The Blog

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

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

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