I recently heard from a reader of The Amish Nanny, who loved the book but said that she had caught an error, a reference to an Amish farmer with a tractor.  She said, I’ve been told that the Amish don’t use tractors.   

She was somewhat misinformed, so I was glad I was able to respond to her with more complete information. Just in case anyone else is curious, I thought I might address the issue here as well by posting the following excerpt (tractor info in bold), which comes from page 80 of A Pocket Guide to Amish Life:

Evaluating Technology

When a new technology becomes available to a district, church leaders will evaluate its potential for causing harm to Amish life and values and then decide whether to accept or reject it. No technology, regardless of how labor-saving it may be, is permissible if the leaders determine that it will be spiritually detrimental to the community.

Though the rules vary widely from district to district, many items are often approved for use without adaptation in Amish homes and farms, including calculators, flashlights, manual typewriters, gas grills, chain saws, inline skates, and more. Some districts allow manual lawnmowers only, though others permit gas-powered lawnmowers and even weed whackers.

In many Amish homes and farms, other items are allowed as long as they have been adapted to work with non-electric fuel sources, such as propane or batteries. These include refrigerators, lights, shop tools, fans, copy machines, sewing machines, smoke alarms, some farm equipment, hot water heaters, washing machines, and more. Tractors often must be adapted for off-road use only, lest they provide the opportunity to go too far from home. This usually means steel tires rather than rubber. In many communities, tractors are not allowed in the fields at all but instead may only be used inside or near the barn as sources for high-powered needs such as blowing silage to the top of silos, powering feed grinders and hydraulic systems, pumping liquid manure, and so on.

In most cases, hay balers can be used in the fields as long as they are pulled by horses rather than self- propelled.
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Here’s a photo I took a few years ago of a tractor in an Amish barn in Lancaster County.  Note the steel tires, which are the practice for that district:

I hope this info clears up any confusion about the Amish and tractors!  I always love to hear from readers, but especially when it allows me to clear up any misconceptions and provide more info about Amish life and practices.

Blessings,
Mindy

To hear our interview, simply go here and click on the player in the upper right corner.

Enjoy!

PS – If for some reason you have problems with the above link, you can find the show at http://toginet.com/shows/amishwisdom.

The reason I’m talking about the conference here on this blog is because one of the sessions I’ll be teaching focuses on Amish fiction.  Called “Amish 101”, the class includes an overview of the genre and the current state of the market, followed by an A-Z rundown of Amish life, practices, and beliefs.  As the Amish fiction genre expands and more and more authors consider trying their hand at writing it, I thought it would be helpful to provide a full understanding of the “big picture”—i.e., why the Amish live the way they do and why their world is such an interesting place for Christian writers to explore.

For more information, check out the ACFW website, where you’ll see that the conference is shaping up to be awesome, as always.  I can’t wait to go.  Hope to see you there too!

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A New Normal

Recently, I dined in the home of one of the families whose lives were directly impacted by the incident. Though the tragedy itself was not mentioned, I couldn’t help but notice the sadness that still lingers in the mother’s eyes, the heavy feeling of loss that permeates the entire family. Certainly, they have continued on in the world of the living. Their gleaming floors, healthy animals, and overflowing gardens attest to that. For the most part, family life seems back to business as usual, their youngest child laughing at the dogs’ antics, their teenager flashing a shy smile at his girlfriend.

But despite the years that have passed, the whole family is obviously still learning to adapt to what psychologists call a “new normal,” one where children can be victims of a senseless crime but life goes on anyway. For this family and indeed for all the Amish families touched by the tragedy, forgiveness is something they did in the beginning, yes, but also something they must do over and over, sometimes each new day.

Among the Amish, the tragedy at Nickel Mines has come to be known as “the Happening.” They don’t talk about it much anymore, at least not with outsiders. The schoolhouse has long since been torn down, its replacement built in a different style at a different location. No longer the Nickel Mines School, it has been christened New Hope, a name that resonates with optimism for the future despite the past. Of the five victims who survived the shooting, one lives with impaired vision, they’ve all had numerous surgeries, and one suffered extensive brain damage and is confined to a wheelchair. All five are currently living at home with their families, going on with their lives.

