My uncle and cousin in North Carolina, reading the copies I sent for Christmas.
If you’d like a preview of Plain Jayne, click here. The link will take you to the Harvest House site, where you can also find book group discussion questions.
Above, note my favorite picture of the book – I love their faces! Believe me when I say the book really is funny. And yes, those are dogs by my cousin (in case you were wondering).
Have a great day!
It’s finally out! After months of writing, editing, planning and paperwork, Plain Jayne has finally begun to hit the shelves.
I say “begun,” because different stores stock at different times. It first showed up New Year’s Day at Wal-Mart; Borders says they’ll stock Friday (which is funny because most bookstores stock Tuesdays, but whatever. I’m just the writer.)
It’s been fun hearing from people who have read the book. So far, everyone’s enjoyed it, and anyone who hasn’t isn’t talking 
But Publishers Weekly, Booklist, and At Home with Christian Fiction have had kind things to say.
If you’re anywhere near the Portland area, mark your calendar for February 14th! I’ll be at the Cedar Hills Crossing Powell’s at 2pm, signing books and chatting with readers. Come join the party!
I have just gotten over a very nasty case of the flu (which I was kind enough to pass along to my husband…) and I realized that half the people I know were either sick or just-on-the-mend. All this bad weather going around the country is not helping. I thought I’d pass along this wonderful recipe for Amish Chicken Soup that brings folks back to health in no time at all! Stay well, Amish readers.
Amish Chicken Soup
3lb. chicken
2 qt. water
2 tsp. salt, dash of pepper
1 1/2 cup chicken stock
2 cups celery, chopped
2 cups carrots, chopped
1 tart apple, chopped
1 c. onions, chopped
(opt. 2 pototoes, chopped)
4 cups egg noodles
Place chicken in kettle with 2 quarts water. Cover and cook until tender (about 2 1/2 hours). Remove chicken from kettle and strain broth. De-bone chicken and return to kettle with strained broth. Add stock, carrots, onions, celery, apple and pepper and cook until vegetables are tender. Add noodles and cook 10 minutes. Enjoy!
Yep, I’m talking about the Great Amish Getaway Giveaway sponsored by Harvest House and Christianbook.com. Last week, I was driving around nearby Lancaster County doing some research for my next book when I spotted the sign for Hurst House, the B&B where the winner gets to stay. Curious, I made a little detour to check the place out. Let’s see, how can I describe my thoughts as I pulled up the winding driveway and into the parking lot… How about WOWEEEEEE!!!!!
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.
Wow! We just had to pass on the news that our friends at Harvest House Publishers and Christianbook.com are teaming up to sponsor an amazing giveaway, the Great Amish Getaway. From Christianbook.com…
One Grand Prize includes:
- Round Trip Air Fare To Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
- Two Nights Lodging at The Hurst House Bed and Breakfast
- Dinner With author Mindy Starns Clark (if schedule permits)
3 Runner-ups will each receive:
- 10 signed Harvest House books
Click here to be taken directly to the page where you can enter for your chance to win! And…best of luck!
–Your Friends at AmishReader.com
Last weekend was the Buckeye Book Fair in Wooster, Ohio–the largest annual book event in Ohio and one of the largest literacy fund-raisers in the country. I can’t tell you how much fun I had meeting with readers and signing books. When they opened the doors to the auditorium promptly at 9:00 am. and hundreds of people surged in to browse and buy signed copies from their favorite authors, I was filled with awe! This wasn’t the latest Harry Potter movie, or free lattes at Starbucks…these were books people were hurrying to get their hands on. I must say, as a writer, my heart pounded all that morning and is still a little off beat today two days later. This was the first time I’d been invited to the event to sign A Widow’s Hope, and I certainly hope I’ll be invited back next year.
Afterwards, we drove to my favorite B&B, Simple Pleasures, in Winesburg to spend the night. The innkeeper had invited their Amish neighbors to dinner and chit-chat. And their daughters held an pie-tasting for me with three different kinds of Chocolate Mousse Cream pie. The “winning” recipe along with 3 other pies will appear in The Way to a Man’s Heart, the third in the Miller Family series, coming in July, 2010. Remember, the second in the series, Never Far From Home, will be released late next month. My husband and I slept like babies, and awoke to rolling farmfields kissed by frost and the sound of roosters! I threw some apples to the deer and of course, fed Sam-the-horse apples as well. I cannot imagine a better way to spend the weekend, or a better place to spend it in than Ohio’s Amish Country!
