THE GIFT OF CHRISTMAS PAST - Cindy and Erin Woodsmall - One Free Book

Dear Readers, The Gift of Christmas Past, is my favorite among all the Christmas books I’ve read this year. It’s poignant, and it stayed with me for days after I read the last page. I’ve loved Cindy’s writing for a long, and with the addition of her daughter, this book continues the tradition of stories that really grip your heart, characters who pull you into their world, and both a strong romantic thread as well as a strong spiritual thread. A very satisfying read.

Welcome Erin, and welcome back, Cindy. I know that this is a collaboration. How did this story come about?

Cindy: This story began in November 2016. Erin and I had written another Christmas novella together, but it wouldn’t be released until 2018, so there was a chance to create something new and different. We brainstormed during the holidays, working around the birth of Erin’s third child, Silas. Then we put our feet on the ground in Asheville for the research and got to work!

Erin: I’ve been doing various things for Cindy’s writing career for around a decade, working on the website and blogs, brainstorming, outlining, and more. After I lost a baby in January 2016, I needed a creative outlet. Cindy saw that, because she’s very intuitive, and we started collaborating on an Amish Christmas novella about a pharmacy, with the tentative title of A Spoonful of Christmas. It went so well we wanted to do it again!

Did you find it easy to work together on it?

Erin: Actually, yes. Our personalities mesh well together. I consider Cindy one of my closest friends and it’s been a joy to work with her.

Cindy: Definitely easy. Moreover, the brainstorming and writing together brought new and unexpected excitement to my workday.

How did collaborating with this team impact you?

Cindy: It’s hard to explain—we went from understanding each other on one level to understanding each other on a much deeper level. Collaborating means I have someone close to me who gets what I do, who is excited about the process of writing, and who knows what it takes to get the story from the “drawing board” to the written page. Going places to research has been so much fun, and we’ve made memories that will last a lifetime. We have our brainstorming sessions at our favorite coffee shop. I’ve never experienced anything like this, and I never expected to, so it’s changed me. (As of November 2017, we’ve written three books together, two for Random House.)

Erin: It’s impacted me much more than I can succinctly put into words. I learned a new skill—going from the “behind the scenes” work to creating stories and getting into the heads and hearts of characters, and in that I found a new side of myself. Cindy and I were already close, but like she mentioned earlier, after working together on novels, we have a new level of understanding with each other.  

What is the hardest thing about writing as a team?

Erin: The hardest part, surprisingly, has been figuring out a file system that works for both of us! There are a lot of files with specific information that has to be updated almost daily as we move forward—the chapter-by-chapter outline, the research notes, the character chart, our personal thoughts, and the actual chapters. It’s vital that we don’t save over each other’s work or make changes to a document without the latest information. I thought using Dropbox would be a good solution, because if either of us makes a change, it updates the document for both of us. But that system didn’t work for Cindy because of how changes show up on her computer.

Cindy: Computers. Don’t get me started on my propensity for technology glitches! Sharing information and making sure each person has the most updated files is so important. For all documents that aren’t actual chapters or the master copy, we figured out that Google Docs is a good solution.

What are you reading right now?

Both: Edits for next year’s novel!

Erin: I just downloaded Laura V. Hilton’s new Christmas novella collaboration, Love’s Thankful Heart. Novellas are so fun to enjoy during Christmastime!

Cindy: I love Katie Ganshert’s work. I’ve just cracked the first pages of Life After.

How did you choose your characters’ names?

Erin: I have three children, and with each one my husband and I found ourselves in … uh, spirited debates over names. Hadley, Monroe, and Chloe were all on my list of names that were rejected.

Cindy: Typically, I go through an Amish address book, so it was a lot of fun that we were able to hash out contemporary names. I just love the name Elliott for a girl.

Would you want to work on another book together?

Both: We already have! We feel like we’re just now getting really good at it. Next year we have two coming out through Random House’s WaterBrook Press imprint, one in August and one in October. The tentative titles are Ocean Roads and A Spoonful of Christmas. And we have at least three more ideas for future books!