My best impression of how the incident has impacted the Amish community at large came from a conversation with another Amish woman, one who wasn’t directly connected to the victims or their families but grieved nonetheless. She and I weren’t even talking about the shooting but about the Ordnung and infractions of rules and differences between districts. According to her, Nickel Mines put everything into perspective.

“We used to bicker more, have disagreements about this little rule and that little rule and who did what differently in which districts,” she said. “Then something…bigger happened, something terrible,” she continued, her voice faltering for a moment, “and we realized all the arguing was so pointless. There were far more important matters in life.”

I’m so happy for Erik and proud of this amazing new book that shines a light on all that the Amish bring to the world of business.  Learn more at his website, where you can also download a sample chapter.  Given the fascinating topic, massive research, and excellent writing that went into Success Made Simple, I predict big things.

Congrats, Erik, and best wishes for a wildly popular book. You deserve it!

Folks, if you have EVER thought about entering a contest, this is the one not to miss. I cannot begin to express how fantastic this place is.  Of course, once I was there I had to knock on the door and introduce myself.  The couple who runs the B&B warmly welcomed me and even let me snap some photos to post online. Because the building sits up on a ridge, there are million dollar views out every window, in every direction. Truly, the place took my breath away.

For example, here’s the view out back:

And here’s a window looking out of the front:

Here are some interior shots:

And here are your hosts, the Hursts, on the back deck:

Is this place incredible, or what?  Sorry to be so effusive, but my excitement is difficult to contain. Given that the contest is sponsored by Harvest House and Christianbook.com, I knew the accommodations would be a class act, I just didn’t know this would be one of the nicest B&Bs I have ever seen.

Have  you entered yet?  I would if I were you!  I can’t wait for you to take in these Amish country views–not to mention I’m really looking forward to taking you out to dinner.

Click here to learn more about the Great Amish Getaway Giveaway.

The Amish may not wire their homes for electricity, but they frequently utilize other sources of power, including many of the following:

• kerosene, naptha, gasoline, diesel, propane, and other gasses

• compressed air

• gravity, wind, water, and solar power

• wood and coal

and more.

Some districts choose to limit certain types of power, but in general the Amish have found remarkably ingenious ways to make their lives easier by using approved, independent power sources instead of “hooking into the grid” of public utilities such as electricity.

Considering the number of solar panels I’ve spotted around Lancaster County, the Amish were “going green” long before the rest of us even thought about it!

All Amish all the time…that’s what my life has felt like over the last few months. It started with a brand new book project, a small nonfiction that I was able to squeeze in between finishing one mystery novel and starting another.  Nonfiction uses a different part of my brain than fiction does, and it makes for a nice change when that brain has been working overtime on mystery, murder, and mayhem–all under pressure of a deadline.  Thus, needing a break from my usual plotting and characterization and intrigue, I took on a nonfiction project for the summer and ended up immersing myself in all things Amish. What’s the book?  A Pocket Guide to Amish Life, which will be released in January 2010. 

Yes, it’s true, I am the same person who once said, after finishing Shadows of Lancaster County, that “I may never write another Amish book again.”  That novel was difficult for me, the research among the hardest I have ever done.  Believe it or not, I found getting the inside scoop on Amish life far tougher than, say, learning how to build a pipe bomb (for Blind Dates Can Be Murder) or securing access to a real sapphire mine (A Dime a Dozen).  I even wrote an article about my struggle in researching the Amish, which I posted here. 

But I should have known that one book wouldn’t be the end of it.  Like the mountain climber who had to give up short of the summit, I found myself wanting to return and try again.  The Amish elements in Shadows were correct, but only because my plot allowed me to avoid many facets of Amish life entirely.  I learned enough to write that one, but beyond the story I told I wasn’t confident in my Amish knowledge overall.

Thus, when my publisher brought up the concept of a guidebook about the Amish, I found the idea strangely intriguing.  Could I really do it?  Could I, who had struggled through all 326 pages of a story set in Amish country, actually put my researcher’s hat back on and this time ferret out the whole truth about the Amish, enough to fill an entire Pocket Guide?  Enough to get it completely right?

