Sometimes it’s difficult to show others how much we care. Our children are so busy. Our family is sometimes spread out across the country. And our friends are often trying to go a dozen directions at once. What’s a person to do?

I suppose we could shrug our shoulders and say “It’s too hard.” Or we could do what Paul admonished us to do: “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

In my story, A Wedding for Julia, my main character finds herself in despair after the death of her father. Not only are she and her mother alone now, but it seems that the dreams she has held so close will never come true. How can they? But what is impossible with man is possible with God, and soon Julia finds her life radically changing as she marries, then opens her new restaurant, and eventually faces one of the worst natural disasters in Wisconsin history. How does she find her way through? How does she help those she has grown to love so dearly?

She prays. Oh, I don’t mean she stops cooking or cleaning or gardening. No, she continues doing all of the things that she’s always done, but she does it with an attitude of prayer. She prays for her husband, her mother, and her community. She prays for strangers who are caught in the storm’s path. She prays for herself, that she might have the strength and wisdom needed.

When my family has problems, my first instinct is to fix them! I want to come up with solutions, lay out a battle plan, and turn things around. But is that the best course? Or should I pause and pray? While I write and clean and attend to my daily chores, should I petition God? When someone near me is hurting, can I trust them to God’s care?

We know what the Bible says to do, and maybe with time—and practice—we can learn to do that very thing. We can begin to “pray without ceasing.” And together, we can invite our heavenly Father into our midst, where He can direct our paths.

Blessings!

***

Vannetta Chapman has published more than 100 articles in Christian family magazines. She discovered her love for the Amish while researching her grandfather’s birthplace in Albion, Pennsylvania. Vannetta is a multi-award-winning member of Romance Writers of America. She was a teacher for 15 years and currently resides in the Texas Hill country. Her first two inspirational novels—A Simple Amish Christmas and Falling to Pieces—were Christian Book Distributors bestsellers.

Filed under: Amish Fiction, Devotions, Vannetta Chapman by Amber | AmishReader.com
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We’ve made it to the second month of 2015! And with this new month comes some brand-new Amish/Mennonite books from Harvest House Publishers for your reading pleasure.

Which one(s) are you most excited to read?

New Amish Fiction

The Amish Clockmaker (Book 3 in The Men of Lancaster County series)

Purchase your copy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Christianbook.com

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Miriam’s Secret (Book 1 in the Land of Promise series)

Purchase your copy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Christianbook.com

 New Mennonite Children’s Books

When School Bells Call (Book 3 in the Farm Life series)

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Christianbook.com

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Autumn Days (Book 4 in the Farm Life series)

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Christianbook.com

New Amish Nonfiction

The Amish Book of Prayers for Women

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Christianbook.com

(P.S. Don’t forget that you can enter to win a copy of The Amish Book of Prayers for Women by clicking HERE and leaving a comment on that post! Winner to be announced February 13th.)

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Our Amish Values

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Christianbook.com

Filed under: Amish Fiction, Elva Hurst, Esther Stoll, Jerry Eicher, Lester Beachy, Mindy Starns Clark, Monthly Gathering, News, Susan Meissner by Amber | AmishReader.com
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The “Clockmaker Countdown” continues, with only 12 more days until the official release of The Amish Clockmaker, Book 3 in The Men of Lancaster County series by Mindy Starns Clark and Susan Meissner.

(But if you just can’t wait to get your hands on the book, it’s currently in stock at Amazon and Christianbook.com!)

In the meantime, here’s a sneak preview to introduce you to the mystery. This is from Part 1 of the book, which takes place in present day and is told from the point of view of the current owner of the clock shop (now a tack and feed store). Enjoy!

***

“Since when do Amish refuse to help other Amish?” I asked as I banged the dust from the pan into the trash bin. “We are always there for one another.”

Amanda let me rant, perhaps sensing I needed to get the frustration and worry out of my system. When I was finished, she didn’t even try to say anything to cheer me up, for which I was grateful. She must have caught on to how dire our situation was growing and knew that mere words would not encourage me now.

