Vannetta Chapman

A few months ago I told you that I would be visiting the Amish community in Chouteau, Oklahoma. This is the scene for my upcoming book, Anna’s Healing. Today I thought I’d share some of those photos.

One of the first things you’ll see when entering the town of Chouteau is the Amish Cheese House. They have wonderful sandwiches made on fresh bread with Amish cheese, and of course the workers are Amish and Englisch. Everyone was very friendly!

This is a common thing to see in Chouteau. The Amish use tractors in this community (due to the difficulty in farming the clay dirt). They also drive the tractors to town! Notice the canopy to shield them from the sun and the truck bed pulled behind! this is for storing your groceries or other purchases. It also provides a place to sit if your friends want to go to town with you!

This is a fairly typical Amish home in the area. Notice the absence of electrical lines, the gas tank in the front, and the tractor. I discuss the differences in this Amish community in my series!

Items found at a local store. You definitely know you’re in Amish country!

Anna’s Healing will release one year from now, and I’ll let you know as soon as the pre-order button is available. In the meantime, if this series sounds interesting, you might check out my Pebble Creek series here.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful summer!

Vannetta

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Pebble Creek series, book 1

The Pebble Creek Series

If you looked up Pebble Creek, Wisconsin on a map – you wouldn’t find it! That’s because I visited the area of Cashton, going through Amish homes and stopping at Amish businesses. I ate any Amish food I could find, and I visited with anyone who would talk to me! It was a wonderful experience, and most of it happened in or around the town of Cashton.

Once I was home, I decided I wanted a softer name for the series. Cashton is a good name, but it made me think of money, or Johnny Cash, or a train (I can’t explain that last one). I wanted something a bit more plain & simple, as we say. There were many creeks in the area, and so I came up with the name of Pebble Creek.

The Amish in this area are quite friendly, however, the area as a whole is not like the more tourist-driven Amish areas of Shipshewana, IN or even Lancaster, PA. In Wisconsin, you have to go looking for the Amish if you want to find them. And then when you do, what you find will remind you of the Old Order Amish, in that they still use outhouses, have no gas refrigerators or stoves, and chop ice from the river in the winter and then store it for the year. However in other ways–quilting, gardening, their community and their faith–they are very similar to their Amish cousins in other states.

Pebble Creek series, book 2

I recently received the following email from the sweet marketing person at Harvest House–

We are excited to let you know about an upcoming eBook promotion for The Pebble Creek Amish Series: A Promise for Miriam, A Home for Lydia, and A Wedding for Julia.  From June 27 – July 15 we will be offering your books at a special sale prices through our eBook distributors—this includes Kindle, Nook, Kobo, Apple, and the Sony Reader. 

And let me say those prices are great! You can receive all 3 books for under $11. I hope that you’ll give this series a try–it’s Amish romance with a touch of mystery. I think it’s something you will enjoy.

Pebble Creek Series, book 3

Pebble Creek Series, book 3

Blessings,

Vannetta

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VC at a quilt show

Researching in Chouteau, Oklahoma

This week I head north, to Oklahoma where I’ll be doing two fun things. On Friday and Saturday, I’ll be attending Quilt Tulsa. If you haven’t been to a quilt show, and you live in the Tulsa area, I encourage you to attend. There are quilts to look at and lots of vendors. I’ll be selling my quilt shop mysteries, as well as all of my other books. And I have a few items that I’ve picked up in various Amish communities that I will also have available for purchase. I love going to quilt shows, and I adore meeting readers.

The second thing I’ll do this week is visit Chouteau, a small community 45 minutes to the east of Tulsa. This is the largest Amish community in Oklahoma (the other is in Clarita). Next year my first Oklahoma Amish book will release. It is titled Anna’s Healing. I’m half way through writing it, and I’m looking forward to walking around the area and meeting folks.

Researching A Promise for Miriam

So what do writers do when they research?  I can tell you what I do, and I can also tell you that it’s something I enjoy immensely.

• Visit local Amish stores
• Buy stuff for giveaways when the books release
• Take pictures of Amish homes and schools (always remembering to be respectful and not take close-up pictures of people)
• Visit with Amish families. In the past, folks have been very friendly.
• Visit the local library and/or historical center.
• Eat lots of pie.
• Pick up any brochures/maps that will help me when I’m writing.
• Obtain addresses of area folks (librarians, etc.) who would like to receive a complimentary copy of my book.

Researching is a hoot. I really enjoy it. My characters are certainly fictional, but they live in a real place with real problems. Kids attend school. Parents shop. Families go to the local park. It’s very helpful for me to visit a place and root these things firmly in my mind as I write the story on my heart.

I hope that you have some fun plans this summer, and I hope that you have time to read some wonderful books.

Blessings,

Vannetta

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