Yesterday morning, at 3 a.m., I sent my editor the sequel to The Measure of Katie Calloway. The title is: The Endurance of Ingrid Larsen (A Promise To Love), and oh how I loved writing Ingrid’s story! I spent most of yesterday, after sending the manuscript in, either staring into space or crying. Finishing a book is an emotional roller coaster for me. I am grateful to take a break, but my characters become so real to me that I feel a sort of grief when the book ends. In the Sugarcreek book, for instance, I still miss Bertha. I find myself longing to talk with her, and have to remind myself that she isn’t real, but it never works, because in my heart she’s very real. That’s why getting to write the sequel to Katie Calloway was so satisfying. I had never written a sequel before, and getting to revisit the lumber camp, was so much fun. (I’ll tell you right now–Jigger did NOT enjoy his sojourn cooking for the health institute in Battle Creek, Michigan!) However, in The Measure of Katie Calloway, it is Delia–the old prostitute–that I miss the most. This surprised me, because she was a […]

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I just got back last night from staying with an Old Order Amish family all weekend. Seven children. One litter of kittens. One litter of unexpected puppies. Fifteen horses. Two milk cows. A five-year-old in a bonnet handing me a baby bottle filled with milk to feed a tiny kitten. Sitting with oil lamps in the evening, the five-year-old on my lap, three other little barefoot girls iin choring kerchiefs all fascinated with me NOT because I am a published author but because I have actually been to visit Laura Ingalls Wilder’s house in Missouri!!!! (They are rabid Little House fans) An older sister sewed a new dress on a treadle sewing machine in the corner, another older sister pressed her new dress (there’s a family wedding coming up) with a cast-iron iron she heated on the stove, the mother sat in a rocking chair reading a recently published book of Amish history I had brought her as a hostess gift. Not all Amish families are alike. From what I have read, not all Amish families are emotionally healthy. But what I saw this past weekend was a family at peace with themselves, with their world, and with God. Not […]

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I have another wedding to attend in Sugarcreek this Saturday. A young cousin is marrying a Sugarcreek boy. Some Old Order Amish friends have invited me to stay with them. They have seven children, and I’m not entirely sure how they will fit me in, but the mother said with a laugh, “If you can stand being around all of us, we’d love to have you.”  I told her I could not wait to see them all again! Now–all I need to do is go unearth a really good flashlight and make certain it has fresh batteries! I’ll let you know how things go!

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I was in Sugarcreek last weekend. My Amish friends invited me over for dinner. Now that I’ve stopped asking so many questions, I think they enjoy my company more. There were three families, about thirty people. Everyone had pitched in to bring food–I stopped on the way there and got a giant pail of ice cream, which was pretty much empty by the end of the meal. I watched fifteen children go through the food line and not one appeared to be a picky eater. They simply filled their plates and enjoyed their food. We had hamburgers grilled over coals in a pit dug in the yard. Homemade bread from whole wheat that had been freshly ground before baking.  Baked beans, which the grandma brought over from the daadi haus.  Homemade noodles. Hand squeezed lemonade–about four gallons of it in a huge glass jar with a dipper–which the children loved. Some vegetables. Chocolate sheet cake. The adults sat at a huge oak table, and the conversation ranged over various wild animals that used to be nearly extinct around Sugarcreek and are now making a come back. Animals like wild turkey and deer. The new groom–the one I wrote about in […]

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[nextgen_cooliris id=4 width=500 height=420 numrows=2 style=dark] Wonderful book signing at the Gospel Bookstore in Sugarcreek Oct. 1. A major highlight was meeting Doyle Yoder, the professional photographer who took the pictures used on the cover of my book. For a glimpse of his beautiful photos of Amish country, check out his link on my site. My son, Jacob, caught these pictures of the Kiddie Parade that was going on during the annual Swiss Festival this weekend. Another highlight was spending time with Rhoda and Freeman–owners of the bookstore.

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I spent the weekend in Indianapolis last week-end at a major writer’s conference, learning more about the writing craft, and talking with other professionals. It’s nice to spend a few days out of the year with people who are as weird as me. “Weird” is truly the word I wanted to use. It just isn’t normal to want to spend hours every day sitting at a keyboard making up stories.  Sometimes it’s easy to doubt your own sanity. Although I took notes like mad at all the great classes–high points for me were getting to hear the great Janette Oke (Love Comes Softly) speak and applauding like crazy as my agent, Sandra Bishop, won the “Agent of the Year” award. [nextgen_cooliris id=3 width=500 height=420 numrows=2 style=dark] But the highest point of all was being inspired by one lovely African American mother who came to our multi-author book signing. She had her three daughters in tow, and all of them were buying books and talking to favorite authors. “That daughter over there is in law school,” the mother said. “And the middle one is planning on becoming an engineer.” “The youngest wants to be a writer. All three are straight-A students.” […]

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A few weeks ago, an Amish friend in Sugarcreek handed me an invitation to her wedding. I was greatly honored. After I got home, I put the invitation on my refrigerator and it was then that I noticed the wedding was to be held on a Thursday morning at 8:30 A.M.!!! I attended that wedding last week. It was utterly fascinating, quite beautiful, and there is simply too much to put into one post. However, I did discover the reason for the early morning timing—the Amish are SERIOUS about weddings!!! The “ceremony” went on non-stop until about 12:30 p.m. During this time, the bride and groom and the other four members of the immediate wedding party sat quietly while various ministers took turns preaching. It was all conducted in German. I did, however, catch 5 English words that were enunciated quite clearly by the Amish preachers–possibly for the benefit of the handful of Englisch people there–”Divorce is NOT an option!!” I asked my friend, later, what other things the ministers were saying. She explained that they were following a traditional course of instruction about God’s plan for marriage. They begin in Genesis and continue on through the book of Job. […]

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