BEA'S BOOK NOOK
"I can't imagine a man really enjoying a book and reading it only once." C. S. Lewis
“If one cannot enjoy reading a book over and over again, there is no use in reading it at all.” ― Oscar Wilde
John Taylor is marrying the love of his life, Suzie Shooter, the Nightside’s most fearsome bounty hunter. But before he can walk down the aisle he has one more case to solve as a private eye — a case that has him on the run from friends and enemies both, with his bride-to-be looking to collect the bounty on his head...
Reviewed By: Liz
My Thoughts:
Simon R. Green is best known for the Deathstalker series, but he also writes a lovely detective noir series call Nightside. I admit that I prefer this since he lets loose his sense of humor and the absurd within a rational story frame. It’s the Dresden Files with a healthy dose of Disc World thrown in to keep it from being too dry. “Do you need me to remind you that the last butler who annoyed me got dragged down to Hell?”
Green manages to write a character that stays true to type without giving off the recycled feeling you can get from such a well explored genre. There are some obvious witticisms and jokes, but you don’t often get the opportunity to use lines like “Someone did try to explain it to me once, but I fell asleep the moment they used the word quantum, in self-defense.”
This time the Nightside is under attack from a temporally displaced leader of the Hippie movement who’s got more in his bag of tricks than a little peyote. The Sun King is back from communing with Entities and not happy that the Summer of Love faded into memory while he was gone, and the Dream of the ‘60’s went unrealized. He’s back and he has the power to change the world, unfortunately for him there are a lot of beings that like it the way it is. This includes PI Jon Taylor, the new Walker, and groom to be.
This book has it all gods, ghouls, existential beings that can talk you into questioning yourself out of existence, and sentient objects. It even has irreverent Londoners with shot guns and liquor. Alternate dimensions and micro universes give the story a lot more flexibility than one would expect in such a short novel, and all of it easy to follow. After all why NOT have a sub dimension just for your graveyard? There is even a wedding. “…it does fall to me as your oldest friend and foe and occasional legal advisor to guide you through the horrors to come as you embark on the stormy seas of matrimony.”
There are a lot of really well written chase and fight scenes, a Who-Dun-It, delicious detective work, gods, Powers, undead, murderous friends, extra dimensional beings, and one particularly annoying sentient elevator between Jon and his wedding. I also give him extra points for using defenestration. This was a ridiculously fun book to read, and, like all of his Nightside novels, with just a few hundred pages it shouldn’t be intimidating to those with limited time for reading. It is part of a series, but please don’t be afraid to pick it up independently.
I received a hardcover from the publisher for review.
I was ecstatic when I found out that Patty was coming to Cambridge MA for a book signing. I've met Patty before, on several occasions but the last time I saw her was a year and a half ago. Today was the perfect day for me to go too as it's my short day at school, so I didn't have to take any time off to attend.
It was, to me anyway, a small turnout, maybe 20-25 people. Patty started by reading the prologue from "Fair Game", then spent about 30 minutes answering questions. Some highlights:
There's not a definite date, but she's working on an anthology of short stories set in Mercy's world. It'll be a mix of previously published stories (Star of David; Seeing Eye; In Red, With Pearls, etc) and new stories. Possible new stories include one from Bran's perspective, one with Sam, and one with the teen werewolf Kara. Patty is hoping that it will be out before the next Mercy book in March 2013 but there's nothing set in stone yet.
Someone asked if there will be a book with both Anna and Mercy. The answer was no, but maybe a short story.
Someone else asked if Patty will ever return to any of her traditional fantasy series. The answer - yes. No definite date; Patty said there will be a third Hurog book, another Hob book, and another Raven book, but for now she's content to keep writing urban fantasy. When she needs a break, she'll switch over the traditional fantasy, and then go back to the urban fantasy.
