Suzanne Woods Fisher's Blog, page 145

Thursday on Amish Wisdom: Amish Baskets and The Search interview!

Tune in on Thursday at 4:00 pm Central! To listen in - go here and just click on the player in the top right corner.


This week on Amish Wisdom: Annie Schar from Annie's Baskets and blogger Mary Ann Kinsinger will be interviewing me about The Search!

Be sure to tune in on Thursday - you'll have a chance to win one of Annie's amazing Amish baskets and find out more Annie and her business. I'll also be in the hot seat this week when Mary Ann interviews me about the latest Lancaster County Secrets book, The Search. Don't miss the fun!

More about Annie: Annie is originally from Pittsburgh PA and moved to Ohio in 1965 to attend Ashland College - now a University. She now living on a 56 acre farm raising Holsteins!

Annie majored in Health and Physical Education and taught in the public schools for 3 years. She then went into sales of cars and caps and gowns and then into print sales. a major car accident in 1976 changed her thinking - "I realized life is short and I needed to do what would make me happy".

She worked for a printing company and eventually started her own company ( 28 years ago - just closed in October) which allowed her the freedom to set her own schedule and lead a less stressed life - like the Amish. She tarted Annie's Amish Baskets in December 2000 and sold her first basket Christmas eve. For more about Annie's baskets and her Barn Stars, please visit: www.anniesamishbaskets.com and www.anniesamishbarnstars.com

For a chance to win one of Annie's Amish baskets and a signed copy of The Search leave a comment {HERE} (along with your email address) and we'll choose two winners at random (one for the book and one for the basket) next week! Winners will be notified via email.

More about Mary Ann Kinsinger: Mary Ann is the voice behind the wildly popular, A Joyful Chaos blog . If you missed Mary Ann's very first radio interview on Amish Wisdom - click and listen here, or listen for free on iTunes.

Mary Ann Kinsinger lives with her husband and three children in the beautiful Appalachian mountains in southwestern PA only a few miles from the house where she grew up in an Amish family.

Mary Ann has enjoyed writing from a very young age and has had some of her work published in magazines. She is a busy mother and enjoys spending time with her family, reading, crafts, cooking, and for the past year blogging... where she is chronicling her journey from a happy little Amish girl to where she is today.

Have you entered the iPad Giveaway yet?

The latest installment of the Lancaster County Secrets, The Search,  is out and to celebrate I'm hosting The Search iPad Giveaway!


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One Grand Prize winner will receive an iPad Prize Package worth over $500 and includes:
A brand new iPad (16KB with Wi-Fi) Signed copies of all three Lancaster Country Secrets books ( The Choice , The Waiting , & The Search ) To enter, simply click on the icons below to fill out the entry form/s, then tell 5 or more friends about the contest. Oh, and enter soon! Winner will be announced on February 3rd at the  Everything is Coming Up Roses Facebook Party . (Did you know The Search takes place on a rose farm?)


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Join me for the Everything is Coming Up Roses Facebook Party on February 3rd! We'll be announcing the winner of the The Search iPad Giveaway, hosting a book club discussion of The Search, giving away copies of all three books and HEAPS of other readerly prizes! Including roses delivered to your door for three months for you AND a friend! Be sure to join us on Thursday, February 3rd at 5:00 PM PST (6:00 MST, 7:00 CST & 8 EST) at Suzanne's Author Page.

Author Spotlight: Lynn Dove

Welcome to Author Spotlight! Each week will feature a different author. We'll get the scoop behind their writing life and dish a little. The authors will also be giving away a copy of their latest book. FUN.

The winner from last week's Author Spotlight with Cara Putman is Lourdes! Please email my assistant Amy with your mailing address. (amy@litfusegroup.com)

This week is Lynn Dove is in the Spotlight! To win a copy of Lynn's latest book, Heal the Wounded, leave a comment on this post!

Share a little bit about yourself. Married with kids? Empty nester? Do you work full-time and write when you can squeeze it in?

