Recently while perusing Facebook—procrastinating instead of writing—I came across a reader’s query regarding Amish fiction. How realistic is it, she asked? Does it accurately reflect how the Amish really live? It’s a great question and one I’m sure many readers ask themselves. It’s also one I’ve longed to answer for myself as the author of… Read More
Stories reflect effort to honor Amish world view
I published my first inspirational Amish romance five years ago. I didn’t start out to write about the Amish. Quite frankly, it was my dear agent Mary Sue Seymour’s suggestion. I wasn’t sure I wanted to do it. I did a great deal of research before starting that first book, To Love and To Cherish…. Read More
Flowers represent life’s changing seasons
As I left the neighborhood this weekend to go to a meeting, I lamented how dreary and “ugly” it’s been here in South Texas for the past week. No sun in at least five days. Then I turned onto the road behind our subdivision and saw a massive carpet of beautiful bluebonnets blooming in a… Read More
Amish newspaper offers peek into daily lives
A key research tool I use for all of my Amish romance novels is a biweekly publication called The Budget. It’s a thick broadsheet newspaper filled with letters from “scribes” who write about what’s going on in their Amish and Mennonite communities across the country. I love settling onto the couch and leafing through the… Read More
Of ammunition & airplanes: getting the facts right in fiction or risking reader ire
I’m reading a Walt Longmire mystery by Craig Johnson. The bad language aside, I really like his books. He does a fabulous job with characters. Walt and Henry Standing Bear share one of my most favorite bromances. However, right now, I’m a little peeved because a previous reader has kindly shared with me—and anyone who… Read More