Mary Ellis's Blog, page 12
March 3, 2014
Welcome Caryl McAdoo–win a signed copy of Vow Unbroken
Good Monday morning, readers. Today I am delightful to welcome Caryl McAdoo, a fellow Seymour Agency sibling to Home Thoughts. Caryl’s debut romance, Vow Unbroken, releases tomorrow 3-4. If you leave a comment at the end of the post, you’ll be entered in a drawing for a free copy.
Caryl, please tell us a little bit about your book: A spunky young widow hires a veteran with a bad reputation to help her get her cotton to market in Jefferson, and sparks fly—but can she marry a man without the blessing of her estranged father? Susannah Baylor believes her cotton crop is sold to a local businessman and waves goodbye to her neighbors’ wagon train. Four days later, the charlatan buyer tries to bilk her offering only half what he originally agreed to pay. Left with few choices, she reluctantly hires Henry Buckmeyer to help get both her wagons along the Jefferson Trace, the hard trail between her Northeast Texas farm and the cotton buyers at the port. It won’t matter that it’s her best crop ever if she doesn’t get a good price; she’ll be forced to sell off the land her husband and his brother left to her and the children. Henry’s reputation as a drunken lay-about is well known, and she’s prepared for insolence, but not for his irresistible good looks or gentle manner. Romance soon entwines her heart with his, but she’s made a vow to marry only with her father’s blessing, and learning Henry doesn’t really know God further complicates everything. Plenty of dangers arise on the trace—but none so difficult as the desires of her heart. Will love overcome all? Can she get her crop safely to market and sell it for enough? In this heartening and adventurous tale, Susannah’s family, fortitude, and faith are put to the ultimate test.
Sounds divine! Now I’ll tell you a little bit about this debut author: Caryl McAdoo and her husband Ron—high school sweethearts—live with four grandsons in the woods south of Clarksville, the county seat of Red River County in Northeast Texas. She enjoys four-wheeling over the 916-acre McAdoo Ranch, horseback riding, and singing the new songs God gives her. For every blessing in her life, including ten children (counting in-loves) and fourteen grand-sugars, Caryl credits her relationship with the Lord, and her heart’s desire is to glorify Him.
I asked Caryl 3 questions: What prompted you to write Vow Unbroken…what was your inspiration? Mary Sue Seymour, my agent, was my sole prompt to write VOW UNBROKEN. We met at a little East Texas writers’ conference, and she liked my writing from a sample chapter sent, but it didn’t fit her favorite genre. She told me, “If you write
me a historical Christian romance set in 1800s, I will sell it.” Reminded me of if you will build it, they will come. They did, and so did Mary Sue! My inspiration came from a colleague’s read at our Red River Writers’ Workshop in Clarksville. The retired teacher researches and writes of this area’s rich history. He’d read about the early farmers who joined together in wagon trains to carry their harvests to market. Sounded like a hard journey for a young widow with two wagonloads of cotton who missed the train! Voila!
What to you hope your readers will take away from the story (besides pure enjoyment!) and what did you learn about yourself during the writing? I hope readers will get to the last page of VOW UNBROKEN and know how great and faithful and merciful and awesome our God is; that they will know they are closer to Him and trust Him more after reading my book. I pray every reader will take away a better understanding of how very much God loves them! From writing VOW, the Lord made it crystal clear to me that if He forgives me and the Blood has wiped my slate clean, then I’m bound to also forgive myself or I mock that precious Sacrifice at Calvary.
What are you working on now? The next Lone Star Novel HEART STOLEN is already complete and at Howard. The third of the Red River County Chronicles HOPE REBORN is more than halfway done, but I started a new contemporary novel that needed some titles as there are many writers in it. When the title THE BEDWARMER’S SON came up with this first line ‘He sold us right before he married that fancy lady from England then bought us back the next Spring.’ And refused to be forgotten, so I dropped all the rest and that is my new work-in-progress, set in 1858 and 1928. I love how a story wants to be written, won’t leave you alone! I suppose it’s Holy Spirit in me, wouldn’t you agree? He always has a purpose and I always try to listen and trust and follow where He leads!
http://www.facebook.com/CarylMcAdoo/author
http://www.CarylMcAdoo.blogspot.com
Where can readers find your book:
Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Vow-Unbroken-Novel-Caryl-McAdoo/dp/1476735514
Deeper Shopping http://www.deepershopping.com/item/mcadoo-caryl/vow-unbroken/5982209.html
Readers, answer this question for a chance to win a free copy of VOW UNBROKEN: What have you faced that seemed too big to ever accomplish, but with God’s help, you surprised yourself and did it?
