Home and Family
I'm home again from the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) conference. It was an interesting trip and conference but I'm so glad to be back home. No place like home, right?
I traveled from home to Indianapolis with a friend from the college where I teach part-time and we had a great adventure traveling and rooming together and learning more about writing at workshops and driving around Amish settlements in upper Indiana. More on that side trip soon.
At the conference, I met Barbara Scott, my wonderful Abingdon Press editor who's now working exclusively on acquisitions and traveling around as a roving editor for them. I also met Ramona Richards who is my new editor at Abingdon. And I met my new agent, Rachelle Gardner and a number of friends like Sandie Bricker, a fellow writer I'd been corresponding with for some time.
And, if you look back at Beth Wiseman's blog on AmishHearts.com last week, you'll see a photo of someone else I met: Beth! She, Kathy, and Amy and I have been blogging and e-mailing for a long time but we'd never met until I sat with Beth at the Thomas Nelson book signing for the new release of An Amish Christmas, Expanded edition. Now I'd love to meet Kathy and Amy. Getting the four of us together would be so great.
On the way home I met a young Army soldier who's serving our country in Afghanistan. It was great talking to him with my roommate who'd been in the military as well (Connie was in the Air Force). Both of them enjoyed watching what a bad flyer I was that day -- I had a little vertigo from some fluid in my ear -- and then the plane went through some scary turbulence. They both agreed I shouldn't volunteer to serve in Airborne any time soon. Meeting this young man was very special. There were a number of soldiers on each flights to and from Indianapolis and the flight attendants announced their presence and invited the passengers to thank them. The planes always filled with heartfelt applause. But all this soldier cared about was looking out the window and willing the flight to hurry up. He'd been told he'd arrive home at 5 p.m., then was bumped earlier, only to have to sit while we waited for a repair on the plane and time marched on to 3 p.m.. You can imagine he almost ran off the plane to be with his wife and their two young sons. Home and family. He couldn't wait to enjoy both for two weeks before going back to Afghanistan for a few more months of his rotation. The reunion with his family at the baggage claim was so heartwarming it brought tears to my eyes.
On the plane, the soldier and I talked about A Time to Heal, Book 2 of Quilts of Lancaster County (out in January or March of 2011), because I have a very special hero who comes to Paradise to see Jenny, the heroine of A Time to Love, Book 1 (OUT NOW), and meets Hannah, a very outspoken young Amish woman...I gave him a bookmark and told him to have his wife send me their address so I could send her a free book. It seems like the least I can do for a man who's willing to serve to protect people like me and for his wife who's giving up so much for him to perform this duty.
Home and family. They meant so much more when I got off the plane and was picked up by my daughter and four year old grandson who'd done sweet things like clean my messy car and watch my two elderly dogs who aren't the best about being housebroken. It felt even sweeter to take the dogs home and sleep in my own bed with them tucked in their blankets at my feet.
I hope you have reason to appreciate your home and family this week!
Barbara
I traveled from home to Indianapolis with a friend from the college where I teach part-time and we had a great adventure traveling and rooming together and learning more about writing at workshops and driving around Amish settlements in upper Indiana. More on that side trip soon.
At the conference, I met Barbara Scott, my wonderful Abingdon Press editor who's now working exclusively on acquisitions and traveling around as a roving editor for them. I also met Ramona Richards who is my new editor at Abingdon. And I met my new agent, Rachelle Gardner and a number of friends like Sandie Bricker, a fellow writer I'd been corresponding with for some time.
And, if you look back at Beth Wiseman's blog on AmishHearts.com last week, you'll see a photo of someone else I met: Beth! She, Kathy, and Amy and I have been blogging and e-mailing for a long time but we'd never met until I sat with Beth at the Thomas Nelson book signing for the new release of An Amish Christmas, Expanded edition. Now I'd love to meet Kathy and Amy. Getting the four of us together would be so great.