Fair Game is the last definite Alpha & Omega book that she's contracted for BUT she's under contract for one more book set in that world so it could be an A&O book, a Mercy book, or maybe one using a secondary character from one or both series. It won't, however, be Bran. Patty would prefer to keep him mysterious. :)
As I was getting my pic taken with Patty, I had a pleasant surprise - author PJ Schnyder was also in the audience. She took some pix too but I don't have those yet. The person waiting in line behind me took this one.
You'll see that Patty has a large selection of pens. Some she brought with her, some the Harvard Co-op (they sponsored the signing) provided. Patty likes to give people the option of what color pen to get their books signed with. I chose purple. :)
It was great to see Patty again, I passed on messages to her from people on her board, and I had a brief chat with her before she had to leave. It was also nice seeing PJ. I had the chance to meet her last year when she was in Boston for her day job. I had a fun evening, and it was well worth the trip into Boston.
Tomorrow night I'm headed to Belmont, just outside of Boston, for a reading and signing with YA author Mike Mullin. We chat on Twitter, and I'm really looking forward to meeting him in person. I'll post about that too.
Dusty Reads is a weekly meme hosted by Giselle at Xpresso Reads where we spotlight a book sitting in our TBR pile. My TBR breeds when I'm not looking, I swear. Ok, I add to it, I confess. I just can't resist. Between ebooks (darn those kindle freebies, lol) and print books, I have somewhere around four hundred that I haven't yet read. Eeep. And yet, I keep buying and borrowing books. And occasionally, winning them. :)
I've read the original version of Masques and own the revised version, but haven't read it yet. Since I'm not sure what changes she made in the revised version, I don't want to read the sequel until I read the first one. I don't do a lot of traditional high fantasy these days, but I liked the first Masques and I like Patty's writing so I had no hesitations about picking this up. I've skimmed it, but haven't yet sat down and read it all the way through. Soon, my precious, soon. :)
Publisher: Amazon Digital Services Release Date: October 12, 2011 Buying Links: AmazonBarnes & Noble
Book Blurb (from goodreads):
Mandy Hardy lost more than a breast to cancer; she lost her fiancé when he dumped her a week before her mastectomy. Her ego bruised and her self-esteem battered, Mandy’s sure she’ll never fall in love again.
Justin Seward is a headstrong Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer with a heart of gold and the supernatural ability to command the seas. He had to hide his feelings while Mandy was engaged to his best friend. Now that she’s free, he’s vowed to make her his.
Together, they may hold the key to each other’s salvation. But when Justin’s past catches up with him, and Mandy’s ex-fiancé wants vengeance, they realize they might not live long enough for happily ever after. The Calling is a contemporary romance with a paranormal twist.
Teaser:
He snorted an exasperated sound. "You can't tell me you didn't have a good time today. You were supposed to leave after an hour. It's ten o'clock at night, and you're still here."
"We're friends."
Justin squared his shoulders. "I'm not asking you to marry me. I just want a shot. If you decide you're not interested, fine. But don't shut me down before you even give me a chance."
Mandy blew out a huge breath. "Lori said this get-together was about more than sunbathing."
"Smart girl," he said flatly.
Reviewed By: Bea
My Thoughts:
The first two-thirds of the book were both a pleasure and a challenge for me to read. It hooked me from the first page; I enjoyed the relationship between Mandy and Justin, and liked seeing it change from friends to lovers. The pacing was good, there was humor and character development. I had a few grumbles, which I'll get to in a bit.
The challenge for me was the breast cancer. It's right there, in the book blurb, it didn't spring out of nowhere, as real breast cancer is wont to do. I underestimated both the part that Mandy's battle with breast cancer plays in the story and my reaction to it. Now, I've never had breast cancer, but it runs in my family. My mother died of it when I was in high school, a maternal cousin is a breast cancer survivor and my stepmother is a breast cancer survivor. So, it's affected my life, strongly. I didn't realize, until I was reading this book, that I tend to steer clear of books, movies, etc about breast cancer. Several times, I came close to DNF'ing the book because I wasn't sure I could get through the story without breaking down. I hung in though and in the last third, approximately, the breast cancer becomes less important and pretty much disappears.