Drawing in one week! Good luck everyone, and have a great week. ~ Mary
February 27, 2014
You can go back again…with plenty of caffeine
Happy Thursday readers, a frequent question writers are asked when they’re first published: Is this the first book you ever wrote? Often on television talk shows we hear about so-and-so’s first book hitting one of the coveted bestseller lists. Although there are exceptions to the rule (J.K. Rowling comes to mind….) in most cases, the book in question is the first published work. The writer might have penned any number of novels before creating a story that resonated with an editor or agent, and then finally with readers. For me personally, I was first published in romantic suspense set in the South. Then I happily changed genres to Amish romances since I’d been fascinated with their simple lives for years. After twelve novels set in the Amish world I was ready for another change, but didn’t wish to venture too far from romance. Everyone falls in love, right? Including people in bygone eras whose lives were simpler than how we live now.
So I decided to dig out two historical romances I’d written first, a dozen years ago. “Should you do that?” asked my practical husband. “Can you go back to something you wrote before you learned all the ‘rules’ and developed your voice?” He was giving me the same look like the time I announced, “I think we should retire in Costa Rica where the cost of living is less.” I assured him that I could do this. After all, I loved those stories when I created them, even though my agent said no one was interested in Civil War fiction at the time. The Quaker and the Rebel, first in the Civil War Heroines series, was my first baby. I dusted her off and breathed in new life with better plotting, sentence structure, and inner conflicts, and reduced redundancies and unnecessary verbiage. Bottom line? The rewrite took twice as long then if I burned the manuscript and started from scratch, and required more high-test coffee than I drank in four years of college.
I know what you’re thinking: Hubby was right. But I ended up preserving every sweet nuance and historical detail that had originally intrigued me, in an easy-to-read structure and format. The best of both worlds! Would I do it again if I discovered two more novels waiting to be revived in my sock drawer? Only if I’m sitting on the beach in Costa Rica, sipping a cool drink, with plenty of time on my hands.
The second book in the series, The Lady and the Officer, releases this summer from Harvest House Publishers.
Happy reading….Mary
February 12, 2014
Ask an Amish author about books and such……
Yes, it’s time once again for “Everything you wanted to know about Amish authors but were afraid to ask.” Of course, maybe you aren’t afraid to ask but just haven’t known whom to ask. Well, wonder no further. Jennifer Beckstrand has gathered eight Amish authors together to ask them the burning questions. If you have a question for our authors, please send Jennifer a message via her website (link at end), and we will do our best to answer it in a future blog.
We all have childhood memories of special books. What are some of the books that inspired you as a child?
Mary Ellis: I adored Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. I got the impetus to become a writer “when I grew up” from Jo March. I received my first copy around 8 (a highly abridged illustrated edition.) I now own several editions, my favorite being a 1904 copy published by Little, Brown, and Company of Boston. On my bucket list is to find a first edition released by the University Press in Cambridge, Mass. I have been to her childhood home, Orchard House, where she penned her lovely tale in Concord, Mass. Okay, now you know I’m a Louisa groupie!
<img alt=”" src=”http://feministclassics.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/jw_smith_pix_bookcover.jpg”; width=”170″ height=”237″ />
Vannetta Chapman: My grandmother was a writer, and I can remember sitting with her books in my lap. They were home economics books that had been translated into many different languages. I couldn’t actually read them, but I’d hold them and flip through the pictures. It was very special knowing my grandmother had written them.
Kelly Irvin: All the Little House on the Prairie books, A Wrinkle in Time, Little Women, The Changling, Harriet the Spy, The Oregon Trail. Nancy Drew mysteries. LOL. I read everything I could get my hands on as a kid. I lived at the public library, going to story hour every week and working as a volunteer shelving books when I was old enough. I think I read every book at the Robert Louis Stevens children’s section of the Abilene Public Library!
Shelley Shepard Gray: I mainly remember reading all of the Nancy Drew books, followed by all of the Agatha Christie novels. I don’t really write mysteries, but those books definitely inspired me to want to create characters that people want to get to know. Those books also spurred an interest in collecting books. At one time I had all the Agatha Christie books lined up in chronological order. That’s kind of a big deal for me, since I don’t even put soup on the same shelf in our pantry.
