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Biography
ABOUT DONNA
Donna VanLiere is a New York Times and USA Today best-selling author and gifted conference speaker. She has published eight titles including The Christmas Shoes and The Christmas Blessing, both of which were adapted into movies and big ratings for CBS television. Her non-seasonal novel, The Angels of Morgan Hill, has captured the same warmth as her Christmas books and continues to please loyal and new fans alike.
Donna is the recipient of a Retailer's Choice Award for Fiction, a Dove Award, a Silver Angel Award, an Audie Award for best inspirational fiction, and a nominee for a Gold Medallion Book of the Year. Donna is an in-demand conference speaker having appeared at countless women's and family events, including select Women of Faith conferences.
Donna's newest novel, The Christmas Promise, is the fourth in The Christmas Hope series. Donna lives in Franklin, Tennessee, with her husband, Troy, and their children, Grace, Kate and David.
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IN HER WORDS...
I was born and raised in Northeastern Ohio. The winters were snowy and cold, much more there than where we now live in middle Tennessee. I would wait inside our garage, bouncing and pacing to keep warm, and when I saw the school bus stop three houses down the street, I'd run down our driveway just in time to step on board. School children would pray for snow days but those are rare in the North; school buses pick shivering children up regardless of rain, sleet, ice, or snow. I remember writing my first story in those early years; I was in the second-grade, I believe. It was about a bear and his family but I abandoned it soon after the first page when a kid named Mike looked over my shoulder and asked why in the world I was writing a stupid story about a bear. I wish I had kept it, better yet, I wish I had finished it; after all, I had gotten through the hardest part of writing... beginning something.
If there was some great epiphany that I was supposed to be a writer during my time in high school I'm afraid I missed it. I did write, though, for the school paper, and whenever they needed a sketch for variety shows. College offered more of the same but on a larger scale. I studied broadcasting and theater but again, there was no great epiphany during those years.
After my husband and I married, we moved to Nashville. I was constantly writing "on the side" but wasn't aware that I could make my living at it. Theater, commercial, voiceover, and radio work helped pay the bills and since I earned degrees in those areas, I thought I should be faithful to the years I logged studying them and follow through with as much work as possible. But writing work continued to come in without any solicitation on my part! Without actively seeking it, I was working as a professional writer. Since I was finally doing what I felt I was called to do, I decided to write what I liked to read: stories.
My first book was They Walked With Him (Howard Publishing, 2001) and contained stories of the apostles. Somehow, over the years, these men who turned the world upside down have been reduced to stiff, boring, and dull. I wanted to paint vivid pictures of them and bring their strengths, faults, and quirks to life on the page. Sheltering Trees: The Power, Promise, and Refuge of Friendship (Howard Publishing, 2001) became my second work. This gift book is full of first-hand accounts of friendship from well-known artists, authors, and speakers such as Country Star Randy Travis and motivational guru Zig Ziglar. Much to my surprise, Sheltering Trees received a Silver Angel Award.
Then came The Christmas Shoes. My friend Eddie Carswell of the group NewSong told me the premise of a Christmas song he was writing. He asked if I thought it would make a good Christmas song... and I told him I thought it would make a great book. I began to work on an outline so I could flesh out the story and characters. In the meantime, NewSong released The Christmas Shoes single to radio in the winter of 2000. In three weeks, it shot to the top of the Billboard radio charts, tying the record for the fastest charting number one song. St. Martin's Press offered to publish The Christmas Shoes novel and released it at the end of October of 2001. It debuted on The New York Times Bestseller List in November of 02 and CBS brought it to the small screen on December 1, 2002 (9 E.S.T). The Christmas Shoes stars Rob Lowe (The West Wing) and Kimberly Williams (Father of the Bride). It is a beautiful, touching film about family and the power of the human spirit. Because the screen version differs from the novel, I do encourage readers to read the book first before watching the movie--but the film will stay with you long after you turn off the television. The movie tied with Monday Night Football as the third most watched show that week. CBS re-aired the movie in December of 03 on the same night The Titanic aired and as one executive at CBS stated, "It sank The Titanic in the ratings."
CBS has optioned The Christmas Blessing as a movie that will air winter 05.
As blessed as I am to make my living doing what I love, my writing pales in comparison to my title of "mom". After years and tears of trying to conceive a child, God answered our prayers in March of 2002 when my husband and I traveled to China to bring home our ten-month-old daughter. In July of 04 we traveled across the sea again to bring home another China doll. In July of 07 we brought home a little guy from Guatemala! David is a smiling, happy baby and our children are by far the most exciting part of our lives. These days, I write during naps and spend the rest of my time watching them grow. They are a joy that I haven't yet been able to put into words. Someday, I hope to try.
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FACT SHEET
B.A., Communication Arts
Cedarville University
Bibliography
- They Walked With Him (Howard Publishing, 2001)
- Sheltering Trees: The Power, Promise, and Refuge of Friendship (Howard Publishing, 2001)
- The Christmas Shoes (St. Martin's Press, 2001)
- The Christmas Blessing (St. Martin's Press, 2003)
- High Calling: The Courageous Life and Faith of Space Shuttle Columbia Commander Rick Husband, by Evelyn Husband & Donna VanLiere (Thomas Nelson, 2004)
- The Christmas Hope (St. Martin's Press, 2005)
- The Angels of Morgan Hill (St. Martin's Press, 2006)
- The Christmas Promise (St. Martin's Press, 2007)
- The Angels of Morgan Hill, paperback (St. Martin's Paperbacks, 2007)
Filmography
- The Christmas Shoes (CBS, 2002)
- The Christmas Blessing (CBS, 2005)
Recognitions
- New York Times® Bestselling Author, Fiction
- USA Today® Bestselling Author, Fiction
- Retailer's Choice Award for Fiction
- Dove Award® and multiple nominations
- Silver Angel Award for Inspirational Book
- Gold Medallion Book of the Year Fiction nominee
- Audie Award for Inspirational Fiction (and multiple nominations)
Other
- Inspirational Conference Speaker
- Featured Speaker for select Women of Faith Conference events
- Books translated into Japanese, Italian, French, German, Indonesian and others.
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