I learned some interesting facts about the Amish of Kentucky while researching A Little Bit of Charm. Many of the Amish and Old Order Mennonite farmers have started growing strawberries commercially, while others have built hothouses to extend their season. Frequently raised vegetables are rhubarb, squash, tomatoes, potatoes, and pepper varieties, both sweet and hot. Here’s a photo of me standing in a field of soybeans.

Also I learned about another way the Amish make a living–bookmaking. A cobbler near Sheridan makes gorgeous, fit-like-a-glove leather boots. The boot-maker traces the customer’s feet for the pattern and sets to work. Then you go back a second time to pick them up. They won’t be cheap, but they also won’t hurt your feet.

I hope you’re all enjoying these warm days. It’s finally summer in Ohio! But before you know it, the rain and snow will be back. Enjoy!

Filed under: Amish Fiction, Authors, Mary Ellis by Mary
No Comments »

Amish Fiction and Those Other Characters

When I read a book, I become caught up in the lives of the characters. It seems as if I AM the main character. I feel her feelings, think her thoughts and struggle against her problems. When I reach the end of the book, I want my character to be in a happy place. Maybe everything isn’t perfect in her life, but I want it to be headed in that direction.

And sometimes I wonder about the minor characters. I want a little more. I’m not ready to leave that place that the author has taken me. With Amish fiction, this seems to happen to an even greater degree. Amish life is based on simplicity, faith and community. I want to know what’s happened to the folks in my book’s community.

Maybe I’m the only one who does this.

As a writer, I want to tell my readers more about those “other” characters, but alas … we’re limited by the number of words and the length of pages.

Maybe we’re not so limited though. Harvest House recently allowed me to write a short story based on my characters in Pebble Creek. Which one to pick? Ach! I wanted to pick them all. But this was to be a short story, so I had to choose one.

I chose Esther. She is the teacher who works in the schoolhouse with Miriam in book 1 of this series, A Promise for Miriam. Esther is a good friend to Miriam, very much like a sister. I wanted to revisit Esther’s life and share a little more. I wanted to back up a little, and tell you about her life before Gabe and Grace moved to Pebble Creek.

Home to Pebble Creek is that story, and it’s for free on Amazon, CBD, and will soon appear on B&N as well. If you don’t have an e-reader device, you can download this to your computer from Amazon and read it there. I hope you’ll leave a review at the site you purchase from, and I do hope that you’ll share this FREE short story with a friend. It’s a great way to introduce Amish fiction to other readers.

This short, twenty page story takes us back  to the banks of Pebble Creek. For me, it was a real pleasure to visit once again with the Amish community there.

Blessings,

V

Filed under: Amish Fiction, Vannetta Chapman by vannetta
4 Comments »

September 1 is the official release date for Love Still Stands, the first book in my New Hope Amish romance series. For an author, this is an exciting time. From the first inkling of the idea, to the pitch to the publisher, to the writing, editing and publishing of the book, it’s a long road. It’s hard for me to believe this story, set in a fictional town in Missouri, is a reality. Celebrating the moment brings back memories of the trip my husband and I took a little over two years ago to do research for the series. We spent a few days in Jamesport, which has a thriving Amish community. We stayed in a bed and breakfast and attended an Amish school fundraising auction. It was July and Missouri was experiencing a tremendous heat wave that kept temperatures above one hundred during the day. Despite the discomfort, the research garnered from the trip was worth its weight in gold. Not because I interviewed Amish folks, because I didn’t. The beauty of making this trip in person was in being able to get the details right. To get the setting right. All those little things that bring the story and the setting to life:

• The way the young girl dangled her bare foot over the side of the two-seater as she drove through town at a quick clip.
•  The two little girls using brooms taller than they were to sweep the porch.
•  The phone shack with solar panels.
• The little boy tugging at the reins as he walks the Shetland pony around in a circle, a young buggy driver in training, no doubt dreaming of that big moment when he actually hitches his horse to the buggy.

•  The couple driving their buggy out to the phone shack by the road instead of walking.

•  The sign that read No Hitching Here and featured a graphic of a buggy instead of a car.

•  The endless row of wringer wash machines at the auction, all white, except one pink one.

