LOST AND FOUND - Suzanne Woods Fisher - One Free Book

Bio: Suzanne Woods Fisher is the award-winning, bestselling author of more than 30 books, including The Moonlight School, Anything but Plain, The Sweet Life, and The Secret to Happiness, as well as the Three Sisters Island, Nantucket Legacy, Amish Beginnings, The Bishop’s Family, The Deacon’s Family, and The Inn at Eagle Hill series. She is also the author of several nonfiction books about the Amish, including Amish Peace and Amish Proverbs. She lives in California.

Suzanne Woods Fisher has received high praise for her captivating, thought-provoking, and unusual storylines. Since the release of her first novel, The Choice (January 2010), Fisher has helped educate readers about the Amish way of life through her true-to-life narratives, charming settings, and enchanting characters. Now Fisher brings to light the Amish’s passion for birding in her newest novel, Lost and Found, which is a complement to Fisher’s bestselling A Season on the Wind. Packed with a love triangle, a dangerous chase, and a desperate attempt to defend and protect nature, this standalone novel is sure to win the hearts of Fisher’s many fans.

Trudy Yoder shares a passion for birding with Micah Weaver—and she has an even greater passion for Micah. Their friendship is finally turning romantic when Micah abruptly grows cold. Worse still, he wants to leave Stoney Ridge.

Micah Weaver thought he was over Trudy’s older sister. A year and a half ago, Shelley had broken his heart when she ran away from Stoney Ridge to pursue a singing career in Nashville. Then, out of the blue, she’s started to leave distressing phone messages for him.

When the bishop asks for volunteers to scout out a possible church relocation in Tennessee, Micah is the first to raise his hand. Despite scant details, he’s confident he can find Shelley. After all, his reputation as a field guide is based on finding birds that don’t want to be found.

What Micah doesn’t know is that what you’re looking for isn’t always what you find.

Please provide a brief summary of your new novel, Lost and Found. When Trudy Yoder hears about the plans to build at Wonder Lake, she goes straight to Micah Weaver. Together, they’ll find a way to stop the destruction of this beautiful bird sanctuary. After all, they’re a team. More than just friends. But Micah’s response is to leave Stoney Ridge.

Wonder Lake’s dire news tips Micah Weaver over the edge. He loves his community, loves the church, is grudgingly fond of Trudy Yoder—the only person on earth who doesn’t seem to realize he has a stutter—but he loves birds more. His plan is to head somewhere to chase down the most wily birds—the ones that don’t want to be found. Where, he doesn’t know. Not until phone calls start coming in from Shelley, Trudy’s estranged older sister, the girl who had once broken Micah’s heart. She’s in danger, Shelley says, and needs his help.

And suddenly Micah is on the best chase of his life.

Your two main protagonists are Trudy Yoder and Micah Weaver, but you have a third character who plays a significant role in both Trudy’s and Micah’s lives. Can you please introduce this person and explain her relationship with Trudy and Micah? Shelley Yoder played a significant role in A Season on the Wind in which sister Trudy lives in her shadow and Micah Weaver longs for her heart. Beautiful and gifted, Shelley left Stoney Ridge to pursue a singing career, leaving wounds. Shelley has left home, but home hasn’t left Shelley.

You introduce two new sects of the Older Order Amish church in Lost and Found. Why did you include them in the novel? One of the biggest mistakes people make is to assume that the Amish are one-size-fits-all. Not true! There’s a wide spectrum of Old Order Amish—from the progressive Beachys, who drive cars and allow modern technology in their homes, to the ultra-conservative Swartzentrubers, who flatly reject all modern conveniences (including indoor plumbing), to the Stoney Ridge church that lies in the middle. In Lost and Found, all three churches have a stake in how the story unfolds. This is what I enjoy about the Amish—there’s always something new to learn.

The clock is ticking in Lost and Found. Can you provide some details as to why? The little Amish church of Stoney Ridge is under pressure. Ever since the Beachys, a more progressive church, moved in, there’s been less affordable farmland, fewer jobs, and more temptations for their youth to jump the fence. Historically, the Amish move on to avoid conflicts. So Bishop David Stoltzfus sends a team to scout out a new location, led by a very-eager-to-go Micah Weaver. Panicking, Trudy Yoder knows that her father would never leave Stoney Ridge without his estranged daughter, Shelley. If Trudy can stop the Beachys from building at Wonder Lake and destroying the bird sanctuary, she’ll keep her beloved Micah Weaver from leaving town to find new birds to chase. What Trudy doesn’t know is that Micah is already on a chase to find Shelley, the girl who broke his heart.

Micah desires to further his experience as a field guide for birding. How does his knowledge in this area help him in his search for Trudy’s missing sister? Micah, Trudy says, can find any bird. He has an almost otherworldliness about birds, like he can almost think like them. His birding mantra: Stop. Look. Listen. Identify. When Shelley Yoder started leaving phone messages for Micah, he was able to listen carefully to background sounds to narrow down her whereabouts. Listening well, Micah says, is the most important skill of all. 

