I started the follow-up to Plain Jayne yesterday! Simply Sara will release in the winter of 2011. I’ve only been done with Plain Jayne for a short while, but if I’m not writing, I really don’t know what to do with myself!

While I’m excited to have started the next book, a part of me is still exhausted from finishing Plain Jayne. Writing a book is hard work! I think too often people envision writing as a kind of thoughtful communion with the inner storyteller, a time when the writer gets to sit outside with his/her laptop and let the story unfold itself as spring breezes play at the ends of his/her hair. That’s all complete rubbish. First, laptop screens are invariably tricky to view outside. Second, spring breezes in this part of the world are often paired with outright downpour, and Third, very few stories unfold without a fight. They take immense amounts of thought, planning, and all-out work. If writers only wrote when they felt like it, we wouldn’t do it with the kind of regularity our editors might prefer. You know, to finish things on time.

The upside is that the beginning of a book is my favorite part. I’m already excited about some of the characters, and the fact that much of the book takes place in a bookstore. I love bookstores!

Exciting news – I’ll be teaching a class at the February Oregon Christian Writers’ Conference! If you’re a writer, or exploring the idea of being a writer, and live within reasonable driving distance of Salem, Oregon, it’s certainly worth the trip! I got to attend the Spring Conference here in Eugene a few weeks ago, and had a wonderful time. As registration approaches for the February conference, I’ll be sure to post a link. The class I’m teaching is about creating an ensemble cast for novels. I already have a Word document full of notes. The other happy thing is that Plain Jayne will have been released by then, so I will be bringing books to sell and sign.

If you’re a contented reader but not a writer, no worries, I’ll have other book events around that time.

Until then, happy reading!

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For more than thirty years I’ve lived about three miles from the closest Amish farm and five miles from the Lancaster County line. For a time I had a young woman help with the house (so I could write). Her parents were Old Order Amish and she dressed Plain, though she told me she was no longer Amish herself.

“I believe in salvation by grace,” she said, a concept I couldn’t argue with given Eph. 2:8,9.

I noticed that though Sally dressed in the traditional Amish style, the colors she wore were not traditional. She’d wear a brown dress with a beige apron or a navy dress with a light blue apron. I knew she’d never wear red, one of my favorite colors, because it would be seen as too bold, maybe even the color of a fallen woman–which I most definitely am not in spite of wearing red as I write this.

Still I asked, “Would you ever wear yellow or pink?” They are, after all, soft colors, gentle colors, not brassy or overwhelming.

“Oh, no,” she said. “They would draw too much attention to me, and I’d never want that.”

I had to smile to myself at her answer. Yellow and pink might draw attention to her, but if I followed her fashion lead and dressed Plain, in my circles I’d definitely be doing the very thing she felt she mustn’t be doing–drawing attention to myself. It’s all perspective.

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Happy news – I finished the draft for Plain Jayne!   The draft wrapped last Tuesday, after a marathon writing day that involved almost 3,000 words written in a single day.  Crazy!

Next, I’ll be editing the manuscript.  I had a friend ask me why I was editing – isn’t that my editor’s job?  The answer is that a draft is just that.  I like to go through myself and get the book the way I want it before passing it on.  Even before I finished, there were several things I knew I needed to tweak before handing it in – it’s just part of the process.   My mom also checks for grammatical and continuity errors, so that a fresh pair of eyes (with an English degree) can point out things I would have missed.

In other news, we have an official title for the next book – Simply Sara!  

Looking forward to doing the research for Simply Sara. After researching Plain Jayne, I made the decision as a writer that I wanted to learn something new for every book.  For Plain Jayne, that meant learning to ride a motorcycle.  For Simply Sara, I want to learn to sew.  I tried last spring, with mixed results.  Mixed, largely because I tend to get ambitious when it comes to textiles.  When I knit, I can rip things out when they don’t work.  Sewing – it’s a bit more complicated.

So – for the rest of the month, I have a LOT of editing to do!  So far I’m on Chapter 4 of 38.  I thought I might try to get out of the house to edit today, but it’s Monday, and Monday means laundry.  Speaking of, I need to do a load of darks before getting back to the draft.  Will update more later!

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The old adage “write what you know” has always bugged me. How much do most of us really “know”? In the past eight years, I have written about murder, the NSA, cryptology, espionage, money laundering, art theft, Napoleonic history, the INS, explosives, poisons, and much more. Given that I’m neither incarcerated nor under an FBI watch, you can safely assume that I’m not living a dangerous double life.