I’ll want to feature both of them on my blog. What do you want to tell us about The Gift of Christmas Past?

Erin: This is Cindy’s first indie and her first non-Amish book. We’re able to offer it at a great price, in stores as a paperback, as well as free for readers on Kindle Unlimited. It’s a well-researched story with heart. We hope it feels like you’re stepping into the characters’ worlds.

Cindy:

Promises made. 
Lies spoken.

Dreams shattered.
She was arrested.
He returned to the safety of his wealthy parents.

Almost ten years later, Hadley and Monroe are both specialists in the field of speech therapy. They meet again . . . thrown together to help a four-year-old-girl rendered mute after being rescued from a fire.

Years of secrets and anger beg to be set free as Hadley and Monroe try to push aside past hurts and find common ground in order to help the traumatized child and her family.

Can the love of Christmas past drift into the present, bringing healing and hope for all?

Please give us the first page of the book for my readers.

Hadley’s mind reeled with disbelief as her foster mom shoved her clothes into an old suitcase. “But…but I’m innocent.”

“Maybe.” Dianna gave a half-hearted nod. “I hope so. It’d be an awful thing to squander the opportunities we’ve offered you.”

“I…I am. The investigation will prove it. I promise. You’ve got to believe me. Please.”

“Like I said, maybe you are innocent…of this incident. You had seemed to be making great strides since you went to anger-management classes. I’ll give you that, Hads.”

“Then don’t send me back. Please. My friends are here. Monroe is—”

“Decision’s made. You made it when you broke curfew for the third time.”

“But I was only a little late and for good reasons. You said so—”

“I’m aware.” Dianna didn’t pause her movements as she packed Hadley’s toothbrush.

Hadley bit back tears, hating any sign of being vulnerable. “Then why?”

“They’ve found two witnesses who place you in the Reeds’ yard.”

“What?” Hadley’s knee-jerk gasp was the totally wrong response. Stay cool. Remain calm.

“Yeah, apparently you were there.” Dianna released a slow sigh. “Imagine that.”

Regret twisted through Hadley. She never should’ve set foot on the Reeds’ property. “Okay, I was at their place, but I never—”

“Interesting.” Dianna stood up straight, the top of her head now even with Hadley’s nose. She yanked a beautiful red sweater off a hanger, a Christmas gift from Scott and her to Hadley a mere three weeks ago. “You’ve denied being anywhere near there until right now. They said they saw you start a fire using leaves, sticks, and what appeared to be some kind of accelerant.” She shoved the sweater into the suitcase with the other clothes as if it and Hadley no longer mattered.

Should she explain her actions? The moment the question came to her she knew the answer. No matter the subject or the situation, adults couldn’t be trusted. Anything Hadley said would be passed along to the authorities, distorted, and used against her.

Dianna jammed two pairs of wool socks into the suitcase. “Anyway, Scott and I think it’s in everyone’s best interest if you don’t live here anymore.”

(To read the rest of Chapter One, go here: http://www.cindywoodsmall.com/excerpt-the-gift-of-christmas-past/ 

Where can our readers find you on the Internet?

We can be found on Cindy’s Facebook, where we both answer readers.  https://www.facebook.com/authorcindywoodsmall

Also on Cindy’s website and blog: www.cindywoodsmall.com

Thank you, Cindy and Erin, for sharing this book with me and my blog readers. I know they will love it as much as I have.

Readers, here are links to the book.

The Gift of Christmas Past - Christianbook.com
The Gift Of Christmas Past: A Southern Romance - Amazon paperback
The Gift of Christmas Past - Kindle

Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. You must follow these instructions to be in the drawing. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory or country if outside North America. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)

Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.

The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.