You can learn a lot from the Internet and reading books, but there’s nothing like first hand observation to feel the heat of a July summer in a small town in Missouri, to smell the honeysuckle, and to feel the stitches on a homemade quilt with your own hands. Especially if you’re a writer. Many of the details mentioned above have found their way into the three books that comprise the New Hope series. I hope my readers enjoy them! (I’m posting some photos from the trip, but be assured we didn’t intentionally take photos of people who didn’t want to be photographed. The young girls in the photo actually got down from their buggy and started adjusting the horse’s harness after they apparently realized Tim was taking photos of the buggies from across the road with a telephoto lens.)

Filed under: Amish Fiction by Kelly Irvin
3 Comments »

Happy Wednesday, readers. Today I’d like to share with you some interesting tidbits I learned from Linda Hitchcock, lifelong Kentucky resident and friend to several Amish and Old Order Mennonite families. One of her good friends works as a “driver” for those who usually use horses and buggies to get around. Her peak driving months are post harvest, from mid-October until around mid-March, when most crops have been planted. The Amish will still drive for doctor and dentist appointments and major grocery shopping trips. But the long-distance travel for weddings and visiting relatives isn’t done, except in rare emergencies like funerals. This driver mentioned that the ultra-conservative, Schwartzentruber Amish, are much quieter during these trips. They don’t make jokes or laugh much, and do not sing along the way. The less conservative Amish sing on long trips and aren’t inclined to be so serious. In Kentucky, most Amish weddings take place during the late fall and winter. January, particularly around New Year’s, is a very popular time for weddings! Drivers of the Amish get their business by word-of-mouth, and often take their clients great distance to North and South Dakotas and beyond, staying with the relatives as their hosts. Amish as now living in thirty states, along with Canada.

Next week I’ll share some other interesting things I learned about their gardens and home-run businesses.

Filed under: Amish Fiction, Authors, Mary Ellis by Mary
No Comments »

Happy Wednesday, lovers of Amish fiction.

A Little Bit of Charm is on its way to stores, and I’m excited about the conclusion to this series. In this book, I explore the role of money and/or gambling in a Christian’s life. I’ve always loved watching horses race, pure and simple. I attended the Preakness once, years ago, and the Kentucky Derby four times.

These days, fighting traffic and mega-crowds is no longer appealing. Alas, I’ve become a couch-potato Thoroughbred racing fan.

Over the years, I’ve encountered other Christians who take exception to horseracing in general, and betting on races in particular. In book three of my New Beginnings series, I explore a young man’s dream of raising a Thoroughbred colt to contender status as a three-year-old. His devout Christian father grapples with the son’s obsession with racing, both the cost of training and the lure of potential riches. His young Amish girlfriend grapples with Jake’s obsession with money, period.

I had fun writing this story, and learned something about myself along the way.

What do you think? Is it sinful for a Christian to place a bet or gamble in general?

– Mary

A Little Bit of Charm By Mary Ellis Available September 2013 A Little Bit of Charm, the third book in bestselling author Mary Ellis’s New Beginnings series, is about fresh starts…and how faith in God and His perfect plans provide the peace and joy all long for. Learn more: http://harvesthousepublishers.com/book/a-little-bit-of-charm-2013/

Filed under: Amish Fiction, Authors, Mary Ellis by Mary
No Comments »

Sometimes I receive quizzical looks when I say that I write Amish Romance. People act as if those two words don’t fit together. My husband is the worst culprit. He always says, “Amish? ROMANCE?” and then laughs. He’s now doing a book report on my latest release. I’ll teach him to be sarcastic.

But seriously, some people don’t “get” that Amish stories can be romantic. I think that’s because our definition of romance has changed over the years. My mom thought my dad was being romantic when he changed the oil in her car for her. And I only remember them going out to dinner–alone–all dressed up one time. It was an anniversary and mom made a special dress for the occasion.

Maybe because of television or music or advertising, many people think that being romantic involves purchasing something–roses, jewelry, a vacation at some exotic location. There are all sorts of things you can buy to show someone you love them. Right?

