Of course, producing a hit series is one thing, but creating a series of romance novels filled with such memorable characters as Maddie Townsend (JoAnna Garcia Swisher), Dana Sue Sullivan (Brooke Elliott) and Helen Decatur (Heather Headley) is another huge undertaking in and of itself—which is why it’s all the more impressive that bestselling author and Sweet Magnolias executive producer Sherryl Woods manages to do both. “Whether they’ve read the books or not, they know Maddie, Dana Sue, and Helen, and they at least have a hint at what the relationships are going to be,” Woods exclusively tells Parade.com. “But I think there’s some really raw, realistic emotion going on with some of the storylines as they develop over the season. As the writer of the books, it’s exciting for me to see these new layers to the characters.” Besides authoring 11 Sweet Magnolias novels, Woods has written more than 100 books in all. Her latest endeavor? Sweet Magnolias: Feels Like Family, the new Netflix Book Club Spotlight Title for February, which you can read as an eBook or listen to in audiobook form on hoopla digital. Keep reading for more of Parade.com’s exclusive Q&A with Sweet Magnolias author Sherryl Woods on the twists and turns of Sweet Magnolias Season 2 and why she—just like her characters!—enjoys sharing margarita Nights with her longtime best friends.
Sherryl, what have you been most excited about for Sweet Magnolias Season 2?
I’m excited to see how a story develops with Erik, because of course that’s the romance that was in the book, and her past history with Ryan was added by the show’s writer. , I’m really excited because I love the two of them together. When I first started watching daily’s I just loved the way Dion Johnstone just popped off the screen for me as Erik and I think that that’s a fun storyline. Of course, I know that most viewers are just sitting on the edge of their seats waiting to hear who was in the car. [Major Spoiler Alert! – It is Maddie’s younger son, Kyle Townsend (Logan Allen), and Jackson’s younger sister, Nellie, (Simone Lockhart), who fled a party and crashed Kyle’s brother’s car.] I am looking forward to seeing the finished episodes with all the bells and whistles for the first time.
How is Sweet Magnolias Season 2 different from Season 1?
I think first of all the viewers know the characters now. The main characters, they’ve got comfortable with and they know the basic thrust of the story. For example, there is some new depth to the characterizations between Ronnie and Dana Sue, on what went wrong and how they’re going to be able to get it right this time or hope they can get it right this time. There’s a lot going on with Annie and Ty and their friendship and how that’s evolving. It’s evolving a little bit differently than it did in my books.
What do you like most about the characters you’ve created in theSweet Magnolias books?
One of the things I loved in terms of writing the Sweet Magnolias series, is that all of the characters throughout the book at some point or another confront who they see themselves and who they want to be, and look at ways to get there. They each dig below whatever the trial of the moment is to look at that depth of understanding and compassion that we all really should be living our lives by.
In general, I found Season 2 to be more spiritual, more faith-based. Let’s talk about that?
I think that’s something that [showrunner] Sheryl Anderson has brought to the show with the vision of Pastor June (Tracey Bonner). I did another series years ago, the Trinity Harbor series of books in which I introduced a character very similar to Pastor June who was the moral compass of that particular town, and I think that’s what happened here, too. The addition of using vacation Bible school to be able to draw in the younger characters as they’re exploring their relationships. The little ones, whether it’s Katie [Townsend], or the teens are all revolving around that church and the church activities. I think you’re absolutely right, that there is that moral compass that’s been added as another layer.
Speaking of church, I loved the emotional scene with Dana Sue and the boy in need which shows the tender side of her that we don’t always get to see.
I know exactly the moment you’re talking about, and I think that what is wonderful about Dana Sue, in general, is that she sees herself a certain way. Helen and Maddie who know her really well, see beyond the feistiness. Initially, Dana Sue is extremely upset about this child because the child is being demanding and she doesn’t understand why. Then as I recall, Ronnie explains a little bit about what’s going on and this is what causes her transformation into this compassionate person.
Why do you think that scene works so well?
We all have that experience of being angry, irritated, or annoyed by something, and then we see the big picture and we’re able to take a step back and pull on that kindness and compassion that is in us and feel a little bit of the humiliation that we didn’t get it right away. I think that that causes all of us to look at ourselves a little bit when we do react.
Another aspect of Season 2 is the big themes of second chances and how revisiting old loves, and exploring new loves, gives us new choices in our lives.
Well, I think that’s what happens to a lot of us, whether it’s a relationship that breaks up or runs its course, the end of a marriage, or whether we love the person that we’ve loved our entire lives to their passing. How do you move on from those situations and let go, and not compare? That’s one of those things that I think you have to learn not to do. Not only because it’s unfair to the new person in your life but it’s unfair to you. You have to evolve beyond who you were in that relationship and find out who you are in this new relationship. Sometimes on the way you have to find out who you are now.
Sometimes it takes something major in our lives as a car accident, infertility problems, or the birth of a baby to say to us, “Now we know what’s important in life.”
Right, to help us reevaluate. It’s about being able to re-evaluate all of the things that we’ve made so important that in the overall scheme of life are very little more than nuisances when you stop and take a step back. I think in the last couple of years with the pandemic, where we were so often frustrated, and still are in many ways, so often frustrated by the things we can’t do and by restrictions and all these kinds of things. Yet, if you take a minute and say, ‘But look at what I have. Look at how I’m blessed versus what some other people have gone through with people who have been in the hospital and real tragedy. I’m in pretty good shape.’ I think we’ve all had those moments where we have to do a little bit of self-examination and take a look at what’s really important.