On the way home I met a young Army soldier who's serving our country in Afghanistan. It was great talking to him with my roommate who'd been in the military as well (Connie was in the Air Force). Both of them enjoyed watching what a bad flyer I was that day -- I had a little vertigo from some fluid in my ear -- and then the plane went through some scary turbulence. They both agreed I shouldn't volunteer to serve in Airborne any time soon. Meeting this young man was very special. There were a number of soldiers on each flights to and from Indianapolis and the flight attendants announced their presence and invited the passengers to thank them. The planes always filled with heartfelt applause. But all this soldier cared about was looking out the window and willing the flight to hurry up. He'd been told he'd arrive home at 5 p.m., then was bumped earlier, only to have to sit while we waited for a repair on the plane and time marched on to 3 p.m.. You can imagine he almost ran off the plane to be with his wife and their two young sons. Home and family. He couldn't wait to enjoy both for two weeks before going back to Afghanistan for a few more months of his rotation. The reunion with his family at the baggage claim was so heartwarming it brought tears to my eyes.
On the plane, the soldier and I talked about A Time to Heal, Book 2 of Quilts of Lancaster County (out in January or March of 2011), because I have a very special hero who comes to Paradise to see Jenny, the heroine of A Time to Love, Book 1 (OUT NOW), and meets Hannah, a very outspoken young Amish woman...I gave him a bookmark and told him to have his wife send me their address so I could send her a free book. It seems like the least I can do for a man who's willing to serve to protect people like me and for his wife who's giving up so much for him to perform this duty.
Home and family. They meant so much more when I got off the plane and was picked up by my daughter and four year old grandson who'd done sweet things like clean my messy car and watch my two elderly dogs who aren't the best about being housebroken. It felt even sweeter to take the dogs home and sleep in my own bed with them tucked in their blankets at my feet.
I hope you have reason to appreciate your home and family this week!
Barbara
Posted by Barbara Cameron at 9/23/2010 11:43 PM 
Categories: Quilts of Lancaster County series, ACFW, A Time to Love
Tags: Amish fiction
Categories: Quilts of Lancaster County series, ACFW, A Time to Love
Tags: Amish fiction
Good Morning Barbara, It was with great pleasure I read your message when I woke up this morning. It is so good to be reminded of all we have to be thankful for and as others fight for our freedom to read what we want and have our own homes and precious time with our familes, thank you for reminding me and others how blessed we truly are.. I have ordered A time to love and can't wait to read it and have already placed A time to heal on my list to get as soon as it comes out..
Thank you for all your wonderful books that help me is so many little ways, your way of weaving an inspiring thought here and there have helped me with many of my own trials. And your kindness to that young man and his wife is something we all should do, having lost my precious 21 yr old uncle to this war has been devastating but God is there to help heal and comfort my heart, along with some very wonderful writers like yourself. God bless you,
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Loved the story about the Army soldier!!
As a wife of an Air Force Retiree and Mother of a son who was in the Air Force, I was deeply touched! It is very sweet of you to send the wife a book. They have to deal with so much when the husband is away -- it's not easy! God bless you and our military!! Can't wait myself for your new book to come out!!
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Barbara, I have just finished A Time to Love. It was so good, can't wait for book two. How awesome to meet one of our soldiers. They are true heros (as well as their families) without a doubt.
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Hi Barbara, enjoyed hearing about your trip and how sweet of you to offer a free book to the Soldiers' wife.....sounds like you really enjoyed your trip.....thanks and keep us posted.....love hearing about what you Authors do and how nice of you to share it with all of us.....makes us want to buy support you more than you know....just have a quick question tho.....are you putting in a recipe in all your new books now ? I know a lot of the Authors are and I think all of us really enjoy that....haven't tried any of the recipes yet.....but it's on my list .....Have a great day......
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Thank you all for your warm and generous notes. I always try to pay attention to people around me...I feel like sometimes God puts someone in our path for a reason -- we're supposed to learn something from them or vice versa. You could tell from this young man's eagerness as he was looking out the seat window that he was going home, not back to service...you'd all have talked to him, too. Thank you to all of you who are buying my book and saying such nice things. It's so wonderful to read after all the hard work I did on it. Just finished the proofing of the second book with a nice woman at the publisher's and can't wait to see the printed version. I'll hold a contest for an advanced reading copy when I get them in a few months. The book is due out in February, I believe. Now back to finishing book 3 due soon!
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