Good Morning Friends!

This past weekend, I tested one of the recipes to be included in the first Land of Canaan Novel--Seek Me With All Your Heart--Chicken Lasagna.  Really good!  My fabulous assistant, Janet, tested chocolate shoofly pie and cabbage casserole.  Janet wears many hats, and I'm so glad she likes to test recipes on Hubby Ed!  All three recipes are winners and will be included in the back of Seek Me With All Your Heart. 

This morning, I was sitting outside and typing the final copy of the recipes to send to my editor, so I had the cookbook outside with me.  I am quite sure that when I went in the house, I wasn't gone for more than two minutes.  Just enough time for Chloe, my Lab, to shred the cookbook!  So, I have been piecing it back together at my kitchen table.  I love my Chloe, but I am not very happy with her at the moment.  Chloe had a special part in Plain Pursuit (book #2 in the DOP series), but I've told her that if she eats any more Amish cookbooks, no more starring roles for her.  I think she understands. 

In other news, I'm finishing up book #5 in the Daughters of the Promise series--Plain Proposal.  Here's the cover and a brief synopsis. 

Miriam Raber enjoys life in her Old Order Amish community, and she is hopeful that Saul Fisher will propose to her soon.  But when Saul begins to talk about leaving the only world either of them has ever known, Miriam struggles to ignore the advances of Jesse Dienner, a man committed to marry and live his life in the Old Order community. 

Complicating matters is the arrival of Miriam’s cousin, Madison, a worldly Englisch girl sent to live with Miriam’s family following trouble back home.

Who will Miriam choose a life with, and who will choose to stay in the Old Order Amish community?  Who will leave?   

RELEASING IN MARCH 2011.











What do you think?

        

I spent several hours tonight filling in a very complex form for the artist to use to design the cover for the third Quilts of Lancaster County series (Abingdon Press).

Readers often ask authors how much they get to say about covers and as with so many things in publishing -- and life -- there is no one answer. Every publishing house has their own way of doing things although there are some constants. Authors are asked questions like, "What is the mood you want the cover to convey?" and "Describe a key scene" and "What do you think is the most important element on the cover -- the title or the author's name?" and "What do the characters look like?"

The cover artist will work on the design well ahead of the printing schedule so sometimes the author is still working on the book and doesn't know everything about it yet.

After the design is done, it's sent to us for approval. Then the suggestions we make are considered. When I showed my very first cover to my dad, a professional, award-winning artist and illustrator, I said I didn't like the square of color around the picture of the hero and heroine. I swear, the color was that of split pea soup. Dad used a magnet to put the cover on the refrigerator and made me stand back a little, about where he said potential readers would see it on a bookstore shelf. Then he asked how I felt about it. Well, the cover really caught my attention with the unusual color which made a frame around the couple. And the most important thing he said was to not tell the professionals what they should do -- that they knew how to design covers that readers would buy on my book. Wise man, my dad. Now I trust those professionals (my editor, Barbara Scott, and her title committee changed the Quilt titles based on reading the first book and they were SO RIGHT!). 

I have felt blessed by some great covers...I loved the one for An Amish Christmas probably because it has a beautiful dusky blue/aquamarine color that is my favorite color. (By the way, AAC is being re-released with an additional story in August.) And I feel exceptionally happy with the covers that have been designed for my Quilts of Lancaster series (the first book is out in September and is available to pre-order). The artist obviously did research to understand what a true Amish quilt designed for use in their homes looks like as compared to the ones the Amish sew to sell to the Englisch. I decided during the writing of Book 2 to have the heroine sew a particular quilt for the hero and without us discussing it, the artist did that very quilt on the cover!

So I'm very interested in seeing what the cover for Book 3 will look like. I promise to post it here as soon as I get it!

Changing subjects, I left out an ingredient for the Amish Macaroni Salad last week. (I really have to stop writing my blog late at night!) A reader asked if the recipe should have included mayonnaise. Yes! How could I leave that out? The recipe I was given calls for 1 1/2 cups mayonnaise OR you can use Miracle Whip if you wish. I start with one cup and keep adding a little until I get the consistency I like. I hope you'll try the recipe and let me know how you like it.