You’re known for choosing unusual topics to write about the Amish. Why did you choose birding for this novel? The Amish hold a reverence for nature, especially for birds. Every Amish farm is dotted with bird feeders and birdhouses—both for insect control and for sheer enjoyment. Birding is a popular pastime for Amish families, including children of all ages. Unlike most birders, the Amish don’t use technology while birding (such as smartphones to “call in” birds). They only bring their scopes and their patience.

What are some of the main themes covered in Lost and Found and what do you hope readers will gain from reading your book? When I first tossed out the plotline of relocating the Amish church of Stoney Ridge, my editor gave it a thumbs-up. “I like it,” she said. “America is on the move.” In 2020, according to the US Census, nearly 10 percent of Americans relocated. In this story, Bishop David Stoltzfus realized there were two things at stake in considering a relocation for the church: Leaving Stoney Ridge, and all that would mean. Staying put, and what would need to change. If relocating your home is something you’re thinking about, both points seem worth a good, long ponder.

What do you love most about writing Amish fiction novels? The simple life has always resonated with me. Simple as in prioritizing the most important things, like faith and family, and making life less complicated. It’s a constant battle to hold on to those values in this fast-paced world, and the Amish remind us that it can be done.

How does Lost and Found complement A Season on the Wind? While both novels are stand-alones, they are similar in structure, with amusing bird logs in between chapters. A Season on the Wind carried Micah’s point of view. Trudy gets her turn in Lost and Found. If you liked A Season on the Wind, you’re sure to like Lost and Found.

How can readers connect with you? I enjoy hearing from readers! You can find me through my website: www.SuzanneWoodsFisher.com. Also, I’m on Instagram @SuzanneWoodsFisher.

Thank you, Suzanne, for sharing Lost and Found with us. I always love reading your books.

Readers, here’s a link to the book.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=lost+and+found+suzanne+fisher&i=stripbooks&crid=1L52V0SEHUWI7&sprefix=Lost+and+Found+suzann%2Cstripbooks%2C88&ref=nb_sb_ss_fb_1_21

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 2 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.

If you’re reading this on Goodreads, 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 SECRET TO HAPPINESS - Suzanne Woods Fisher - One Free Book

Bio: Suzanne Woods Fisher is an award-winning, bestselling author of more than thirty books, including The Sweet Life, The Moonlight School, and A Season on the Wind, as well as the Three Sisters Island, Nantucket Legacy, Amish Beginnings, The Bishop’s Family, The Deacon’s Family, and The Inn at Eagle Hill series. She is also the author of several nonfiction books about the Amish, including Amish Peace and Amish Proverbs. She lives in California. Learn more at www.suzannewoodsfisher.com and follow Suzanne on Facebook @SuzanneWoodsFisherAuthor and Twitter @suzannewfisher.

About the story: In 2022, bestselling author Suzanne Woods Fisher unveiled her deliciously compelling new book, The Sweet Life, the first book in the Cape Cod Creamery series. In Fisher’s sophomore novel, The Secret to Happiness, Fisher introduces readers to executive chef Callie Dixon, who is recovering from a major setback in her well-planned life. Desperately in need of some soul searching, she ends up at a small ice cream shop on Cape Cod. It takes the charm of a young boy to help her find the answers she’s looking for—and maybe the secret to happiness. Callie Dixon had the world by its tail . . . until it all slipped away. Fired from her dream job after making a colossal mistake, she’s escaped to her aunt’s home on Cape Cod for time to bounce back. Except it isn’t a home, it’s an ice cream shop. And time isn’t going to help, because Callie’s bounce has up and left. There’s a reason she made that mistake at work and she’s struggling to come to terms with it.

Things go from bad to worse when Callie’s cousin Dawn drags her to a community class about the secret to happiness. Happiness is the last thing Callie wants to think about right now, but instructor Bruno Bianco—a curiously gloomy fellow—is relentless. He has a way of turning Callie’s thoughts upside down. Her feelings, too.

Could Bruno be right when he says that hitting rock bottom is the very best place to be? If so, how is that supposed to help her find exactly what—or who—has been missing all along?

Can you please provide a brief summary of your novel, The Secret to Happiness? Callie Dixon arrives at the Main Street Creamery for a short visit with her relatives. Just to get her bounce back, she says, while she’s in-between jobs. To Marnie’s and Dawn’s distress, Callie heads straight to bed and stays there. Turns out her bounce has up and left.

In The Sweet Life, book one of the Cape Cod Creamery series, you introduce readers to Dawn and Marnie Dixon. How is Callie Dixon in The Secret to Happiness related to Dawn and Marnie? While at Penn State’s Ice Cream School, Marnie Dixon bumps into her husband’s niece, Callie, whom she hasn’t seen in years. Something seems “off” with Callie, so Marnie invites her to Cape Cod. More specifically, she doesn’t stop Callie when she invites herself. 

Callie Dixon is an executive chef until a colossal mistake upends her “perfect” world. Can you offer a hint of what might have happened at her former job? I borrowed a real-life situation for Callie. During an actual Food Safety Conference, a sauce for chicken was accidentally left out overnight and served to attendees the next day. Hundreds got sick. Such irony! That scenario had to go into a novel.