And maybe that’s where Amish Romance comes in. The idea that we can show our love in simple, every day ways–that’s appealing. Here’s an example from A Wedding for Julia.

When he took a step forward and softly kissed her lips, she didn’t move. Instead, she held her breath, wondering what she was supposed to do. He ran a thumb along her bottom lip, kissed her once more, and said, “We should go in. You’re shivering.”

They might not love one another, but he was a kind man. He wouldn’t desert her. 

Sometimes we do show our love through physical actions. And sometimes, we show it other ways.

She turned in his arms and gazed up at him with her pretty brown eyes. “Are you saying I look like your bruders?”

“Nein. They’re even uglier than I am.”

“You’re not ugly,” she whispered. Standing on her tiptoes, she kissed him softly on the lips.

He reached to lengthen the kiss but she slipped out of his arms like a fish slipping off the line.

“Cake’s ready,” she said with a smile, a mischievous look in her eyes.

Sometimes romance can be as simple as baking a cake for someone, or doing the dishes together, or taking a walk. I adore Amish romance, and I hope that you do too.

Blessings,

V

Filed under: Amish Fiction, Vannetta Chapman by vannetta
5 Comments »

I just heard from my friend and research contact to the Amish of Kentucky, Linda Hitchcock. She just came home from a trip to Simpson and Allen Counties. Not only did she discover a wide variety of produce, but some downright great bargains such as hand-woven straw hats for 6.00, and pickles, jams, jellies and relishes at $2.75 each. And the vendors were the friendliest she’d ever met. Besides watermelon rind pickles and chow-chow, they had “moonshine” jelly, brightly-colored pepper jellies, and jams with eye-catching names like TOE Jam, TRAFFIC Jam and FROG Jam. TOE has tangerine, orange and elderberry; traffic a mixed variety and FROG includes figs, raspberries, orange and ginger. While shopping, Linda was told that “Amish vendors must do something different to stand out these days.” The jam Linda purchased came from Spring Valley Farms, owned by the Habegger Family. Their label says: “Old Fashioned, All-Natural Home-Style Canning”. There’s a little circle which says “Preserving the Past” and a picture of two draft horse heads on the labels. The Habegger started making sorghum molasses in the mid-1960’s and has farms in both Holland, KY and Caneyville, KY. Linda also learned that you can no longer purchase eggs from produce stands in KY unless they have refrigeration. I enjoyed meeting Linda while researching the Old Order Mennonites and Amish of KY in preparation to write A Little Bit of Charm. Thanks, Linda, for a look back at a beautiful part of the US of A.

Filed under: Amish Fiction, Authors, Mary Ellis by Mary
12 Comments »

I’m terribly excited about the release of my new book, A Wedding for Julia. This is book 3 in the Pebble Creek series. Here’s a short blurb.

Just As Hope Runs out the Door,

Love Softly Peeks In

  Julia Beechy is so stunned, she can hardly breathe. The announcement that she must either marry or move from the family home on her mother’s imminent death catches Julia completely by surprise. How can she leave the only home she has ever known? What about her dream of opening her own Plain café?

 Quiet Caleb Zook thought his time for marrying was long past, but he feels a stirring in his heart he cannot shake for this beautiful, forlorn woman. When he offers support, comfort, and a solution, Julia is afraid to accept it. Can she marry someone she barely knows? Is that the right thing to do? Is this God’s plan for her future? For his?

 As Julia and Caleb work through the consequences of their life-altering decision, the people of Pebble Creek weather the worst storm to hit Wisconsin in the last hundred years. Where will Julia and Caleb be on the other side of it?

Doesn’t that sound fun? It is. When I start writing a book, I have one thing in mind … but as I write, that one thing often blossoms into many other. So this story is also about

Gardening

cooking

family

faith

new beginnings

caring for the elderly

guiding teens

eating disorders

surviving tragic times

I so enjoyed this return to Pebble Creek, and I hope that you do too. By the way, if you haven’t tried any of the books in this series, books 1 and 2 are currently on sale in ebook form for $1.99 You can find out more information and direct links to vendors here. And even if you don’t have an e-reader, remember you can read Amazon kindle books on your computer. Simply click the “Available on your PC” button to the right.