Amanda Flower: Charlotte’s Web, The Baby-sitters Club, Anything by Beverly Cleary, James and Giant Peach
<img alt=”" src=”http://mybookwormblog.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/charlottes-web1.jpeg”; width=”146″ height=”222″ />Amy Clipston: My favorite book when I was a little girl was Elizabeth by Liesel Moak Skorpen. It’s out of print now, but I have a copy that I cherish. I also knew Good Night Moon by heart. My mother would turn the page, and I would recite it. When I was in junior high I read The Outsiders until the book fell apart. I also knew the movie by heart. I recently bought a set of S.E. Hinton books for my older son. He hasn’t opened one yet, but I’m not giving up hope yet!
Jennifer Beckstrand: Where the Red Fern Grows was one of those life-changing books for me. I remember sitting on the rug in Mrs. Hershey’s fourth grade class enthralled as she read to us. I think I have read that book to every one of my children. One of my favorite memories is sitting on the bed with my boys reading the last pages of the story, all three of us crying like babies when the dogs died.
Charlotte’s Web and The Outsiders are other tear-jerkers that really had an impact on me.
Amy Lillard: I think I had a lot of different reading material than most. I loved the Hardy Boys Mysteries (Not Nancy Drew but the Hardy Boys). I also loved the Miss Pickerell series, about a little old lady who manages to get into all sorts of trouble. But my favorite of all was a book called Shadow Castle.
What are your 4 or 5 favorite classic novels?
Mary Ellis: Gone With the Wind, Cold Mountain, Killer Angels, Great Expectations, The Stand
Vannetta Chapman: Jane Eyre, Little Women, Anna Karenina, Grapes of Wrath<img alt=”" src=”http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/79/To_Kill_a_Mockingbird.JPG” width=”145″ height=”214″ />
Kelly Irvin: That is so hard! To Kill a Mocking Bird. Gone with the Wind. Anna Karenina, Doctor Zhivago, The Count of Monte Cristo, Gaudy Night
Shelley Shepard Gray: Gone with the Wind, To Kill A Mockingbird, Little Women, Murder on the Orient Express, Cannery Row
Amanda Flower: Charlotte’s Web, To Kill a Mockingbird, Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre, Stuart Little
Amy Clipston: The Outsiders, Farewell to Arms, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, Shel Silverstein’s Where the Sidewalk Ends, A Light in the Attic, and Falling Up
Jennifer Beckstrand: Pride and Prejudice–my all-time favorite book, The Count of Monte Cristo, The Help, My Name is Asher Lev, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, Ender’s Game, Ella Enchanted
Sorry, I can’t choose just 5!
Amy Lillard: I love To Kill A Mockingbird. That’s my all time favorite. I read it every year or so. I also love 1984, Of Mice and Men, and Lord of the Flies. All very different from what I write.
I love seeing what we all have in common as well as our differing tastes. To Kill a Mockingbird and Little Women show up quite a bit.
Have you ever used a personal experience in one of your books? Would you like to tell us about it?
Mary Ellis: I use personal experiences in just about all my books. The trick for the reader is to figure out what’s fact and what’s fiction in my stories.
Vannetta Chapman: Oh, golly yes! Whenever my mind draws a blank — I just put in something from life! In my new release, Murder Simply Brewed, the romance is very similar to the story of me and my husband. 
<img src=”http://www.jenniferbeckstrand.com/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif”; alt=”:)” />
Kelly Irvin: Yes. My March release, Love Redeemed, draws on a personal experience. Without revealing too much of the story, I can share that I lost a brother who drowned in a boating accident in 1991. It’s taken that many years, but I was able to drawn on those emotions and the experience of what my parents went through to help my characters as they struggle through a similar loss. I do think, however, that we draw on all our experiences when we write, even if it’s not readily apparent. Who we are and what we’ve done throughout our lives colors everything we write, even if it’s subconsciously. My writing voice is mine because of everything that has happened to me in my life.
Shelley Shepard Gray: I’ve added all kinds of little ‘Shelley’ things to my books. I’ve had badly behaved dogs (our beagle once pulled a ham from a table two minutes before a dinner party), kitchen mishaps, characters enjoying pie and donuts. (I really love donuts) I’ve also had most of my characters be voracious readers because I am.
Amanda Flower: Well, my first protagonist India Hayes is an academic librarian at a small liberal arts college near Cleveland, and I’m an academic librarian at a small liberal arts college near Cleveland. Strange, right? And in the Appleseed Creek Mysteries, Chloe Humphrey is twenty-four and moves with her cat to Amish Country. Oddly, I moved to Amish Country with my cat when I was twenty-four. How weird are those coincidences?