Why did Callie choose to relocate to Cape Cod? Actually, I think Cape Cod chose Callie.

Although Callie’s life has gone through a major upheaval, she is resistant to going to a community class about the secret to happiness. How does this class make an impact on her life? While Callie didn’t know what to think about the Secret to Happiness class, she definitely didn’t expect a gloomy instructor. Although Bruno Bianco had written a book on the topic, he never smiled. Never joked, never laughed. Happiness, it seemed, was serious business. 

Your male protagonist, Bruno Bianco, told Callie, “Hitting rock bottom may be the very best place to be.” What did he mean by this statement? Bruno might be gloomy (he would say “somber”), but he has tremendous insights about what it would take to live a fulfilled, contented life. Readers will enjoy discovering how he ended up studying and teaching on the topic of happiness. Let’s just say it has something to do with hitting rock bottom.  

What other life lessons can readers gain from reading The Secret to Happiness? Here’s the biggest one Callie learned: Who or what is telling her story? Once she realized what she’d been letting define her, she was ready to grab hold of her life.

What inspired the idea for this series? My husband’s passion for ice cream making. Like Dawn and Marnie Dixon, he attended Penn State’s Ice Cream School. My editor, after sampling my husband’s ice cream, and told me she wanted a series that would include ice cream. I took that suggestion and ran with it!  

What do you love most about writing contemporary romance novels? Creating relevant love stories with characters who are committed to hanging in there and working things out. Like Dawn Dixon and her mother, Marnie. I enjoy writing from the eyes of a modern millennial, then bouncing back to the point of view of a middle-aged-ish character. After all, love doesn’t have an expiration date.

What are you working on next? Next fall, Lost and Found will release. It’s a story about a young man in love, caught between two sisters.

How can readers connect with you? My website is the place to find me: www.suzannewoodsfisher.com.

Thank you, Suzanne, for sharing this new book with us. I’ve loved every book of yours I’ve read.

Readers, here’s a link to the book.

https://www.amazon.com/Secret-Happiness-Cape-Creamery-Book-ebook/dp/B0BLW62NCR/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1WR9KYP29T63&keywords=The+Secret+to+Happiness&qid=1683217195&s=books&sprefix=the+secret+to+happiness+%2Cstripbooks%2C112&sr=1-1

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 2 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.

If you’re reading this on Goodreads, 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 

ANYTHING BUT PLAIN - Suzanne Woods Fisher - One Free Book

About the author: Suzanne Woods Fisher’s name has become synonymous with her heartwarming Amish tales set in the fictionalized town of Stoney Ridge, Pennsylvania. In Anything but Plain, Fisher returns readers to the lush countryside and introduces them to Lydie Stoltzfus, a young woman who stands out in a culture that values conformity. This touching story shows how being unique is not God’s mistake but rather His gift. 

About the Story: It’s not easy being the bishop’s daughter, especially for Lydie Stoltzfus. She’s not like other Amish girls, as much as she wishes she were. The only thing she does well is disappoint others. Leaving her family and church seems unbearable, but staying might be worse. 

Knowing Lydie is “between” jobs, the local doctor asks her to fill in at the front desk for a few months. To Lydie, this is a boon. It gives her time to figure out how she’s going to say goodbye to her neighbor, Nathan Yoder—the main reason she needs to leave Stoney Ridge. Nathan claims he’s in love with her, but she knows she’s not good enough for him. If in doubt, Nathan’s father reminds her frequently. 

As Dok spends time with Lydie, she recognizes symptoms of a disorder rare among the Amish. She offers treatment for Lydie. But will it be enough to make her stay? Or has help come too late?

Bestselling and award-winning author Suzanne Woods Fisher invites you back to Stoney Ridge, a small town that feels like an old friend.

Welcome to my blog, Suzanne. Your female protagonist, Lydie Stoltzfus, has a “unique” personality that causes some problems within the Amish community. Can you please tell readers a little more about Lydie and her symptoms? If you asked Nathan Yoder, he would describe Lydie as creative, warmhearted, and spontaneous. If you asked others, she’s led by her emotions, unrealistic, and impulsive. As wonderful as Nathan’s perspective is, the rest of Lydie’s world is one that values conformity. She’s a square peg in a round hole, and it doesn’t feel very good. 

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) has sometimes been misunderstood or misdiagnosed. What do you hope readers will learn from reading Lydie’s story? ADHD is real. While not without its benefits, it does create some difficulties—both for the one with ADHD as well as those who love that individual. There’s so much help to be found today! I hope readers will feel encouraged to pursue some strategies or treatments that make life a little easier for everybody.

Nathan Yoder’s personality is completely opposite to Lydie’s. Can you please explain how the term “opposites attract” plays out in Anything but Plain? Nathan is everything Lydie isn’t. He’s focused and determined, with a view toward the long term. Well aware of Lydie’s proclivities, he also sees her strengths—ones he doesn’t have. In more than one instance, she comes up with solutions to problems in the story he’s stuck on. 

