J.E.B. Spredemann's Blog, page 2
April 24, 2020
"That's not Amish!"
**Note: I'm recycling some of my old blog posts. I was part of
“That’s not Amish!”
Okay, admit it. We’ve all done it, right?
I know I have. There I was, reading an Amish novel by a popular author and I get to this scene and laugh out loud. Why? Because it’s funny? No. Because I can’t see an Amish person doing what these characters did.
But maybe I was wrong. Maybe this particular author had done more research, or knew an Amish family who’d done this, or…?
Or maybe not.
The funny thing is, the more I study and learn about the Amish, the less far-fetched some of the things I read or hear seem.
For example, in
Fast forward a year and a half, give or take. Hubby and I are driving around Indiana, scouting out the land in search of a new home. A couple of the homes we were looking at, to possibly purchase, were Amish homes.
We just so happened to visit an Amish family, who’d invited us back for dinner (yes, I love the Amish culture!) and it was October 31. When we arrived, we passed the man of the house walking along the road with his two young sons. We pulled up to the driveway and the wife informs us that Henry (okay, not his real name) took the boys out – you guessed it – trick-or-treating!
My former-Amish friend informed me that they used to hunt Easter eggs, while his wife said her district would have never done anything like that. This same friend (who’d been Amish) had never heard of a mud sale. Imagine that!
I was recently reading a post on Facebook, which featured a photograph of Amish women holding rifles and shooting at targets. The photo said something about getting ready for hunting season. A person (who I’m quite certain was former-Amish) insisted the photo was fake because “Amish women don’t hunt.” I thought to myself, maybe she should tell that to some of the Amish in my neighborhood – who are female and happen to hunt right alongside their brothers. J She learned that day, by the several commenters who claimed otherwise, that some Amish women do, in fact, hunt.
And by the way, what were they doing in a photograph? The Amish don’t allow photos, right? ;)
So, I’ve challenged myself to not simply dismiss something because I’ve never seen or heard of it before. Because I may be wrong!
What about you? Have you read or heard something about the Amish that you were sure was wrong, then found out down the line that it could have been right?
(By the way, if you’d like an ‘I Love Jonathan Fisher’ sticker, email your snail mail address to me at jebspredemann (at) gmail dot com.)
Blessings,
Jennifer Spredemann
Heart-Touching Amish Fiction
April 12, 2020
Cover Reveal Party
The authors held a cover reveal and preorder party on April 21, and it was a blast! Well over 400 people joined us—it was so much fun to get to know one another!
Each author offered a giveaway, and winners will be announced on Friday, April 24.
And as a result of the preorder party, our box set hit #1 in Amish fiction and #1 on the Hot New Releases list at Amazon! Thank you, readers!
January 21, 2020
New Release!
Hello, Readers!
I'm excited to introduce you to a BRAND NEW SERIES!
So far, early readers are loving The Trespasser in my Amish Country Brides series. Each book will be intertwined with the others, but they will also stand alone. I hope you enjoy The Trespasser as much as I've enjoyed writing it. May GOD touch your heart through the story as only He can.
Here's the back cover description:
Single mother Kayla Johnson embarks on a journey to Pennsylvania in search of her daughter's biological family. But when a storm forces them to turn in to an abandoned home in a small Amish community, Kayla must come to terms with her past disappointments and her distrust in God.
Amish widower Silas Miller has always dreamed of owning his own property. So when Minister Yoder vacates his home and moves out of state, Silas is thrilled to be caretaker for the Yoder homestead. When a trespasser finds shelter in the Yoders' house, Silas allows her to stay temporarily. Then Silas learns a secret that will not only rock his world, but challenge life as he knows it.
Will he listen to God's still small voice even if he's asked to give up his dream?
For a LIMITED TIME, the ebook and paperback are on SALE! Save $1.00 on the ebook when you preorder, and save $3.00 on the paperback when you order by February 1.
Here are the links:
Paperback:
Ebook:
To GOD alone be the glory!
Blessings,
Jennifer Spredemann
Heart-Touching Amish Fiction
December 16, 2019
A series I think you'll enjoy!
Hello, Readers! I hope this Christmas season finds you well.
I'd like to introduce you to my author friend, Tracy Fredrychowski. If you haven't read any of Tracy's books yet, you are in for a treat. If you love an interesting story with plenty of twists and turns, you're likely to enjoy The Secrets of Willow Springs.
The second book in her series launches this week. I'm in the middle of it right now and I'm having a hard time putting it down!
Are you looking for a new Amish series to read?