Amy Clipston: Since my husband has had two kidney transplants, I featured a liver transplant in my book A Place of Peace. My memoir, A Gift of Love, which details my husband’s kidney transplants and my kidney donation, will be available in March. Also, my father had a massive stroke, and I feature a character who is a stroke victim in my novella A Spoonful of Love.
Jennifer Beckstrand: They say that art imitates life, which in my case means: I’ve never been shy about putting my most embarrassing moments on paper.
Anna Helmuth, the feisty eighty-two-year-old Amish grandmother in Huckleberry Hill, loves to knit and cook. Even after sixty years of cooking for her family, Anna likes to pull out her new recipe book and experiment with a recipe she’s never tried before. Anna has many talents, but cooking is not one of them. In fact, she has a well-earned reputation for being the worst cook in Bonduel, Wisconsin. I’m not saying that I am as bad a cook as Anna, but my life definitely provided some inspiration for the character.
Several months ago, my husband and I hosted some friends for dinner, and I broke the first rule of entertaining: Never try out a new recipe on dinner guests. I wanted to make something new and exciting to serve my guests, and the reviews for “Sweet and Sour Meatballs” sounded positively delicious. Trouble came with the cryptic ingredient called “chili sauce.” I bought a quart of the most likely chili sauce I could find and dumped it into the crockpot with my meatballs. As dinnertime approached, I tested my bright orange meatballs and realized that my concoction was going to be a tad spicy. Okay, mouth-on-fire spicy. Inedibly spicy. In desperation, I poured a pint of whipping cream into the crockpot because dairy is supposed to cool spicy food. It didn’t even make a dent and added about a thousand calories to my shame. I was forced to serve the meatballs-from-heck to my friends, who didn’t complain but didn’t eat much either. I take comfort in the fact that those meatballs certainly looked lovely served over noodles. A version of this story appears in Huckleberry Hill. The names have been changed to protect the innocent.
Amy Lillard: My latest release, Gabriel’s Bride, has several personal experiences in it, though I borrowed them from other people. What does that make them…? Second hand personal experiences? J Though I have to admit Rachel Yoder is more like me than I care to examine.
You can learn more about these great authors on their websites. We would all love it if you would like our Facebook pages too!
Vannetta Chapman: http://vannettachapman.com/
https://www.facebook.com/Vanne ttaChapmanBooks
Amanda Flower: http://www.amandaflower.com/
https://www.facebook.com/authoramandaflower https://www.facebook.com/IsabellaAlanAuthor
Amy Clipston: http://www.amyclipston.com/
https://www.facebook.com/AmyClipstonBooks
Mary Ellis: http://www.maryellis.net/
https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Mary-Ellis/126995058236
Shelley Shepard Gray: http://www.shelleyshepardgray.com/
https://www.facebook.com/ShelleyShepardGray
Kelly Irvin: http://www.kellyirvin.com/
https://www.facebook.com/Kelly.Irvin.Author
Jennifer Beckstrand: JenniferBeckstrand.com
https://www.facebook.com/jenniferbeckstrandfans
Amy Lillard: http://amywritesromance.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Amy-Lillard-Author/177732292332322
January 27, 2014
Giant Amish Fiction Book Giveaway
Good Monday afternoon, readers,
Great News! 7 Best-selling Amish Authors, 27 books, 9 Winners, in 1 Great Book Giveaway!
On Wednesday, January 29, 7 authors are joining together for a great Amish book Giveaway.
All you have to do is stop by the following author’s websites and leave a comment.
Each author will randomly pick one or two winners. Each winner will receive a trio of books from 3 of the participating authors. All drawings will take place on Wednesday. Start my leaving a comment here! Then drop by as many sites as you can to leave a comment.
The more comments…the more chances to win!
Here are the sites and facebook pages to leave a comment:
Vannetta Chapman: http://vannettachapman.com/
https://www.facebook.com/VannettaChapmanBooks
Amanda Flower: http://www.amandaflower.com/
https://www.facebook.com/authoramandaflower
https://www.facebook.com/IsabellaAlanAuthor
Amy Clipston: http://www.amyclipston.com/
https://www.facebook.com/AmyClipstonBooks
Mary Ellis: http://www.maryellis.net/
https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Mary-Ellis/126995058236
Shelley Shepard Gray: http://www.shelleyshepardgray.com/
https://www.facebook.com/ShelleyShepardGray
Kelly Irvin: http://www.kellyirvin.com/
Jennifer Beckstrand: http://www.JenniferBeckstrand.com/
https://www.facebook.com/jenniferbeckstrandfans
Good luck to everyone and happy reading! Mary
January 22, 2014
Amish Authors Break Their Silence
Happy Tuesday, readers. Recently I joined with 6 other Amish fiction authors to participate in a blog-a-thon. Once a month all 7 of us will answer questions about Amish fiction. (This will be moderated by Jennifer Beckstrand) Hope you enjoy!
