About Amy, Kathleen, and Barbara
I had a book signing in Columbus, Texas this past Saturday. What a wonderful surprise it was for me when Cathey Buchta came up and introduced herself! Cathey is a regular commenter on this blog, as well as my personal blog. I am kicking myself for not getting a picture of us together. So, Cathey - I'm waving to you and sending you a big hug for coming! So very cool to meet you!
This got me to thinking about all the people who comment on this blog, and I was also thinking about my co-authors. We've never met in person, yet I feel like I know these women so well, and I truly consider them friends. I thought I'd tell you a little bit about each of them and the roles they play in my life.
AMY: I "met" Amy first. We have the same agent, and our agent introduced us via email since we both write Amish fiction. From the moment Amy and I met, I knew we would be great friends. It's such an exciting time for both of us. Too many 'firsts' to mention. We get excited about every little thing to do with our books and the publishing business in general. I could tell that Amy was bubbly and full of life from her emails, before I ever talked to her on the phone. She's very genuine.
KATHLEEN: I "met" Kathleen when Thomas Nelson signed her, Barbara, and I to write 'An Amish Christmas' - a collection of novellas to release in August. I always call Kathleen 'my here' because she seems to stay remarkably calm under great pressure. She's been in the business in a while, and she doesn't seem to rattle easily. If she does, she hides it well. A couple of weeks ago, I was really stressing about my deadlines. It was Kathleen who said, "Call me." I felt much better after we talked on the phone. I tend to be a tad 'wound up' and high energy. Kathleen has a calming affect on me. She's as sweet on the phone as she is in her emails.
BARBARA: Oh, sweet Barbara. She is the mother hen. This business is not new to Barbara, either. Some of her books have been made into Hallmark movies! She KNOWS the business. And, as such, she reminds us that we must take care of ourselves through the intense deadlines, revision process, and all the other details that go along with this business. Sometimes, I can almost feel Barbara holding my hand when I read her emails.
So, why did God put the four of us together? I don't think that the idea for the Amish Hearts blog was mine. I woke up one morning, and the idea was planted there, and I knew that I wanted these three women on this wonderful ride with me. How blessed I am to have them in my life. I cannot wait until the day that we are all together. What a wonderful, blessed day that will be!
So, here's to you - Amy, Kathleen, and Barbara!!!
Have a great week everyone!
This got me to thinking about all the people who comment on this blog, and I was also thinking about my co-authors. We've never met in person, yet I feel like I know these women so well, and I truly consider them friends. I thought I'd tell you a little bit about each of them and the roles they play in my life.
AMY: I "met" Amy first. We have the same agent, and our agent introduced us via email since we both write Amish fiction. From the moment Amy and I met, I knew we would be great friends. It's such an exciting time for both of us. Too many 'firsts' to mention. We get excited about every little thing to do with our books and the publishing business in general. I could tell that Amy was bubbly and full of life from her emails, before I ever talked to her on the phone. She's very genuine.
KATHLEEN: I "met" Kathleen when Thomas Nelson signed her, Barbara, and I to write 'An Amish Christmas' - a collection of novellas to release in August. I always call Kathleen 'my here' because she seems to stay remarkably calm under great pressure. She's been in the business in a while, and she doesn't seem to rattle easily. If she does, she hides it well. A couple of weeks ago, I was really stressing about my deadlines. It was Kathleen who said, "Call me." I felt much better after we talked on the phone. I tend to be a tad 'wound up' and high energy. Kathleen has a calming affect on me. She's as sweet on the phone as she is in her emails.
BARBARA: Oh, sweet Barbara. She is the mother hen. This business is not new to Barbara, either. Some of her books have been made into Hallmark movies! She KNOWS the business. And, as such, she reminds us that we must take care of ourselves through the intense deadlines, revision process, and all the other details that go along with this business. Sometimes, I can almost feel Barbara holding my hand when I read her emails.
So, why did God put the four of us together? I don't think that the idea for the Amish Hearts blog was mine. I woke up one morning, and the idea was planted there, and I knew that I wanted these three women on this wonderful ride with me. How blessed I am to have them in my life. I cannot wait until the day that we are all together. What a wonderful, blessed day that will be!
So, here's to you - Amy, Kathleen, and Barbara!!!
Have a great week everyone!
Posted by Beth Wiseman at 4/27/2009 6:00 AM 
Categories: General
Tags: Barbarba Cameron Amy Clipston Kathleen Fuller Beth Wiseman Amish
Categories: General
Tags: Barbarba Cameron Amy Clipston Kathleen Fuller Beth Wiseman Amish
Beth, I finally got your books, hasven't read them yet buy will soon, (have other projects that I must finish first). I love reading "Amish " books. I had some dear sweet Amish friends( they have passed) who taught mme alot about everything. continued
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Beth, The Amish way of life(they were Mennonite) hadn't gotten but had after we had moved away. I miss them very much,could go down to there farm any time and just talk with her about anything. they gave us alot to think about in life....