After she finished closing out the register, we carried the money to the back room to put it in the safe.

“What’s that?” she asked, looking toward the area that had been partially dismantled when we’d broken down the old bathroom on Wednesday. Glancing over, I realized she was talking about an ancient coal hamper that our work had uncovered. Unused for I didn’t know how many decades, it had been built into the far wall of the original structure and later covered over with plaster.

“Do you know?” she prodded, stepping toward it to get a closer look.

“Ya, that’s an old coal bin,” I explained as I finished locking away the cash. “Which means this building must have used coal heat at some point in the past.”

Located at about knee level, the bin’s metal door was flush to the wall and had been designed to work in tandem with a similar door on the exterior, where the coal would have been dumped into it from the outside. That door was long gone and bricked over, but this one had been made accessible again the other day when we’d broken away some of the wall’s plaster. Amanda leaned down to study it now, and then she gripped the handle and gave it a tug.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” I said in warning. “You might end up in a cloud of coal dust.”

But it was too late. She’d pulled it open and was already peering inside.

“No dust,” she said, her voiced echoing against the metal of the bin. “It’s perfectly clean, as a matter of fact. But come look, Matthew. There’s something else in here.”

Skeptical, I joined her and peered down into the hamper. Sure enough, there was something at the back, wrapped in what looked like blue cloth. I reached into the hamper and pulled the bundle gently from its tomb-like niche, hoping it wouldn’t disintegrate at my touch. But the space felt cool and dry, and I was able to easily lift the item from its hiding place. The cloth was soft to the touch, with hand-stitching around the edges, though whatever it encased seemed heavy and hard. I laid the package on a nearby table. Together, Amanda and I peeled back the corners of the blanket.

Inside was a clock, an intricately carved but very dusty mantel clock. For a moment, we just stared at it. It sat on an equally finely carved pedestal, and even though the cabinet was discolored and covered in dust and cobwebs, and the glass over the face of the clock was cloudy, I could see that it had been beautiful and quite fancy in its day.

It was definitely not an Amish clock, but I had a pretty good idea which Amish man had made it.

For a long moment, Amanda and I stood in silence, taking in this unexpected sight.

“Why in the world was a thing this beautiful shoved into a coal bin?” she asked.

My thoughts exactly. “I don’t know. Maybe Clayton or his father used the old bin for storage once the shop converted over to another source of heat.”

Amanda took the clock and studied it more closely, looked in the bin again, and said, “I don’t think it was put there for storage. I think someone was using the coal bin as a hiding place, someone who didn’t want this clock to be found.”

***

Excerpted from The Amish Clockmaker by Mindy Starns Clark and Susan Meissner

Intrigued? If you haven’t read the book yet, what would you guess is the reason why the clock was hidden in the coal bin?

Filed under: Amish Fiction, Mindy Starns Clark, Susan Meissner by Amber | AmishReader.com
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I love all the talk about New Year’s resolutions. So often, we address this subject like a visit to the dentist (no offense to you dentists out there). But what if we had a different attitude? What if we looked at the new year—and resolutions—as a chance to start on a clean slate?

In my story, A Promise for Miriam, Gabe would understand new beginnings and resolutions very well. Following the death of his wife, he buys land in Wisconsin—hoping for a new beginning and a more peaceful life. When he arrives, he finds the farm he bought is dilapidated, the fields unkempt, and the community too friendly. It’s NOT the new start he had envisioned.

That’s happened to me before on resolutions. Often when I write something down in my journal, it makes perfect sense. But then when I attempt to follow through, things don’t work out like I had planned at all. Over the years, I’ve learned that instead of trashing my resolution, sometimes I need to adjust it a bit. After all, a resolution is an intention. It’s something that we’re dedicating ourselves to doing. Changing the plan doesn’t mean we’ve failed—it means we’ve understood what we need to do to succeed.