Okay, most of us Amish authors aren’t all that silent, but that title did spark your interest, didn’t it? Once a month on my blog, seven Amish authors are going to answer questions for our readers. This month, I made up the questions. Next month, I will probably still make up the questions. But if you have a question you would like to ask our distinguished panel, please use the contact form here on my site and send me your questions. We’d love to hear from you.
First, introductions. I am privileged to have some great friends who also happen to write Amish. The authors participating in our monthly blog are Vannetta Chapman, Amanda Flower, Amy Clipston, Mary Ellis, Shelley Shepard Gray, and Kelly Irvin. And me. Thanks, ladies. This is going to be fun.
First question: What is the first Amish book you ever read?
Vannetta: The first Amish book I read was not fiction! It was Suzanne Woods Fisher’s Amish Peace.
Amanda: Hidden by Shelley Shepard Gray
Amy: The Storekeeper’s Daughter by Wanda Brunstetter
Mary: When the Heart Cries by Cindy Woodsmall back in 2006. She got me hooked on Amish fiction with her Sisters of the Quilt series.
Shelley: Plain Truth, by Jodi Picoult
Kelly: When the Heart Cries by Cindy Woodsmall
Jennifer (me): Forgiven by Shelley Shepard Gray
If you could give yourself an Amish name, what would it be?
Vannetta: Oh, possibly Rachel. My name is difficult to say and spell, so I’d go with something simple!
Amanda: This is hard because I really like my real name and already have a pen name “Isabella Alan.” I guess it would be Becky Troyer… it sounds like an strong Ohio Amish name, and yes, it is the name of character from Appleseed Creek.
Amy: Definitely Katie! I’ve always loved that name.
Mary: Elizabeth Miller. Elizabeth is my mother’s name, and I love it! And Miller because I live close to Millersburg, Ohio. Then I can go from having only a handful of relatives to having hundreds and hundreds!!
Shelley: I think it would probably be the name of the heroine in my current work in progress. So that would be Ruth.
Kelly: Elizabeth, because I admire John the Baptist’s mother.
Jennifer: I love the name Kate. My first book is titled Kate’s Song. I have a daughter named Kate. And Kate Hepburn isn’t Amish, but she rocks!
How many Amish books have you written?
Vannetta: I have 8 Amish books published, and 3 more completed and in the editing process, plus another 5 contracted to be published in the next few years.
Amanda: 5 published, 7 written. Two are coming out in 2014: Murder, Simply Stitched and A Plain Malice.
Amy: I’m currently working on #12.
Mary: To date I have written 12 Amish books.
Shelley: Just finished number 22!
Kelly: Seven.
Jennifer: Four published, three more finished. (I feel like a newbie amongst these prolific writers!)
What is your latest book about?
Vannetta: My latest book, The Christmas Quilt, is about how a family and a community pull together to help a young couple going through a difficult time.
Amanda: My very latest book is Andi Unexpected, which is a mystery for children. They live in rural Ohio but are not Amish. My latest Amish book is Murder, Plain and Simple written under my pen name Isabella Alan. When Angela Braddock inherits her late aunt’s beautiful Amish quilt shop, she leaves behind her career and broken engagement for a fresh start in Holmes County, Ohio. With her snazzy cowboy boots and her ornithophobic French bulldog, Angie doesn’t exactly fit in with the predominantly Amish community in Rolling Brook, but her aunt’s quilting circle tries to make her feel welcome as she prepares for the reopening of Running Stitch. On the big day, Angie gets a taste of success as the locals and Englisch tourists browse the store’s wares while the quilters stitch away. But when Angie finds the body of ornery Amish woodworker Joseph in her storeroom the next morning, everything starts falling apart. With evidence mounting against her, Angie is determined to find the culprit before the local sheriff can arrest her. Rolling Brook always appeared to be a simple place, but the closer Angie gets to the killer, the more she realizes that nothing in the small Amish community is as plain as it seems….
Amy: A Mother’s Secret will debut in June, and it’s book #2 in my Hearts of the Lancaster Grand Hotel series. In A Mother’s Secret, Carolyn Lapp hopes to find true love despite her brother’s insistence that happiness can come from a marriage of convenience.
