The Blog

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

I’m continuing with a recap of my visit to Shipshewana, Indiana where I was researching my upcoming series, Shipshewana Amish Mystery (Zondervan 2011). The Amish children I saw and met while in Shipshewana last month were definitely a bit different from what I had imagined. Of course I realized that the Amish tend to give their kids responsibility at a... read more

Over the next few blogs I wanted to share some of the people I met and things I learned while visiting/researching in the small Amish community of Shipshewana, Indiana last week (where my 3 book cozy series for Zondervan will be set). If you’re familiar with the Amish, you may know that the oldest members remain an active and important... read more

This week I made plans for my first trip to Shipshewana, Indiana. I’m so excited that I’m doing little cartwheels around my desk (which is quite a sight). Shipshewana is the setting for my Zondervan books, Shipshewana Amish Mystery Series. I’ve done quite a lot of research on Shipshewana of course, and I’ve now written 1/3 of the first book.... read more

The more deeply I delve into Amish society, the more I find connections between “their” world and “ours.”  One landed on my front lawn last week. I’ve never witnessed an Amish barn raising, but certainly it’s one of the most fascinating aspects of Amish life. The idea that all of your neighbors show up and literally RAISE your barn in... read more