Oddly, it was that emotional, gut-wrenching (for me anyway) first two-thirds that I liked the best. The latter part of the book was over the top, soap opera territory. The first portion was strong, well written, had a few typos, and characters that made me feel. On the one hand, I understood Mandy's reluctance to get involved with Justin while on the other hand, I wanted to shake her and tell her to get over it and move on. Justin at times seemed to perfect, too understanding, too patient, even though he wasn't always. He has his emotional hangups and his own family life was over the top - emotionally distant father, dead baby sister, depressed suicidal mother - talk about a dysfunctional family! At times it felt like too much and yet it helped to ground Justin and explained much about who he was and why he chose his line of work. So, I both liked and disliked that. :D
Mandy discovered after being diagnosed with breast cancer that some people can't cope, some people are only sunny day friends. Sadly, that included her fiance. He took off and in the process, Mandy lost her friendship with Justin, Ty's co-worker and roommate. When he comes back into her life, she has a hard time at first letting him back in. She's scared that the cancer will come back and is thus afraid to let anyone into her life.
Justin is determined, now that's she single and available, to win her love and campaigns hard. I enjoy the interplay between them and seeing both of them at work. I have a great respect now for the people who go out in the ocean and rescue people. In Justin's case, he has an advantage: he's a descendant of Triton, a Greek sea god. He has gifts that help him in the water. I liked that Willis didn't make him a kick-ass, all powerful super-hero. He has some gifts, but his powers and abilities are limited and come with restrictions and obligations. It's one such obligation that takes over the latter part of the book.
Ty, Mandy's former fiance, is jealous that Mandy and Justin are together and tries to win her back. When that fails, he goes the stalker route. This was another area where I felt things were over the top and also predictable. It was easy to see what was going to happen. After a final showdown with Ty, Mandy and Justin are dealing with the fallout and here's where the paranormal aspect really comes into play and where, for me, the story fell apart. I like the concept Willis came up with and I'd like to see more stories about these characters. The world building was adequate, but I still had questions. As Justin and Mandy deal with the paranormal aspect and how it affects their lives, Willis throws up one obstacle after another in what feels like a comedy of errors, minus the comedy.
In My Mailbox was started by The Story Siren. It's a way to share and highlight all the books we receive, even if we don't review them. l share books that I buy, that I receive for review, get from the library, borrow from a friend, etc.
I looked at my TBR shelf on goodreads, and it has a frightening 456 books. Even more frightening: there are books not listed that I plan on reading.
Click on the covers to see the goodreads descriptions.
Won
I won this in a giveaway on a message board I belong to. I've been looking forward to this books since Seanan first started talking about it.
Bought
I bought this with a coupon the author gave me.
Yes, another Krista D . Ball book. What can I say, I'm a fan. :D
Library
I saw this on Book Blogs Ning, it was available as part of a blog tour. The timing didn't work for me but the book sounded interesting so I requested it from my library.
Review
An excellent book week for me and I am going to be quite busy reading. How was your week, what did you get?
I did an image search for piles of books and this one caught my eye. I hadn't seen this poem before but I like it very much. It's quite apt, for myself, and for Liz and Jax. If you don't have a magnifying glass handy to read the poem with, it says this:
Books to the ceiling, books to the sky,
My piles of books are a mile high.
How I love them!
How I need them!
I'll have a long beard by the time I read them.
Arnold Lobel
Liz, Jax, and I are all busy, with reviews that we have accepted and with life stuff. I've decided to close the blog temporarily to new requests. We are starting to get snowed under and currently are running about two months out for reviews. When we've caught up, and caught our breath, the blog will re-open to new review requests. For publicists and blog tour companies that we are currently working with, we will still consider new requests as time, and our sanity, permits.
We will still do the occasional interview and some guest posts and book spotlights so feel free to email us about those. If we said we're reviewing your book, it's coming! I apologize for any delays. Thanks for your understanding.
