Pull Quotes

I had so much fun going through the final edits of my May release, Veil of Destruction.

By the time I receive a book back from my editor and my proofreaders, it’s been several months since I finished writing it. I’ve usually written at least one other book in that time. So re-reading what has been edited and proofread is a special pleasure.

It’s like meeting old friends again.

As I was going back over this book, I couldn’t resist grabbing a couple of “Pull Quotes.” This is an old term from my magazine writing days. The editor would pick out a sentence or two and highlight it, put a box around it, make it stand out! I loved seeing those. I especially loved when what the editor picked matched what I thought was the key idea. So, below are a few pull quotes for you, from Veil of Destruction. I hope that you enjoy them.

If there was a way to find Paco and his family and bring them home . . .

Dylan would have traded anything in Akule’s pack for that.

He knew what it was like to have a broken, fragmented family. And he understood he couldn’t make her family whole again. No one could. She would always feel the loss of her mother.

But, maybe—just maybe, they could accomplish this one thing. They could bring Paco home.


They pawed through the boxes filled with things that no one needed—cell phone chargers, e-readers, DVDs, car fobs, remote-controlled toys, handheld gaming systems, headphones. All fragments of a life left behind.


It occurred to Keme, not for the first time, that this new world, this post-modern, apocalyptic place, would be the world that Pete and Danny and Lucy grew up in.

What was it his wife used to say? Normal is a setting on the dryer. His grandchildren would have a new normal. They would adapt because they wouldn’t remember what came before.

Wasn’t that fun? Anyone read magazines anymore? I’d love to hear what magazines you still read, or what magazines you used to read. Leave a comment below, and we’ll choose a few winners to receive an autographed book.

V

33 Comments

  1. Jeanette R Durkin on May 5, 2023 at 5:34 am

    Hi! I used to read Better Homes and Gardens. I have started reading them again via Hoopla! What an amazing app!

  2. kim hansen on May 5, 2023 at 5:47 am

    Sounds good.

    • Neva Ladehoff on May 5, 2023 at 7:19 am

      I enjoy tea magazines. It’s fun learning about new teas and getting great recipes. I’m always ready for a tea party.

  3. Sherry Brown on May 5, 2023 at 5:50 am

    Good morning! I get Quilting magazines. I love looking and reading them!🥰

    • Jane Squires on May 5, 2023 at 3:50 pm

      I read my electric magazine is all. But I read some online

  4. Kay Garrett on May 5, 2023 at 6:38 am

    Can’t wait for the opportunity to read “Veil of Destruction”! It sounds amazing!

    Loved the quote about the “fragments of a life left behind”. Reminds me of when I decide to do some de-cluttering and find some of those treasures that are useless, but we just can’t seem to toss. It’s a great way to take a walk down memory lane – where you were, what life was life and how we thought they were state of the art things at the time. But life goes on, but a walk down memory lane can be refreshing for the soul and make us take in the latest “new” gadget in a better perspective.

  5. Marilyn+Messmann on May 5, 2023 at 7:12 am

    I am looking forward to book 4 in the Indiana Amish Market. Love those Amish books set in Indiana, as we live in New Haven, Indiana, and can see where a lot of them you write about are.
    I am waiting to plant flowers outside, and reading books inside, really cool and wet here.
    Thank you for all your updates.

  6. Connie R. on May 5, 2023 at 7:39 am

    I used to subscribe to Good Housekeeping, Ladies Home Journal, and Redbook. Then they tried to go digital and I didn’t get on board with that. When I do want a magazine, I have to swallow hard, ignore the price, tell myself I’m worth the splurge and go for it. There are times when my brain is so distracted that the magazine’s short article format is perfect.

  7. ReneeJ on May 5, 2023 at 8:21 am

    I just quit subscribing to Country Living magazines, it was my holdout till now.

    • Kendra Muonio on May 5, 2023 at 9:39 am

      I don’t read magazines but my mom reads goodhouse keeping and dwell magazines and my brothers and dad read hunting magazines.

