, and I create a timeline for their life that begins with their birthday and highlights major events like schooling, high school graduation, college, military service, deaths in their family, career steps, and more. Once I have my two main characters lined out, I determine the five milestones of my story arc: introduction and setting, the inciting incident (often this is the main characters’ first kiss in a romance), the first slap, the second slap, and the resolution. For me, that is a LOT of planning, so from there, I simply write, which is my favorite part!

Do you have any interesting writing habits? What is an average writing day like for you?

I’m an all-or-nothing kind of girl. When I’m deep into writing a book, it’s all I do…no laundry, no cooking, and little sleeping. But when I’m not deep into writing, I try to work on “book business” the first half of each day. I’m an early riser, so I’m often on my laptop before six a.m., and I Zoom with a group of authors every morning from seven to nine-thirty. We check in for a few minutes at the beginning of the call, then we write for two hours, and at the end of our time, we report back on what we accomplished. The accountability is wonderful, but the friendships are truly the best part of our ritual. After we log off, I try to get another three to four hours of work in before the normal chaos of the day takes over. If I manage to maintain that schedule 75-80% of the time, I can complete a new book — outline to launch — every six months.

What are you working on right now?

This week I’m putting the finishing touches on a cookbook that goes with my first miniseries. The Davenports EAT pulls my favorite recipes from Books 1–4 in a bonus book that will accompany the boxset which releases on December 3rd. As soon as I’m finished with that, it’s back to Book 6: Isla which is the first in a three-book miniseries called The Green Hills of Scotland.

Where can our readers discover more of your work or interact with you?

The best place to find me is my website: ashlimontgomery.com and through my newsletter, The Gazette. I also try to stay active on Instagram and with my reader group on Facebook, Welcome to Green Hills, when time allows