If you’re reading this on Goodreads, Google+, Feedblitz, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment if you want to be included in the drawing. Here’s a link:

Http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com

GATHERING THE THREADS - CINDY WOODSMALL - One Free Book

Bio: Cindy Woodsmall is the New York Times and CBA best-selling author of nineteen works of fiction and non-fiction with more than a million copies sold. Her connection with the Amish community has been featured in national media outlets such as ABC's Nightline, the Wall Street Journal, and a National Geographic documentary on Amish life. Cindy and her husband reside near the foothills of the North Georgia Mountains.

Find out more about Cindy at http://www.cindywoodsmall. com.

Welcome back, Cindy, so glad to have you on my blog again. God has really been moving in your writing life. What do you see on the horizon?
My heart was fully vested in Amish stories for the last fifteen years, in great part due to the seeds planted because of my friendship with a Plain Mennonite friend during childhood and into my teen years. But there are other facets of my heart that I haven’t searched or given freedom to rise to the surface and share its creativity. That’s what I see on the horizon, telling contemporary “Englisch” stories. I have my first such story coming out this October, but I think that’s the surface of a very deep ocean. Time will tell.

Tell us a little about your family.

My husband of forty years and I are now empty nesters. We have two married sons who live close by, and we have five grandchildren we love having time with. We also have a third son, the youngest of the siblings. He’s unmarried son and lives in New York. All three were homeschooled, the older two until ninth grade and the youngest until third grade. I love that we live in a country that allows us to educate our children as we see fit, and that as a parent we can choose when it’s in their best interest to enter a public or private school system. Each has a college degree—bachelors or doctorate. Two are in the healthcare field and one is in the arts. I love my daughters-in-law more than I could have imagined! And I’m writing novels with my daughter-in-law Erin. It gets crazy around here at times, but I’m so very grateful and caught-off-guard by how much my daughters-in-law have opened their hearts and lives to me.

Has your writing changed your reading habits? If so, how?

I think writing has changed my reading habits a lot. I used to read whatever book cover caught my attention, and sometimes I thoroughly enjoyed the book and sometimes I didn’t. Before I started writing, I couldn’t really understand what the problem was with the books I wasn’t enjoying. I thought it was me, and I’d stick with the book through the whole story, and close it thinking—hmm, what was wrong with me that I didn’t enjoy that? Now I know, it wasn’t me. It was the writing. Some authors put their heart, skill, and time into writing a book, and others slap it on paper and call it a day. I’m quick to know which is which nowadays, and I’ll set a book aside. I consider it a huge honor when readers give me the most valuable part of their life—time. I do all I can to make sure I’ve given them a story that is worthy of that precious gift of time.

What are you working on right now?

I’m writing on a story called Soft Dusks and Noonday Fire. It’s set in my home state of Georgia in the Golden Isles, which is a small set of islands off the Georgia Coast. It’s a contemporary, non-Amish story that means so much to me. Its relationships, humor, and heartache feels a bit like Steel Magnolias and Fried Green Tomatoes.

How do you choose your settings for each book?
I feel as if the settings choose me. Most of my Amish stories have settings in the Maryland and Pennsylvania areas where I’ve lived or stayed with Old Order Amish friends. St. Simons Island, in the Golden Isles, is in my home state, where my daughter-in-law Erin spent her summers because her mom grew up there, so as she talked about it or we visited the area over the years, it then called to me.

If you could spend an evening with one historical person, who would it be and why?
Martin Luther King Jr.! Oh, what a fascinating, eye-opening conversation that would be. I’d be a sponge, seeing things impossible to grasp through media and books. He understood the depth of injustice against an entire race. He understood the laws set against his race, and yet he rallied black and white people behind him to fight a culture steeped in acceptance, complicity, and apathy. There were outliers and exceptions, but he knew that for the most part, he was rallying a movement against the most powerful and wealthy people in the most powerful and wealthy country. Wow.