Mary: My latest Amish book, A Plain Man, picks up the story from Sarah’s Christmas Miracle. It answers the question: What happens when a man returns to the Amish culture after being an Englischer for five years? It will release in April from Harvest House Publishers.
Shelley: My next book will be released on February 4. It’s titled Hopeful and it’s the first book in my Return to Sugarcreek trilogy. My heroine’s name is Miriam and she’s a cook and waitress at the Sugarcreek Inn. She has a crush on the very handsome Junior Beiler, he’s in love with the new school teacher-oh, and there’s a stranger in town, stalking the teacher. All I can say is that everything turns out just fine in the end.
Kelly: Love Redeemed, which releases March 1, is the story of a young Amish woman who makes an innocent mistake with tragic consequences. She and the man she loves are forgiven by their small community, but they have to learn to forgive themselves before they can share a life together.
Jennifer: Huckleberry Hill features a pair of Amish grandparents who try to find suitable mates for all their grandchildren. Their grandson, Moses, resists their meddling, but he can’t resist pretty Lia Shetler.
You can learn more about these great authors on their websites. We would all love it if you would like our Facebook pages too!
Vannetta Chapman: http://vannettachapman.com/
https://www.facebook.com/VannettaChapmanBooks
Amanda Flower: http://www.amandaflower.com/
https://www.facebook.com/authoramandaflower https://www.facebook.com/IsabellaAlanAuthor
Amy Clipston: http://www.amyclipston.com/
https://www.facebook.com/AmyClipstonBooks
Mary Ellis: http://www.maryellis.net/
https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Mary-Ellis/126995058236
Shelley Shepard Gray: http://www.shelleyshepardgray.com/
https://www.facebook.com/ShelleyShepardGray
Kelly Irvin: http://www.kellyirvin.com/
https://www.facebook.com/Kelly.Irvin.Author
Jennifer Beckstrand: JenniferBeckstrand.com
https://www.facebook.com/jenniferbeckstrandfans
January 14, 2014
One day sale of all Miller Family series for e-readers
Happy Tuesday, readers,
Well, I won’t even talk about the weather, because the moment I say anything the weather changes in Ohio. We’ve gone to twelve degrees below zero last week to temperatures in the low forties over the weekend. Today it was rainy and mild, like a spring day. But before I dig out the capri pants and sandals, it’s supposed to snow tomorrow. Instead, I will ask if any of you received e-readers for Christmas…or just because you’ve been a fine person lately.
All four of my Miller Family series are on sale TODAY ONLY for electronic readers. So go to your favorite electronic book site, including CBD, Kindle and Nook, and download A Widow’s Hope for .99 cents, 
Never Far from Home for 1.99, 
The Way to a Man’s Heart for 1.99, and An Amish Family Reunion (book 4) for 1.99. Prices like that will only last a day! No, I don’t believe I make a dime at these prices, but I want my readers to fill in any blanks they have in my back-list. Here’s the Amazon link, but the other outlets will have them, too.
Have a great week, readers! And if you don’t like the weather…just wait a few days. Who knows what you’ll get next!
If you haven’t already done so, please sign up for my newsletter in the right-hand sidebar. I will be giving away 10 copies of The Quaker and the Rebel on Feb. 15th to newsletter subscribers. Good luck!
~Mary
January 2, 2014
Thoughts on Being Adopted
Happy Thursday, readers. The holidays are behind us. I thought I’d share something personal with you.
Turn on a made-for-TV movie or one of those “reality” shows about adoption and you’ll find adult children in serious angst over being given up. Everyone seems to be frantically searching for natural mothers and birth siblings. Invariably during the program’s second segment, after the commercial break, the viewer meets the long-suffering mother. Apparently she never stopped loving, worrying about, and searching for the baby taken from her or surrendered during a momentary lapse of judgment. These stories have always rung false for me, or at least overly “Hollywood” dramatic.
Do I believe such situations exist in real life? Yes, indeed. But are they the norm as the producers would have us believe? Not by a long shot, in my opinion. I’ve known too many adopted friends and siblings who suffered disappointments or faced disaster after discovering their “roots.” Personally, I hold no grudge or latent hostility for the woman who gave me up, but I also possess no buried affection either. She is a stranger. Throughout my life I’ve been offended by the predictable question: Don’t you want to know who your real mom is? I’ve always replied, “No, because I know who my real mother is—she’s the one who wiped my runny nose, fixed my peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and put up with my sassy mouth as a teenager.