Gabe does succeed in his new community, but first God has to grow him spiritually and emotionally. Gabe is forced to become an active part of the community that he would rather have remained anonymous in. Through the troubles that come, he finds himself in relationships that he would have avoided. And as he faces his darkest hour, he finds himself crying out to God for mercy and grace.

Most of us can understand those things. Life is hard sometimes. It can be heartbreaking. And during my darkest hour, I’ve found myself crying out to God for mercy and grace.

What will this year contain? I can’t possibly know. God knows. He’s all-knowing, and there isn’t a thing that is going to happen in 2015 that will surprise Him. I can rest easy in that knowledge. And I can go through the days of January and beyond boldly, because I am certain, without a doubt, that I will be cloaked in His mercy and grace.

Remember that is true for you, as well.

Happy New Year!

Vannetta Chapman has published more than 100 articles in Christian family magazines. She discovered her love for the Amish while researching her grandfather’s birthplace in Albion, Pennsylvania. Vannetta is a multi-award-winning member of Romance Writers of America. She was a teacher for 15 years and currently resides in the Texas Hill country. Her first two inspirational novels—A Simple Amish Christmas and Falling to Pieces—were Christian Book Distributors bestsellers.

Filed under: Amish Fiction, Vannetta Chapman by Amber | AmishReader.com
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We’re celebrating a sweet and simple Christmas here at AmishReader.com with a series of fun author interviews! Join some of your favorite Amish authors as they share happy reminiscences of Christmases past, interesting information on the Amish approach to the holiday, and fascinating lists of Christmas/book favorites. Find a cozy place by the fire or looking out on the wintry weather, prepare a mug of hot chocolate, and enjoy Part 3 of this special 3-part interview…

Featured Books:

• Christmas at Pebble Creek by Vannetta Chapman (FREE short story ebook)
• Sarah’s Christmas Miracle by Mary Ellis ($3.99 in ebook format through 1/6/2015)
• An Amish Family Christmas by Murray Pura ($3.99 in ebook format through 1/6/2015)

Welcome back, Vannetta, Mary, and Murray! Today, we’d like to know which one you’d choose out of two Christmas-themed options…

1. White Christmas or a sunny holiday?

• Vannetta: Well, I live in Texas so I usually have SUNNY, but I wouldn’t mind WHITE.

• Mary: Since I’ve lived in northern Ohio my whole life, I would pick a sunny holiday. I believe I’ve only had one once or twice!!

• Murray: White Christmas with tall evergreens and mountains.

Mary Ellis preparing for a draft-horse-drawn sleigh ride in Ohio’s Amish country

2. Riding in a horse-drawn sleigh or sledding downhill?

• Vannetta: Sleigh. Definitely sleigh.

• Mary: Definitely a horse-drawn sleigh. I’ve only done this once, but I loved it! I get too cold and wet while sledding.

• Murray: A sleigh ride is Christmas magic.

3. Lots of presents or one meaningful gift?

• Vannetta: One gift.

• Mary: Lots of small, inexpensive, practical gifts like socks, tablets, pens, or candy. I love opening presents.

• Murray: Too many gifts spoil the event. So a sock and one meaningful gift.

4. Big family dinner or a nice restaurant?

• Vannetta: Big family dinner – that way the dog is allowed to come.

• Mary: If we can get away, then a big dinner with out-of-town family in Kentucky or Texas.

• Murray: Family dinner for sure. There’s nothing like relaxing at home instead of not-really-relaxing at a restaurant.

Mary Ellis’s barn in the winter

5. Home for Christmas or traveling elsewhere?

• Vannetta: Home. I like to be snuggled on the couch with a fire blazing, my dog lying next to me, and holding a good book with everyone around me doing the same.

• Mary: Usually we travel for both Easter and Thanksgiving, so we’re home just the two of us for Christmas.