In Anything but Plain, you show that Lydie’s uniqueness are not God’s mistakes but rather his gift. What do you mean by this statement? Once Lydie accepts her differences as God-given, she’s able to appreciate the very qualities that make her distinctive, rather than feel shamed by them. This self-discovery, for Lydie, has nothing to do with being Plain but about trusting God.  

What other lessons do you hope readers can take away from your book? Nathan realizes that Lydie sees life in very different ways than most people, but he has the maturity to welcome her differences. He embraces Lydie’s unique qualities—her imagination and creativity, her spontaneity—as gifts to be appreciated, not smothered. Nathan’s attitude is one we should all adopt. There’s an Amish saying that captures this perspective: Everyone has a place at the table.  

Anything but Plain is set in the fictionalized town of Stoney Ridge, Pennsylvania, which is where a number of your Amish novels have been placed. How did you go about creating this fictional town? Stoney Ridge is a small town with a big heart. It fulfills most everyone’s inner longing—to have a place to belong, a community that welcomes you. That was the “literary goal” in setting all my Amish novels in Stoney Ridge. Familiar faces step on and off center stage, readers could create an image of the town in their mind—the Sweet Tooth Bakery on Main Street, the Five Sisters house, the rolling hills of Amish farms that surround it. One thing I have to add—Stoney Ridge is very Lancaster-esque. True to the area, both in topography and in community. 

You have written both fiction and nonfiction books about the Amish. When did you first develop your love for the Amish? My grandfather was raised Plain, one of eleven children, on a farm near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. When I was in junior high, my mother’s Plain cousins became part of our lives for a short period of time. This couple’s little boy was terminally ill, and our home was near the hospital where the child was being treated. That was my first experience, up close and personal, to observe how the Plain people handled a very real heartache. While doing all they could for their little boy, this couple also exuded a calm acceptance, a trust in God’s goodness and sovereignty. I’ve never forgotten their witness. Whenever I write about the Old Order Amish, I try to honor and respect them. While not perfect, the Amish do have much to teach the rest of us. 

How can readers connect with you? I can always be found at my website: www.suzannewoodsfisher.com. I also hang out on Instagram and Facebook. I love hearing from readers! 

Thank you, Suzanne, for sharing Anything But Plain with my blog readers and me. I’m enjoying reading the book.

Readers, here’s a link to the book.

https://www.amazon.com/Anything-Plain-Suzanne-Woods-Fisher/dp/0800739515/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1672338595&sr=1-1

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 2 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.

If you’re reading this on Goodreads, 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 SWEET LIFE - Suzanne Woods Fisher - One Free Book

BIO: Suzanne Woods Fisher is an award-winning, bestselling author of more than 30 books, including The Moonlight School and Three Sisters Island, Nantucket Legacy, Amish Beginnings, The Bishop’s Family, The Deacon’s Family, and The Inn at Eagle Hill series. She is also the author of several nonfiction books about the Amish, including Amish Peace and Amish Proverbs. She lives in California.

Can you please provide a brief summary of your new novel, The Sweet Life? It’s a story of a mother and daughter, both in need of a fresh start, buying a weary old ice cream shop on Cape Cod. Actually, the mom buys it. The daughter has to figure out how to turn the shop from a money pit into a successful business.

The Sweet Life is the first book in your Cape Cod Creamery series. How will the books in this series tie together? The transformation of the ice cream shop is the story arc that holds the book together . . . hopefully without first melting down.

Why did you choose Cape Cod as the setting for your book? My dad grew up on Buzzards Bay. His two older brothers became dentists and had their practice on the Cape. It’s always held a piece of our family heart.

The female protagonist’s mother, Marnie Dixon, purchases a run-down ice cream shop. Please tell readers why you decided to center your new series around an ice cream shop. My husband is an ice cream maker! He attended Penn State’s Ice Cream School (yes, there is such a thing). The top shelves of my entire kitchen are filled with ice-cream-making paraphernalia. My editor has tasted some of my husband’s ice cream. She’s the one who said she wanted a story that included ice cream. Well, I thought, here it comes!

 

You have some interesting characters in your new novel. Do you have a favorite character? There’s a kindergarten boy named Leo who dresses like a cowboy and has a knack for turning up in the shop just as freshly churned ice cream is ready for sampling. I love that little boy.

What do you hope readers will gain from reading The Sweet Life? Oh, mothers and daughters. Everyone knows how complicated those relationships can be, and yet the bond is so tightly woven. Marnie and Dawn couldn’t be more opposite, but their differences are surprisingly complementary—if only they can learn to accept each other. Now, that’s a life lesson we all need.

What do you love most about writing novels in the contemporary romance genre? The relevance! While they’re fictitious, these stories also speak to the problems occurring in everyone’s life. We all have hopes and dreams and disappointments. It’s fun to let my characters be the one’s trying to find answers.

How can readers connect with you? My website has a contact page, www.suzannewoodsfisher.com, plus I can be on found on Instagram and Facebook. I always enjoy connecting with readers.

Where can readers purchase a copy of The Sweet Life? At your favorite retailer!

Thank you, Suzanne, for sharing this new story with my blog readers and me. I’ve loved every book of yours that I’ve read.

