Hi everyone!

 

This was a crazy week at my house.  My husband I traveled to Johns Hopkins in Baltimore to find out about the hospital’s paired kidney exchange program.  Thank you to everyone who followed along on Facebook.  For those of you who didn’t, I thought I’d give you an update.

 

My husband, Joe, needs a second kidney transplant since his first transplant in 2004 failed after only four years.  His brother donated his first kidney, and due to the rejection, Joe’s body built up antibodies and is more difficult to match.  He’s been back on dialysis for almost two years now.  And, as you probably know, dialysis is difficult and disruptive to his life.

 

Since I’m not a match for Joe, I’m in the process of signing up to give a kidney in exchange for one for him.  The way it works is that Johns Hopkins will pair me up with someone who needs a kidney, and my husband will get the best match in exchange.  This past week we met our teams of doctors, surgeons, social workers, and donor coordinators.  I saw the donation team, and Joe met his team.  I felt so comfortable with my team; they were all caring, compassionate and funny.

 

My husband has battled kidney disease for 10 years now.  He and I have been through so much together—many ups and downs.  Through it all, it has made us closer as a couple and has taught us what is important.

 

And through his disease, my faith has grown by leaps and bounds.  I feel God’s hand and see His presence in the wonderful angels helping us through this.  The angels have been family members, friends, doctors, nurses, and anonymous people who pray for us.

 

We don’t have a timeline for having a transplant since the key will be finding that magical match for Joe.  What will happen next is that Joe and I will be approved for the kidney exchange, and our information will be added to a database.  The folks at Johns Hopkins will run the database once a week and call us when/if a match is found.

 

Thank you all for keeping us in your prayers.  I’ll keep you posted on our progress toward getting Joe a kidney.

 

Blessings,

Amy

        

Yes, "bonnet fiction" is the the label many people have been using for novels about the Amish!

Publisher's Weekly interviewed leading editors of Christian fiction (www.PublishersWeekly.com) and they used the label to describe fictional stories about the Amish that have been incredibly popular for the past few years. Everyone agreed that there's no sign of the trend letting up. One of the editors pointed out that 1/3 of a recent Christian bestseller list was Amish fiction. So these books aren't going away anytime soon. 

I'm not fond of the bonnet fiction label because, like usual, a label tends to be too narrow, too shallow for me. The books are much more than that description and have dealt with some big, real life issues within the Amish community. And prayer kapps tend to be featured on book covers much more often than bonnets, so why isn't it "Prayer Kapp Fiction" instead? (Okay, I'm being silly now!)

The label is at least nicer than the one I heard in the college class I teach. I've been having my Freshman English students write essays about the homeless. In one, the homeless middle-aged man who stands on a corner of a busy street, asking for money, is referred to as a "bum" by the student. I was so upset at the label. I explained to the student that once someone judged the man on this basis then he ceased to be another human being worthy of being considered as a real person. I reminded him to look again at the essay we read on how people distance themselves from the homeless for a number of reasons so that they do not have to care about the problem. 

I don't think that these two examples of labels coming so close together is coincidence. I'm reminded again of how the Amish don't struggle with some of the same social issues that we do. The fact that the Amish don't live in a city environment is one reason why you wouldn't see a homeless person in their community. But it's more than that --the Amish take care of their own. There are not people roaming around trying to find a place to sleep under a bridge or a piece of cardboard. The elderly are kept close in a built-on addition to the main house (called a daudi or dawdi haus) and the community pays for medical bills. The Amish are, in fact, such a self-contained unit that takes care of its own that they have permission not to pay Social Security because they won't accept it. 

Take a look at the article if you have a few minutes. I think it's interesting how the editors are listening to what readers want. Here at AmishHearts.com, we love hearing from you about what you like and don't like about Amish fiction. Keep those comments coming! 

Have a blessed weekend!

Barbara 
 
 

        

I'm reading a great little book right now called A Pocket Guide to Amish LIfe by Mindy Starns Clark. It really is a little book, and can fit into your pocket, something I appreciate. What's so terrific about this book is that it gives a lot of information about the Amish in a concise, easy to read volume. I wish I'd had it when I first started researching the Amish. If you're interested in finding out more about Amish culture but don't want to get bogged down in some of the more indepth books out there, then this book is for you. You can find it on amazon and Christianbook.com.