Notice anything unusual in this photo of an Amish farm? Look closer and you’ll see it: solar panels on the roof of the house.
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!
When we were vacationing at our favorite lake in Canada this summer, my husband came home from fishing one day and said, “I saw an Amish beaver lodge today.”
Right. “And why do you say that?”
“Because they added on another room over the winter. Now there are four rooms to the lodge. Last year there were only three. Three years ago there were only two.”
I understood exactly what he meant then.
We live at the edge of Amish country, three miles from the nearest Amish farm and five miles from the Lancaster County line. Amish farmhouses are very familiar to us as is the custom to add on and add on and add on. The house at the Amish nursery I visit each spring has the most interesting roof line I’ve ever seen with all its additions.
An original house is usually the home of the farmer who works the farm and his family. His parents, who may have retired from working the farm completely or at least ceded responsibility to the son, build an addition or gross dawdy haus (granddaddy house) to the main house. It has its own entrance and the older couple live as separately as they choose.
In A Stranger’s Wish the Amish son Jake lives in the gross dawdy haus instead of the grandparents who have died before the story begins. Jake is a paraplegic from a motorcycle accident, and his parents, Old Order Amish, have brought electricity and phone into the addition for Jake’s convenience and as a medical necessity. They also understand that he will never be Amish.
Jake hates being dependent and gets the idea to rent the second floor of the addition as a means of making a bit of money and gaining some semblance of independence. It is to this second floor apartment that the heroines of The Amish Farm Trilogy come to live. They are English young women, fascinated by the Amish life style though they have no wish to be Amish. Here cultures gently clash.
With the leaves changing, the cold and flu season well underway, it’s only a matter of time until the holiday season! Simply Sara starts out in December, so I thought it might be interesting to see how an Amish girl felt about American Christmases. To get a feel for the contrast, I first spent some time researching the way the Amish spend the holidays.
When it comes to Thanksgiving, the Amish take a cue from the Pilgrims and fast. The fasting begins after dinner the night before, and lasts until the big meal, usually served around noon. The women prepare the meal during that time – no tasting allowed! The fasting applies mainly to the baptized church members. For children, the fasting is optional.
November is wedding season for the Amish, so sometimes Thanksgiving celebrations are rolled into wedding celebrations. If there isn’t a wedding going on, families and friends will often gather to celebrate together.
Before eating, the Amish family gathers together in the morning for devotions and talks about what they’re thankful for.
A roasted turkey is often the centerpiece of the meal; rather than purchase frozen birds, many Amish raise their own or purchase them from neighbors. They may also serve mashed potatoes, cooked vegetables, salads, breads, noodles, and pie.
After dinner, it’s not uncommon for the Amish to sing German hymns, taking time to give thanks to God through music. Remember that sung music is the one kind of music allowed by the Ordnung – there are no instruments in Amish homes or churches.
American Christmases are busy, and Amish Christmases can take just as much preparation. Amish students will prepare recitations, a play, and songs to be performed on Christmas Eve. Amish families may gather together to make their Christmas cards, to be given to friends and family. Amish women will make cookies and candies. Decorations, if any, are kept to a minimum. There are no Christmas trees and no Santa Claus. If there’s snow, though, Amish children may entertain themselves by making snowmen.
Celebrations vary among Amish groups – some spend Christmas day in a more somber celebration, saving festivities for the day after. Others exchange gifts on Christmas Day, returning to work and school on the 26th. Either way, Christmas is still an exercise in simplicity. Children know to only expect one gift from their parents, and gifts are often homemade.
An Amish New Years Eve is marked with a church service, hymn-singing, and a pot-luck.
One tradition I discovered was Old Christmas, celebrated on January 6th, a date traditionally also known as Epiphany. Businesses will close on this day, and families will celebrate with food an visiting, much like Christmas Day but without the gifts.
Oh – and it should go without saying that the Amish don’t do Halloween.
How do you and your family celebrate Christmas? I have to say, the day is not coming when I hand-make each and every Christmas card. We sent out postcards of a beautiful snow photo I took last year, but that’s as crafty as it’s going to get in this household. I also enjoy a good cookie swap, as well as getting in the car, putting on Christmas music, and looking at Christmas lights. Last Christmas was pretty stressful, not just because of the tree. I’m looking forward to a do-over this year. What are you looking forward to?
Amish blogger Ira Wagler had been interviewed on CNN. Is it not a great day in America? For years now Ira has enthralled his readers with stories of his childhood and present day events on the Amish. The subject of the interview was talk radio, but contact was made through his website.