Readers, here’s a link to the book.

 http://ow.ly/HnJT50KvWPV

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 2 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.

If you’re reading this on Goodreads, 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

STITCHES IN TIME - Suzanne Woods Fisher - One Free Book

Welcome back, Suzanne. Since you’re being published regularly, what new avenues will your future books take?          

Over the next few years, I’ll be continuing to write about the Old Order Amish, while also writing contemporary romance series, while also writing some stand-alone historicals. This last year, my first contemporary romance released, On a Summer Tide (book 1 in the Three Sisters Island series). I braced myself, not sure if my loyal readers would transfer to another genre. And they did! And brought their friends, too. On a Summer Tide hit a number of bestseller lists and went into reprints. I’m so grateful.

What conferences will you be attending this year? Will you be a speaker at any of them?

This last year, I attended a number of conferences, including ACFW and BookLoversCon. Next year, I’ll definitely be at BookLoversCon. I’m considering a few other conferences: Mount Hermon, ACFW, WCCW. I have taught some workshops in the past, and might do some next year.

           

If you were in charge of planning the panel discussion at a writing conference, what topic would the panel cover, and who would you ask to be on the panel, and why?    

The topic I would choose would be the craze to publish “Indy.” I’d fill the panel with authors who’ve had experience with traditional publishers and also published Indy, agents and editors. I’d like to hear the pros and cons, from all different angles. It seems like the publishing world is being turned upside down, and I’d like to understand more about where it’s headed.

It has really opened up many options to authors. How important is it to you to be active in writing organizations?    

At times, it’s been very important, and I’ve benefitted immensely from being involved in organizations (ACFW, for example). The last few years, the needs of my family have claimed most of my spare time. There are seasons in our lives, and I’m learning to respect them.

That is so true. This whole year has been one of those seasons for me. Where in the community or your church do you volunteer?     

Church: I’m part of the communications team.

Community: I’m heavily involved with Guide Dogs for the Blind. I have raised ten puppies, and am currently a breeder custodian for two dogs.

Who are the five people who have made the most impact on your life, and how?       

My husband, my sister, my children. They’ve championed my writing.

If you could write the inscription on your tombstone, what would it be?         

The best one epitaph I’ve come across belongs to Ruth Graham, wife of Billy Graham: “End of Construction. Thank you for your patience.”

I’m still looking to beat that one! Haven’t found it yet.

Tell us about the featured book.    

Stitches in Time is an Amish novel set in the little town of Stoney Ridge. Schoolteacher Mollie Graber is aware of how fleeting and fragile life can be, and comes to Stoney Ridge for a fresh start, to live life boldly and bravely. When Luke Schrock, new to his role as deacon, asks the church to take in foster girls from a group home, she’s the first to raise her hand. The power of love, she believes, can pick up the dropped stitches in a child’s heart and knit them back together. Mollie envisions sleepovers and pillow fights. What she gets are sleepless nights and police at the door.

           

There’s only one thing that breaks through the girls’ hard shells—an interest in horses. Reluctantly and skeptically, horse trainer Sam Schrock gets drawn into Mollie’s chaotic life. What he didn’t expect was for love to knit together the dropped stitches in his own heart…just in time.

Please share the first page with us.

It took a lot to shock Luke Schrock. Generally, he was the one who did the shocking. So on the day that Bishop David Stoltzfus received whispered suggestions from each church member of Stoney Ridge to choose a deacon to replace Amos Lapp, it never once occurred to Luke that his name might be submitted. Never ever crossed his mind. Not once. Why would it? Luke was newly married, only twenty-five years old, and on his best days, he was just now starting to feel like a grown-up.

           

Yet someone had indeed whispered Luke’s name to David as a choice to be deacon. Just one person. Who? Who would do such a thing, think such a thought? Surely not his wife, Izzy. When a man drew the lot to become a minister or deacon, it was a lifelong obligation. The poor wives of church ministers took the brunt of their husband’s responsibilities. Year after year, Luke had seen Amos called away from family gatherings for deacon business and his wife Fern was left to manage alone. No, definitely not his Izzy.

           

Fern wouldn’t have whispered his name, would she? No. No way. She, more than anyone, knew that Luke wouldn’t be any good at deaconing.

Where can my readers find you on the Internet?

I love to hear from readers! You can always find me at www.suzannewoodsfisher.com, or hanging out on Instagram @suzannewoodsfisher or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/suzannewoodsfisherauthor. Thanks for hosting me today!

It’s my great pleasure to have you on my blog, Suzanne. I’m eager to read this book, and many of my blog readers will be, too.

Readers, here are links to the book.

Stitches in Time (The Deacon's Family) - Paperback
Stitches in Time (The Deacon's Family Book 2) - 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, 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 CALLING - Suzanne Woods Fisher - One Free Book

A note from the author: I want you to know three things about The Calling. The first is it is different. A sticky topic is tackled: how the Amish deal with mental illness. But it's a light hearted book, too, that will make you grin, laugh, and feel sorry to come to the last page. An excerpt can be found HERE.