Do you have a question about the process of writing or producing a book, particularly an Amish one? Leave it for me on the comments and I'll be happy to answer it in a future blog.

Have a great weekend!

Barbara

        

Happy Wednesday, everyone! I'd like to add my congratulations to Beth and Barbara for their multiple finals in the Carol contest! Such terrific news, and I'm so happy and proud of them.

Also, thanks to everyone for your input on author websites--your opinions were great and gave me a lot of ideas to work with. I'm hoping to unveil my new website in the next couple months. I'll be announcing that here when it happens.

I wanted to let you all know about my upcoming books this fall and winter. In September A Hand to Hold , the third book in the Hearts of Middlefield series will be released. Then in November the second book in the Mysteries of Middlefield series, The Secrets Beneath, is releasing. An Amish Love , a new anthology, comes out in December. Then I'll be starting a new series called A Middlefield Family. Treasuring Emma releases in March, 2011. The books are all available for pre-order on www.amazon.com.

Note on Treasuring Emma: the book will have a different cover and the story isn't exactly the same that's listed on the website. That sometimes happens when the books are listed for early pre-order. Here's a short summary of the story--

Emma Shetler and Adam Otto have been friends and neighbors since childhood. When their relationship starts to change into something more, Emma realizes she's falling in love with him. But when he suddenly leaves Middlefield without an explanation, her heart is broken. To protect Emma, Adam can't reveal the reason why he left. Yet he loves her more now than he ever has. Can he convince Emma to trust him again? Or has Emma given her heart to someone else?

A BIG thank you to everyone who has already pre-ordered the books. I hope you enjoy them!

Finally, tomorrow I'll be making my last trip to Holmes county for a long while. I'm excited to meet up with an Amish fiction fan for lunch, and then show a good friend from North Carolina the beautiful Ohio countryside. Next week I'll be preparing for our move to Arkansas, so I won't be blogging on Amish Hearts. But I'll return the following Wednesday, hopefully with some pictures from Amish country and Arkansas.

'Til next time,
Kathleen

        

Good Morning Friends!

Barbara and I are doing the happy dance this morning since we found out that we both finaled in the 2010 ACFW Carol Award Contest (formerly the Book of the Year contest).  This is an annual contest hosted by American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), and the winners will be announced at the ACFW Conference in Indianapolis in September.  

In the Contemporary Novella category, Barbara's story in An Amish Christmas (One Child) finaled, and so did her story in An Amish Gathering (When Winter Comes).  Both of my novellas also finaled -- A Choice to Forgive in An Amish Christmas, and A Change of Heart in An Amish Gathering.

Also, in the Long Contemporary Romance category, Plain Promise (book #3 in the Daughters of the Promise series) finaled.  

We are super honored to be recognized alongside some of these really wonderful authors!  So, please join our dance!  To see the complete list of finalists, click HERE.

Have a blessed week! 





 

        

In celebration of the coming release of my new book, A Plain & Simple Christmas, I’m running a contest on my Facebook Fan Page!

Please post your favorite Christmas memory or tradition on my Facebook Fan Page by Thursday, July 22, and you will be entered to win an advanced reader copy of A Plain & Simple Christmas!  

The winner will be announced on Friday, July 23!

Click here and enter today!





Here’s more information about A Plain & Simple Christmas:

In the tradition of her widely popular Kauffman Amish Bakery series, author Amy Clipston tells the tale of Anna Mae McDonough who was shunned by her family four years ago when she left her Amish community in Lancaster County, PA, to marry an "Englisher" (non Amish) man and move with him to Baltimore. Now, eight months pregnant when her first child, she longs to return home for Christmas to reconcile with her family, especially her stern father, who is the religious leader for her former Amish church district.

So Anne Mae writes a letter to Kathryn Beiler, her brother's wife, to enlist her help. Kathryn asks her husband, David, if she should arrange Anna Mae's visit. David cautions her that a visit would cause too much stress in the family and instead suggests they visit Anna Mae and her husband in the spring. However, Kathryn arranges the visit anyway, believing in her heart that it's God's will for the family to heal.