• Murray: Home is where the people are so if it means travel, fine, so long as road conditions or sky conditions permit, and the trip itself can be a happy part of the celebration, not a huge stress.

Thank you Vannetta, Mary, and Murray for joining us this week and helping us to celebrate Christmas here on AmishReader.com!

Giveaway!

Amish readers, share your choices for all 5 of the either/or scenarios (listed above) in the comments section to enter to win a paperback copy of An Amish Family Christmas by Murray Pura!

Fine print: Giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada only, and participants must be 18 years old or older to enter. A winner will be randomly selected and emailed on Friday, December 26th. This giveaway is in no way sponsored by or affiliated with Facebook, WordPress, or Twitter.

Filed under: Amish Fiction, Authors, Mary Ellis, Murray Pura, Vannetta Chapman by Amber | AmishReader.com
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We’re celebrating a sweet and simple Christmas here at AmishReader.com with a series of fun author interviews! Join some of your favorite Amish authors as they share happy reminiscences of Christmases past, interesting information on the Amish approach to the holiday, and fascinating lists of Christmas/book favorites. Find a cozy place by the fire or looking out on the wintry weather, prepare a mug of hot chocolate, and enjoy Part 2 of this special 3-part interview…

(Mary Ellis is pictured left)

Featured Books:

• Christmas at Pebble Creek by Vannetta Chapman (FREE short story ebook)
• Sarah’s Christmas Miracle by Mary Ellis ($3.99 in ebook format through 1/6/2015)
• An Amish Family Christmas by Murray Pura ($3.99 in ebook format through 1/6/2015)

Welcome back, Vannetta, Mary, and Murray! Today, we’re talking favorites.

Please name your favorite…

Amish Christmas recipe

• Vannetta: A yellow cake with homemade chocolate icing.

• Mary: My favorite Amish recipe is the Christmas cake recipe in the back of Sarah’s Christmas Miracle. It contains a pound of butter, a cup of yellow raisins, and 3 cups of chopped pecans. What’s not to like?

• Murray: Oh, I have one that can turn Christmas upside down it’s so good: a 30-day Amish Friendship Cake that includes pecans, walnuts, coconut, peaches, pineapple, cherries, raisins, vanilla, and brandy. Once the 30 days of preparation are completed, and the cake is finally baked to a golden brown, any Amish within a hundred miles will be knocking at your door and asking for a slice, bitte. The recipe is too long to include here, but if you write me via Harvest House I can provide it. Mind you, it will have to be for a late-January cake at this point, but that’s all right; it will help you beat the post-Christmas blues and the long winter doldrums.

Character in your story

• Vannetta: Grace.

• Mary: My heroine, Sarah, is my favorite. She’s complex and confused, as we all are at times, but she’s kind and has a heart for Jesus.

• Murray: Micah, the young man who is estranged from the Amish community after returning from a tour of duty as a medic in Afghanistan. He keeps his cool, fosters love, submits to the shunning, and is ready to help and bless the community despite the harshness of his situation.

Christmas tradition

• Vannetta: Opening one gift with our children on Christmas Eve.

• Mary: Traveling to downtown Cleveland to see the lights and attend services at the Old Stone Church on Public Square. I go with my husband now that my mom is gone.

• Murray: The Christmas Eve Box. Into it goes a selection of gifts that may be opened Christmas Eve. There are beverages to drink and the glasses to drink from; things to eat like specialty cheese and crackers and cold cuts, as well as a cutting board to prepare food on; a Bible and a book to read out loud. Everything you want to eat or drink or do on Christmas Eve is sealed in a beautiful box – either a decorated cardboard one or, in our case, an attractive chest handmade from knotty pine.

Element of your cover

• Vannetta: I love the green bow on the cover! The book looks like it’s been gift-wrapped!

• Mary: I love the model selected to be my Sarah. She’s so sweet and earnest looking.

• Murray: I love the use of burgundy and black on the cover; it’s a very pleasant color mix, in particular the young woman’s black cape contrasting with her maroon or burgundy dress.