The second is that I'm heading out on a book tour this week! Join me if you live near any event! Details here. And if you're able, I'd be honored if you'd pick up a copy today-and tell your friends and family about it!

Third, watch my contest page beginning January 20th. I'm celebrating the release of The Calling with a great giveaway: TWO iPads, TWO Kindles, and TWO Nooks!

Welcome back, Suzanne. As an author, I know it takes a lot of people to birth each book. Who were the people involved in the birthing of this book, and what were their contributions?

Sounds like a stretch for an Amish novel … but this story was inspired by an 88-year-old African American dynamo named Mother Williams. She saw a need in her community for a soup kitchen and knew she could do one thing well—she could cook. So she started a once-a-week soup kitchen at age 77 (!) and is still going strong. After interviewing volunteers who worked alongside Mother Williams, I ended up creating five elderly Amish sisters in The Calling to do the work of one Mother Williams. Talk about an inspiring individual! Mother Williams doesn’t plan on retiring. She says she wants to keep serving God “until the day is done.” Imagine if we all shared her convictions to serve God in any way we can, for as long as we can. The world would be a different place.

That is so true. If you teach or speak. What’s coming up on your calendar?

I’m extremely excited to be one of the speakers at the Festival and Faith at Calvin College in April. Over-the-moon excited! Many other speakers of whom I am starstruck: Anne Lamott, Richard Foster, Luci Shaw.

 

If you had to completely start over in another place, where would you move, and why?

At this stage in my life…I would happily move to wherever my adult children are planted. (And where my grandchildren will be!)

If you could only tell aspiring novelists one thing, what would it be?

“Hangeth thou in there.” If you want it badly enough and work hard enough for it, your moment will come.

You’ve been asked to be in charge of a celebrity cruise. Who would you ask to take part, and why? (AS in what program, singers, etc. [it doesn’t have to be writing related])

I would probably invite established, awesome professional authors and have them teach Master classes in writing. The music would be a jazz quartet … quietly playing in the background. Maybe a brilliant guest speaker on marketing and promotion, just to ice the cake.

 

I’d sure like to be on that cruise. Now please tell us about the featured book.

Like many young adults, life hasn’t turned out for Bethany the way she hoped and planned. In The Letters (Book 1), she finds out her boyfriend isn’t who she thought he was—not by a long shot. In The Calling (Book 2), she is trying to figure out what to do with her life. Stay Amish or leave? Accept a date with that too-handsome-for-his-own-good Jimmy Fisher or heed warnings that he’s nothing but trouble?

Five elderly Amish sisters from the Sisters’ House sweep Bethany under their wing. Reluctantly, she helps the ancient sisters with their soup kitchen for the down-and-outers of Stoney Ridge. A little less reluctantly, she starts a community garden. The miracle of finding oneself while serving others begins in Bethany, until she is slipped some personal information from a sassy teenaged down-and-outer that shatters her world. 

Please give us the first page of the book.

As far as Bethany Schrock was concerned, this summer was hotter than a firecracker lit on both ends. A little rain would certainly be welcome, she thought, as she untied her stiff prayer cap strings and tossed them over her shoulders, but the heat wave held Stoney Ridge tightly in its grip. All the more reason to set to work in the cool of the basement of the Sisters’ House.

At the bottom of the basement stairs, she held the lantern up to gaze around the dusty, cobwebby basement, and blew out a puff of air. If it were even possible, there was more clutter down here than in the rest of the house. She’d been steadily trying to organize the Sisters’ House for weeks now and had barely made a dent. Sylvia, the youngest of the five elderly sisters of the Sisters’ House, had told her she was doing a fine job and they didn’t know how she worked so quickly. “You are a doggedly determined young lady,” Sylvia had said.

Bethany had smiled, pleased Sylvia was so pleased. She had always considered doggedness to be a rather unappealing characteristic, but it had been valuable at the Sisters’ House. “Thank you,” she told Sylvia. “It’s easy when you know how to organize things.”

The sisters, on the other hand, did not know how. They were in desperate need of someone with dogged determination after the deacon had gently reminded them they were overdue in taking a turn to host church. Overdue by years and years. They needed to get their house tidied up, first, they told him, giving him their sweetest smiles. And that’s where Bethany came in.

Jimmy Fisher had done the sisters a very great favor by suggesting they hire Bethany to organize their house. If it wouldn’t cause his big head to swell even bigger, she might even tell him so one day.

But she wouldn’t tell him how much she needed to work, to keep busy, to get her mind off the near shipwreck she had made of her life. It still galled her to think that just four weeks ago she was this close to running away with Jake Hertzler, only to find out he wasn’t the man he said he was. Not even close. He was a no-good, lowlife skunk, that’s what he was.

In the end, her stepmother Rose often reminded her, she hadn’t run off with Jake. Something deep down in her knew better, Rose insisted. Her grandmother, less forgiving in nature, had left a 1938 edition of A Young Woman’s Guide to Virtue on Bethany’s pillow, a not-so-subtle poke about her disastrous judgment in men. Bethany thought she might use it to start a fire.

