Angela Correll
Entrepreneurship can take many different forms, as well as multiple forms—sometimes all at once—as Kentucky businessperson and author Angela Correll very well knows.
Correll just released “Granted,” the third novel in her May Hollow Trilogy. Her first book was adapted into a stage production for the historic Pioneer Playhouse in Danville, Kentucky.
She also is the co-owner of The Bluebird Café in Stanford, Kentucky, and founder of Kentucky Soaps & Such. She and her husband have also restored several historic buildings in Stanford and operate them as guesthouses.
Before all else, Correll, a seventh-generation Kentuckian, is a wonderful writer—a storyteller with a gift for conveying the complexities of pursuing a simpler way of life. We spoke with Correll about her new book and how she manages her time.
How is this book different than the other two in the May Hollow Trilogy?
My writing style has progressed as the series goes along. It’s like having three children, and with the first child you’re learning to be a parent, and then it comes easier as you go along.
Also, this book goes a bit deeper as the central characters, Annie and Beulah, each have to face an issue they’ve struggled with their whole lives. As in the first two books, there’s a good dose of humor and a little mystery as well.
When I wrote “Grounded,” I was fully prepared for it to be a stand-alone novel, but I also left room to continue if readers responded well. With good feedback, I began to consider the second book and telling more of the storyline that involved a family mystery and World War II. When I wrote the second book, I committed in my mind to a third book since I knew there had to be more resolution.
You and your husband live on a farm in Central Kentucky. How did this affect the development of your characters?
These characters are a mix of my friends, family and neighbors, so I know them well. I live about two miles outside of the town Somerville is based on, and it’s the same size and geography as what I describe in the book. I also moved to the farm after living in the city and traveling around the United States for nearly 10 years, so I know what Annie felt when she first arrived in Somerville. That was very much how I felt in those early years. I had people like Beulah to guide me and help me adjust my “city ways,” even though I never knew my grandmothers.
You’ve created several businesses. Can you tell us about them and the process you went through in becoming an entrepreneur?
My entrepreneurial skills developed through solving problems. First, there was the problem of saving my goats. After collecting quite a few, my husband encouraged me to reduce the growing herd since he had to help trim their hooves regularly.
Knowing he was ultimately a businessman who appreciated anything that produced income, I researched goat milk soap. That started our goat milk soap business, which spawned into Kentucky Soaps & Such, a retail shop on Main Street where we make our soap and sell other handcrafted products like pottery, woodcrafts, candles, jewelry and gift baskets.
Then we had the problem of hosting numerous guests because there wasn’t adequate lodging in our hometown. We almost built a guesthouse on our farm but then decided to save an old house in town and renovate it for guests. That led to the Wilderness Road Guesthouses & Rooms. We currently have five houses and eight hotel rooms with plans for more.
Once we had the shopping and lodging experience, we realized we needed to feed people. After seeking a chef who had the same vision for local and natural food featuring meat that had no antibiotics or hormones, we created The Bluebird Café with Chef William Hawkins. It’s been serving breakfast and lunch six days a week and dinner on Friday and Saturday nights for nearly six years now. We plan to open a fast-casual pizzeria this summer.
Sustainable farming is a reoccurring subject in all of your books.
I’ve raised an organic garden since 1999, canning the produce and making marinara sauce and pesto, jams and jellies. This has been part of my story since moving back to the farm. Preserving healthy, whole food is one of my passions and a favorite summer pastime as I listen to a good audiobook.
My son, Preston Correll, is the model for Jake and has given his life to sustainable farming by raising grass-fed cattle, poultry and pigs. He’s taught us about grasses, the importance of local processing, and the health benefits of knowing where your meat comes from and having it raised without stress, hormones or antibiotics. Preston is one of the founders of Marksbury Farm Market.
What have been your greatest challenges in business and in writing?
Time and balance. It’s impossible to focus on everything at once, but we have a great team of folks who are running the businesses, so I am excited to give more and more time to writing.