Line from your story

• Vannetta: “Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if we’d all ridden together, if the buggy I was in had turned left instead of right. But as mamm says, it’s best not to wonder over what-if’s. We did turn right as the sun was slipping toward the horizon, and my life was never the same.”

• Mary: “Sometimes a person didn’t appreciate the goodness the Lord has bestowed until it was almost gone.”

• Murray: “My Lord, so much has changed for the better, and yet for the great change to come so much had to be lost—our pride, our hardness of heart, our tradition, our unwillingness to bend, our reluctance to think something we did not understand could be from you. It has not been easy. It has not been without pain. But neither has it been without its own special glory. And it has been your doing.”

Join us tomorrow (December 18th) for Part 3 of this interview with Vannetta, Mary, and Murray, as we talk about some either/or scenarios!

Filed under: Amish Fiction, Authors, Mary Ellis, Murray Pura, Vannetta Chapman by Amber | AmishReader.com
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We’re celebrating a sweet and simple Christmas here at AmishReader.com with a series of fun author interviews! Join some of your favorite Amish authors as they share happy reminiscences of Christmases past, interesting thoughts on the Amish approach to the holiday, and fascinating lists of Christmas/book favorites. Find a cozy place by the fire or looking out on the wintry weather, prepare a mug of hot chocolate, and enjoy Part 1 of this special 3-part interview…

Featured Books:

• Christmas at Pebble Creek by Vannetta Chapman (FREE short story ebook)
• Sarah’s Christmas Miracle by Mary Ellis ($3.99 in ebook format through 1/6/2015)
• An Amish Family Christmas by Murray Pura ($3.99 in ebook format through 1/6/2015)

AmishReader: Welcome, Vannetta, Mary, and Murray! Wonderful to have you here with us this week before Christmas. Tell us, what did you find most challenging about writing a story set during the Christmas season? Most fun?

• Vannetta: I live in Texas – so sometimes it’s hard to remember exactly what all of that snow and cold weather feels like. Christmas at Pebble Creek is set in Wisconsin, and they certainly have their share of winter weather. I did spend three years as a child living in Connecticut, so it was fun to pull out those pictures, look at the snow and mittens and sleds, and remember.

• Mary: The Old Order Amish celebrate the holiday differently than us, and not all districts celebrate the same way. I had the responsibility to “get it right,” at least for my specific community. The essence of the holiday season makes it fun, no matter what your denomination.

• Murray: You have to write the story well before Christmas occurs, so getting in a “Christmas mood,” and writing in that mood for several weeks and months, isn’t always easy. On the other hand, the process fixes your mind on a time of year that is normally quite pleasant, so it becomes a series of “feel good” writing sessions for the most part.

Amish schoolroom in Wisconsin (Courtesy of Vannetta Chapman)

 AmishReader: Please share one of your favorite Christmas memories. Did it have any bearing on your story?

• Vannetta: The story opens with Grace (the little girl from A Promise for Miriam) grown and now teaching school—they’ve just had the Christmas program and are about to have a short Christmas break. I have many good memories of Christmas from my childhood, but this story brought back memories from my teaching days. I loved teaching, and I especially liked the anticipation and fun during the days preceding Christmas break. I would read stories to my high school students—maybe O. Henry’s Gift of the Magi or Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Most students have seen cartoon renditions of these classics, but when they read the original story they understand why they became a classic. Some of my favorite Christmas memories are of sitting in a classroom, with 30 students around me, hanging on to every word I read and not wanting to leave when the bell rang. We had a lot of fun with snacks and decorations too! I try to put this love for teaching and reading into my stories.

• Mary: One of my favorite memories is riding the bus with my mom downtown to see the beautiful lights and displays on Cleveland’s Public Square. We couldn’t afford to shop in the fancy department stores, but we would ride the escalator to see the decorations on every floor. My Amish character, Sarah, takes a trip to Cleveland from Winesburg and experiences what I did as a child.

