The Blog

Monday Inspiration: Disaster Response This week for inspiration I’m going to give you a peek inside Disaster Response. We don’t usually think of DISASTERS as inspiring, but when folks come together to help … well, that is encouraging. Of course, all sorts of groups respond to disasters. I happen to have pictures from the United Methodist Church Disaster Response team that... read more

Myth Buster #6: Boys’ Hats It’s Saturday and time for another Amish Myth Buster. I think we might continue these through October, if you’d like me to … so if you have a question, leave it under COMMENTS. Today’s myth buster is fun. One reason I’m discussing BOYS’ HATS is because the ebook version of Falling to Pieces is now... read more

Amish View: Myth Buster #1 We’re one month away from the launch of my series set in Shipshewana, Indiana. So I thought it would be fun to do some Amish MYTH BUSTING. I certainly had a few preconceived notions about the Amish community before my first visit to this small town, but like most of us … stereotypes don’t always... read more

Amish View: Interview on Shipshewana Series I recently had the pleasure of being interviewed for my upcoming release, Falling to Pieces: A Shipshewana Amish Mystery. What was the inspiration for Falling to Pieces?   So many different bits of inspiration go into a book for me. You’ll notice on the cover is a quilt shop–Daisy’s Quilt Shop. It’s named after... read more

Monday Inspiration: Amish Grace How often does inspiration rise out of tragedy? Often enough, I suppose. At times we can see the hand of God in someone else’s life … even during the moment of their grief. My wonderful editor sent me an article from USA Today —For Amish, No Grudge, Blame in Tragedy. It’s a piece regarding the Amish community suffering from... read more

Wednesday’s Spotlight: Amish Grace I would not have picked this book to read; however, my 72-year-old mother saw the movie on tv last week — said she cried through the entire thing. Of course I remember the Nickel Mines tragedy. It occurred before I began writing Amish fiction, but even then I was aware of the Amish presence within our country.... read more

Happy Labor Day weekend. I’ve been looking forward to this one–the school year started back up two weeks ago here in Texas. The first few weeks are usually the toughest. Labor Day comes at a perfect time for teachers (and probably students as well). Which started me wondering if the Amish take Labor Day off. So I consulted my notes (nothing... read more

  The more I learn about the Amish, the more I learn I don’t know. I suppose that’s true with any new friend–and I do consider the Amish my friends. Recently I learned that there is an Amish community in Stephenville, TX. How cool is that? Stephenville is only 86 miles from me! I don’t think I’ll be ordering a... read more

I thought since it’s so blazing HOT across the states, I’d do a blog that amuses me — Amish BUGGIES. When I first started reading Amish books, I had a hard time envisioning what these looked like. I suppose I pictured something like a prairie wagon. Of course I’d seen a few on book covers, and one or two in... read more

I’ve enjoyed sharing what I learned on my trip to Shipshewana, Indiana. When my editor, the wonderful Sue Brower, picked Shipshe for the setting of our cozy Amish series, I had never heard of it. I went on-line and did my research. I googled. I even posted to my writing groups and asked questions. That was when I received my... read more