The series is based around Madame Evangeline's match-making skills. A woman to be reckoned with, and owner of a highly successful matchmaking service; put the right two people together for just one night and anything is possible. Especially when the dates take place at the fabulous Castillo Hotels and Resorts in some of the most exotic places in the world. For more on Madame Evangeline.
BLURB
Rachel Taylor has issues. Her father broke her mother's heart with his cheating and Rachel swore never to let that happen to her, but one ruined relationship after another and she's realized she's got to get over being closed off to men. Perhaps a one-night stand is just the baby step she needs to begin to build trust again.
Shaun Bell, a divorced workaholic, spends all his time tending bar in his Irish Pub. He's ready to love again, but the women who visit his bar are only after his infamous Irish cocktails. At the advice of his darts team, over a tanker or two of Beamish, he applies to 1Night Stand to get back into the swing of things and enjoy the company of a woman specially selected for him by Madame Evangeline.A match seemingly made in heaven...until morning rolls around and Shaun can't bring himself to say good-bye. Can he win her over with his secret weapon, a Sweet Irish Kiss, or is Rachel still too scared to love?
"
Your Panties will be bunching and you will be sitting on the edge of your chair to wait and see what goodies Shaun has packed in his overnight bag ** grins **"-- Kat, Pageflipperz
GRAB YOUR COPY FOR FREE TODAY! LIMITED TIME OFFER TO CELEBRATE ST PATRICK'S DAY! AVAILABLE IN MOST EBOOK STORES...
"Ms. Kenrick's writing style flows nicely throughout the story. Her attention stays more on the characters rather than the setting which is fitting for the genre of the novella. I like her ability to dig deep within the characters feelings allowing them to step up and tell their story. It is as if the author really took the back seat on this one. Very well written indeed! JoAnne Kenrick knows how to write unique, if not quirky, characters that stay with me long after I've finished reading their stories." -- Talina, Night Owl Reviews
This Sweet Irish Kiss excerpt has been edited to make it a PG-13. Please keep in mind that
the full story has a 4 flame rating and is therefore NOT suitable for minors.
I can’t believe I did that. What a great first impression. Not! And only I could top it off by going all defensive on his ass. Poor guy looks like a rabbit caught in the headlights. At least he was a gentleman about it, though. Had any of my exes seen me go down like a ton of bricks, all Nia Vilvados style, they’d have pissed themselves laughing and grabbed their cameras. I’m the character who gets caught up in headphone wire when she sees a hot guy in that movie...Fat Greek Wedding, Big Fat Greek...whatever. I know what I mean.
Rachel shuddered. She’d fallen flat on her face because the hunkiness of her one-night stand had taken her by surprise. She hadn’t expected it. Not in the least. Average, that’s what his profile had said. It’s why she picked him. She figured he wouldn’t be up himself. Most attractive men who know they’re hot behave like monkeys in heat because of it. She wanted a man who would be thanking his lucky stars to have her in his arms, and one who would be romantic and polite. And when he rushed to help her, he‘d surprised her again.
Drop dead gorgeous and caring? This could be dangerous.
“Ya feeling better now?” Thick Irish accent, smooth like Baileys, coated each word her one-night stand spoke.
“Uh-huh.” She glanced up at his welcoming expression and caught her stare in his. “So, you’re Irish?” You’re Irish?
He quirked his mouth into a grin as if she amused him. She reminded herself that she wanted this and backed up. She sat on the nearest thing to her, a dining chair from the breakfast for two set, and chewed at her freshly manicured nails. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt this nervous. Her stomach flip- flopped around the butterflies dancing in her gut.
“Ya, that a problem?” God I love his Irish brogue.
“Listen, Shaun, I’m sorry about the way I came down on you. I mean, not came down on you. Hell, I...I’m sorry for losing it.” He raised an eyebrow. “For biting your head off when you tried to help.”