  8. Joyce Vough on May 5, 2023 at 9:55 am

    I mainly read ebooks and some paperbacks these days. I just enjoy sitting outside in my yard. I live in a rural area, and it’s quiet, with deer coming out to graze in the field next to my house.

  9. PAT on May 5, 2023 at 10:15 am

    Will be ordering print copy of Veil of Destruction. I have the first two but haven’t started reading them because I like to have the whole series before I start reading. I dislike waiting for the next book. Your books are all great. Love them.

  10. Doris Lankford on May 5, 2023 at 10:22 am

    Good Morning. I only get a few magazines now. They are Good Old Days, TV Guide and Readers Digest. I used to take a bunch more but several stopped publishing this past year. I miss reading them.

  11. Vickie Waters on May 5, 2023 at 10:49 am

    Loved reading your “pull quotes.” I don’t get any physical magazines now, but my friend gives me her People when she’s done. My husband reads Time and Consumer Reports online.

  12. Faith Creech on May 5, 2023 at 11:10 am

    Magazines have gotten so expensive now that I don’t buy them anymore. I have saved old quilting magazines and I still read those. Thanks for the chance to win.

  13. Lynette on May 5, 2023 at 11:58 am

    I read my mom’s Good Housekeeping magazines for years. I loved that she shared them with me.

    • Gail+Hollingsworth on May 5, 2023 at 1:31 pm

      I read so many books I don’t have time to read magazines (except in doctor’s offices). Your Amish books are my favorites that you write.

  14. Kathy Rowe on May 5, 2023 at 12:10 pm

    Yes, I still read magazines. Usually, People or Good Housekeeping. Used to read Family Circle and Woman’s Day back in the day. Very selective on what ones I buy now due to their price. When I get a magazine, I share it with my neighbor.

  15. Stephanie H. on May 5, 2023 at 1:12 pm

    I use to receive these magazines in the mail before they just got too high in price: Parents, Family Fun, Woman’s Day, Family Circle, and Taste of Home. Now when I want to read a certain magazine, I just get it through my local library in the digital format.

  16. Joan on May 5, 2023 at 1:32 pm

    Amish Books are one of my favorite reads. They relax me.
    Joan

  17. Janice C on May 5, 2023 at 1:38 pm

    I would love to win one of your books.. Love reading Amish books..

  18. CELIA on May 5, 2023 at 3:15 pm

    When you say there are a few curse words are you meaning words like GD or FBOMBS?

    • Vannetta Chapman on May 30, 2023 at 9:59 am

      Nope. Not at all.

  19. Marion on May 5, 2023 at 4:07 pm

    I enjoy Amish books.
    Marion

  20. Marilyn on May 5, 2023 at 4:08 pm

    I like reading about the Amish way of life.
    Marilyn

  21. Jan on May 5, 2023 at 5:49 pm

    I don’t remember the last time I looked at a magazine, probab;y pre-covid at the dentist ir doctor’s office! I love your Amish books.

  22. Lelia “Lucy” Reynolds on May 5, 2023 at 7:12 pm

    I used to read a lot of magazines until they got so expensive but were mainly advertisements.

  23. Cecilia on May 5, 2023 at 7:56 pm

    I get quilting magazines and I enjoy the new patterns!

  24. Ruth Hufford on May 5, 2023 at 8:38 pm

    Dear Vanetta, I would love to win one of your Amish books or any of them for that matter!! Reader Ruth in Clearwater, FL

  25. Debbie Schmitz on May 6, 2023 at 6:46 am

    Yes I do still subscribe to magazines. I think MaryJane’s Farm and Good Housekeeping are my favorites.

  26. Jackie on May 7, 2023 at 1:30 pm

    Definitely can’t wait for the next book. I have too many books to read to start with magazines for now.

  27. Kathryn Clingenpeel on May 7, 2023 at 3:24 pm

    I love all your books. You are a good writer

  28. SARAH TAYLOR on May 7, 2023 at 7:39 pm

    I always liked to read magazine’s and get the recipes from them I would love to read your new Amish book

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