When Anna Mae arrives in Lancaster for Christmas, she doesn't receive the welcome she expects and her world begins to fall apart, leaving her to question her place in her family – and her faith in God.

A book filled with love, the pain of being separated from one's family, and the determination to follow God's will regardless of the outcome, A Plain and Simple Christmas is an inspiring page-turner that will keep you guessing what happens next…right to the very last page.

        

We all know that the Amish don't use electricity, so imagine how hot it must get in their kitchens in the summer in certain states, especially if the wife and older girls are still canning the summer fruit and vegetable crops.

Actually, many northern states are currently suffering from heat records so that got me to thinking of using two favorite Amish summer recipes in today's blog.

I love macaroni salad and this recipe from an Old Order Amish friend is a favorite. Hope you'll try it and like it!

Amish Macaroni Salad

2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni (or other shape of macaroni)
3-4 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 small red, yellow, or green pepper (your choice) seeded and chopped
2 teaspoons pickle relish (if you don't like sweet relish cut up some dill pickles)
2 tablespoons mustard
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons white vinegar
3/4 teaspoon celery seed
3 teaspoons chopped onion
If you add a cup or two of chopped ham or chicken you have a main dish meal.

Boil macaroni according to package directions. Drain and cool. In a separate bowl, combine remaining ingredients and pour over cooled macaroni. Stir until blended. Chill in refrigerator for two hours.

A nice dessert might be a fruit cobbler but if you don't want to heat up the kitchen, try a simple Amish dessert I saw served in Pennsylvania:

Amish Bread Soup

For each serving, tear up bread -- homemade bread or the sweet Hawaiian bread rolls sold in the grocery store are especially good -- and place in a soup bowl. A slice and a half, maybe two slices (or two or three rolls) is a good amount. Then top with your favorite summer fruit: big juicy chunks of peaches or plums, sweetened strawberries, blackberries, or blueberries (or a mixture of berries) will do nicely. Frozen fruit that's been thawed or pie filling can be used, too, but fresh fruit in season is the best. Top with fresh cream or ice cream. This dessert is a busy Amish wife's (frau's) favorite.

So many of you wrote in with such lovely comments about why you like Amish fiction. The winner of an Advance Reader Copy (ARC) of A Time to Love, the first in my three book series Quilts of Lancaster County (out in September) is Elaine. Note to Elaine: I've sent you a personal e-mail asking for your snail mail address.) For those who didn't win, I'll have more contests in the coming months. The book is available for pre-order now on www.Christianbooks.com, www.Amazon.com, www.BarnesandNoble.com and other book outlets.  

Have a good weekend and stay cool wherever you are!

Barbara

        

Happy Monday!

The following article is about the Amish in Colorado -- and according to the article, there were about 400 Amish folks in 2008 with more arriving all the time.  This influx of Amish into Colorado is what prompted the Land of Canaan series which will debut with Seek Me With All Your Heart in October 2010.  The fictional town of Canaan is about 10 miles from Monte Vista and about two hours from Westcliffe.  I leave next month for a week to travel this area and to do research for the next Land of Canaan book.  This is a great article:

Westward ho for Amish

Also, I wanted to share the first review of Seek Me With All Your Heart from an early reader:

Beth Wiseman offers another intimate view inside the Amish culture, in a brand new Amish community.  It is her best book yet!

One of the things I love best about Beth’s books is that each stands alone, yet, each builds on the books before.  In this book, some of the beloved characters we are already well acquainted with, relocate to a place so different from Lancaster County.  I adore these characters, they are so well developed and really get the reader invested in them and their lives.  They feel just like family, and your heart will break as they strive to confront the aftermath of unthinkable tragedy.   You will find yourself a personal cheerleader for those facing the challenges of new relationships, everyday problems and some not so everyday problems in this unfamiliar part of the country.  Throughout each of the story lines, the inspirational focus on friendships, family and faith is ever present.

This book is a great joy to read.  I read it in public places (on an airplane and in an airport) and had total strangers approaching me asking what I was reading because I was sitting there with a smile or a smirk on my face or even laughing out loud because of the situation a favorite character found herself in.  I will be buying several copies for my nieces.     