What is the one thing you wish you had known before you started writing novels?
Writing is done in solitary. Our writing space is often quiet for long periods, and I like that part, but I wish I’d understood that even when a work space looks and sounds peaceful, there is a tremendous amount of pressure being applied, constantly. I blamed myself for feeling lots of stress, as if—because the house was quiet and the workload is done in silence all feelings of pressure were of my own making. It wasn’t. I can see that now, and because I see it, I can better prepare myself mentally and emotionally.

What new lessons is the Lord teaching you right now?
Although I can keep everything in my outer world running smoothly, my emotions and focus tend to scatter easily. I equate my emotions and focus to someone walking through fallen leaves in autumn—they scatter in every direction. Like many families, my family is feeling the pressure on all sides—illness, extra family responsibilities, career workload, etc. I’m learning how to keep my brain focused no matter where my emotions are.

What is a piece of advice you can tell other authors to do to be successful?
Don’t be afraid of failure. When we’re faithful to a hard thing, we are teaching others that there is no such thing as failure. Faithfulness is its own success. Someone is watching you and learning that it’s okay to pour your heart and soul into something, whether it bears the desired fruit or a different kind of fruit.

Tell us about the featured book.

Finally back in the Old Order Amish world she loves, will Ariana’s new perspectives draw her family closer together—or completely rip them apart?

After months away in the Englisch world, Ariana Brenneman is overjoyed to be in the Old Order Amish home where she was raised. Yet her excitement is mixed with an unexpected apprehension as she reconciles all she’s learned from her biological parents with the uncompromising teachings of her Plain community. Although her childhood friend, ex-Amish Quill Schlabach, hopes to help her navigate her new role amongst her people, Ariana’s Daed doesn’t understand why his sweet daughter is suddenly questioning his authority. What will happen if she sows seeds of unrest and rebellion in the entire family?

Meanwhile, Skylar Nash has finally found her place among the large Brenneman family, but Ariana’s arrival threatens to unravel Skylar’s new identity—and her sobriety. Both Ariana and Skylar must discover the true cords that bind a family and community together and grasp tight the One who holds their authentic identities close to His heart.

Please give us the first page of the book.

Summer Grove, Pennsylvannia

Ariana’s head roared with voices, those in the kitchen around her and others from far away, even from hundreds of years in the past. Voices of real people she’d talked to or had heard preach or teach, as well as the voices from the many books Nicholas had asked her to read. The voices grouped in clans, their murmurings growing fervent, in­sisting precisely what she needed to believe, who she needed to be, and why she needed to march to the beat of their drum.

Ariana needed to know herself well enough to pick a tribe she agreed with and shut down the rest with her own reasoning. But she couldn’t parse what she believed, and they hounded without mercy.

Marred flatware jangled endlessly as her nine siblings, five of her four­teen nieces and nephews, her Mamm and Daed, and Skylar sat around the table in rickety chairs. The mid-January wind pushed against the house and seemed to come right through the walls.

An old galvanized bucket sat in the sink because the water pipe to the kitchen was broken again. If the pipes to the sink in the mudroom hadn’t been working, getting breakfast on the table would’ve been a lot more work.

Rickety furniture, cold winds seeping in, and broken pipes didn’t bother her. Money and work could easily fix those things. What nagged at her was much deeper. She was finally in the very home she’d pined for while away, and yet only a fragment of herself seemed to be here.

Interesting. How can readers find you on the Internet?

www.cindywoodsmall.com.

Facebook (@authorcindywoodsmall).

Thank you, Cindy, for sharing this new book with us. I’m so glad my copy is at the top of my to-be-read pile on the table.

Readers, here are links to the book.

Gathering the Threads - Christianbook.com
Gathering the Threads: A Novel (The Amish of Summer Grove) - Amazon paperback
Gathering the Threads (The Amish of Summer Grove) - Amazon large print hardback
Gathering the Threads: A Novel (The Amish of Summer Grove) - Kindle
Gathering the Threads - Audio book

Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. You must follow these instructions to be in the drawing. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory or country if outside North America. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)

Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.

The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.