We've had several days of lovely sunshine here in Northeast Ohio, and yesterday the temperature got up to 60! Even so, we still have snow on the ground, believe it or not. I think with a few more warm days we should have it all melted, probably just in time for one last winter storm. We usually get those during March or April, although I've seen it snow in May and June as well. Sunshine and spring put me in the mood for spring cleaning (sorta) and getting rid of all the stuff that seemed useful and a good idea at the time, but has outlived its shelf life here at the Fullers. I have friends who actually do their major cleaning in the fall, so it got me wondering--do any of you spring clean? If so, is it a scheduled event, like every third weekend in March, or is it more on a whim? Anyone have any spring cleaning tips? If you enter a spring cleaning tip you'll be entered to win a copy of A Pocket Guide to Amish Life. I'll draw the winner and post the name next Wednesday.

'Til next time,
Kathleen

        

I'm super excited to announce my new series -- The Land of Canaan Novels -- that will debut in October 2010 with Seek Me With All Your Heart. 

I know some of you subscribe to my personal blog, and this news release is also posted on AmishLiving.com...but, just in case you haven't heard...click on this link to read the press release.  Beth's Blog.

However, there is one thing I want to mention.  I've already heard from several readers about how sad they are that the Daughters of the Promise series is ending.  No!  The Daughters of the Promise series will go on, with book #5, Plain Proposal, releasing next year.  I will be releasing a book every six months, alternating between the Daughters of the Promise series and the Land of Canaan series.  And the best part is...cross-over characters.  Don't be surprised if you are reading a Land of Canaan novel and folks from Lancaster County come for a visit, and vice-versa.  This is going to be great fun! 

Sorry this is such a short post this evening.  Barbara actually reminded me this evening that I hadn't posted.  My son got his wisdom teeth pulled this morning, so I've had that on my mind all day.  He's doing great, though!

Hope you all have a fabulous week!

Love,
Beth

        

Happy Anniversary! It’s been a wonderful year here at Amish Hearts!  I’m so thankful for the friendshipsthis blog has brought into my life—both my wonderful friendships with Beth,Barbara, and Kathy and also my friendships with you, the readers.  We’re so happy you join us every weekand enjoy our books!

 

I’m excited to announce my new book, A Promise of Hope, thesecond in the Kauffman Amish Bakery Series, will land in the warehouse atZondervan this week!  That meansthat it will be shipped out to stores soon!

 

I’d like to share an interview with me that is posted onChristianbooks.com.  Click here for the interview.

 

Today I’m wrapping up my young adult book, and I’m going tosend it off to my editor either tonight or tomorrow.  I’m excited to turn it in and start on my rewrite of a Plain & Simple Christmas, which is coming out in September.

 

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Blessings,

Amy

        

I hope that your week has been wonderful.

Did you read Beth's blog on Monday about this week being the first year anniversary of AmishHearts.com? What a great time the four of us have had writing here on the blog. Oh sure, occasionally there are those e-mails that fly back and forth asking, "What am I going to write about this week? I can't think of ANYTHING!" But it's been so much fun connecting with readers here. You write us such nice notes, recommend our books to each other, and offer up great information about the Amish from your trips and your reading. I check in nearly every day to see what's happening. I hope that you do, too.

This week I got my edits for A Time for Love (see the gorgeous cover down on the right side). Barbara Scott, my editor at Abingdon Press, wrote me such a wonderful note about how much she enjoyed reading the book. We can't wait for you to read it this fall. I've been busy checking out the changes she and the copy editor made which have turned out to be minor, just like Barbara said. It's been such fun getting back into the story and being with characters who seem like old friends. A Time for Love is the first of a three book Amish series called Quilts of Lancaster County. When we get closer to the release date I'll be running contests featuring some quilt-themed prizes I think you'll like.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Barbara

        

