A ROAD UNKNOWN - Barbara Cameron - One Free Book

Bio: Barbara Cameron is a best-selling author who has a heart for writing about the spiritual values and simple joys of the Amish. She is the author of more than 38 fiction and nonfiction books, three nationally televised movies, and the winner of the first Romance Writers of America Golden Heart Award. Barbara is a former newspaper reporter. Some of her non-fiction titles include the Everything Weddings on a Budget Book and Her Restless Heart: A Woman's Longing for Love and Acceptance. Cameron currently resides in Edgewater, Florida.

Welcome back, Barbara. Tell us how much of yourself you write into your characters.

My characters are not based on me but they ARE born from some emotion or experience I’ve had or witnessed.

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?

I think the only quirky thing is adopting too many Chihuahuas … I’m sure some people think of me as the crazy Chihuahua lady.

When did you first discover that you were a writer?

I was a senior in high school. I had the same English teacher for all four years—lucky for me but not sure how she felt about having the same student … Anyway, she was an incredible teacher who didn’t teach for many years since it was a second career for her but she was inspiring and intuitive. She pushed me to write and I’ll always be grateful to her. That same year I got the chance to do a co-op for the local newspaper. I walked into their building and it was like Disney World for me. 

My high school English teacher made a strong impact on me, too. She’s the reason I started out as an English major when I went to college. I wanted to be just like her. Tell us the range of the kinds of books you enjoy reading.

I’m a voracious reader who reads just about everything—fiction and non-fiction. But romance is my favorite genre.

How do you keep your sanity in our run, run, run world?

I’m not so sure I am sane! I get a little stressed at deadline time. I like to get in the car and go meet my daughter and grandson for lunch and shopping or if that’s not possible, go for a ride along the river with my dogs.

How do you choose your characters’ names?

The Amish in Paradise, PA, where most of my Amish books are set use a limited number of names so I have to choose from them. For other characters, I find names in phone books, movie credits, baby books, television…

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?

It’s not so much a specific accomplishment as hanging in there in a tough business like publishing.

If you were an animal, which one would you be, and why?

One of my Chihuahuas—they live a very spoiled life with me!

What is your favorite food?

Steak. I don’t eat it often so it’s a treat.

What is the problem with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it?

I learned to write on deadline at the local newspaper—my first job. But I never feel I have enough time for my books so I’m still working on that roadblock. I’m lucky to have an editor who is also a writer and she has been so good about giving me some extra time.

Tell us about the featured book.

A Road Unknown is the first book in my third Amish series for Abingdon Press. It’s the story of Elizabeth who leaves her home community in Goshen, Indiana, and strikes out for Paradise, Pennsylvania, during her rumschpringe.  This is the time when Amish young people get a chance to explore Englisch life and decide whether they want to join the Amish church or leave the community.

Please give us the first page of the book.

Some people said that if you looked at a map of Goshen, Indiana, that you’d see that almost all Amish Country roads led into the town.

But as Elizabeth stood waiting for her bus, all she could think about was the road leading out of the town.

The big bus lumbered into the station. The driver put her suitcase in the storage area under her watchful eye. She didn’t have much and wanted to make sure it made it to her next home.

She winced at the word. Home. She was leaving everything and everybody she knew to go to a place she’d only visited twice in her life. It was exciting. It was terrifying.

“You getting on?” the driver asked, studying her curiously as he waited for other passengers.

Elizabeth nodded and taking a deep breath, she climbed up the steps into the bus. She found a seat to the right of the half-empty bus and hoped she’d get a chance to sit by herself and not make conversation with a stranger. Especially an Englisch stranger. So many of them were curious about the Amish. She didn’t want to talk about why she was walking—riding?—away from a community many of them thought was idyllic.

Oh, they liked the idea of a simpler life but in the next breath would shake their heads and say they couldn’t imagine living without electricity or television.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

My website is  www.barbaracameron.com

I’m also on Facebook:  Barbara Cameron Reader Page

Thank you, Barbara, for sharing this new book with us. 

Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.
A Road Unknown - Christianbook.com
A Road Unknown: Amish Roads | Book 1 - Amazon
A Road Unknown: Amish Roads | Book 1 - Kindle

Christian Book Store

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