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’ll wrap up this series next weekend. It’s been a pleasure to share photos with you from my trip to Shipshewana, Indiana. Today we’re going to focus on FARMING, and I’m sure I will get much of the terminology wrong. Although I now live in the country, I was born in LA. It will, no doubt, show. So let’s get to... read more

I wanted to recap a little more of my visit to Shipshewana, Indiana where I was researching my upcoming series, Shipshewana Amish Mystery (Zondervan 2011). It’s possible that Amish clothing is part of what draws us into the story. We are a bit fascinated with this simpler style of dress. It would be nice to not have to worry about... 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

I had the pleasure of visiting Shipshewana, Indiana this past week. Shipshewana is the setting for my 3 book Amish cozy mystery series, and although the stories themselves will be fictional I thought it was important to walk the streets, meet the people, sit in the coffee shop – get a feel for the town. I was right! Shipshe was nothing... 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