This month I've been writing, writing, writing! When I first started writing I used to listen to music all the time, and some how I got away from that. So this week I started finding songs that would fit the stories I'm working on. It's a bit of challenge because the Amish don't listen to music other than the hymns they sing in church and at the singin's. I have heard that when they do hear music, they tend to enjoy country-style tunes more than other types, yet occasionally you might hear a booming bass coming from a tricked out buggy who's owner is in the throes of rumspringa. For the stories I'm writing now, I seem to be gravitating toward Celtic music, particularly Clannad, with a little bit of Riverdance thrown in. But I've also written to the Dave Matthews Band, Jars of Clay, and yes, I'll admit it, the Bee Gees. Though it is kind of hard transporting myself into Amish country while "Stayin' Alive" is blaring through my headphones.

What is your favorite type of music? When do you usually listen to music?

'Till next time,
Kathleen

        

Finally!  It's March 1 and time to announce the winner of our 4-book giveaway that has been going on since Jan. 25th!  First of all, what the winner will receive:

A signed book from Beth -- your choice of a current or future release (Plain Paradise releases THIS week!)
A signed book from Kathy -- your choice of a current or future release (An Honest Love releases this month!)
A signed book from Amy -- your choice of a current or future release (A Promise of Hope releases this month!)
A signed book from Barbara -- your choice of An Amish Christmas, An Amish Gathering, or be one of the first readers to get a copy of A Time for Love when it releases in August of this year!

IF AFTER ONE WEEK, WE HAVE NOT HEARD FROM THE WINNER -- A NEW WINNER WILL BE CHOSEN. 


THE WINNER OF OUR 4-BOOK GIVEAWAY IS...  DRUM ROLL...



NATALIE HIGGINBOTHAM!!

Natalie - email me privately at author@bethwiseman.net to let me know which books you would like from each author, and send your address.  CONGRATS!!!! 

        

On March 2, 2009, www.amishhearts.com went live, and what a great year it has been!  When we started this -- Kathy, Barbara, Amy, and I barely knew each other.  And we certainly didn't know most of you.  Since then, special friendships have formed all over the place -- amongst the authors here and with you, our readers.  We've all (authors and readers) shared successes and heartaches, and through the good times and the bad, we've celebrated and we've prayed together.  How incredibly blessed Kathy, Barbara, Amy, and I are to have each other and all of you. 

(I gotta watch it...I'm starting to get teary-eyed as I write this.)

In celebration of our one-year anniversary, I've gathered some statistics about this site.  I think you'll find this interesting.  I did!

*    138,150 people have visited our site over the past year;

*    There have been 210 entries posted, totaling 68,426 words.  Hmm...that's about the word count for a book!

*    2,290 comments were posted by readers;

TOP 3 ENTRIES:

Hello From Amy Clipston
Welcome to Amish Hearts
When Winter Comes

MOST DISCUSSED ENTRIES:

4-book Giveaway
Another Giveaway
Much Thanks...and Another Contest

(everyone loves a contest!)

MOST FREQUENT COMMENTATORS:

Rose Goddard holds the top spot!
Karla Hanns is right behind her, and
Cathey Buchta is not far behind Karla.

SURVEY RESULTS FOR AMISHHEARTS.COM:

97% - Liked
1% - Disliked
2% - No opinion

(I think it's safe to say...we're pleased with that!)


As we go into this next year, what would you like to see more of on this blog?  Leave a comment and let us know! 


Thank you for making this such a great year for us!  May God continue to bless all of the friendships formed here!  Have a great week!

        

Hi everyone!

 

It’s been a crazy week at our house.  I’ve finished my second draft of my new book, and I’m ready to hand it off to my three friends and my mom.  My friends and mom critique and edit it for me before I turn it in to my editor.

 

This book is a new genre for me.  It’s a youth adult book, and it’s been the biggest challenge of my writing career.  I’ve learned a lot, and I hope I’ve grown as a writer.

 

Each new book is a test of faith for me, and I always learn more about myself while writing it.  I’ve encountered scriptures that inspire me while writing this book.  Here’s one of them:

 

Deuteronomy 31:6:  Be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.

 

So, here’s my question for you – What are your favorite scriptures?  Please leave a comment below with one or two.

 

Have a great weekend!

Blessings,

Amy