Meet your PK Neighbor

New York Times Best Selling Author, Geri Williams

Story and photos by Andrea Ozier

Being a third-generation Possum Kingdom “lake rat †scored Steve Williams a spouse who happens to be a New York Times bestselling author – and Geri Williams, his wife, admitted that she married her husband because he had a PK lake house.

And there’s nothing wrong with that.

After more than four decades of marriage, PK is now home for this couple that grew up in Wichita Falls.

They married just as they graduated from Texas A&M University (Class of ’79), and Geri Williams worked selling advertising for a newspaper before starting a family with her husband.

She said she always was an avid reader and thought she could write better than some of the authors whose works she read, so she joined the Trinity Arts Writers Association and tried her hand at writing a book. “The Texan’s Bride†was published in 1993 under her maiden name, Geralyn Dawson, and her first 15 books were historical romance novels.

After a chance encounter with a “bad luck†wedding dress that she saw in a museum at the Fort Worth Stockyards, Geri Williams let her imagination ran wild, and it led to her first nationally acclaimed book. “The Bad Luck Wedding Dress†supercharged her exploits as a writer, and a copy of her bestselling book is now displayed next to the dress in the stockyards.

She admitted there was one point in her writing career when she was ready to toss her pen aside and do something else, but that’s also when her husband told her, “Geri, you’re a writer.†So, instead of quitting, she shifted her focus from historical fiction to contemporary tales and began crafting romance novels under the pen name “Emily March.â€

She described those works as Hallmark Channel-type books, and they’re set in the made-up Texas town of Brazos Bend. Many of her books under that nom de plume touch on familiar places for those who frequent the PK Lake area; for example, the local grocery store is The Trading Post, Possum Kingdom Lake is the setting in several books, and Wichita Falls and Fain Elementary School are also points of interest.

She said she tried to use names and places that are familiar to her so she wouldn’t get confused when writing. After all, she has 41 novels and a half-dozen novellas to her credit.

It was during a writing dry spell that her character Celeste Blessing, the heroine in Geri Williams’ “Eternity Springs†series, made her debut.

“Readers love her,†she said. “She resonates with them.

The series is set in a small Colorado town where “broken hearts go to heal†and rejuvenate their souls. It was intended to be just three books, Geri Williams said, but it proved to be so popular that it turned into 19 novels.

That popularity, in turn, led to the series being optioned for television and film. “Touched by an Angel†star Roma Downey and “7th Heaven†writer Brenda Hampton have teamed with Virgin River executive producers Roma Roth and Christopher E. Perry to be the executive producers on a series adaptation of the “Eternity Springs†series, she said, with the first look going to Amazon Prime.

Geri Williams’ novels are a delightful escape from reality, whisking readers away to picturesque towns and charming characters. But what sets her works apart from other writers is her ability to tackle real-life topics within the cozy romance genre. Her characters grapple with issues ranging from grief to addiction to post-traumatic stress disorder, making her novels both heartwarming and thought-provoking.

She said she does plenty of research as she’s writing because her readers hold her accountable when she gets something wrong. She consults with medical workers, firefighters, glass blowers and more as she writes to “keep it real.â€

In one of her books, Geri Williams has a character that makes different soaps, so she visited a soapmaking business, An Ancient Art Soap Co. (then in Strawn), and spent a day learning about the craft. She then commissioned the company, now owned by PK local Sandy Winkleman, to make private-label soaps that she handed out at book signings.

Geri Williams said she writes about family, love and laughter. She lights up when speaking of her dad, John Edward Dawson, referring to him as “the best storyteller I ever knew.†Judging by her literary success, she seems to have inherited his ability to spin a story, though she readily admitted that she can’t tell a story like he could.

Her works have been published by Penguin/Random House, Simon and Schuster, Macmillan, Harlequin, Hachette Book Group and Audible Originals, but despite that impressive list she is hesitant to speak of her awards. She also has received accolades from the New York Times, Publisher’s Weekly and USA Today, and one honor she is most proud of is being named a finalist for the Romance Writers of America’s RITA Award, the most prominent award for English- language romance fiction from 1990 to 2019.

She and her husband raised their three children – Steven, John and Caitlin – in North Richland Hills. They bought their lake house in Sportsman’s World 11 years ago and became full-time residents there during the COVID-19 pandemic that began in 2020, and they added that they don’t miss living in the big city.

She and her husband raised their three children – Steven, John and Caitlin – in North Richland Hills. They bought their lake house in Sportsman’s World 11 years ago and became full-time residents there during the COVID-19 pandemic that began in 2020, and they added that they don’t miss living in the big city.

Steve Williams works for Donovan Marine, a marine supply distributor.

The couple has four grandchildren – Blake, J.D., Maddie and Emmie – who enjoy visiting Possum Kingdom and are fifth-generation “lake rats.â€