Well, yes, and then some, I’m happy to report.  In the end, I had so much to say about Amish life that I found myself wishing that little book could be twice as big.  (Stay tuned, because in the coming weeks, I’ll reveal on this blog the exciting ways we’re going to make all of that “overflow” information accessible.) It wasn’t easy, but after a summer of intense reading and study, interviews, personal tours, exploration, and lots of face time with Amish scholars, experts, and some new Amish friends, I found myself finally reaching the summit that had so eluded me before. 

This morning, I got a phone call from one of my readers, a kind Amish fellow who had agreed to review my manuscript and flag errors and questions.  He had already given me the green light on the finished product a few weeks ago, but today he was following up to let me know that he appreciated what I was trying to accomplish.

“There’s so much bad information out there,” he said, “I was thinking about it and wanted you to know to that I’m awful glad your book will help set things straight.”  He went on to thank me for presenting such a balanced, clear picture of Amish life—me, the girl who had struggled so hard the first time to get it right, the writer who said she may never return to that subject matter again.  I guess that old adage is true: Never say never.

Once our phone call was over, I returned to my work with a big grin on my face.  I’m already deep into my next novel, Secrets of Harmony Grove, and this time around I’m able to focus on other areas of research, feeling confident that I’ve finally got the Amish side of things covered. Of course there’s always more to learn, but overall I’m able to write this new novel with far more confidence and authority on a subject that had previously eluded me.

All Amish all the time?  Doing two Amish-related books back to back, it sure seems that way.

And I’m as surprised as anyone to say that I’m loving every minute of it.

Instead, like most writers, I depend on diligent research—not to mention a good bit of imagination—to write about topics far outside my own realm of experience. Despite a lack of firsthand knowledge, curiosity and a relentless search for answers can result in realistic and compelling storytelling. Write what you know, yes, but also what you want to know and are willing to learn.

Several years ago, I decided that I wanted to know more about the Amish. I live not far from Lancaster County, yet these quiet neighbors of mine were an enigma to me. I wanted an excuse to delve deeper, to learn more about their religion and lifestyle, to find out if they were a cult, as some claimed, or an earnest group of Christians. I also wondered why I always saw so many physically handicapped Amish people, far more than statistics would bear. Finally, after the Amish school shooting tragedy, I wanted to understand how they were able to forgive such an atrocity so fully, so quickly.

Thus, when I pitched a series of standalone gothic mysteries to my publisher, each with its own exotic locale, I included as one of those locales “Amish country.” My editors loved the concept of gothic mysteries in varied locations and sent me to work first on Whispers of the Bayou, which focused on Cajuns and was set in Louisiana, and then on Shadows of Lancaster County, which focused on the Amish and was set in Pennsylvania.

As it turned out, getting an insider’s view of the Amish life was among the most difficult research I have ever done, much harder than learning to build a pipe bomb or poison someone with an indigenous plant. There were plenty of books about the Amish from which I would pull my facts, but what I most wanted was to talk to Amish people, heart to heart, and hear straight from them what their lives were really like.

In the past, I have done some fairly nervy things for the sake of research, such as crawling into a hidden sapphire mine or floating down an alligator-infested bayou. It has all been worth it, as the best research is done by actually getting out into something and seeing it, smelling it, feeling it.

That’s how I work, but in this case there was something about the Amish that kept me at arm’s length. I chatted with many a kapped maiden who seemed friendly and receptive, but as soon my questions moved from idle chatter to book research, they politely found ways to end our conversations and move along.

I couldn’t really blame them; the Amish of Lancaster county often feel like animals in a zoo, observed, photographed, studied ad nauseam. From what I have read, not only do they not like all of this attention, they are completely baffled by it. They don’t get what it is that we Fancy folk find so fascinating about their simple lifestyle. I’m not sure I do either, I just knew that if I was going to write a good and accurate book, not to mention depict a lead character who was genuinely Amish, I needed to get inside an Amish person’s head.