• Murray: I used to love to sit in the dark and look at the tree when it was all lit up. We had random blinking lights on the tree as well and, as a boy, I never got tired of watching them. However an Amish Christmas celebration is a different affair in many respects so my fondness for gazing at the tree in the dark never made it into my story.

Vannetta, Shelley, and Amy in Shipshewana

AmishReader: Have you ever visited Amish country during the holidays? What do you especially love about how the Amish celebrate Christmas?

• Vannetta: I have! I had the pleasure of being asked to lead the Christmas parade in Shipshewana, Indiana with Shelley Shephard Gray and Amy Clipston. That was a very special experience. We were put in a sleigh with beautiful horses, a lighted harness, and a warm blanket across our laps. It felt like we were in a fairy tale!

• Mary: I have visited Holmes and Wayne Counties in Ohio, several times during the holidays. I love how they concentrate on friends, family, and most of all, the Lord during this holy season. Englischers put too much importance on the commercial aspect of the season.

• Murray: I have not been in Amish country during the holidays – though Amish country has greatly expanded over the last decade and now there are five locations in nearby Montana – but I have read quite a bit about it. I would have to say I most admire the simplicity of their celebration and the absence of mass commercialization. Their Christmas is very worship-centered and family-centered.

Join us tomorrow (December 17th) for Part 2 of this interview with Vannetta, Mary, and Murray, as we talk about more Christmas favorites!

Filed under: Amish Fiction, Authors, Mary Ellis, Murray Pura, Vannetta Chapman by Amber | AmishReader.com
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My New Beginnings series follows the lives of three sisters who lose their parents in a devastating house fire. I have been intrigued by the exodus of Old Order Amish out of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania and to a lesser extent, Holmes and Wayne Counties, Ohio. The Amish are searching for lower taxes, fewer tourists, and more plentiful but cheaper farmland. My fictional sisters go in search of love and fresh starts. Although I live within an hour of the largest population of Amish in the country, I learned that a writer should visit the area she plans to write about, especially when it comes to Amish fiction.

For book one, Living in Harmony, which won the Lime Award for Excellence in Amish Fiction for 2012, I traveled to Maine. For book two, Love Comes to Paradise, which won the 2013 Lime Award, I traveled to central Missouri to research the Amish who live in tornado alley and thereby have to deal with some rather erratic weather patterns. For my third and final book in the series, A Little Bit of Charm, I headed south into famous Bluegrass Country…

I studied the Old Order Mennonites of Casey and Barren Counties, Kentucky as research for A Little Bit of Charm. I traipsed up and down back roads looking for horses and buggies and for those who prefer a slower pace of life. I stayed at the home of my best friend in Somerset and took her granddaughters along to keep me company. During Amish interviews, the girls received a priceless education that surpassed anything found in textbooks. And having them along opened plenty of doors and lowered people’s defenses. Who could resist three adorable kids?

My heroine is Rachel King, who has watched both of her older sisters find happiness with husbands who adore them. Rachel yearns for a job and a little romance in her life—not necessarily in that order. Her Old Order Mennonite cousin lives near a Thoroughbred stable in Kentucky, and working around beautiful horses has always been Rachel’s dream. She moves to the quaint town of Charm to make a home with Sarah and her husband, Isaac. When a job at Twelve Elms Stables opens up unexpectedly, it seems as though God has answered Rachel’s heartfelt prayers.

When she meets Jake Brady, one of the owners of Twelve Elms, her life becomes complicated. He’s attractive and charming, and his interest in her is flattering. But he’s also English as well as her boss. And Rachel worries that Jake’s trust in God isn’t central to his life in the way it should be. When Amish men she meets at church and singings start pursuing her, Rachel has important decisions to make. What does a young woman do when her heart puts her faith in jeopardy?