I am a Christ-follower, a wife, a mom, a soon-to be grandmother, a teacher and a writer (in that order). I wear so many different "hats" that I find prioritizing them tends to focus me better. I have been married to my best friend, Charles for 32 years and we have three wonderful children: daughter, Laurelle (husband, Matt) are expecting our first grand baby in February, and we have two live-at-home teenagers, Brett and Carmen. We are blessed that every one of our children are also Christ-followers and involved in some kind of ministry unique to their gifts and talents.

I substitute teach junior and senior high school, but admittedly I have spent most of my time lately pursuing my writing career, so I am not in the classroom as often as I would like to be. I work with the youth at our church and have done so for many, many years and I currently work with a vibrant group of grade eight girls that keep me on my toes with their theological questions!

I have often complained to my husband (and others) that I have cobwebs on my vacuum cleaner because when I get absorbed in writing and marketing…who am I kidding?...in ANYTHING…I tend to forget about housework, cooking, laundry etc. I am the anti-Martha Stewart I think. LOL!

And share something about your writing. What's your genre(s), your areas of interest…

I write contemporary Christian fiction for young adults and teens. My books deal with relevant social issues such as teen pregnancy, family conflict, gossip and bullying. I wanted to present to my readers an alternative to the occult-type books out there that seem to be so popular nowadays with the youth. My books appeal to all youth regardless of whether or not they are Christian and I think that is why my books have been given a more world-wide readership. Parents of youth are looking for a family-friendly alternative to some of the dark and disturbing messages that some of the current books in this genre offer. Yet teens also want to "keep it real", so I don't shy away from the grittier topics such as "cutting", teen pregnancy, alcohol abuse and family conflict. All teenagers can relate in some way to those issues.

Both my books, Shoot the Wounded and Heal the Wounded have recently been selected as "Helpful Resources" on the world's largest anti-bullying site: www.bullying.org My goal is getting the word out there through my books, speaking and blog writing, that bullying is not to be tolerated.

How did you get started writing? Did you have a dream of being a published author?


I was blessed all through school with teachers who encouraged me to write. My biology teacher wrote in my year book just before my graduation, "To the only literary biologist I know." My teachers always knew that when I handed in an assignment, they would get a long treatise of literary verbiage that probably made them cringe to mark. I always dreamed of being a published author but honestly I never thought I would be doing this, or writing in this genre, now when I'm 50 something. Starting a new career in mid-life is truly a blessing from God!

After you started writing seriously--how long was it before you were published?

I actually wrote Shoot the Wounded well over ten years ago. It started out as a short story and after I had written one hundred pages I knew I couldn't consider it a "short" story any longer. Then the manuscript literally (hahaha) took up space on the hard drive of my computer for ten years. I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2001 and battled the disease for two years. My family and I experienced God profoundly through that time and certainly to many I am considered a "survivor" today but I hope I have done much more than survive, I hope I have "thrived"!

In 2003 I felt the call to go to seminary, and I also worked on staff at my church as the Children's Minister. My daughter, Laurelle got married and I took time with her planning the wedding. Life was just very full to say the least during those years. After I graduated seminary in 2007 with my Master of Religious Education degree, I rediscovered my manuscript, almost by accident there on my laptop and it was my husband who encouraged me to get it published. God started opening some doors for me and in 2009 Shoot the Wounded was published. I wrote the sequel, Heal the Wounded in a year and published it in October, 2010 and I am working on the final book in the "Wounded Trilogy" – Love the Wounded that I hope to release in 2011. I am also writing a more autobiographical account of my journey with breast cancer. I am currently putting together that book proposal to submit to publishers.

Is the "writer's life" what you thought it would be?

When I published Shoot the Wounded in 2009, I truly had no idea the amount of time and energy an author puts in to promoting and marketing a book. I made (make) a lot of mistakes, but I have learned so much about the business and I love to connect with other authors, such as you, Suzanne, who continue to encourage me daily. I am blessed to be amongst such a community of faithful writers!

What was one of the best moments in your career and what was one of the worst?

