Amish Love

What’s all the hubbub about Amish fiction? Major media outlets like Time and ABC Nightline are covering it, and authors like Cindy Woodsmall are making the New York Times bestseller list regularly. What makes these books so interesting?

Check out the recent ABC Nightline piece here (http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/story?id=7676659&page=1) about Cindy and her titles When the Heart Cries, When the Morning Comes, and When the Soul Mends. It’s an intriguing look at Amish culture and the time Cindy has spent with Amish friends.

And don’t forget that Cindy’s new book The Hope of Refuge hits store shelves August 11, and is available for preorder now.

Mother's Day Books

If you have teenage daughters you might enjoy reading Dear Mom. Below is an exerpt...

Every mom knows how communicating with a teenage girl can be difficult, even impossible at times. One-word answers. Defensive conversations. Daily arguments. How typical for teens to put up such barriers. All the while, moms truly long to know what their daughters really think.

Best-selling author Melody Carlson, whose books for women, teens, and children have sold more than three million copies, bridges this chasm with trusted insight. She speaks frankly in the voice of the teen daughters she’s written for and she tells it like it is: struggles with identity, guys, friendship, and even parents—it’s all here. The straight-talk to moms covers such things as “I need you, but you can’t make me admit it,” “I’m not as confident as I appear,” and “I have friends. I need a mother.”

Instead of focusing on outward behaviors, Dear Mom looks at a young woman’s heart and reveals to moms:

· how to talk to teens so they hear,

· how to connect despite the differences of perspective or years and experiences,

· and how strengthen the bond every mom and daughter ultimately wants.

The lively chapters in Dear Mom can be dipped into topically or used as a read-through tool by moms and daughters alike to understand what motivates or deflates, troubles or inspires—and just in time for Mother’s Day and all the Mother’s Days ahead.

I enjoyed Amy Wallace's previous two novels in her "Defenders of Hope" series. I look forward to reading Enduring Justice Below is an exerpt...

In Enduring Justice, Hanna Kessler’s childhood secret has remained buried for over two decades. But when the dark shadows of her past threaten to destroy those she loves, Hanna must face the summer that changed her life and the man who still haunts her thoughts.

Crimes Against Children FBI Agent, Michael Parker knows what it means to get knocked down. And when the system fails and a white supremacist is set free, Michael’s drive for retribution eclipses all else.

A racist’s well-planned assault forces Hanna and Michael to decide between executing vengeance and pursuing justice. When the attack turns personal, is healing still possible?

This thought-provoking novel deals with healing from sexual abuse, the balance of justice and mercy, and maintaining mixed-race friendships in the midst of racial tension. Readers who enjoy investigative thrillers by Dee Henderson, Colleen Coble, and Catherine Coulter, and who watch crime dramas like Law & Order: SVU, Criminal Minds, and Without a Trace will love this book—and the entire series.

My first reaction to Mama's Got a Fake I.D, was that it bordered on feminism and the "me syndrome". The author, Caryn Dahlstrand Rivadeneira, writes from her own perspective on her identity crisis that developed when she became a mother. She longed to go back to being known as an advertising copywriter, editor, writer, etc. using her skills and living her dreams. Anything more than "just a mom". About halfway through the book it got a little more interesting as she finally got past all the whining about identity and got into how we as women and moms can open ourselves up to being known for our gifts and callings in God. As a mom of four I know the times I experienced discouragement and wondered if I would find out who "I" really was. God's promise to me was that family was what I was currently called to invest in and He would be with me as I walked out this particular portion of my life. He used the family to cause me to grow and mature in the things He deposited inside.

I think the real meat of Mama's Got a Fake I.D. finally arrived on page 171. In a discussion on opening up, revealing our hopes and dreams, and living as God made us, Rivadeneira states "Tell you what, sisters: This means that this new, real I.D. you've been given comes with responsibility and expectations--to reach out and help other moms who are trapped as you once were. All moms need to know that God created us special with a purpose that extends beyond motherhood--and that it's okay to want to be know and loved for who God made us to be".

As I look around at the many moms I know, I see much more than the "mom I.D." I see gifted office decorators, artists, choreographers, cooks, seamstresses, writers, prayer warriors, waste managers, care givers, hair stylists. dental hygenists, teachers. Most of all, I see servants in the body of Christ. That's the best I.D.

All three books are paperback, and published by WaterBrook Press.

They can be purchased through www.randomhouse.com.

I have one copy of each to give away.

Two New Jane Kirkpatrick Books

Any history buffs or quilters out there?

I really liked Jane Kirkpatrick's Change and Cherish Historical Series, which featured Emma Giesy and her life story as she moved west with her husband in the 1800's. He and several other men were members of a scouting party sent out by their religious leader seeking to establish a new communal colony. They eventually founded the Aurora Colony in Oregon's Willamette Valley.

With that in mind, I was excited to get my hands on this beautiful new non-fiction book, Aurora: An American Experience in Quilt, Community, and Craft. It is a combination history book and quilt book. Featured are quilts made by members of the colony, family photographs, histories, and lush descriptions of the fine colony crafts and skills which intertwined the colony members with the surrounding villages.

Kirkpatrick's detailed research with the Aurora Colony Historical Society and direct contact with descendants of colony families makes this hardback book a rich delight to read.




If you like historical fiction, get ready for Jane Kirkpatrick's newest novel, A Flickering Light. It was inspired by her grandmother who traveled and worked as a photographer's assistant in the early 1900's.

"Fifteen-year-old Jessie Ann Gaebele loves nothing more than capturing a gorgeous Minnesota landscape when the sunlight casts its most mesmerizing shadows. So when F. J. Bauer hires her in 1907 to assist in his studio and darkroom, her dreams for a career in photography appear to find root in reality.
With the infamous hazards of the explosive powder used for lighting and the toxic darkroom chemicals, photography is considered a man's profession. Yet Jessie shows remarkable talent in both the artistry and business of running a studio. She proves less skillful, however, at managing her growing attaction to the very married Mr. Bauer.
This luminous coming-of-age tale defly exposes the intricate shadows that play across every dream worth pursuing--and the irresistible light that beckons the dreamer on."

This is the first book in Kirkpatrick's Portrait of a Woman series.


Both books are published by WaterBrook Press.
They can be purchased through www.randomhouse.com