As you read ‘Seek Me with All Your Heart’ with its hardships, its growing friendships and hopes of romances, it’s strong, yet perfectly tempered theme of ‘faith in God’ will inspire!

Sherry Gregg


AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER.  RELEASING OCTOBER 2010.



Hope everyone has a great week!

        

Hi everyone!

One night this past week I was surfing the internet instead of writing, and I typed my name on Amazon.com. I was really excited and surprised to find out that my third Kauffman book, A Place of Peace, is available for pre-order!  A Place of Peace will hit bookshelves in December.  I’m really excited about this book, and I have to admit it’s my favorite so far.

Please check it out!  Let me know what you think of the cover.

And here’s the story blurb:

Miriam Lapp returns to the Amish community she once belonged to when she hears of her mother’s death. Amidst her grief and some painful lies from her past, she is forced to face the people who rejected her. Losing her once fiancé and being shunned by her father becomes an excruciating test of her faith. A Place of Peace is one story you won't soon forget.

Have a great weekend!
‘Til next time,
Amy

        

The first endorsement reviews of A Time to Love came in this week from two wonderful fellow authors.

On Monday, Beth Wiseman wrote in this blog about the book. and I so appreciated her taking the time out of an incredibly busy schedule to read the book and say such nice things about it. You can read her blog by scrolling back a few days on the site.

Then Sandra Bricker also sent me her thoughts on the book and I wanted to share them with you. Just last week my blog was called, "Let's Have a Cup of Tea." I'd already gotten Sandie's endorsement review of the book and I meant to put it in my blog because it was the perfect place for it in that entry about the Scripture Tea. I think her mention of tea in the endorsement and my seeing the Scripture Tea in Cracker Barrel a few days later gave me the idea for the blog. But I'd just finished a really good day of writing and did too much with that and a doctor visit and errands so by the time I wrote the blog I had few brain cells left!

Here's what Sandie sent me after she read the book:

"Barbara Cameron's A Time to Love is a captivating, poignant and delightful story. Cameron weaves a masterful character portrayal in Jenny King, an injured war correspondent whose physical and emotional baggage from the outside world meets its match within a small Amish community. The writing is fresh, the setting is realistic, and the revelations are universal. If you think Amish stories aren't your cup of tea, think again and pick up this book!"

Sandie is the award-winning author of wonderful, laugh-out-loud romantic fiction including The Big 5-Oh! and this fall's Always the Baker, Never the Bride. A third title, Love Finds You in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, will be out in October. I've read a number of Sandie's books including The Big 5-Oh! (funny and heartwarming) but I have to say my personal favorite is Always the Baker, Never the Bride. I love weddings -- I've helped planning quite a number and was even asked to write The Everything Weddings on a Budget book so I loved the setting and the cast of characters in Always. I wasn't sure if Sandie would like A Time to Love because I didn't know if she read Amish stories. When she sent the endorsement she admitted that they weren't usually her cup of tea but had been surprised to discover she liked my story. 

So, I'm so happy to see these first reviews and thank you Beth and Sandie!

On the subject of tea, the winner of last week's contest for a box of Scripture Tea is Connie Elrod. Hope you enjoy the tea, Connie!

Oh, and one more note: my marketing person is sending me a few more Advance Reading Copies of A Time to Love. So be sure to enter a comment here on the site telling me why YOU like Amish stories for a chance to win a copy of A Time to Love!

Blessings,

Barbara

        

In the next couple months I plan to completely redo my website, and I thought I'd ask you all what you like/dislike about author websites. I'd like my website to be a place readers enjoy visiting, where they can find out information about current and new books and also have a way to contact me. But I'd also like to know if there are any "extras" that you might like to see on my website. Basically, I'm wide open to suggestions.

Here are a few questions to get the conversation started:

1) Do you enjoy reading exerpts of books?
2) What about a family or community tree from books and/or series? For example, a family tree of the Bylers from the Hearts of Middlefield series.
3) What do you look for the most when you visit an author's website?
4) Anything you dislike or think is unnecessary on a website?

Thanks so much for your help! I look forward to the discussion.

'Til next time,
Kathleen