Hi everyone!
I hope you’re enjoying your weekend! It’s been crazy here. This morning my boys competed in their first karate testing session and did really well. They both progressed a belt and are thrilled. They worked hard. My older son wasn’t a karate fan until he earned his belt today. Now he’s excited to keep going forward!
Tonight is an exciting night in our house; it’s the night of the first NASCAR race of the season, the Budweiser Shootout! We’re fans here. Next week is the Daytona 500! Boy, the offseason went quickly. Are you a sports fan? If so, what do you enjoy? When I was a kid I was a baseball fan. Being Jersey Girl, I rooted for the Mets. Now an adult, I like racing more. I’m not much for football, but I like to see the Panthers win.
Speaking of NASCAR, I wrote a story, “Kevin Harvick’s Gift of Caring,” which is featured in the new Chicken Soup for the Soul: Nascar: 101 Stories of Family, Fortitude, and Fast Cars. The book will debut February 16.
This week I’ve been working hard on my new project, an inspirational book that is not Amish based and is due to my editor April 1. I’m excited and nervous about it and even more stressed sinc I discovered that one of my Amish deadlines is going to overlap.
So, instead of writing tonight, I avoided it and changed the cat box and then started checking email. I guess you can call this denial. How do you deal with stress?
Well, I best force myself to write. Enjoy the rest of you weekend and go #88!
‘Til next time,
Amy
I’d like to piggyback on what my cohorts have said this week. Thank you all so much for following our blog! And remember – all you have to do is post a comment to be entered into the contest to win our books! The lucky winner will receive one book from each of her – the book of his/her choice! So, don’t delay – leave a comment and you may just win!
Today North Carolina was pummeled with snow, along with surrounding states. My boys have been in heaven, since we rarely see snow that lasts more than a few hours. They went out to play twice today. Our driveway is a sheet of ice, and they pretended to ice skate down it. I watched from the kitchen window as my younger son fell flat on his back and held my breath, waiting for him to cry. Instead, he burst out laughing, got up, and skated some more.

My husband is out of town and supposed to come home tomorrow. I’m praying he’s not snowed in up north. I also pray for his safe travel home.
This weekend I’ve been editing the galleys (final pages) for my second Kauffman Amish Bakery book, A Promise of Hope. I’ve enjoyed reading it again, and I have to admit it’s my favorite book so far. The advanced copies are scheduled to release in two weeks, and the book will be out in March. I can’t wait to share it with you.

I hope you’re having a good weekend and staying warm! Don’t forget to leave a comment.
Blessings,
Amy
Today we celebrated my son’s birthday with a party at a fun place full of inflatable slides. Both of my boys had a blast! I had fun and ate too much ice cream cake.
The weather was warm last week in North Carolina but turned back to cold this past week. Cold weather has been thinking about my Christmas book, which will be out later this year.
I would like to share cover for A Plain & Simple Christmas my novella that will release in August. I'm so excited to share the cover with you! Please leave a comment and let me know what you think.
Here's a blurb for the book:
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 & Simple Christmas is an inspiring page-turner that will keep you guessing what happens next…right to the very last page.