While writing A Little Bit of Charm, I found my characters growing and changing almost of their own accord. And as any hard-working writer will attest, when your characters wish to make your job a tad easier, you go ahead and let them.

Mary Ellis grew up near the Amish and fell in love with them. She has now written ten bestselling novels set in their communities. When not writing, she enjoys gardening, bicycling, and swimming. Before “retiring” to write full-time, Mary taught school and worked as a sales rep for Hershey Chocolate. She can be found on the web at www.maryellis.net or on Facebook.

Filed under: Amish Fiction, Mary Ellis by Amber | AmishReader.com
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An Unexpected Match by Gayle Roper (September 2014)

About the Book:

Rachel Beiler loves her job as the teacher in her Amish community. She’s obedient, humble, and compliant and tries to keep the ordnung to the best of her ability. But Rachel has a secret—something that could get her shunned if she’s found out. She loves knowledge and yearns for a college education.

After serving a dozen years in the Army, Rob Lanier has returned from Afghanistan. But now that he’s home again, he’s constantly reminded of his family’s fall from grace. His father—once a highly respected and wealthy community leader—has disgraced the family, and Rob can’t find it in his heart to forgive him.

When Rachel and Rob meet, sparks fly. But when a series of frightening events surrounding Rachel’s brother Johnny brings Rachel’s world crashing down around her, this unlikely match between an Amish teacher and an Englischer ex-soldier seems to be God’s perfect answer.

Purchase the Book:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Christianbook.com

Favorite Quote:

“What are you writing about for next Friday?” Rachel asked. She felt impatient that she had to wait a whole week for the next class because of Labor Day. “We can brainstorm with you.”

“I don’t know.” He grinned that adorable grin of his. “It’s not Thursday night yet.”

What I Enjoyed:

• The authentic and thought-provoking struggle Rachel has as she’s torn between two worlds—one she vowed to be a part of with the family she loves, and the other where she feels free to truly be who God made her to be.
• The unusual but charming friendship that forms between Rachel and two of her classmates. Such unique personalities!
• The intriguing secondary characters—everyone from Rachel’s parents and siblings, to her kind neighbor, admirable college professor, and some definitely not-so-admirable enemies that someone makes…
• The suspenseful elements, as built up by a secondary character who gets himself in over his head.
• The quirky animals (horse and dogs) that add another layer of emotion and fun.
• The sweet romance, including a secondary romance that’s also rather unexpected!
• The unique premise of a young Amish widow wanting to attend college, and the great questions and discussions that arise from the twists and turns of her story.

Question for You:

Rachel finds some unexpected blessings in the Englisch world—including new friends and new lessons about faith. What’s one unexpected blessing (big or small) that you’ve experienced recently?

Giveaway!

Leave a comment with your email address for a chance to win a paperback copy of this book!

Fine print: Giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada only, and participants must be 18 years old or older to enter. A winner will be randomly selected and emailed on Friday, November 21st. This giveaway is in no way sponsored by or affiliated with Facebook, WordPress, or Twitter.

Filed under: Amish Fiction, Gayle Roper by Amber | AmishReader.com
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If you’ve found your way to the AmishReader community, chances are you’re glad and grateful for Amish fiction. (What’s not to love, right?) So let’s take a moment during this month of Thanksgiving to contemplate the things we enjoy about those Amish stories…

• They whisk us away to a quieter place, where people still live off the land and generously look out for the welfare of others in their community.
• They include interesting conflicts, where the characters have to make life-changing and wide-reaching decisions.
• They share sweet romances that we can enjoy without fear of content that goes “too far” for our comfort level.
• They give us a better understanding and more empathy for a different culture.
• They feature themes of family, forgiveness, and love.
• They remind us that despite differences among people the world over, we’re all human—all valuable, all experiencing a wide variety of emotions, all in need of grace.

What would you add to the list? Let’s talk about why we’re grateful for Amish fiction!

Filed under: Amish Fiction by Amber | AmishReader.com
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