Tracy Fredrychowski, in addition to releasing Book 2 in her
I don’t know about you, but during the holidays I’m always looking for a quiet spot where I can lose myself in a good book. When I read the first book in this series, I couldn’t wait to learn how Emma dealt with the secret that was bound to change her life forever. Now that the second book has come along, I can't wait to see how Emma, Daniel, and Marie will handle knowing someone had played God with their lives. This sweet story is keeping me glued to the pages and reminds me that God has a plan for each of our lives, if we have faith enough to let Him guide our path.
However, before you do that, a little info. on the giveaway mentioned earlier.
If you buy the eBook version before midnight on December 22, 2019, she has added a unique link within the pages of Book 2. You must find that link and follow the instructions to enter to win one of her beautiful
Every year, her friend Jim Fisher allows her to use some of his pictures that he takes in the Old-Order Amish Community near where she was raised. The photos are stunning. You will not find this calendar in any store, and she only offers it exclusively to those who follow her.
She is giving a few away, one might as well be yours.
Thanks for reading! Give Tracy's books a try. You might just find a new favorite!
Blessings,
Jennifer Spredemann
Heart-Touching Amish Fiction
P.S. Unlikely Santa is ON SALE in both ebook and paperback! Don't miss out. https://www.amazon.com/Unlikely-Santa...
November 29, 2019
October 19, 2019
An AMISH Wedding!
(Note: All images in this post are copyright. All rights reserved. Please do not save/store/use.) Photos taken with permission.
Have you ever attended an Amish wedding?
I recently had the privilege of attending my first Amish wedding. It was for one of my hubby's coworkers and his bride. We were some of the few Englischers in attendance.
Since I've written about and researched the Amish for several years now, there wasn't really anything that took me by surprise. The service was held in a barn (see photo) and lasted about three hours. The majority of the service was spoken in Pennsylvania Dutch, with some English. There were a combination of the classic backless wooden benches we've all read about and white plastic folding chairs. Our family sat together and we were seated in the middle of the men's section.
(I apologize for the poor image quality. Photos taken with my phone, some through my windshield.)
Unlike the blue dresses (for the wedding party) we're used to reading about, the young ladies wore pretty burgundy/plum color dresses with white capes and aprons and black kapps. The bride's attire was identical, except she wore a white kapp.
During the service, we listened to German hymns from the Ausbund reminiscent of a Gregorian chant. The longest song lasted nearly twenty-five minutes.
After the service, everyone headed to the local Amish community center, located next to the school.
If you have any thoughts or questions, I'd love to hear them! Have you attended an Amish wedding?
To hear a clip of the singing and see a few more photos, please join my official reader group on Facebook.
I hope this post was enjoyable!
Blessings,
Jennifer Spredemann
Heart-Touching Amish Fiction
September 17, 2019
My favorite things to do in Amish country!
(I apologize for the poor photo quality. They were taken with my phone. With that said, all photos are copyright and may not be used for any purpose.)
Attending An Amish Schoolhouse Benefit Supper
One of the advantages to living amongst the Amish is having the opportunity to attend Amish functions. This is something I never had a chance to do while living in California. Benefit dinners are one of my favorite things to do. (I often find inspiration for my books while attending Amish-related events.) Last week, one of the nearby communities had a fish fry that our family attended. The week prior, a different Amish district had a chicken dinner. (See photos.)
Over the weekend, our neighbors held their semi-annual sale, in which I picked up a few goodies for some of my giveaways. We would have bought baked goods too, but they had sold out. I did, however, pick up some yummy dandelion jelly!
What about YOU? Do you live near any Amish communities? If so, do you have a favorite event that you enjoy attending? I’d love to hear about your experiences! (If you don’t live around any Amish communities, what Amish-related event would you most like to attend if you had the opportunity?)
Blessings,
Jennifer Spredemann
Heart-Touching Amish Fiction
Our welcoming committee! :)
The events are usually well attended. Both Amish and Englisch enjoy the suppers!
The Amish home where the supper was held.
Isn’t this little wall hanging adorable? I just might have to hang it up in my writing cottage!
Want to attend the next event?
August 15, 2019
Color Psychology and the Amish
I recently made an interesting observation while perusing my email. One of the things I’d pinned on my Pinterest board was being deleted for whatever reason. The pin deleted was a chart about color psychology. Color psychology is something that advertisers have used for years to appeal to customers.
What on earth does that have to do with the Amish, you ask? Well, in studying this chart, I noticed a very interesting correlation.
The Amish in my area wear certain colors. Typically, browns, grays, and blues are the dominant colors worn. So, I examined the chart to see if the colors they wore reflected those who wore them. Here’s where it gets interesting.
What qualities come to mind when thinking about the Amish? Many people have mentioned the peaceful lifestyle of the Amish, or their sense of community and respect for one another, their work ethic.