Bethany carefully pushed and pulled boxes so she could carve a path to the small window. She needed fresh air in this stuffy, musty basement. Hands on her hips, she looked around and wondered where to begin.

The sisters had left for a quilting at Naomi King’s house this afternoon, which suited Bethany just fine. She much preferred working without them anywhere nearby. Just this morning, her younger sister Mim had asked if she minded working for such ancient ladies.

Mim was right about them being old. Ella, the eldest, was in her 90s. Sylvia, the youngest, was in her early 80s. Fannie, Lena, and Ada fell somewhere in between. But they were lovable sisters, spinsters, who had lived together all their lives.

No, Bethany didn’t mind their ages. What she minded was that they were so extraordinarily messy. Yes, it gave her a job to do and, yes, the sisters paid her well. But it was not an easy job. These old sisters saved everything. Everything!

The cleanout and organizing of the Sisters’ House could have gone faster but for two reasons. First was the sisters’ involvement. They were constantly rummaging through Bethany’s system of three boxes: keep, throw, giveaway. The sisters were particularly interested in the giveaway box. Somehow, nearly everything Bethany tossed into it was quietly removed and slipped into the keep box.

The second reason the cleanout job moved slowly was Bethany’s doing. There was prowling to be done, especially in the basement. Being her share of nosy, she took her time examining wondrous things she had never seen the likes of—treasure chests overflowing with fancy old clothes, ruffled parasols, lacy unmentionables. Who knew that these ancient sisters had an exotic past? How thrilling! How worrisome.

She took care to hide the unmentionables in the bottom of giveaway boxes. It would never do to have such things end up at a Sisters’ House yard sale. Word might get out that the sisters were fallen women. Unrepentant jack-a-dandies. She could just imagine the dour look on her grandmother’s face, sorting through a box of ladies’ whale-boned corsets. Next thing you knew, the old sisters would end up on the front row of church, kneeling for confession before the entire congregation, promising to mend their ways. How awful!

Well, never mind. The old sisters’ secrets would stay safe with her.

It was fascinating to sift through the lives of these eighty-plus-year-old women. There were old newspapers and musty books, boxes of clothing, old quilts, even an old diary. One box held little small bottles filled with liquid. Bethany hoped the bottles might be perfume, that she had found another delightful secret about the fallen sisters. But when she opened one, it smelled like medicine. Evil smelling, strong and sickly sweet.

She came upon a soft black leather trunk, packed underneath other boxes at the bottom in a corner of the basement. It looked like it hadn’t been touched in years. The leather straps were cracked and dry, the brass nails that held it together were black with tarnish. She tried to open it but the latch was jammed, so she found an old iron fireplace poker and pried the lid open. Bethany peered into the trunk and stood with a start. A coppery cold moved along her spine and the perspiration on her skin turned to ice. She’d never had a sensitive bone in her body, unlike her friend and neighbor Naomi King, who’d imagined seeing ghosts and angels and demons her whole life. But this . . . this!

Shootfire!

She backed toward the stairs, trembling. It would take a raging river to wash from her mind the sight of what was in that trunk. Human bones, including two skulls, with their empty sockets looking back at her. She hurried up the basement stairs, thinking of all the things she had to say to Jimmy Fisher to singe his tail feathers.

Where can we find you on the Internet?

I can be found at www.suzannewoodsfisher.com and love to hear from readers!

Thank you, Suzanne, for sharing your new book with us. I know all of my readers will want to know the rest of the story. As do I.

Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.

The Calling - Christianbook.com
Calling, The: A Novel (The Inn at Eagle Hill) - Amazon
Calling, The (The Inn at Eagle Hill Book #2): A Novel - Kindle

Christian Book Store

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 Google +, Feedblitz, Facebook, 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 LETTERS - Suzanne Woods Fisher - One Free Book, Plus Much More

Bio:

Suzanne Woods Fisher is the bestselling author of the Lancaster County Secrets series and the Stoney Ridge Seasons series, as well as nonfiction books about the Amish, including Amish Peace. She is also the coauthor of a new Amish children's series, The Adventures of Lily Lapp. Her interest in the Anabaptist cultures can be directly traced to her grandfather, who was raised in the Old Order German Baptist Brethren Church in Franklin County, Pennsylvania. Suzanne is a Carol Award winner and a Christy Award finalist. She is a columnist for Christian Post and Cooking and Such magazines. She lives in California. For more information, please visit suzannewoodsfisher.com and connect with her on Twitter @suzannewfisher. Get Amish proverbs delivered right to your iPhone or iPad! Download the Free App! http://bit.ly/134r55G

Welcome back, Suzanne. Why did you become an author?

Writing is such a joy to me. I couldn’t not write!

If you weren’t an author, what would be your dream job?

Probably a book reviewer or an Acquisitions Editor. As soon as I could get to books…

If you could have lived at another time in history, what would it be and why?

Right now, I’d like to pop into Nantucket in the late 1600s, early 1700s. Even the early 1800s. Writing a series based on the whaling period and I wish I could soak up the sights and smells of that time. What did whale oil smell like?

What place in the United States have you not visited that you would like to?

Alaska! On my bucket list.