There have been several "stellar" moments in my short career. When my friend Caleb sent me his art work for the cover of Shoot the Wounded, I was so overwhelmed by its brilliance, I cried. I think that was the moment I realized that I was actually going to publish a book…with a cover! I felt the exact same emotion with Caleb's cover design for my second book, Heal the Wounded. I can't imagine how I'll react when he sends me the last of his cover designs for Love the Wounded!

A few more highlights that come to mind was at the book launch of Shoot the Wounded when it was "commissioned" at my church. It was truly a humbling and profound experience to have one of the deacons pray for me and for my book, acknowledging that this was much more than just a book launch, this marked the start of my writing "ministry". Whenever I get caught up with numbers and sales of my books, and I feel a sense of pride in my own accomplishments start to bubble up, I remember that God is in control of this enterprise, and He is directing my steps as well as determining whom He wants to read my books. It is for His glory, not mine that I write.

Another "best" moment for me was when my debut novel, Shoot the Wounded was named a Finalist in the Readers Favorite Book Awards. That was very exciting.

The worst moment came after I received a very mean-spirited, negative review of my first book. It was hurtful, not a bit constructive, only critical and harsh, and it destroyed my confidence for several weeks afterwards. It was my husband who reminded me that if I considered my writing a ministry, I must also expect that at some point, I would also face spiritual attack. Every writer has had their share of negative reviews I know. It is one of those things that kind of goes with the territory when you publish a book. That said, after that awful experience, I vowed I would never be the cause of destroying another author's self-confidence by posting a negative review on my blog or elsewhere, about their books. I only post positive reviews on books that I have liked and enjoyed. I am all about being an encourager.

What advice would you give to new writers? 

As a Christian author, oftentimes we do not like to "toot our own horn". It goes against our nature to promote ourselves because we are taught in scripture to humble ourselves. I have learned that you need to promote yourself in order to have your books read. It is important to connect with your readers through social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter, and I have found that having an interesting blog is equally effective to showcase your writing. My blog, Journey Thoughts has become almost more popular than my books this past year! I have been able to interview wonderful Christian authors and I have been told by my faithful readers that they have been blessed and ministered to through my blog.

Pretend I'm a customer at a bookstore looking for a good book. Give me a one or two sentence promo to convince me to buy your book.

Heal the Wounded is the much-anticipated sequel to my debut novel, Shoot the Wounded. Like the first book, Heal the Wounded takes the reader even deeper into the lives of teenagers who are trying to live out their faith in the midst of upset and struggle.

Last question, how can readers find you and your books?

I love to connect with my readers on my website: www.shootthewounded.org or on my blog, Lynn Dove's Journey Thoughts: http://lynndove.wordpress.com. Readers may also connect with me on Facebook or on Twitter .

My books may be ordered directly off my website or they can be ordered from Amazon.com or Amazon.ca for my Canadian friends.

Thank you for sharing your writing life with my bleaders! (blog + readers = bleaders)

Thursday on Amish Wisdom: Patricia Mauro

Tune in on Thursday at 4:00 pm Central! To listen in - go here and just click on the player in the top right corner.

This week's guest is the amazing Patricia Mauro.(You may have caught her Author Spotlight a few weeks ago).  She says this of her new book, Safe From the Past, "A kidnapping, divorce, the loss of my Amish family and father, abandonment, and extreme poverty are just some of the issues I dealt with as a young child. My mother finally told me that I must go to college so I can break out of the cycle of  hopelessness. It seemed like an impossibility, I had no money and absolutely no confidence or self esteem."

Don't miss Thursday's interview and find out how Patricia is reconnecting with her Amish roots and family. Be ready to discover what hope, faith and determination can do to change a life.

More about Patricia: Patricia Miller Mauro grew up in Dover, OH. She attended Muskingum University and went on to work in New York City's financial district for thirteen years where she also obtained her MBA from NYU.

During her time in NY, she wrote an article for the Recovery Journal entitled, "A Tribute to My Mother" which was published in 1999. Her recently released book entitled, "Safe from the Past: A Story of Hope, Faith and Determination" serves to inspire others to believe in themselves and to trust the power of God in our daily lives.