If you’re reading this on Goodreads, Google+, Feedblitz, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment if you want to be included in the drawing. Here’s a link:

Http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com

TIES THAT BIND - Cindy Woodsmall - One Free Book

Dear Readers, Cindy Woodsmall is an award-winning author of Amish novels. I’ve enjoyed her writing, and her stories are so authentic.

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

Hopefully I put very little of me in the characters. My goal as a writer is to develop characters that tell me who they are, not the other way around. I focus my energy on learning who each character is, often by basing a character on a few real people I know and their individual responses to actual incidents in the Amish community. I rely heavily on Plain friends, experiences, and research while developing the characters. While gathering all that information, it naturally goes through the filter of my mind, will, and emotions. In that sense, I can’t prevent the characters from being influenced by me to some degree. For the most part, I think my characters influence me in the story writing far more than I influence them.

How do you choose your characters’ names?

I have two main methods. When choosing a name for an Amish character, I start by researching my stack of paperback directories for Old Order Amish districts, which I purchased from an Amish friend’s dry goods store. When choosing a name for a character who isn’t Amish, I often begin with a Google search of the top girl or guy names used in the year that character would have been born. If nothing on that list appeals to me, I search earlier years. To me, a lot of “baby name” sites seem cumbersome and slow, so I usually stick to the online Social Security list of names. After choosing the appropriate research tool, I look for a name that feels right for each character, and that often leads me to research the meaning of the name.

What are the three best things you can tell other authors to do to be successful?

1. Be teachable. Highly opinionated people are difficult to teach, but they rarely see themselves that way. They may listen and ask questions, showing great interest in what an editor or critique partner is saying, but by the next morning, they will have rationalized away whatever insights the person tried to share. These writers will defend their point of view to the end. Months or years later, they won’t be able to figure out why no one wants to work with them. That’s not to say an author should accept everything that’s said. But if an author is resistant to suggestions (even politely), dealing with that person can be exhausting and counterproductive.

2. Be patient with yourself and with the market. Both are constantly changing.

3. Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds you sow. (Robert Louis Stevenson said that.) The most important thing we can do is remain faithful. That alone will reap quite a harvest because someone is always watching us, and faithfulness to ourselves and our dreams is impacting our friends and family. When others hit a rough patch in their lives and are tempted to give up, they may recall our faithfulness and find the needed strength for themselves. And we should stay faithful to writing because when we seek, we find … eventually.

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

An owl or eagle. Wouldn’t it be fun to soar, like we occasionally do in our nighttime dreams? Most of us are used to seeing pictures of owls perched on a branch, looking much like a stuffed bird. But they’re very skilled at soaring almost silently during the night. In my best dreams, that’s what I’m doing—soaring across beautiful, lush fields in the dim glow of moonlight, the ponds and lakes I fly over shimmering with that same light. Do I fly at night because I’m nearing the midnight hour of my life? Hm. I’ve never swooped for prey, which is a plus because the fun dream would turn into a rude awakening. If I’m choosing an animal based on dreams in which I can fly, I guess a third runner-up to the owl or eagle would be a flying squirrel. Ha-ha. I place that third because in those dreams, I could only fly from one tree to the next.

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?

I’m pleased that my family survived as a functional unit while my kids moved from childhood into adulthood. Maybe that sounds weird. But marriage is a little like a three-legged race, with the husband and wife constantly connected to the children. When your kids grow up and get married, you may or may not become a team with your adult children and their spouses. And they may or may not become a team with their siblings and spouses.  

My three sons are completely different from one another. I knew each one was distinctive from the moment he began to stir in my belly. And my two daughters-in-law are as different from each other as winter and summer—which only makes sense.

I wasn’t sure what would happen once my nest was empty. Would my sons move as far away as possible or stay in the area? Would their uniqueness put them at odds with one another? Would holiday visits be more taxing than refreshing? I did my best to get my boys to adulthood as friends who knew how to embrace their differences, discuss and have healthy arguments, and give each other space and respect. But what would happen when my mommy-ing years ended?