Were you able to go on the set during the COVID-19 restrictions?
No, they still had really tough restrictions and I was trying to go down for the scene in the nightclub where Helen and Erik sing, and I desperately wanted to go down for that particular scene. And the practicality of all the restrictions, given where I was and the timing of having to do all these things, it just didn’t work. It just didn’t work and I’m so disappointed, there have been a couple of times. I feel like I’m still on the fringes and I’ve not had a chance to get to know the cast as well as I would like to. I want to tell them how much I value the work that they put into the show because I think they’re so talented.
There’s so much admiration for Serenity and Dana Sue’s cooking that there’s even a Sweet MagnoliasCookbook.
Yes. In fact, I sent JoAnna, Heather, and Brooke copies of the cookbook that will be reissued on Feb. 22. It has some great photos from the show. It’s been redesigned and I re-wrote the intro to touch on the show. My note to JoAnna said I think she and her husband, Nick, are probably far better cooks than I am. But that maybe they’ll find something in there that they want to make for their family.
Are there other overall themes that we can talk about? There is a lot of love, romance, romantic triangles, and breakups.
We have added some themes and some storylines. It’s very difficult for me because again talking about the people who binge-watch will know all the storylines. I don’t want to say too much about for instance what’s going on with Cal and how that particular theme gets just the beginnings of being explored. I also think the other theme that we see a little bit is old love versus new love. You see it a little bit with Dane Sue and Ronnie and Jeremy, and you see it with Cal and Bill Townsend and all the stuff that’s going on with him in this particular season. Again you realize that people are not static and it takes work to build relationships and to keep relationships. Sometimes we always regret the one that got away, but is that really what we want now? I think the dynamics within the couples provide some interesting twists this year.
You definitely end Season 2 with a lot morecliffhangers.
Absolutely, more cliffhangers. I think one of the things that are new this year because Netflix now has this book club that they’re doing, and Starbucks made a million copies of Feels like Family, which is Helen and Erik’s story, available free to some of their customers and to the book club members and so on, the digital edition, that there’s an emphasis on whether or not you have read the books. The nice thing about the books here is that not only are they available in print these days, but we’ve got the audio versions of the entire series now is available, and there are digital editions. There are so many ways to tap into the inspiration for the series and compare it and see which version you think is the one. As I said, I’m never offended by the idea that they’re adding to my storylines. I think that’s the joy of having a series, is that it keeps getting fresher and different.
Do you have friends like Dana Sue, Helen, and Maddie in your life—close friends you can call on during good times and tough times?
Absolutely. The importance my friends play in my life is a big part of the reason that I wrote this series. Being a former newspaper writer, I have friends that are have moved all over the countryside. I do have very close friends but they’re scattered. In my town in Virginia, where I’ve been going since I was four years old, I have a handful of friends I’ve known since I was probably 10 or 12, as a summer kid and they are still in my life. They are the ones who know all about my history. Which is one of the reasons why I still love going back and spending my summers there. It’s a chance to catch up with who I used to be and to share those important moments with friends who knew my parents and I knew all of their parents. Those relationships in a small town in Virginia run very deep for me. Richard Ducree/Netflix
What are you looking forward to in terms of getting to know the three leading ladies and the other actors when Season 3 begins filming?
For me, I always liked to get to know the people who are playing my characters as people. This goes back to when I used to do interviews with a lot of people on television, is that I want to know who they are in real life. Because right now to me they’re the characters that they play, and I know that’s not the way it works. If you’re an actress or an actor you’re coming to the role from a certain perspective and you’re bringing certain things from your own life to it. I love discovering that other element of who these people really are.
Your loyal fans waited a long time for Season 2. What are you hearing from them?
I just saw a tweet today from somebody who had said that they just finished their fifth watching of the series. That says something wonderful about how meaningful this show can be in terms of being relatable to women and to the things that matter to them.
How does all of the positive feedback on the fan sites personally affect you?
Well, I think for every author it is incredibly rewarding to hear from readers or from people watching the show, and it’s very similar in terms of that reaction, who are saying ‘I went through this.’ Or, ‘I was going through this at the time that I was watching, or my sister was and my mom was, and it meant so much to me to see that you could come out on the other side of this trouble.’ I can remember when I was first doing interviews for the books, and people were saying, ‘Boy, they’re sitting around drinking all the time.’ It’s not about the alcohol, it’s about the friendship and the fact that these people are there to support you. And the Margaritas are just sort of symbolic. I have a group of friends with who I share Margarita nights and we started having Margarita Nights before I even wrote the series. Ironically, half of them don’t drink Margaritas or don’t drink alcohol at all. We call it Margarita Night and it’s about getting together and sharing, comforting, supporting, and laughing. It’s humbling and rewarding for me as a writer, and I’m sure it is for [showrunner} Sheryl Anderson and the actresses in the show, to have anybody tell them that the show touched them in one way or another and that it has meant something special to them. Sweet Magnolias Seasons 1 and 2 are streaming on Netflix. For more Sweet Magnolias check out Sweet Magnolias Season 2 Reveals What We’ve Been Waiting For! Find Out Who Was in That Fateful Car Crash