Blessings,

V

Filed under: Amish Fiction, Vannetta Chapman by vannetta
No Comments »

Apple Creek Dreams Book II – Coming September 1, 2013 –

Part One: Apple Creek Again by Patrick E. Craig

There is something about an agricultural town that is unique and wonderful, for with the deep link to the land comes a settled-ness and a sense of permanence found nowhere else. All the bright days of youth in such a place are held in the mystery of God’s eternal circle of life and death, winter and spring, summer and fall. The cycles of the seasons dictate the deepest feelings in the heart of one who dwells there, with days marked, not by events, but by smells and colors and sounds and all the other sensory signals.  The temperature of a morning’s rising can tell you everything about the day ahead, be it the coolness of a daybreak in spring, the heat of the long, languid days of summer, the crisp bite of a fall day, or the chill of winter that pushes you with icy fingers back under the welcoming warmth of the lovely down quilt.  The lilting chirp of a robin outside an open window, or the haunting call of the Canadian geese heading south can manifest the procession of days more surely than any calendar.  The solemn silence of a winter night, with feet softly crunching on the fallen snow as you make your way toward the light in the window ahead, or the grinding of the machinery and the smell of the thick harvest dust; it is these things that mark the passage of time and bind one surely to the beloved land and the life so graciously granted by the Master of the Vineyard.

Apple Creek, Ohio, is such a place.  It is especially beautiful in the fall.  The leaves of the Buckeye trees turn bright red and the green, spiked pods that hide the horse chestnuts split open and drop their beautiful brown seeds on the ground.  Children pile the leaves into forts and arm themselves with the shiny brown nuts against the trespasses of the kids from down the street.  Mornings come armed with the warning bite of winter yet to come and the air itself is alive with the promise of families gathered at festive tables and the wonder of frosty nights that delight the heart with cathedrals of starry splendor.  Soon the soft snow will blanket all living things in the quiet death of winter, but not yet, no not yet; for it is harvest time and the cycle of life is at its peak.

The fields surrounding the village are ripe and the air is heavy with the fecundity of the yearly progression come to its fullness.  Though the world changed greatly after World War II and the Korean War, Apple Creek remained much the same.  Even as the nation wandered into the disaster in Vietnam, the Amish community in Wayne County remained above the growing conflict and social revolution that would follow.  It was as though Apple Creek had been captured in a back-eddy of time and slowly drifted in a lovely continuity of days, while the main current of civilization rushed by into an unknown and frightening future.  The Amish in Apple Creek were connected to the land and the land was forever.  The fields stretched to the horizon and the days were like the fields; reaching back into the permanence of the past and extending forward into a future that they knew held the same tasks, the same demands, the same feasts and the same succession of birth, life, and death.  And yet they were not afraid of death, for they had their God and his promises, they had the land and the fruit of the harvest each year, and they had the children who were their inheritance and, at the same time, a down payment on the continuance of their lives.  And above everything, they had the simplicity of their way.  And it was enough… for some.

Filed under: Amish Fiction, Authors, Patrick Craig by Patrick Craig
1 Comment »

Happy sunny day, Amish readers! At least the sun is shining in Ohio, that is. After another cold snap last week green grass, leaves on trees, and flowers blooming in my garden sure are a welcome site. I thought I’d share a recipe from Love Comes to Paradise in case you’re ready for something sweet. This came from my Amish friends in Winesburg, Ohio.

Fruit Tarts

Pastry:

2 cups Robin Hood Flour

½ cup white Crisco Shortening

½ cup yellow (butter-flavored) Crisco Shortening

8 oz. Cream Cheese

Pinch of salt

Mix all ingredients well with a pastry blender or fork. Form dough into balls and then place in a muffin or tart pan. Press dough into muffin or tart form and fill with your favorite fruit fillings approximately ½ to 2/3 full. (Lemon curd, raspberry, cherry, plum, or peach preserves.) Bake for approximately ½ hour at 350 degrees. Let cool and then add your favorite topping. We like whipped cream, but ice cream is really good, too.

Filed under: Amish Fiction, Authors, Mary Ellis, Recipes by Mary
No Comments »