Patricia, her husband and her two children now reside in Dallas, TX.

For more information visit Patricia's website, www.patriciamaurobooks.com .

For a chance to win a copy of Patricia's book, leave a comment {HERE} (along with your email) and we'll select one winner randomly next week.
More about Safe From the Past: There is no future in the past.

A truly inspiring, deeply personal tale of perseverance in the face of unimaginable hardships, Safe from the Past makes clear the restorative power of an education.

Through her own hard work and determination, Patricia Miller Mauro succeeds in leaving behind a bitter world -- one of extreme poverty, violent adults, and a seemingly inescapable cycle of insecurity, instability, and despair -- for a bright future fueled by higher education and a rewarding career.

Told in an open, honest voice with the deepest sincerity, the author's life story serves as a rousing inspiration to those with the desire to create a better life than the one they are currently living.

No matter how helpless you feel, everyone has the power to shape their own life.

Scenes of Ohio

Quirky!
More quirky!
Many Ohio Amish ride bicycles.
The art of corn shocking. If you were a bird, wouldn't you rather be on an Amish farm, with corn shocks? 
Lots of basketball hoops at Amish schools.
A birdfeeder set up high so children can observe. And re-fill!
Another shot of the bird feeder. This is an Amish home. Notice the decorating touches out front!


Cars and buggies share the road.

A great example of how Amish houses grew as a family grows.











A covered bridge over Sugarcreek, Ohio


Not an Amish barn, but these quilts painted on the side of the barn were common sights.

Now this is an Amish barn.
Not an Amish barn, but notice the quilt painting on the side.

Common to see those little brooks and creeks running through fields, with covered bridges.

Ohio Book Trip!

I'm home from a wonderful whirlwind through Ohio! It was a fantastic trip--on all fronts! Even a snowstorm and a case of laryngitis didn't diminish the experience! I met so many wonderful readers--some were friends I've made through Facebook who made heroic efforts to drive to the bookstores. I can't even begin to say how grateful I felt when I met these friends, face to face!








And then I met a number of people who have been guests on Amish Wisdom!


Cheryl Harner (left of me) is President of the Audobon Society for her county. Cheryl's interview on "Amish Wisdom" has been one of the top rated shows!
A privilege to meet bestselling author Mary Ellis!
This is LeeAnn Miller, television personality (and all around wonderful personality, in my book!).
 It was so enjoyable to spend time in independent bookstores, to meet managers and staffers who are selling our books. At one point, I thought of how my books start out with an idea, in a tiny laundry room...and end up across the country, in a bookstore in Ohio!




Tomorrow...impressions of Ohio.

Little Bit of American Trivia for you Brainy-Types

"A man in Columbus, Ohio has collected 200 cast iron scales that gave a person's weight for a coin. Most of them operated on a penny. He says this was America's first vending machine that offered a service instead of a product. At the time these came into existence people were concerned about not weighing enough. Tuberculosis and other diseases caused weight loss. During the 1930's, Americans deposited more than 10 million pennies a year into these machines. Bathroom scales became affordable in the 1950's."


Source: The Budget, January 5, 2011

Author Spotlight: Cara Putman

Welcome to Author Spotlight! Each week will feature a different author. We'll get the scoop behind their writing life and dish a little. The authors will also be giving away a copy of their latest book. FUN.

The winner from last week's Author Spotlight with Jill Savage is Kristie D! Please email my assistant Amy with your mailing address. (amy@litfusegroup.com)

This week is Cara Putman is in the Spotlight! To win a copy of Cara's latest book, Ohio Brides or Stars in the Night, leave a comment on this post!

Share a little bit about yourself. Married with kids? Empty nester? Do you work full-time and write when you can squeeze it in?