What did happen was beautiful and unexpected. All of my sons and daughters-in-law tossed lassos around one another’s teams—not just for major holidays or on birthdays, but often. I love it. I’m honored by it. I’m inspired by it. I’m also exhausted by it. But they strengthen me.

I so agree. My two daughters live in adjoining suburbs of Fort Worth, Texas, and our suburb adjoins one of theirs. Actually, we live just north of and just south of the same major street. And all the grandchildren and great grandchildren live in those same suburbs. We get together often.

Cindy can be found online here:

http://www.cindywoodsmall.com/

https://www.facebook.com/authorcindywoodsmall

https://twitter.com/cindywoodsmall

https://www.pinterest.com/cindywoodsmall/

www.goodreads.com/author/show/117290.Cindy_Woodsmall

Thank you, Cindy, for sharing this new book with us. I know my readers will be interested in reading it.

Here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.
Ties That Bind - Chritianbook,com
Ties That Bind: A Novel (The Amish of Summer Grove) - Amazon
Ties That Bind: A Novel (The Amish of Summer Grove) - Kindle

Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)

Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.

The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.

If you’re reading this on Goodreads, Google+, Feedblitz, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment if you want to be included in the drawing. Here’s a link:
Http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com

THE SOUND OF SLEIGH BELLS - Cindy Woodsmall - Free Book

Today, we're doing something different. I've featured Cindy on this blog several times and love her books. For her newest release, a Christmas book, instead of an interview, I'm giving you the first chapter.

The Sound of Sleigh Bells

The aroma of fresh-baked bread, shepherd’s pie, and steamed vegetables filled Lizzy’s house, mingling with the sweet smell of baked desserts. In the hearth a bank of embers kept a small fire burning, removing the nip that clung to the early-April air.

The noise of conversations rose and fell around Lizzy’s kitchen table as her brother and his large family talked easily throughout the meal. His grown and almost-grown children filled the sides of her fourteen-foot table, and his grandchildren either sat in their mothers’ laps or in highchairs.

Nearly four decades ago her oldest brother had put effort into finding an Amish bride. When Stephen found the right girl, he married her. He’d handled life well, and the fruit of it fed her soul. Lizzy had focused on her business and never married. She didn’t regret her choices, not for herself, but she’d crawl on her hands and knees the rest of her days to keep her niece from the same fate.

Beth was like a daughter to Lizzy. Not long after the family’s dry goods store passed to Lizzy, Beth graduated from the eighth grade and started working beside her. Soon she moved in with Lizzy, and they shared the one-bedroom apartment above the shop. When Lizzy had this house built a few years ago, her niece had stayed above Hertzlers’ Dry Goods.

Lizzy studied the young beauty as she answered her family’s endless questions about her decisions in the middleman role between the Amish who made goods and the various Englischer stores who wanted those goods.

That was her Beth. Answer what was asked. Do what was right. Always be polite. Offer to help before it was needed. And never let anyone see the grief that hadn’t yet let go of her. Beth had banned even Lizzy from looking into the heartache that held her hostage.

The one-year anniversary of Henry’s death had come and gone without any sign from Beth that she might lay aside her mourning, so Lizzy had taken action. She’d prepared this huge meal and planned a social for the afternoon. Maybe all Beth needed was a loving, gentle nudge. If not,

Lizzy had a backup plan—one Beth would not appreciate.

Over the din of conversations, the sounds of horses and buggies arriving and the voices of young people drifted through the kitchen window, causing Beth to look at her.

Lizzy placed her forearms on the table. “I’ve invited the young singles of the community for an evening of outdoor games, desserts, and a bonfire when the sun goes down.”

Two of Beth’s single younger sisters, Fannie and Susie, glowed at the idea. With grace and gentleness, Beth turned to her Mamm and asked if she would need help planting this year’s garden.

