‘The Waltons’ Star Mary Elizabeth McDonough Wrote a Book That Became a Hallmark Christmas Movie

On the classic TV series The Waltons, eldest son John-Boy Walton (Richard Thomas) dreamed of becoming a published author. But in real life, Thomas’s co-star Mary Elizabeth McDonough was the one who tried her hand at writing fiction. The actor – who played John-Boy’s younger sister Erin Walton — has written two novels, including one that was turned into a Hallmark Christmas movie. 

‘The Waltons’ cast member Mary McDonough went from child actor to published author  

The Waltons was McDonough’s first major acting role. She played the role of Erin for the show’s entire nine-season run, growing up onscreen in the process. While she continued to act after the show ended, she also branched out into other pursuits. Over the years, she’s worked as an acting coach, life coach, and public speaker, as well as an activist for breast implant safety. She also became a published author. 

McDonough has written a memoir, Lesson From the Mountain: What I Learned From Erin Walton. In that book, she talks about her time on the Emmy-winning show, struggles with self-image, and more. She’s also published two novels: One Year and Christmas on Honeysuckle Lane. (The latter was originally released under the title The House on Honeysuckle Lane.) 

‘Christmas on Honeysuckle Lane’ was made into a Hallmark Christmas move in 2018 

Christmas on Honeysuckle Lane is a follow-up to McDonough’s first novel, One Year. It’s also set in the small town of Oliver’s Well, Virginia, and follows the three Reynolds siblings as they reunite for their first Christmas together after their mother’s death. 

In 2018, the book was adapted into a made-for-TV movie for Hallmark Movies & Mysteries. It starred Alicia Witt as Emma, who returns home to celebrate the holidays with her siblings. Emma ends up finding love with Morgan (Colin Ferguson), the owner of a local antique shop who is helping her solve a family mystery. McDonough has a supporting role in the movie as a character named Caro. 

The actor said her books were influenced by ‘The Waltons’ 

The Waltons was based on a book by Earl Hamner Jr. that was inspired by his own life growing up in rural Virginia during the Great Depression. When McDonough’s memoir editor suggested she give writing fiction a try, she couldn’t help but be influenced by Hamner’s work. 

“It’s very much along The Waltons theme,” she told Parade.com of One Year. “I think I was really influenced by [creator] Earl Hamner Jr. and the show, because it tends to be what I like to write about. One Year is about people losing their parents, and I have lost both of mine.”

She also wanted to explore the lives of women. 

“I’ve always written about women, and I have very strong feelings about women, how women are together, how they should be together, how they should support each other and help each other and get along and communicate,” she said. “Since I’m all about communication, I said, ‘Well, if I do write books, they have to be about women,’ and so, of course, One Year is about how three generations of women get along, what do they have to learn in the process, and how they communicate.”

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