Thanks for having me, Suzanne. I'm married and a mom to four kids ranging from 10 years old to six weeks. Life is full and very interesting since I homeschool the kids and our oldest is on a competitive gymnastics team. We spend a lot of time at the gym most weeks. We're also very involved in our church where I currently lead a Bible study for the tween girls – such a fun age group. Then there's the homeschool co-op, writing, ACFW, supporting my husband in his job, you get the idea.

And share something about your writing. What's your genre(s), your areas of interest…

Most of my books have been set during World War II on the homefront, though I've also written romantic suspense and contemporary mysteries. My favorite book has to be the Stars in the Night, which allowed me to marry World War II with romantic suspense. It was also set in Hollywood, so had lots of glamour and glitz. A blast to write. I've currently submitted a proposal for a World War II series that is set in Europe with a twist and am working on more homefront stories.

How did you get started writing? Did you have a dream of being a published author? 

I've always wanted to write. I even started a couple novels as a homeschooled teen, but I'd always hit a point –usually with the research – where I didn't know how to proceed. Then I started college, got married, started a career, went to law school, had our first child, you get the idea! But the dream never died. Periodically, it would come back to life, I'd talk and pray about it, and then set it back to the side.

In April 2005 I attended a book signing and met Colleen Coble. My husband told her I'd always wanted to write and the rest is history. I joined ACFW and attended my first writers' conference in September 2005. Canteen Dreams, my first novel, grew out of hosting a workshop for Jim and Tracie Peterson at that conference. Jim and I started talking while we waited for the workshop to start. He's from Kansas. I'm from Nebraska. He was a history major. I minored in history. And we both loved World War Two.  I asked Jim if he'd ever heard of the North Platte Canteen. He hadn't.

Over the next 24 hours, God dropped ideas in my mind about how to turn that into a great story. The love story is loosely based on my grandparent's story, and I am so honored to be able to honor them while they are still alive.

After you started writing seriously--how long was it before you were published?

After meeting Colleen, I started writing seriously in the summer of 2005. A year later I received the contract for Canteen Dreams, my first contract, at the 2006 ACFW conference. Since then I've written eleven books with one repackage with another, Ohio Brides, releasing in February. This journey is fully in God's hands, a wonderful place.
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Aside from a cup of good, strong coffee, what helps you get all of your "brain cylinders" firing so you can write well? Do you have any favorite places and routines when you write? How many hours a day do you spend writing?
   
I don't focus on days as much as I do on words. When I have a deadline, I look at the calendar and decide how much time I have until the deadline, then I decide how many days I can realistically write. For Stars in the Night, I signed the contract in November and the book was due February 1. So I had to realistically look at the time, account for two major holidays, and decide what I could really write. Then with the help of a babysitter or two, Panera, and my husband, I buckled down and wrote 2500-3000 words most days for that two months. The result was a book I love.

What has been the biggest help to you in the journey to publication? Writers' conferences? Writing groups? Your mom as your first draft reader?
   
My biggest help has been a great mentor in Colleen Coble, some amazing writing friends who read for me, brainstorm with me and encourage me including Tricia Goyer, Sabrina Butcher, Crystal Miller, and Gina Conroy, and ACFW. I have learned so much through attending the ACFW conferences and have met my editors there. It's a great way to learn and make the connections that build a career.

What are your biggest distractions?
   
My biggest distraction is being a mom. It's a wonderful distraction and I love that writing allows me to homeschool them. But four little ones can demand a lot of time and energy. I love it though!

What is the role and importance of an agent?
   
I'm an attorney, so I don't need my agent so much for the contract negotiations. But I rely on Karen Solem

Last question, how can readers find you and your books?

Your readers can find me at my website: http://www.caraputman.com and my blog which is on my website. I'm also on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/caraputman and twitter: http://www.twitter.com/cara_putman.

Thank you for sharing your writing life with my bleaders! (blog + readers = bleaders)
   
Thanks so much for having me!

Thursday on Amish Wisdom: Marta Perry

Tune in on Thursday at 4:00 pm Central! To listen in - go here and just click on the player in the top right corner.
 
