The Blog

All Things Amish–Lolly’s Fabrics and Quilts For the next few Saturdays, I want to share with you some of my favorite spots in Shipshewana, Indiana … the setting for Falling to Pieces and my upcoming release, A Perfect Square. When I decided to use a real town for my fictional series, I kept some things the same, and I changed... read more

Wednesday’s Special:  Usually I post a fiction spotlight on Wednesdays. SINCE it’s the day before Thanksgiving, I thought I’d share a German table grace (translated).   The eyes of all wait upon Thee, O Lord. And Thou givest them their meal in due season. Thou openest Thy hand and satisfiest the desire of every living thing. O Lord, we thank Thee for Your... read more

Wednesday’s Spotlight: Amish Country Holiday Book Tour This week, I’m writing my blog from the road. Okay,  not exactly. Unfortunately I’m not that adept on an iPad yet. : ) So I wrote early and had this waiting behind the curtain for you. I’m travelling with my good friends  and co-authors, Amy Clipston and Shelley Shephard Gray. If things have... read more

Wednesday’s Spotlight: Falling to Pieces The suitcase is out and clothes are EVERY WHERE. I’m a Texas girl. I don’t really know how to pack for up north. Which is crazy. I lived for 3 years in Connecticut–but I was shorter then, and MUCH younger (think 3rd grade). My fiction spotlight this week is my own book, because the first stop... read more

Myth Busters Today marks the conclusion to our Amish Myth Busters series. In 10 weeks we’ve covered — Myth Buster 10-What is with every Amish area having a different style and color buggy. (10-22-11) Myth Buster 9- Why garden quilting and where did it come from (10-15-11) Myth Buster 8-Weddings (10-08-11) Myth Buster 7–Bikes and scooters. (10-01-11) Myth Buster 6–Boy’s... read more

Myth Buster #10: Amish Buggies What is with every Amish area having a different style and color buggy? This first picture of a buggy is one I took in Shipshewana, the setting of Falling to Pieces. Note the white outline around the back and the placement of the triangle. Note that the back is solid construction though there is a... read more

Myth Buster #9: Quilt Gardens Why garden quilting and where did it come from? If you’ve been to Shipshewana or through the Northern Indiana communities of Bristol, Elkhart, Goshen or Middlebury … you might have spied the lovely quilt gardens. They are a sight to behold. Designs are chosen from Amish quilting patterns, and then the bulbs are planted. Here’s... read more

Myth Buster #8: Amish Weddings I have read the Amish get married on Thursdays and only certain months. Why? What an excellent question! This is one I thought I knew the answer to, and then I found out it’s a changing custom, AND it’s different for different areas. This is the answer I found when I was researching, and mostly... read more

Myth Buster #7: Bikes This MIGHT not be much of a  myth buster, but I thought it was something we should talk about. I was certainly a little surprised the first time I walked into an Amish barn and saw more than 40 bicycles. I thought the older Amish gentleman was running a bicycle shop! He smiled and said, “Ah,... read more

Wednesday’s Spotlight: Falling to Pieces Since I spotlight Christian fiction on Wednesdays, I suppose it’s okay to spotlight my own! Falling to Pieces is now available and in-stock at both Amazon and BarnesandNoble, and it should be appearing at your local bookstore any day as well. Great! Book’s written. People can read it. Reviews are good (see the REVIEWS tab at the... read more