To that end, I began taking tours of Amish farms, going on buggy rides, and seeking out many of the Amish “experiences” that are for sale in Lancaster County—all in the hopes of understanding the Amish experience, of rubbing elbows with real live Amish folks who might be willing to talk. Everywhere I went, though I met many Amish people who were warm and friendly, they were also clearly uncomfortable with my persistence.

When I finally asked a self-acclaimed “Amish expert” and tour guide if he had any idea how I could arrange a sit-down meeting with an Amish person who was willing to answer some questions, he held out an open palm, winked, and told me that anything could be had for a price.
Startled, I changed the subject and soon left.

Driving away, the shock of that moment continued to pound in my ears. Everyone knows that an entire industry has been built up around the Amish, an industry that often borders on exploitation. Paying this man to set up an interview felt wrong somehow, especially given that the money would surely stay with him and not trickle down to whatever Amish person he roped into meeting with me. Here I had been seeking an inroad into the Amish mind, when all along I should have understood that what most Amish people wanted was simply to be left alone!

Confused, I began to question my project. A part of me wanted to scrap the whole thing, but then I thought of those original questions that had first sparked my interest: my confusion over the high number of Amish handicapped, my curiosity at their salvation and their ability to forgive so easily. From my reading, I had already learned some startling facts about Amish DNA, genetic research, and a physical peculiarity that plagued them known as the “Founder Effect”.

I decided to form my plot around those original questions—as an outsider looking in. I’d also make my main character a regular person just like me, one who’d had interactions with the Amish community but had never been Amish herself. Instead of using unethical means to get an insider’s view, I would depend on more standard, second-hand methods of research (such as books and documentaries) and use my outsider status to my advantage.

As it turned out, the changes I made led to a stronger plot, one that respectfully addresses the Amish faith, their genetics, and their forgiveness. Through the eyes of my non-Amish heroine, I feel like I was able to avoid exploiting anyone while still creating a heart-pounding story of cutting-edge genetics, Amish forgiveness, and a young woman grappling with a tragedy in her Lancaster County past.

Considering the struggle I went through with research, I don’t know that I’ll ever write another Amish book. But I’m glad I wrote this one, if for no other reason than I got my questions answered; I learned what I wanted to know.

After that experience, I also created a new, extended version of my adage: Write what you know, and write what you want to know and are willing to learn. But if your pursuit of knowledge leads you to places you don’t want to go, then don’t. Instead, rethink your plot and make changes accordingly. In the end, not only will your story will be better for it, but you’ll likely sleep better, too.

What Shadows Darken the Quiet Valleys of Amish Country?
Anna Bailey thought she left the tragedies of the past behind when she took on a new identity and moved from Pennsylvania to California. But now that her brother has vanished and his wife is crying out for help, Anna knows she has no choice but to come out of hiding, go home, and find him. Back in Lancaster County, Anna follows the high-tech trail her brother left behind, a trail that leads from the simple world of Amish farming to the cutting edge of DNA research and gene therapy.

During the course of her pursuit, Anna soon realizes that she has something others want, something worth killing for. In a world where nothing is as it seems, Anna seeks to protect herself, find her brother, and keep a rein on her heart despite the sudden reappearance of Reed Thornton, the only man she has ever loved.

Author of: Shadows of Lancaster County; Whispers of the Bayou; The House That Cleans Itself; Elementary, My Dear Watkins; Blind Dates Can Be Murder; The Trouble with Tulip; The Buck Stops Here; A Quarter for a Kiss; A Dime a Dozen; Don’t Take Any Wooden Nickels; A Penny for Your Thoughts

Favorite Scripture: Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”
Favorite quote: “Your worship of Him is more important than your ministry for Him.” I’m not sure who said it, but I heard it from a writer friend, printed it out, and hung it up over my computer!

Favorite books: Body and Soul by Frank Conroy, A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole

Hobbies/Activities I enjoy: Travel, theatre, board games, hanging out with my family, working in my church library

One funny or interesting thing about me: I once broke an arm and a leg-while playing tennis! Agile I am not.