It didn’t seem to bother Beth that five of her sisters had married before her, and three of them were younger than she was. All but the most recently wed had children. Lizzy knew what awaited Beth if she didn’t find someone—awkward and never-ending loneliness. Maybe she didn’t recognize that. It wasn’t until Henry came into Beth’s life that she even seemed to notice that single men existed. Within a year of meeting, they were making plans to marry.

Now, in an Amish community of dresses in rich, solid hues, Beth wore black.

Through a window Lizzy saw the young men bring their rigs to a halt. The drivers as well as the passengers got out of the carriages. The girls soon huddled in groups, talking feverishly, while the guys went into the barn, pulled two wagons with plenty of hay into the field, and tied their horses to them. It was far easier to leave the animals harnessed and grazing on hay than to have to hitch a horse to its buggy in the dark. The young people knew the routine. They would remain outside playing volleyball, horseshoes, or whatever else suited them until after the sun went down. Then they’d come inside for desserts and hot chocolate or coffee before riding in wagons to the field where they’d start a bonfire.

Fannie and Susie rose and began clearing the table. Beth went to the dessert counter and picked out a pie. She set it on the table beside her Daed, cut a slice, and placed it on his plate. Then she slid a piece onto her Mamm’s plate before passing the pie to her brother Emmanuel. She took her seat next to her mother, still chatting about the upcoming spring planting. Lizzy hoped her brother saw what she did—a daughter who continued to shun all possibility of finding new love. Beth clung to the past as if she might wake one day to find her burning desires had changed it.

Fannie began gathering glasses that still held trace amounts of lemonade. “You’ve got to join us this time, Bethie. It’s been too long.”

Flatware stopped clinking against the plates as all eyes turned to Beth.

Susie tugged on her sleeve. “Please. Everyone misses you.”

Beth poked at the meal she’d barely touched as if she might scoop a forkful of the cold food and eat it. “Not this time. Denki.”

“See, Beth,” Lizzy said. “Every person here knows you should be out socializing again. Everyone except you.”

Beth’s face grew taut, and she stood and removed the small stack of plates from Fannie’s hands. “Go on. I’ll do these.”

Fannie glanced to her Daed.

He nodded. “Why don’t you all finish up and go on out? Emmanuel and Ira, do you mind helping set up the volleyball nets?”

Emmanuel wiped his mouth on a cloth napkin. “We can do that.”

Chairs screeched against the wood floor as most of the brood stood. Fannie and Susie bolted for the door. Two more of Beth’s sisters and two sisters-in-law went to the sink, taking turns rinsing the hands and faces of their little ones before they all went outside.

Lizzy longed to see Beth in colored dresses, wearing a smile that radiated from her soul. Instead Beth pasted on smiles, fooling most of those around her into thinking her heart continued to mend. But her quieter, more stoic behavior said things no one else seemed to hear. Lizzy heard, and she’d shared her concerns with Beth’s Daed, Stephen.

Beth took a stack of dishes to the sink and flicked on the water. “You can leave that for now,” Stephen said.

She turned off the water and remained with her back to them.

Beth’s Mamm glanced at Lizzy as she ran her finger down a tall glass of lemonade. “Beth, honey—”

Beth turned. “I’m fine, Mamm.”

Stephen got up and piled more plates together. “Of course you are. And I’ll throw my favorite pie at anyone who says otherwise.” He stuck his finger into his half-eaten piece of chocolate pie, placed it in his mouth, and winked at Beth.

She smiled, an expression that probably looked real to her Daed but reminded Lizzy of fine silk flowers—only beautiful to those who aren’t gardeners.

“Beth, sweetheart,” Stephen said, “you know how me and your Mamm feel. We love you. It’s no secret that you’re different from our other girls. You’ve always had more of a head for business than a heart to find a beau, but now…well, we just want to make sure you’re doing okay. Since you don’t live with us, that’s a bit hard to know sometimes.” He set the dirty dishes beside the already full sink before he rinsed his hands and dried them. “Officially, your period of mourning was over nearly six months ago, but you haven’t joined the young people for a single event. You’ve not left the store for your usual buying trips. You eat half of what you should. You continue to wear black. And those are things a stranger would notice.”