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I always enjoy this blog and it was great to "meet" all of you. I just read last week how Christian fiction is doing well when other genres are struggling during these economic times, and I'm thankful for the stories that God is planting in your hearts.
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Hi Beth,
How sweet it was for you to write an entry about we AmishHearts writers.
I'm really enjoying our friendships, too, and hope that we'll meet one day -- and we'll get to meet more readers of the blog, too!
I laughed when I read myself described as a "mother hen." I've been like this since I was a little kid, always feeding or worrying about others and giving advice. So I'm not surprised to see myself described that way. I AM working on the worrying part--after a friend said that God knew what He was doing so why would we worry about others?
I'm still hopeful I'll sell a movie to Hallmark--I actually sold to HBO/Cinemax and not everyone gets that channel. Maybe we'll all see our work translated to film one day. It's a real adventure.
Back to my current deadline. See everyone later on the blog! And Beth, thanks again for asking all of us to join you on it!!!!
Love,
Barbara
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Aww, Beth, thank you so much! I'm so glad I have a calming effect on someone--my family would beg to differ! It's fun how we've all fallen into these roles--Amy's the bubbly one, I'm the calm one, Barbara is the nurturing one, and you're the energetic one (can I have some of that energy please?) ! It's so amazing how God works. He is sehr gut!
Not only have I enjoyed getting to know my fellow bloggers and writing friends, but also I've loved all the comments readers post on this blog. It's so great to "meet" new people who have common interests, and who enjoy sharing. Keep the comments coming!
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Barbara, what was the name of the movie you sold to HBO/Cinemax? Is it on DVD? We don't get HBO or any type cable out here in the woods. If it is on DVD we might be able to see it through our NetFlix subscription. I found they had The Last Sin Eater that Kathleen had mentioned recently, so I added it our queue at NetFlix. I've found they do carry a number of Christian films that I've seen in catalogs. Good luck with the deadline. No rush on answering this!
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Hi Cathey,
Thanks for asking about the HBO/Cinemax movies. I sold three that were part of the Shades of Love series filmed by Karl/Lorimar (producers of a lot of tv and films). The movies are The Garnet Princess (the best of the three in the opinion of many people), Make Mine Chartreuse, and Indigo Autumn. They're contemporary romantic films, not Christian films. I wrote Princess and Chartreuse with my best friend and did Indigo on my own. They used to be available at my local video store but I have no idea if they're at yours. I did a quick search on NetFlix and up came thousands of titles...they don't have a good database, IMO. Good luck with the search. It reminds me that I have been wanting to take another look at my copies. Wish me luck in finding them in this home office!!
Barbara
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Thank you Beth for your wonderful post! How sweet of you to write about each of us. I feel so blessed to be a part of this wonderful blog. I've enjoyed getting to know you, Barbara, Kathy and the blog readers.
Thank you for saying I'm "bubbly." I often feel like a kid stuck in a grown up body because I do get excited about things. I'm used to people laughing at my reactions.
I would describe you as a wonderful, sweet, thoughtful friend. I'm so glad that you've come into my life. I look forward to a life-long friendship with you, Barbara and Kathy.
Thank you again!
Love,
Amy
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Beth, I received a forwarded e-mail this morning, titled "Guidance," that gave a great perspective on following God's will, and I thought of you ladies. Do you remember at the book signing last Saturday, Beth, the gentleman from Houston who asked you if you worked from an outline, given that you had eight books under contract? You replied something to the effect that the characters seem to speak to you, and you didn't like to restrict yourself to an outline or you might miss other characters coming into the story. That's exactly how I write poetry! If I'm trying to write something on a specific topic or something to honor someone on an anniversary, whatever, I trust the Lord to give me the words if He wants it done. Then usually the words just flow. If for some reason they don't, I know it isn't the right time and I put it aside. Just as the Lord inspired writers in Biblical days, I believe He is still at work in our time, and you ladies are evidence of that! I don't know who originally wrote the following "Guidance" item, but I believe it was inspired.
"Dancing With God
When I meditated on the word Guidance,
I kept seeing "dance" at the end of the word.
I remember reading that doing God's will is a lot like dancing.
When two people try to lead, nothing feels right.
The movement doesn't flow with the music,and everything is quite uncomfortable and jerky.
When one person realizes that, and lets the other lead,both bodies begin to flow with the music.
One gives gentle cues, perhaps with a nudge to the back or by pressing lightly in one direction or another.
It's as if two become one body, moving beautifully.
The dance takes surrender, willingness, and attentiveness from one person
and gentle guidance and skill from the other.
My eyes drew back to the word Guidance ..
When I saw "G": I thought of God, followed by "u" and "i".
"God, "u" and "i" dance."
God, you, and I dance.
As I lowered my head, I became willing to trust that I would get guidance about my life.
Once again, I became willing to let God lead.
My prayer for you today is that God's blessings and mercies are upon you on this day and everyday.
May you abide in God, as God abides in you.
Dance together with God, trusting God to lead and to guide you through each season of your life.
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