Back in October, I interviewed Stacy T. Simmons for her podcast episode. Although she was contracted with Celebrate Lit Publishing as I am, our connection before the Zoom meeting was limited to comments in our respective Facebook author posts. I’d had the privilege of editing her novel, Journey for Faith, which released earlier this month, but we’d never spoken until the interview.
Have you ever met with a person and felt an instant connection? That’s how it was for me talking to Stacy. I truly felt as if we could become close friends. She was sweet and funny, encouraging and joyful. After I stopped recording the interview, we chatted for a bit, and she shared with me that she was going in for surgery that week. She had a very large uterine tumor that made her appear pregnant. She didn’t seem concerned, even though they weren’t yet sure if it was malignant. I told her I’d be praying for her—and that’s what I did.
Thursday morning, I opened up Facebook to find a memorial to Stacy. The surgery seemingly went well, but she later died from unforeseen complications. I was literally frozen with grief. I’ve heard people respond to someone’s death with, “How is it possible? I just saw them yesterday,” or some version of that. It’s exactly what went through my mind. How could Stacy be gone—we had an amazing conversation only four days ago?
When you listen to this interview, I hope you’re able to get the essence of Stacy’s heart and personality. She is most definitely in a brighter place, although I’m sure her family would much rather she was back with them. I wonder if the Lord will have her penning stories in heaven. I’m sure whatever she’s doing, it’s with her bright, beautiful smile.
Heather Norman Smith’s goal as an author is to use the written word to entertain and encourage while illuminating the redemptive love of God. She lives with her family near the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina and uses this beautiful area as the setting for her inspirational Southern fiction novels.
Two of her novels released in 2019—Grace & Lavender and Where I was Planted. In 2020, she released Shenanigans followed by New Transportation Wine Country in 2021. Her newest novel Songs for a Sunday is available this month. As you can see, she can’t write fast enough for the stories God has laid on her heart.
Heather is contracted with literary agent Cyle Young. You can connect with her via her website and/or her Amazon Author Page.
Stacy T. Simmons wrote uplifting fiction to delight the reader’s romantic sensibilities. Her debut novel (A Promise for Faith) was published in January 2022 and her novella (Christmas in the Cotswolds) was published one week before her untimely passing in October 2022. A Journey for Hope, the second of three planned novels in her Briar Creek Love series, was Stacy’s last complete manuscript.
A multi-year president of the Dallas-Fort Worth chapter of the American Christian Fiction Writers, Stacy was an inspiration to many fledgling and aspiring writers. Her determination helped her to finally realize her dream of becoming a published author at the age of 56. Stacy worked full-time as a special education paraprofessional by day and diligently wrote her books at night. At the title of her blog indicates, Stacy was indeed “Fueled by Faith and Caffeine.” She was often found working on her manuscripts with a piece of dark chocolate and a cup of coffee nearby.
Married to her best friend Mike for thirty-five years, Stacy raised two grown daughters and had a menagerie of pets she liked to call “Noah’s Ark.” She was a beloved member of the women’s Christian fiction writing community and will be sorely missed. Stacy’s husband and family are seeking to carry on her legacy by promoting A Journey for Hope and are maintaining her social media pages on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest, as well as her blog, Fueled by Faith and Caffeine.
Get connected with her novels at her website www.stacytsimmonsauthor.com