Here’s what I’ve discovered.
Brown – the emotions it conveys are reliability, stability, honesty, comfort, and nature. It is used to create warmth, suppress emotions, stabilize, and imply common sense.
Gray – the emotions conveyed neutrality, practicality, conservativeness, formality, and quietness. It is used to create a sense of composure, depress energy, associate timelessness, and communicate maturation.
Blue – conveys trust, responsibility, honesty, loyalty, and inner security. It is used to reduce stress, create calmness, relax, to create order, and for security.
Wow.
Many of those words are what I would use to describe the Amish around me.
Another interesting tidbit is that the Amish in another area nearby wear colors like purple, which is indicative of compassion, spirituality, and sensitivity…so it’s no wonder that the Amish in the latter group are a newer order and participate in missions work. I could expound on the other colors I’ve seen worn, but I won’t.
What are your thoughts? Do you find the correlations as fascinating as I do?
If you have Amish in your area that you’re familiar with, what colors do they wear? It might be insightful to Google color psychology (just for fun) to see if the color reflects the community.
It would be interesting to the rest of us to read your findings.
To go even deeper, what about the colors God used in his Creation? When I look around, the most dominant colors are the light blue sky and the green grass. What do these colors convey? Light blue – freedom, self-expression, trustworthiness, wisdom, and joy. Green – safety, harmony, stability, reliability, and balance. Wow. It’s no wonder the Bible states, “The heavens declare the glory of God…”
I hope this post has been entertaining and has given you some food for thought. I’m looking forward to reading your comments.
Blessings,
Jennifer Spredemann
Heart-Touching Amish Fiction
July 30, 2019
Different Amish Communities – The Nebraska Amish
If you’ve read a lot about the Amish or studied them in depth, then you likely know there are no two Amish communities exactly alike. We’ve discussed some of the variations amongst the Amish and where they are located. This month, I’d like to explore a very distinct Plain group, known as the Nebraska Amish.
One would think that with the name ‘Nebraska’, you would likely find the group in, well, Nebraska. However, the Nebraska Amish name emerged from their founding bishop, Yost B. Yoder, who was from Nebraska. So, then, where are the Nebraska Amish located?
The Nebraska Amish are situated mostly in Pennsylvania, in the Big Valley (Kishacoquillas Valley) area of Mifflin County. Smaller groups reside in other PA counties, and there is one district in Ohio also. When our family moved from California to Indiana, it gave me an opportunity to not only live among the Amish and make friends, but to explore different Amish communities. The Nebraska Amish community is one I have never visited in person, but it is certainly on my to-do list. Have you been there?
Here are some distinctions about the Nebraska Amish that I’ve learned through my research:
They are considered one of the most conservative Anabaptist groups today.
The men dress mostly in brown (pants and vests) with white shirts.
The women’s dresses are considered the longest among the Amish groups.
Men’s hair is cut longer (to the shoulder) in the ‘William Penn’ style.
Women are not allowed to wear the traditional prayer kapp, but instead wear a black kerchief or, while working out, a flat ‘peasant-style’ straw hat.
Men are not allowed to wear suspenders or belts. Their pants are instead laced up in the back.
Young folks are only allowed to date amongst the Nebraska Amish groups. The courtship practice of bundling is allowed.
Their houses and barns remain unpainted.
Curtains are not allowed in the home, neither are window screens permitted.
No indoor plumbing.
Buggies have undyed white tops.
And that is our introduction to the Nebraska Amish. Did you learn anything new? Have you been to Big Valley or one of the other places where this special group resides? Have you had any interaction with the Nebraska Amish?
I’d love to hear your stories! Please comment below.
Blessings,
J. Spredemann
Sources:
Amish America, Amish Culture – Nebraska Amish, March 8, 2007
Wikipedia, Nebraska Amish
John Guss, Amish and Mennonite Groups in Big Valley, Fall 2007
It's almost here!
September 1 is the actual release date for my latest book, An Amish Deception, but the ebook is actually available for pre-order NOW! You can find it here:
What's it about?
Jacob King and his twin brother Ephraim have always been rivals at everything. But when Jacob deceives his father into signing a will that only benefits one of them, leaving Ephraim with nothing, his brother seeks revenge. Jacob flees for his life and journeys to another town to work for a distant relative. While there, Jacob falls helplessly in love with Rachel and seeks to win her heart.
Young Rachel Schmidt is instantly smitten when handsome Jacob King rolls into town. As time goes by, they court, fall deeply in love, and plan to marry. But Rachel’s father has other plans.
Will past secrets destroy their chance at happily ever after? Will Jacob and Rachel’s love survive when their dreams are ripped from their hands?
