Two authors, one with many passions, one who writes about passion. And they are married and living in Maryville.
"The outdoors have been very important to me," says Charles Maynard.
He has followed every single one of his dreams and there are many.
To work in the mountains. "I was the first executive director for Friends of the Smokies," says Charles.
To pastor a local church, to lead other pastors.
"A district superintendent in our church works with 65 churches in Sevier, Blount, Loudon and Monroe counties," says Charles.
To write. "I've written a lot on the Smokies. I've written a lot of magazine articles for Tennessee Conservationist, Smokies Life, had a book come out last year on the Blue Ridge Mountains," says Charles.
Charles Maynard has been successful in life and in love. He met his unlikely match in high school.
"At that time she was the editor and chief of our school newspaper, which at our school was a really big deal. I was the associate editor," says Charles. "And I felt like the associate editor's job was to associate with the editor and so we started dating."
"My mother comes home and says, 'Why don't you go out with that nice Charles Maynard,' which is the kiss of the death if your mother likes some guy," says Janice.
Janice Maynard has been writing all of her life. In second grade she won awards for her stories.
"Early on I got that affirmation that wow, people will read my stuff. It's just a compulsion to write so I've been writing my whole life," says Janice.
It's what she writes that makes her even more intriguing. "I read my first romance novel in seventh grade. My aunt, my great aunt actually who lived with my grandmother was a voracious reader. She let me pull anything of her bookshelf. In fact, I'm sure I read things I should have never read at that age," says Janice.
She was hooked and she is now a Harlequin Romance novelist. Her entire series about the people of Wolff Mountain has been picked up by Harlequin and the first two books have been very successful.
"One of the nicest compliments I ever received was from a reader who said you write about people that I would love to be friends with," says Janice.
It took her years to get where she is now and a lot of rejection. "I have a folder of what I call my but letters. We love the way you write, but," says Janice.
Now 19 of her books have been published and she has a whole contingent of fans.
"She's been my wife in many settings and so sometimes it's fun to be her husband in other settings," says Charles. "We were at a book signing in Huntsville this past weekend and it was all about the famous author and I was helping hand out things and it was just neat to be in that role and watch her shine."
This pastor is proud of his wife. "I always tell people that I am the model for all of her heroes and our daughters always point out that Janice writes fiction. I just think it helps them sleep at night," says Charles.
Charles and Janice help each other in ways that only two authors can. He helps her with logistics and she is his copy editor. A romance that started in high school continues to grow and is Janice's inspiration.
"To be titled a romance it's all about meeting that perfect person, which I happen to still believe in. I was lucky in that I met my perfect person early on. Not everyone is that lucky, but I do believe in love that lasts always," says Janice.
The Maynards, a pastor and a passionate novelist who are living their own fairy tale every day right here in East Tennessee.
"That's why East Tennessee means so much to me is the mountains, but not just the physical mountains, it's the culture that comes with it, the stories. I love traditional mountain stories," says Charles.
One of Your Stories. There's no place like this one.