How about a foreign country you hope to visit? 

Just last night we bought our plane tickets to Hong Kong! Actually, we had lived there for four years in the late nineties. Our youngest daughter, Meredith, is moving to China next week (!) to teach at an international school. We just gotta visit!

I have a friend who did that. First teaching English in a school there, and now working for a ministry. What lesson has the Lord taught you recently?

Sigh … letting go of children so they can pursue their dreams. I’m so excited about my daughter’s big move, but part of me is grieving, too. Really, really, really gonna miss her.

Tell us about the featured book.

Seeking a fresh start, newly widowed Rose Schrock settles her family into a farmhouse in Stoney Ridge and turns the basement into a guest room. A charming cast of characters finds love, forgiveness, and renewal behind the doors of the cozy Inn at Eagle Hill. Yet the inn brings more surprises than Rose can imagine, including some unfinished business from her past.

Please give us the first page of the book.

Page 1 of The Letters by Suzanne Woods Fisher

The air had the sweet burn of frost. Long out of habit, even in the winter months, Rose Schrock woke before dawn to carve out a little time for herself before the day began. She liked the bitter cold, a cold that seemed to sharpen the stars in the wide Pennsylvania sky. Dawn was her favorite hour, a time when she felt most keenly aware of how fragile life truly was. Between one breath and the next, your whole world could change. Hers had.

On this morning, wrapped in her husband’s huge coat, she walked along the creek bordering the farm and climbed the hill. The thin February moon, low in the horizon, lit the sky but not the ground. Her golden retriever, Chase, trotted behind her, saluting trees along the path, baptizing each one as he went. When Rose reached the top of the hill, she sat with her back against a tree. In its awakening hour, the farm below seemed peaceful, lovely, calm. The birdsong symphony had just begun—something that always seemed like a miracle to Rose. How did that saying go? “Faith is the bird that feels the light and sings when the dawn is still dark.” And wasn’t that the truth?

Rose Schrock had been raised not to complain, so she didn’t, but the truth of the matter was, the last seven months had been the hardest stretch of her life: so many things had gone wrong that it was hard to know which trouble to pay attention to at any given time.

Her mother-in-law, Vera, assured her cheerfully that increase in trouble was something she had better get used to. “You can’t expect mercy.”

“I don’t expect it,” Rose had told Vera. “I just wish things would go wrong one at a time. That way I could handle them.”

Soon, she would need to head back down the hill and wake her boys. Her girls would already be stirring. They were unusually helpful and did whatever chores there were to do without being asked, whereas her two young sons were so sluggish in the morning that it took them half an hour just to get themselves dressed and downstairs. Before Rose left this quiet spot, she had something to do. To say. No, no. She had something to pray.

Lord, I beg your pardon, but I am in a fix. I’m about wrung out from all this, and it’s getting so I can barely tell which way is up. I’ve got four fatherless children—five, if I knew where that oldest boy had run off to—an addle-minded mother-in-law, and barely thirty-six dollars left in my pocket. I’m fresh out of backbone, Lord. And near out of fight. Near out. Lord, if you’d be so kind, look down here and let me know what to do. I need a Plan B.

Rose waited quietly, hoping for a word from above, or maybe just an inkling. Reflecting, she decided it was funny how life could change so fast. She used to have so many plans. Now, her plans for the future were foggy at best. Years ago, money had been the last thing on her mind. Now it was all she thought about. Scarcely seven months ago, she had a husband. Now Dean was gone. A few years earlier, she hadn’t minded so much being with her mother-in-law. Not so much. Now she couldn’t think of anything worse.

Anything you want to say, Lord? Any advice? A word of wisdom? Rose heard the gentle hoot of a screech owl, once, then twice. A rooster began to crow. That would be Harold, the loudest rooster in the county. The day would soon begin.

A moving bright light in the sky caught her eye. She watched for a moment, intrigued. Then, fascinated. It was a shooting star, darting over little Stoney Ridge in all its glory and majesty. Her jumbled thoughts gave way to a feeling of peace.

What a thing to see at a time when she needed it so badly!

Suzanne Woods Fisher is celebrating the release of the first book, The Letters, in her new series by giving away 2 iPads, 2 Kindle Fires and 2 Nook HDs! Wow!

Two grand prize winners will receive:

• An iPad
• The Letters by Suzanne Woods Fisher

Four second place winners will receive:

• A Kindle Fire HD or a Nook HD - winner's choice!
• The Letters by Suzanne Woods Fisher

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on August 17th. All winners will be announced August 19th at Suzanne's blog.

Don't miss a moment of the fun; enter today and be sure to visit Suzanne's blog on the 19th to see if you won one of the great prizes! (Or better yet, subscribe to her blog and have the winner announcement delivered to your inbox!)

Thank you, Suzanne, for sharing this new book/series with us.

Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.

The Letters - Christianbook.com
Letters,The: A Novel (The Inn at Eagle Hill) - Amazon.com
Letters, The (The Inn at Eagle Hill Book #1): A Novel - Kindle

Christian Book Store

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 Google +, Feedblitz, Facebook, 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