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.
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Filed under: Amish Fiction, Mindy Starns Clark by Mindy
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Being a writer is an odd job, especially here in Eugene.  When people hear what I do, I get a lot of funny reactions.  “So is that what you, like, do?”

And I’m one of lucky ones, because the answer is yes.  Most writers need a day job to stay fed.  I am blessed to have a patron of the arts, which means I get to write full-time.  My hat goes off to anyone pulling double duty, because writing fiction can be very mentally taxing!

A lot of people ask if Plain Jayne is my first book; it’s not, but it is my first book to be released.  I wrote a novel about artists and musicians and hippies in Eugene.  While it’s not published, it did open doors for me to do Plain Jayne and its follow-up novel (of indeterminate title) for Harvest House.

Here are some other things people ask –
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Welcome to the “Hillary” section of AmishReader.com!  You’re very sweet to be here, because you can’t buy any of my books right now.  In fact, my first release isn’t all written yet…I have 2559 worlds left.  Not a lot, but enough, especially since the end of the book is kinda the crucial part, I’m trying not to screw it up.   I’m kind of working on it right now – I tend to multi-task while writing.

I can tell you a bit about it, though.  Jayne Tate is the fearless main character, a motorcycle-riding reporter who’s running as fast as she can from her past.  She has a good life in Portland, Oregon – a job at the paper, great friends, and a nice boyfriend.  What she wants most is a chance to go to Florida for the story of the year, but her boss gives the job to a coworker.  Jayne goes a little nutters, and uses her vacation time to go to an Amish community outside of Albany.  Sure she’ll find a story there, she interviews the owner of an Amish carpentry shop, Levi Burkholder.  Levi helps Jayne find a family to stay with while working on the story. 
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Jerry Eicher

Amish Romance

Social

By MARGE SWAYNE

Most college students expect to spend some time with their books, but not many find themselves on the cover of them. Longwood University sophomore Courtney Edwards is still pleasantly surprised every time she sees her picture on the cover of two recently released books by local author Jerry Eicher. The topic might be a further surprise for Courtney’s friends back home. Rebecca’s Promise and Rebecca’s Return are Amish fiction.
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Name:Gayle Roper

Personal info: I live in southeast Pennsylvania, but I spend about a third of the year in Canada on a lake my husband’s family has been going to since he was a child.

Author of: A Stranger’s Wish (January 2010) with two sequels to follow

Favorite Scriptures or quotes: Phil. 4:11 “…I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.” (a constant challenge!) and Ps. 66:12 “You let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance.”

Favorite books: Dick Francis mysteries and almost any romantic suspense

Hobbies/Activities I enjoy: reading, gardening, reading, teaching writing, reading, movies, listening to audio fiction

One funny or interesting thing about me: I cannot get my mind around time and I have discalculia, the numerical version of dyslexia.

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Rachel’s Secret is your first historical novel set in the Amish culture. Why did you choose Amish country as the setting for The Riverhaven Years series?

I’ve always loved to work with contrasts in my fiction. The idea of two people living in entirely different cultures who form a relationship based on trust and faith and love intrigued me. I quickly grew fascinated with the idea of an Irish-American riverboat captain—who comes from a hard world, even a dangerous one because of his work on the river and also with the Underground Railroad—and Rachel Brenneman, who grew up in a sheltered Amish community of plain, caring, and gentle people who keep to themselves and look after their own.

Forbidden love is a theme in Rachel’s Secret, and cultural differences and authority figures are obstacles to romance for several of the characters. Do you think cultural differences strengthen or weaken a relationship?

That probably depends on the people involved, as well as just how significant the differences are. Both Rachel and Gant are strong-willed individuals, and even though Rachel has been raised to submit to authority, because of Gant, she’s finding it difficult to be submissive to the leaders of her church and community. At the same time, Gant finds it nearly impossible to accept the idea that a leadership could exert such influence over an adult, namely Rachel–a woman once married but now widowed, who definitely has a mind of her own. One of them has to change, or the relationship must end.

Is there any historical record of the Amish helping in the Underground Railroad?

I haven’t come across any documented evidence, but there are “hints” and brief mentions in some of the Underground Railroad histories that every now and then a member or members of an Amish community did aid a runaway slave’s escape to the North. The possibility was all I needed to ask myself “what if?” and plan a story that included that premise.