“Hey, I get it. I’m not what ya expected.” Shaun, hands firmly rooted in his pockets, shrugged his shoulders. “Ya definitely not what I expected, either, but here we are. We can call it a day if you prefer or we can enjoy the rest of the evening. What do ya say? I can leave if ya like. The hotel room’s been paid for, so ya can spend the night and make the most of it. I’ll leave ya be, so I will. But I’d rather stay here...with ya.”
Her stare locked on Shaun, and she watched him grab his bag from the foot of the bed and stride toward the exit. His muscular frame, dark features, and great sense of style had her knees knocking together. She couldn’t remember the last time she actually wanted a man. But it wasn’t like she’d chase after him. The day she did that would be the day she forgave her daddy, or rolled over dead. The latter was more likely to happen first.
The following excerpt has been edited to make it a PG-13 excerpt. Please keep in mind that the book does contain adult themes and language, and is not suitable for minors.
Pretentious, that’s how Rachel described the infamous Knightsbridge store where she worked. She loved her job, though. It meant she could let loose, make crazy-ass window displays, and stretch her imagination beyond the high street fashion trends. Usually.
“Effing yuppie fashion.” She stood, pin cushion in hand, staring out the huge plate glass window. The rain drizzled over passing shoppers who huddled and shared umbrellas with loved ones. She wished she could have someone she could trust to protect her when life pissed all over her, but she didn’t have anyone like that. The big brick wall she’d built had seen to it.
A flashback of running through a downpour with her father hit her hard. He’d thrown his coat over her, sheltering her and leaving himself open to the elements. They giggled all the way home, running late for a Mother’s Day dinner.
She closed her eyes to try and block out the past, but the darkness acted as a blank canvas for her memory to play out the scene until a rumble of thunder in the distance brought her back to the present.
She sniffled back her feelings and grasped a plastic body to steady herself. A teardrop trickled down her face, and she smeared it away. Time to buckle up and get over it. Once a fond memory, it now served as a bitter pill. He’d tricked her, tricked everyone with his gallant gestures. He could never again be the genuine, kind man she remembered from her childhood. At least not to her, anyway.
“Effing life.” She threw a knit over a male model’s shoulders and fluffed to give it a casual yet purposeful style. “What are they thinking, asking me to decorate the mannequins with this jumped up crap? Men don’t dress like Prince William. No man I know anyway.”
Her pocket buzzed. Rachel flipped her phone open. “Hello?” Nothing. “Hell-o?”
Still nothing. She pulled it from her ear and glanced at the digital display.
“Email, not a call. I’m never going to get used to this stupid, high tech phone.” She pressed a few buttons. Some wrong. Some right. Eventually, she managed to open up the message.
A last minute check, to make sure your 1NightStand goes as you desire. May I suggest you wear a corset, my dear, to flatter your curves. He’ll be there before you, and I picked a room especially with a double door entrance so you can have a Scarlet O’Hara moment. Please don’t wear green. He hates the color. A bottle of Jameson would make a wonderful gift, should you wish to bring something along to break the ice. And best of all, Rachel, remember why you wanted this and enjoy the experience. Good luck, dear, I hope he’s all you need.
Bien a toi, Evangeline
— Is he ALL she needs? There is only one way to find out…READ THE BOOK FOR FREE! St Patrick's Day Promotion, free offer for a limited time only.
This excerpt has been edited to make it suitable for a general, mature audience. Sweet Irish Kiss is not suitable for minors.
“Put this blindfold on,” he ordered, “if ya want a surprise.” He wanted to put it on her himself. But knowing she had trust issues, it didn’t feel right to do so. Instead, he went to the bathroom to clean the toys with warm, soapy water as the packet had said for him to do. He hoped she would be sightless and under his demand when he got back.