As a writer adopted from Children’s Services as an infant, I chose to explore this issue from another viewpoint…as the woman who gave up her child. In Always in my Heart, my novella from An Amish Miracle, Hope Bowman believes God has punished her for giving up her firstborn son. And she’s hidden this secret from her husband. Although Hope is thankful for three daughters, she still prays for a son. But instead of a new baby, God sends her the fifteen-year-old boy she abandoned.
Writing this novella turned out to be therapeutic, even though I’m well beyond the normal age for therapy. Tackling a sensitive and personal issue from another angle allowed me to come full circle. I experienced a bit of catharsis at my fictional story’s conclusion. My adoptive parents were the only parents I ever wished to know and were as “real” as any birth parents. But I hope you’ll look for my tale about a young man who chose a different path than mine. An Amish Miracle anthology is available everywhere in print and electronic download. Always in my Heart novella will be available on February 14th at Amazon for Kindles. 
December 23, 2013
Home Thoughts Welcomes Tamera Kraft
Happy Monday, readers. 
Please join me in welcoming Tamera Lynn Kraft to my blog. Tamera has a super novella out for the Christmas season.
Tamera has always loved adventures and writes Christian historical fiction set in America because there are so many adventures in American history. She is married to the love of her life, has two grown children, and lives in Akron, Ohio. Tamera is the leader of a ministry called Revival Fire For Kids where she mentors other children’s leaders, teaches workshops, and is a children’s ministry consultant and children’s evangelist. She has curriculum published and is a recipient of the 2007 National Children’s Leaders Association Shepherd’s Cup for lifetime achievement in children’s ministry.
Tell us about your novella A Christmas Promise A Moravian Holiday Story, Circa 1773
During colonial times, John and Anna settle in an Ohio village to become Moravian missionaries to the Lenape. When John is called away to help at another settlement two days before Christmas, he promises he’ll be back by Christmas Day. When he doesn’t show up, Anna works hard to not fear the worst while she provides her children with a traditional Moravian Christmas. Through it all, she discovers a Christmas promise that will give her the peace she craves.
Moravian missionaries in the 18th century experienced danger, hardships, and unexpected twists of “fate” as they witnessed to and mentored Indians in the Ohio territory. This is a work of fiction, but so true to what these brave and dedicated missionaries could easily have experienced. This is a book that is inspirational in every sense of the word. Anne Baxter Campbell, author of Roman Quest
Available at in digital format in these online stores:
AMAZON http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GM59GN4/ref=rdr_kindle_ext_tmb
PELICAN BOOK GROUP http://pelicanbookgroup.com/ec/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=37_47&products_id=512
CHRISTIANBOOK
BARNES & NOBLE http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-christmas-promise-tamera-lynn-kraft/1117544822?ean=2940148951735
A Soldier’s Heart After returning home from the Civil War, will his soldier’s heart come between them?
Noah Andrews, a soldier with the Ohio Seventh Regiment can’t wait to get home now that his three year enlistment is coming to an end. He plans to start a new life with his young wife. Molly was only sixteen when she married her hero husband. She prayed every day for him to return home safe and take over the burden of running a farm. But they can’t keep the war from following Noah home. Can they build a life together when his soldier’s heart comes between them?
In Soldier’s Heart, Tamera Lynn Kraft weaves an uplifting story of the healing power of love and restoration. The historical details add notable authenticity. You won’t want this story to end. ~ Ann Shorey, author of the Sisters at Heart series
Available at these stores in digital format: AMAZON
BARNES & NOBLE
Available at Amazon in Paperback:
You can contact Tamera online at these sites.
Website: http://tameralynnkraft.net
Word Sharpeners Blog: http://tameralynnkraft.com
Facebook: http://facebook/tameralynnkraft
Twitter: http://twitter/tamerakraft
December 10, 2013
Not Exactly Like Mama Used to Make
Happy Tuesday, readers,
Since I started writing romances set in the Amish community five years ago, I needed to step up my baking skills. The Amish love to cook, bake and eat. For the most part, I’m proficient at the third part of that equation. In most of my books I’ve included recipes created by an Amish friend, Rosanna. Whenever my fictional character develops a passion for say, Peach Parfait Supreme pie, Rosanna invents the recipe and invites me to sample. Since my current release takes place in Kentucky, I called upon two friends who were lifelong residents of the state for Chess Pie and Kentucky Corn Bread. A Little Bit of Charm is set on an organic, free-to-roam chicken farm. Since my character, Sally Stoll, cooks chicken in one form or another for almost every meal, I had to include my family’s cherished Chicken Paprikas recipe.