Thursday's guest is prolific writer Marta Perry. Marta has written over forty-two novels with six more on the way! WOW. Marta realized she wanted to be a writer at age eight, when she read her first Nancy Drew novel. Most girls reached the end of that book wanting to be Nancy. Marta wanted to be the person who created the story.

More about Marta: A lifetime spent in rural Pennsylvania, where she still lives, and her own Pennsylvania Dutch roots led Marta Perry to write about the Plain People and their rich heritage in her current fiction series for Berkley Books, The Pleasant Valley Amish. Marta recently celebrated the publication of her forty-second novel, with another six books scheduled over the next two years. In addition to her Amish series for Berkley, Marta is currently writing an inspirational romance series set in South Carolina for Love Inspired and a romantic suspense series with a Pennsylvania Dutch setting for HQN Books. There are over five million copies of her books in print.

Marta is a member of RWA, ACFW, and Pennwriters. When she's not writing, she and her husband enjoy traveling, gardening, and visiting their six beautiful grandchildren.

For more information please visit http://www.martaperry.com/.

About Marta's latest books: 
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Murder in Plain Sight:
There are secrets buried in Amish country...

Did a sweet-faced Amish teenager brutally murder a young woman? To save her career, big-city lawyer Jessica Langdon is determined to defend him—against the community's bitter and even violent outrage. Yet without an understanding of Amish culture, Jessica must rely on arrogant businessman Trey Morgan, who has ties to the Amish community—and believes in the boy's guilt.

Jessica has threats coming from all sides: a local fanatic, stirred up by the biased publicity of the case; the dead girl's boyfriend; even from the person she's learned to trust the most, Trey Morgan. But just when Jessica fears she's placed her trust in the wrong man, Trey saves her life. And now they must both reach into a dangerous past to protect everyone's future—including their own.

For a chance to win a copy of Murder in Plain Sight, leave a comment (don't forget your email address!) {HERE} and we'll choose one winner (randomly) next week.

Sara's Gift:
Can an Amish midwife earn her community's trust and bring the joy of new babies to Pleasant Valley?
Amish midwife Sarah Mast moves to Pleasant Valley for a fresh start. But her aging aunt can no longer run the birthing center, leaving most of the responsibility to Sarah. Among those skeptical of Sarah's ability is neighbor Aaron Miller, who seems drawn to Sarah but pulls away when his own sister requests her services. And when a criminal complaint is filed against Sarah, she must pray for strength to defend her practice and win acceptance from the community she loves.

I'm en route to Ohio!

I'm so excited to be venturing out on my first book tour! Looks like I'm in for temperatures in the teens and a bit of snow! Brr. Kind of adds to the fun, dontchathink?

Here is the schedule of where and when I'll be in each day. Leave me a comment here if you can make it to one of the bookstores! I'll try to look for you.

January 2011 Ohio Book Tour January 10, 2011

Good News Book Store
313 Main St
Coshocton OH 43812
740-622-1651
Toll Free Number: 800-807-165110am-noon
Dayspring Christian Book Store
143 West High Avenue
New Philadelphia, OH 44663-3840
(330) 343-4881
2-4pm

Gospel Shop
112 East Main Street
Sugarcreek, OH 44681-9120
330-852-4223
6-8pm

January 11, 2011

Lion & Lamb Christian Resource #2
5555 Youngstown Warren Rd
Niles, OH 44446
(330) 505-1319
10am- noon Gospel Bookstore
4900 Oak St
Berlin, OH 44610
(330) 893-2523
2:30-4:30pm

Lion & Lamb Christian Resource
145 South Broadway Avenue
Salem, OH 44460-3001
(330) 332-8501 ‎
6-8pm

January 12, 2011

The Bridge
706B West Ervin Road
Van Wert, OH 45891-2202
(419) 232-2665 10am-noon

The Bookery Parable Christian
2300 West 4th Street
Ontario, OH 44906-1205
(419) 529-4324
2:30-4:30 pm

Gifts of Joy
2423 Allentown Road
Lima, OH 45805-1790
(419) 223-6201
6-8pm