In writing this book, what impressions were you left with about abolition and the Underground Railroad? Did anything you learn surprise you?

I had actually read a great deal about the Railroad and abolitionism over the years, long before I ever thought of writing about it, so my research held few surprises. One of the things that struck me throughout my reading, though, was that the “heroes” of these movements were ordinary people, just like us. The Underground Railroad and abolitionism weren’t effective because of the involvement of mostly pastors or celebrities or folks of unusual courage. They were successful because ordinary people believed in freedom for everyone and were willing to take chances and face the kind of risks that could—and sometimes did—land them in harm’s way or even in jail.

There are many Irish-American characters in your novels, Jeremiah Gant being one example. Why are you so interested in Irish immigrants?

It’s true that my family tree is almost exclusively and exceedingly “green.” I suppose that’s what led me to years of reading about the Irish and Irish Americans, particularly during the period of the “Great Hunger” of the 1840s (the Potato Famine) and the subsequent Irish immigration to the United States and Canada. I was also privy to countless stories passed down through my family that had to do with the experiences of my ancestors.

I’ve found that when I begin to develop a novel, I often know more about the background and setting than I thought I did. Bits and pieces of what I’ve read and heard over the years come back to me, sometimes a fragment at a time. My family, as well as so many years of study and research—and an ongoing interest in Ireland’s struggles—undoubtedly account for the fact that writing about the Irish and Irish Americans is as natural to me as reading about them.

I’ve also learned from my readers over the years that they seem to enjoy reading about the Irish and Irish Americans as much as I enjoy writing about them. Their interest never seems to wane, so naturally that helps to motivate my own interest.

What can you tell us about Book 2 of The Riverhaven Years?

Book Two, Where Grace Abides, will test Rachel’s faith and her love for the forbidden “outsider”—Jeremiah Gant—while Gant’s own hopes and dreams are dealt a life-changing blow, rendering the vow he made to Rachel seemingly impossible to honor.

In addition, many of the other characters first introduced in Rachel’s Secret now find their gentle, unassuming lives of faith jeopardized by a malicious outside influence. At the same time, those striving to help runaway slaves escape to freedom through the Underground Railroad face deception and the danger of discovery.

Tell us a little about some of your recent release, American Anthem.
American Anthem is a rerelease of a trilogy of books: Prelude, Cadence, and Jubilee, now together in one volume. The story is set in 1870s New York. My hope is that it allows the reader to step into another time and place where they will share the hope and dreams and triumphant faith of some special people they’ll grow to love. I’ll let the back cover copy describe the book:
“At the entrance to the city, an Irish governess climbs into a carriage and sets out to confront the man who destroyed her sister’s life—a blind musician who hears music no one else can hear …
On a congested city street, a lonely Scot physician with a devastating secret meets a woman doctor with the capacity to heal not only the sick … but also his heart …
In a tumbledown shack among hundreds of others like it, an immigrant family struggles to survive, and a ragged street singer old beyond her years appoints herself an unlikely guardian …”

What will people find on your web site, http://www.bjhoff.com and your web log, Grace Notes, http://www.bjhoffgracenotes.typepad.com? How do you interact with your readers?

From the time I first began publishing fiction, it’s been important to me to connect with my readers. I’ve found that two of the most effective ways of doing that are personal correspondence and maintaining a web site. The latter includes a web log where readers can meet with me, ask questions, and get information about previous and new releases. Grace Notes is also a place where I try to provide information about writing in general. I’ve discovered that many of my readers are also interested in writing their own books, and I want to encourage that interest. I’ve found a web site and a web log to be good avenues for interacting with both readers and other writers on a fairly frequent basis. We also have some fun every now and then—and contests!

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Jerry, many of our readers may be unaware that you actually grew up in the Amish community. Which Amish Order did you belong to? How long were you a part of the Amish?

Our senior bishop Wallace Byler steadfastly declared us to be Old Order Amish, but the rest of the Amish world called us the New Order Amish. From what I understood, the designation came out of an Amish revival movement from Holmes County in the sixties, and involved only a small number of Amish communities.

My wife and I were born, baptized, and married in the Amish faith. We left just before the birth of our second son, Brandon.

Why did you leave?

I was idealistic, zealous for truth, and acquired ideas which the elders thought dangerous. I read George MacDonald’s Curate’s Awakening, in a translation by Michael Phillips, I believe. I also studied Galatians, coming up with my own ideas on how their Ordungs Brief (a set of written rules) didn’t quite have Scripture to back it up.