He wasn’t disappointed. Still on all fours, she had done as requested. He smeared lube over the beads and eased them into her. As an anal newbie, he had no idea how much it would turn him on and drive him insane. He wanted to rip them out and shove his cock inside her tight little hole instead. His hard on throbbed with need already, and it had only been minutes since he’d come. Sure he would be able to perform again, and probably too soon if he didn’t grab hold of himself, he grinned.
When the fifth and biggest bead was inside her, he whipped on a condom, slipped inside her bleep entrance from behind, and plunged all the way into her slick warmth . The bumpity-bump of the latex numbs rubbing against him through her thick layer massaged his length as he moved, and he couldn’t contain the growl that emerged from deep in his gut.
JoAnne Kenrick
JoAnne Kenrick, an ex-Ghost Tour Guide turned Romance Author, is a Welsh lass who has lived in various countries around the world. She now calls North Carolina her home, where she lives with her husband, two children and a lazy cat. When they aren't demanding her attention, she can most likely be found watching a vampire movie, reading or baking up a British favorite in her N.C. kitchen. That is, when she isn't writing or chatting up a storm on social networking sites.
Today, romance author Naomi King is visiting us to talk about how accurate, or true to life, are Amish romances. Amish romances are a sub-genre that have become very popular in the past few years. As with any story inspired by real world people, events, things, etc. some people question the accuracy and authenticity of those stories. Naomi will address that in her post.
I’ve called Missouri home for most of my life, and most folks don’t realize that several Old Older Amish and Mennonite communities make their home here, as well. The rolling pastureland, woods, and small towns along county highways make a wonderful setting for Plain populations—and for stories about them, too! While Jamesport, Missouri is the largest Old Order Amish settlement west of the Mississippi River, other communities have also found the affordable farm land ideal for raising crops, livestock, and running the small family-owned businesses that support their families.
Like my heroine, Miriam Lantz, of my new Seasons of the Heart series, I love to feed people—to share my hearth and home. I bake bread and goodies and I love to try new recipes. I put up jars and jars of green beans, tomatoes, beets and other veggies every summer. All my adult life, I’ve been a deacon, a dedicated church musician and choir member, and we hosted a potluck group in our home for more than twenty years.
Like Abby Lambright, heroine of my new Home at Cedar Creek series, I consider it a personal mission to be a listener and a peacemaker—to heal broken hearts and wounded souls. Faith and family, farming and frugality matter to me: like Abby, I sew and enjoy fabric arts—I made my wedding dress and the one Mom wore, too, when I married into an Iowa farm family more than thirty-five years ago! When I’m not writing, I crochet and sew, and I love to travel.
I recently moved to Minnesota when my husband got a wonderful new job, so now he and I and our border collie, Ramona, are exploring our new state and making new friends.
I’d love to hear from you! Email me from here on my new site, or write to me at Charlotte Hubbard/Naomi King, P.O. Box 18731, West St. Paul MN 55118. I hope you enjoy reading my new Amish books as much as I love writing them!
Are Amish novels true to life? Short answer: yes—and no.
If it’s an escape into a simpler time you’re looking for . . . an idyllic, pastoral world where families gather around the table to eat wonderful home-cooked meals in tidy farmhouses, and their conversations aren’t interrupted by cell phones and text messages, that’s an accurate portrayal of everyday life for Amish folks.
They don’t wear watches. They travel only as fast and as far as their horses can pull their carriages. The rhythm of their days and lives is more in sync with the world as God created it—and for those of us who are addicted to Facebook and shopping online with our iPads, this lifestyle sounds rather gratifying and serene as we sit with our electronic devices feeling vaguely . . . isolated. Considering how many kids most Amish families include, and how older parents often live in the same house with a married son and his kids, isolation is not a problem for them! Cell phones and hand-held games don’t allow the kids to splinter off into their own little worlds, so they actually hold conversations with the people around them.