Placing the recipe in the back of the book brought back fond memories of my first attempt to impress Mom with my new culinary abilities. My mother, Elizabeth Ellis, was Hungarian through and through. For every meal Liz cooked a recipe from the Hungarian Recipes book produced by her church. When Mom came to visit my first apartment as a newlywed, I held my breath until she swallowed her first bite of chicken in rich sour cream gravy. “Yuck,” she crowed. “This paprikas is absolutely awful. What on earth did you do to it, Mary Jean?”
As you can see, I still remember her exact words. My mother only used my middle name when vastly disappointed in me. “Nothing,” I said. “I followed your directions to a T, except that I substituted fat-free sour cream to cut a few calories.” What was her reply? “Repeat after me and remember if you ever plan to cook Hungarian: If it’s not fattening, it’s not going to taste good.”
I still miss my mom even though she’s been gone many years. My cooking skills have dramatically improved over many years of marriage, but I still must agree with Liz Ellis. If you want a recipe to taste delicious, don’t skimp with ingredients or try to cut out a few fat grams. Life is short, and it’s meant to be savored.
Chicken Paprikas (Chicken and Dumplings)
1 onion chopped 2 Tbsp. salt
4 Tbsp. shortening 4 to 5 lb. chicken disjointed
1 Tbsp. paprika 1 ½ cups water
¼ Tsp. black pepper ½ pt. sour cream
Brown onion in shortening; add seasonings and chicken; brown 10 minutes. Add water; cover and let simmer slowly until tender. (around 45 min.) Remove chicken; add sour cream to drippings in pan and mix well. Add dumplings; arrange chicken on top. Heat through and serve. For more gravy add ½ pint sweet cream to sour cream. Add flour to thicken.
Dumplings:
3 eggs beaten
3 cups flour
1 Tbsp. salt
½ cup water
Mix all ingredients together and beat with a spoon. Drop batter by teaspoonful into boiling salted water. Cook about 10 minutes; drain; rinse with cold water. Note: dumplings float when they’re almost done. Drain well and add to paprikas. Note: This works very well with boneless chicken breasts and with noodles instead of dumplings too. Sometimes I add mushrooms to my gravy, but shhhh, don’t tell Mom. That’s not in the recipe!
Stay warm and eat plenty of comfort food, readers.
December 2, 2013
My new anthology with Beth Wiseman and Ruth Reid is here
Happy Monday, readers,
I hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving holiday and still have plenty of leftovers for sandwiches. I adore turkey, so feel free to send some my way. Today I’m happy to announce my collection of novellas with Beth Wiseman and Ruth Reid is available in both print and electronic versions. Always in My Heart, from the anthology An Amish Miracle was a joy to write last November on the beautiful shores of Jekyll Island, Georgia. And working with Beth and Ruth was a dream come true. Both are super people, 
besides great authors. My novella deals with adoption, and as an adopted child myself, I was delighted to delve into his complex topic.
Here are the blurbs: Always Beautiful by Beth Wiseman: Becky Byler is eighteen and overweight. She is overwhelmed by the embarrassment she feels when comparing herself to other girls her age. Having lost all hope, she considers taking her own life. As she stands before rushing water, unable to swim, Becky begs God for a miracle. In just several months, Becky sees her prayers answered as food and temptation lose their hold over her. She’s finally pleased with how she looks, but does she like the person she has become? And has the man she has dreamed of been right beside her all along, loving her exactly as she is?
Always His Providence by Ruth Reid: Widow Rosa Hostetler has one month to pay her delinquent taxes before the county auctions her farm. She’s prepared to sell whatever is necessary to pay the lien, but she isn’t willing to request money from the community’s widow fund. She’s embarrassed and refuses to admit she needs help. Rosa depends on income from selling eggs, but when that income is threatened, only a miracle can help Rosa accept the kindness of a neighbor.
Always in My Heart by Mary Ellis: Hope Bowman believes God is punishing her for giving up her firstborn son when she was a teenager. She’s hidden this secret from her husband, who is thankful for their daughters but longs for a son. Hope prays desperately, but the son God sends her isn’t a new baby but the fifteen-year-old boy she gave up years ago.
I hope you’ll look for An Amish Miracle from Harper Collins Christian Publishing wherever Christian books are sold, or at www.christianbook.com , www.amazon.com or www.barnesandnoble.com My novella, Always in my Heart, will also be available on Feb. 14th as a Kindle download by itself from Amazon.
Have a great week, readers.
Don’t let the holiday rush dampen your spirits.