To say the least, they weren’t pleased (they being the two bishops, three ministers, and a deacon who gathered at my house). I chose to join the Mennonites before I got in real trouble. By the time the dust settled, both sides of my wife’s and my family had also left, all fourteen of them.

Was it difficult to adapt to the “outside” world?

For me it was, perhaps because I hadn’t planned on or dreamed about leaving. When I drove my first car into the driveway, a Ford Escort, stick shift, diesel, the last year Ford made such a vehicle, I felt a great cloud of heaviness. It was perhaps what a man might feel who leaves on a long journey, certain he will never return home.

The lost of identity was severe. If you are Amish, you may not know much else, but you do know you are Amish. It’s confirmed daily, wherever you go, by your dress, by your lack of an automobile, and your ability to speak another language. Suddenly, all that is gone.

What are some of your fondest memories from growing up Amish?

I grew up in Central America, in an Amish outreach community co-founded by my grandfather, Peter Stoll. So, my childhood memories are laced with the love of that culture. It was not until my mid-teen years that I got the full dose of Amish culture when we moved back to the States.

The camaraderie of the youth group drew me in immediately. To belong, to be accepted without judgment, to know who you were, was a delightful experience.

We were involved in group activities, popcorn raising, corn husking after dark, volley ball, a version of quilting, all of which allowed for healthy interactions between boys and girls trying to find their way into adulthood.

There’s nothing like the experience of driving a fast horse home from a hymn singing―especially in the summer time, with your girlfriend. The visibility is low, as a buggy doesn’t have regular lights like a car. Your door is open, maybe the storm front is up, and you are close to the surrounding environment. Everything goes by twice as fast. Then you pass a few buggies. A horse has no steering wheel or brakes, just the lines taut in your hands. I have never raced a car, because I don’t need to. I’ve already done something better! The sad truth, though, is that my wife noticed my horse before she ever saw me! Who says girls aren’t the same everywhere?

Do you think people tend to romanticize the Amish lifestyle? How accurate are the portrayals of the Amish that we see in books, movies, and television?

I think I just romanticized in some of my answers! It probably can’t be helped, thought’s built into the lifestyle. My novels aren’t romanticized―at least that I know of. I just follow what interests me.

As far as accurate portrayal in books and films, most come close with some mistakes scattered throughout. Take for example the movie For Richer or Poorer, which our family loves.

I doubt the grandpa would have come barging into the bedroom at five o’clock in the morning, or whatever time it was. It was very early at least! Amish are better mannered than that. I’m not aware of any Amish plowing with one horse either, but it did make for a good plotline. Then there was the adult dancing. Perhaps some wild young people dance in their rumsprigha days, but never adults. The worse deviation from the authentic was when the New York lady puts on the Amish fashion show for the ministers. That would never happen!

In your opinion, what are the biggest misconceptions people have about the Amish?

That they are perfect people. That outsiders can never be anything like them. All of us could be a little Amish, if we wanted to. Turn off the distractions some evening. Stay inside the house, curl up with a good book, get out your favorite board game, and surround yourself with silence, low lights, and conversation.

Do you strive to keep your novels true to Amish traditions and culture, or do you take more artistic license?

I try to keep them authentic. I stick procedurally to the Amish way of life. On plot lines, I often ask myself, Is this possible? That is, I consider whether what I am writing would be permissible under the restrictions of an Amish lifestyle.

Are any characters or events in your novels based on real people or events?

No. I did that with my first novel, but not since. It’s much too restrictive, and I worry about how the real person or people would feel or react. My characters are now fictional.

What is your favorite thing about the Adams County Trilogy?

I would say my favorite thing is the depth of emotion felt by the characters―by Rebecca in the first book, John in the second, and to some extent by Rachel throughout. Rachel loves the wrong thing, but she loves.

Then there is the delight of discovery. Maybe I notice it more because this is my first true series, but I think the wonder continues with each book.

Rebecca and John would have been just another Amish boy and girl who fell in love, if it were not for the cast of characters surrounding them. They are the ones who bring out the extraordinary in this couple. There’s Atlee of course, and Rebecca’s aunt Leona. Rachel and Luke add drama and color of another sort. And then in the final book, Emma’s secret overshadows them all.

Filed under: Amish Fiction, Jerry Eicher by AmishReader.com
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