But does a reader get the real skinny on the Plain life when she reads an Amish novel? The whole truth? Nope. By nature and faith, Old Order Amish don’t reveal or share details of such rituals as wedding ceremonies or the falling of the lot (their method of letting God decide who will become a preacher or a bishop, the leaders of their community) to outsiders because these events are sacred—not to be defiled by those who haven’t committed themselves to the church. So, while many best-selling authors write of Amish weddings and Sunday services—even those authors who live near Amish communities, or who have relatives who’ve left the Plain faith—some of the details are made up. Or written around.
But then, isn’t that the very nature of a novel? Fiction is all about entertainment and escape, and it allows for a certain amount of wiggle room and drama: the whole point of a novel is to make your reader say “I couldn’t put it down.” A good novelist knows better than to belabor the stench of an Amish hog lot when you’re downwind on a hot summer day, or to dwell on the high incidence of genetic disorders and infant mortality among the Amish, who intermarry more than the English (non-Amish) population.
So the wedding scene in ABBY FINDS HER CALLING, for example, presents details of the ceremony I could glean from research and talking to my source fellow in Jamestown, Missouri—the largest Old Order community west of the Mississippi River—but the fact that my Amish books are set in Missouri also means that some of my details about clothing, weddings, and community life may differ from what Beverly Lewis or Marta Perry present in their Lancaster County-set tales. Missouri Amish, for instance, marry at any time of the year rather than waiting until the traditional month of November, when the harvest work is done, as most Amish in the Eastern states do.
And, when folks have read the premise of ABBY, I’ve heard a whisper or two about “oh, a nice Amish girl wouldn’t get pregnant before she was married.” Well, Amish kids have the same raging hormones the rest of us did at that age. And a lot of readers belong to a generation when premarital sex and pregnancy was not talked about—when girls “disappeared” to a distant aunt’s during their pregnancy, and came home empty-armed to try to catch a husband while keeping their sin a secret. So a lot of Amish stories that deal with this issue follow the same pattern because that’s how most Amish communities still deal with this predicament.
ABBY FINDS HER CALLING, however, takes a different path: love and forgiveness override Old Order rules as the Lambright family decides to support young Suzanna’s decision to keep her baby, despite the shame her behavior has brought upon them . . . despite her betrayal of James, her would-be groom, who lives across the road and must deal with his feelings as the father of his fiancée’s child finally comes forward.
Another interesting issue also affects how true-to-life an Amish story will be: editorial preference. Because I’m currently writing two different Amish series for two different publishers under two names, I’ve discovered that my two editors have different ideas about what is Amish and what is not! Or, put differently, each editor has her own vision for which details feel right (homemade bread exclusively, dark colors only for clothing, for instance) and which realities burst that idyllic bubble she wants to live in as she immerses herself in my books. These ladies have asked such questions as “Would an Amish room be painted yellow?” or “You mean they really would use Velveeta—or Cool Whip—in this recipe?”
So part of my job as a writer involves ferreting out answers to those questions and working the relevant details into my stories in a convincing way. I subscribe to The Budget, the national weekly Plain newspaper. I research online and by asking questions of authors I consider better experts on some Amish topics. I have quite a collection of factual books about these fascinating folks, as well. I’m also blessed to have that fellow in Jamesport, Missouri who’s a mere email away when I have questions. I do my best to present true-to-life characters in situations Plain people would find themselves in.
But I’m not Amish, so my Amish fiction is flawed. (I suppose this parallel holds true for those who write vampire novels . . . or serial killer thrillers, or pirate stories . . .) So my mission is to write engaging, compelling stories about the characters I’ve created in Cedar Creek and Willow Ridge, Missouri. And if I give my readers moments of delight and awe, while immersing them in a world where faith and family mean everything, and where God is in control so all is right with the world—even when that world seems to tilt askew on its axis during times of crisis—then I’ve done my job. If, for a few wondrous hours, my readers can forget their hectic schedules and heartaches and some unpleasant realities they wish they didn’t have to deal with, I have indeed lifted them up. And if they’re clamoring for the next book in my series (ROSEMARY OPENS HER HEART, 10/12) they’re happy—and so am I!
