Mt. Morris native Beth George recently wrote and published a fiction novel, “They Called Him LongMan,” under the pen name Georgia Lovett.

George, a former longtime area resident, was the concessionaire of White Pines Resort at White Pines State Park for 31 years and owned several other businesses in Oregon and Polo before moving to Costa Rica in 2020.

George will be back in the area this month and will be holding a book-signing event from 4-5:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 19, at the Canyon at Pine Creek at 6811 W. Pines Road. Books will be available for purchase at the signing and can be found online. There is no cost to attend.

George has spent the past two years writing the book, which is based on the experiences of her ex-husband, Dennis Henderson, during his work as a missionary in Papua New Guinea, along with many other lived experiences and locations near and far, including the Oregon-Polo-Mt. Morris area.

The fiction novel follows the story of a missionary, Robert Pierson, known as LongMan, who built churches in the remote highlands of Papua New Guinea and was a husband, father and man of faith. After a stroke in his 60s forces Pierson to slow down, memories begin to surface from the jungles of Papua New Guinea, where one passionate decision set in motion consequences that would echo across generations, the book’s description said.

“As the past begins to surface, the lives of Robert’s children and grandchildren start to shift in ways none of them could have predicted – from the mountains of Nepal to the deserts of Nevada, from small-town America to the beaches of Costa Rica,” the description said. “Love deepens, loyalties are tested, and long-buried secrets begin to reshape everything they thought they knew about their family.”

George said that well over 30 years ago, she heard her ex-husband’s tales of his adventures as a missionary. She wanted to see the story told to others and decided then that she would write a fiction novel about it. After retirement, she found the time.

“Dennis and I are still good friends and I decided two years ago to write the book,” George said. “It takes place in 2008 and the story starts off in a small town in Wisconsin, which is based on the Oregon area and White Pines. It flashes back to Papua New Guinea in 1968. It’s about love and adventures and is almost all based on lived experiences and true events. I wanted to make it so more people wanted to read it, which is why I broadened it and made it fiction.”

In May 2020, George announced the closure of White Pines Resort and that she’d be filing for bankruptcy and closing due to COVID-19 impacts. She also previously owned local businesses including Eagle’s Nest and the Canyon at Pine Creek.

George left the country for Costa Rica during that time, where she has spent her retirement. She said the signing on May 19 will be “a bit of a reunion” in the area where she lived and did business for so many years.

The experience of writing “They Called Him LongMan” was cathartic for George.

“I had no idea what it would be like,” George said. “I didn’t think I could write, but I have a good imagination and I think that’s what carried me through. It was exciting and nerve racking. You finish a chapter and you have no idea if it’s good or bad. It was scary to put it out there. The process was unbelievable. You have to commit. I would set aside time to write it and the work was 6-10 hours a day of nothing but writing.”

Since being published on March 31, the novel has been well received, George said. She originally wrote the book for family and friends and those who could relate to the book’s main themes and settings. The response has exceeded her expectations. Work on the novel gave her a new purpose in retirement.

“People are really connecting to it,” George said. “It’s pretty human with emotions and character development. I’ve lived almost 68 years, so I have a lot of real-life experience and I tried my best to use that. People will have connections to the settings.

“You’re never too old. Your life isn’t over when you retire. You can find something new and keep going.”