“I…I could plan a buying-and-selling trip. It’ll take me most of the summer to get completely organized for it, but I can be ready by August. I know I should have sooner, but…”

Lizzy hoped Stephen didn’t fall for the diversion tactic Beth had just thrown his way, but since Beth was listening to him without getting defensive, Lizzy wouldn’t interfere.

“Good. If that’s where you feel like beginning, I’m glad to hear it. I know the community will be too, because without you they can’t sell near as many of their goods.” He walked to the table, took a seat, and motioned for Beth.

She moved to the chair beside him.

“But other people’s financial needs are not what this is about. Tell me something good and hopeful about you—something I’ll know in my gut is true—and I’ll end this conversation right now.”

The four of them remained silent as shouts and roars of laughter echoed from outside. If anyone could touch Beth’s heart and cause her to change, her Daed could. But the silence continued, and Beth’s inability to think of anything hopeful to say made Lizzy sick with worry.

The grandfather clock chimed the half hour, startling Lizzy, but no one spoke. Long shadows filled the room, and she lit a kerosene lamp and set it in the middle of the table.

Whatever happened the night Henry died consumed Beth. When Lizzy arrived on the scene, her niece didn’t even acknowledge her. The only words Beth spoke were the ones she whispered for days—God, forgive me. Lizzy had tried to talk to her about it, but Beth never broke her polite silence on the topic.

Beth’s Daed cleared his throat. “I’ll wait all night for an answer if I need to, Beth.”

Her eyes filled with tears, but it was another five minutes before she uttered a word. “I don’t trust my feelings about…certain things anymore, Daed.”

“Then can you trust mine?” her Daed asked.

“Always, but I don’t want to be one of the single girls looking for a husband. Not ever again. Is that such a horrible thing?”

“It’s not what we’d figured on, but we can adjust.”

Lizzy repositioned her glass of lemonade. During church the singles sat separately from the married couples. Lizzy’s memory of growing too old for the singles and removing herself from them still stung. From that day on she’d carried the title of alt Maedel—old maid. She’d been older than Beth’s twenty-six years, and her prospects of finding someone had faded into nothingness. If Beth thought navigating life after Henry was difficult, Lizzy dreaded the pain that lay ahead for Beth when she openly admitted to the Amish world that she didn’t fit—not with the single folk and not with the married ones.

Stephen had yet to mention anything about the color of mourning Beth still wore. If she would wear something besides black, young men would gravitate to her, and she stood a chance of finding someone.

He covered Beth’s hand with his and bowed his head, silently praying for her. He lifted his head. “There’s somewhere you’d like to be tonight other than washing dishes or working in that stuffy office in the store. Am I right?”

“Ya.”

“Then go.”

Beth kissed her Daed’s cheek, told Her Mamm and Lizzy she’d see them later, and left.

Lizzy moved to the window and watched as her niece walked past small groups of young people. She overheard both women and men asking Beth to stay. Beth shook her head, smiled, and waved before making her way across the road and into the pasture near their store.

“You said nothing that will nudge her to change how she’s handling life,” Lizzy said.

Stephen placed his hands on her shoulders. “Henry’s death is the hardest thing this family has faced. Pressuring Beth isn’t the answer. Trusting God is.”

Lizzy stood in silence as Beth harnessed her mare to a carriage. She knew where Beth was going.

The cemetery.

Again. And again. And again.

“Please, dear God, move a mountain for her.”

Stephen squeezed her shoulders. “Amen.”

© Material Excerpted from The Sound of Sleigh Bells by Cindy Woodsmall, Copyright © 2009 by Cindy Woodsmall. Excerpted by permission of WaterBrook Press, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

Thank you, Cindy, for sharing this with us. I can hardly wait to read more about Beth. I will be reading and reviewing Christmas books in October and November.

Readers, you can find out more about Cindy at her web site: www.cindywoodsmall.com

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