Please welcome our guest hosts, Mary and Dana.
Coming Together– The Making of Amish Christmas Miracles Collection
Mary Alford:
Christmas books are always popular with readers because they take us to that wonderful time of the year where anything seems possible, and the Baby in a manger is a reminder of the miracle given to each us that first Christmas.
No matter what day of the year it is, you can have Christmas in your heart anytime simply by opening a book.
Celebrating Christmas in Amish country is a special treat. It allows the reader to step away from the modern-day trappings of the season and return to a simpler way of honoring the birth of Christ, without the high-speed tempo of today’s times. A humble place where Christmas means time spent with family and community.
Dana and I are both excited to be part of Amish Christmas Miracles, coming November 10th. You may know us from our Amish stories published through Love Inspired Suspense, but we are honored to have the opportunity to create a story that we hope will touch readers hearts. Expanding our creative skills into a genre that has been a favorite for both of us is an added blessing.
Dana R. Lynn:
I agree with Mary. We love the thrill of writing suspense, but writing Amish Romance is an entirely different skill set. The pacing of the story is different. And the tension doesn’t come from running for their lives, but the stories still need believable conflict to breathe and move forward.
Another challenge with writing a novella is the word count. Each story is between 10,000 and 20,000 words. Our Love Inspired Suspense books run around 55,000 words. In less than half the word count, a complete story had to be told. At the same time, novellas have a certain charm. They can be read in a single setting and are the perfect way to relax on a cold evening. It was so much fun writing these stories. Not only that, but it was a privilege to work with the other authors involved in the project. Some of whom I have admired for years! I am so excited for this collection to release!
About the Collection:
Amish Christmas Miracles includes 14 heartwarming stories of faith, hope, love. . . and Christmas Miracles by some amazing Amish authors.
But getting so many together for one book can be a daunting task.
How did the story idea begin?
According to Jennifer Spredemann, one of the collection’s creators, it has always been a goal of hers to find new readers, share God's love, and attempt to make a bestseller list (other than just Amazon) - a feat that is difficult and challenging for an independently-published book. She and Jennifer Beckstrand got together and began talking. They invited several authors, both indie and traditionally published, but didn't want to make the collection too large, since it will also be available in paperback. Jennifer believes the collection of 14 authors is the perfect mix to give readers an exciting taste of the holiday season!
Today, we would like to introduce you to the authors of Amish Christmas Miracles along with the titles of their stories included in the collection, and the websites where you can learn more about each author’s books.
A Christmas Homecoming by Mary Alford
Peanut Butter Christmas by Jennifer Beckstrand
The Christmas Program by Laura Bradford
The Amish Author's Christmas by Ashley Emma
A Gift Worth Waiting For by Tracy Fredrychowski
Sleigh Bells Ring by Kathleen Fuller
A Christmas to Treasure by Rachel J. Good
www.racheljgood.mystrikingly.com
The Blessing Jar by Loree Lough
Louisa's Christmas Blessing by Dana R. Lynn
A Stranger for Christmas by Serena B. Miller
The Heart's Return by Adina Senft
The Christmas Fudge Miracle by Susan Simpson
www.susanlantzsimpson.wordpress.com
An Unexpected Christmas Gift by Jennifer (J.E.B.) Spredemann
The Christmas Prayer by Lenora Worth
So, come with us to Amish country this Christmas.
As snow falls softly outside the window, curl up by the fire with this collection of 14 stories by your favorite Amish fiction authors.
Let them transport you to Amish communities all across the country. Travel to small towns where horses clip-clop down the road, farms dot the snow-covered landscape, and families gather to celebrate the real meaning of Christmas.
Sigh over sweet stories that touch your heart. Laugh, cry, rejoice, and smile as couples renew their faith and find their perfect soul mates. These heartwarming tales of faith, hope, love, and Christmas miracles are our special gift to you.
May you be richly blessed this holiday season as you celebrate the birth of the Savior of the world!
Blessings,
Dana R Lynn
Mary Alford
Follow Amish Christmas Miracles on:
http://amishchristmasmiracles.com
https://www.facebook.com/groups/270511070642108
Preorder the book at:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0875T592J
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/amish-christmas-miracles-jennifer-spredemann/1137059128
https://books.apple.com/us/book/amish-christmas-miracles/id1515415287
Mary will be giving away one copy of her book Amish Country Kidnapping and Dana will be giving away one copy of her Annie's Fiction book Remembering Daisy. Please let us know if you would like to be included in the drawing.
This collection sounds like a must read. I would love to be in the drawing. Thank you so much for the chance. Blessings
ReplyDeleteleliamae54(at)aol(dot)com
Lucy, we are happy to have you with us today.
DeleteThanks for stopping by!
DeletePutting you in the drawing, Lucy. Thanks for being here today.
DeleteI'm So happy to be here with you today!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing the story behind the collection, Mary.
DeleteWelcome Dana and Mary! And also any of the other authors who drop by!
ReplyDeleteI'm excited for this collection! It sounds like a fantastic project. I'm still holding on to summer around here (Georgia), hating to see the weather turn cooler. However just seeing your cover and hearing about the stories has made me long for the holidays! I'll look forward to the release.
BTW, I preordered it!
DeleteThank you, Missy. Here in Texas the weather has turned cooler, (at least for us). It's hard to believe October is just knocking on the door.
DeleteThanks Missy! In PA, we're alternating between hot and cooler days. The leaves are starting to change, which I love!
DeleteSame here, Dana. We were having lovely cool weather, but all of a sudden it turned warm and humid again. Supposedly we're going into the 50s on Friday though.
DeleteWhat a terrific lineup of authors and stories, Mary and Dana! Congratulations on this release!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Erica.
DeleteThanks Erica!
DeleteThanks so much for being on, Mary and Dana!
ReplyDeleteWe are happy to be back at Seekerville. This is such a wonderful place. You guys are terrific.
DeleteI love coming to Seekerville! This group was a huge encouragement to me in my journey.
DeleteHi All:
ReplyDeleteI just ordered “Amish Christmas Miracles” because I double my romance reading during the Christmas season and I enjoy Amish stories. I do have a few questions:
Are these Contemporary Amish stories? I don’t quite understand historical Amish stories as the Amish are not so unique when there is no electricity. They seem mostly like their neighbors.
Do you have any stories set in Oklahoma in the collection? We have Amish east of Tulsa.
Does the story about “The Christmas Fudge Miracle” include the recipe? Ruth put the recipe for Maple Fudge at the end of one of her books, I made it for a Tulsa writing group, and they all loved it! You have to use real maple syrup so it is quite expense to make but it is heavenly!
Were the main character names and theme plots cleared at the start so there would be no characters with the same names or identical plot situations in the 14 stories? This would seem to be a hard thing to do.
What I really like about large collections at such a reasonable price is that the reader only has to like one story to get more for his or her money than the book costs. I hope your collective effort is very successful. I see many new authors to me. I hope some can become favorites.
Please include me in the drawings if they are ebooks. I have to have very large print.
Vince
Hi Vince,
DeleteI'm not sure if they are ebooks or print, but I'll certainly check with Dana and Mary.
Now you have me wanting maple fudge.
Vince, the book will be available in both print and ebook. I believe most stories are contemporary Amish stories.
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DeleteHi Cate: The fudge recipe is found as Meg’s Allegany Maple Fudge, in “Small-Town Hearts”, by Ruth Logan Herne. For me this book has one of my favorite romance scenes in which the heroine, being very mistreated by men, swears off all men forever. Then when she learns that a new renter has moved in down the hall from her apartment, she brings him a plate of cookies. It is so unexpected that I never forgot this scene. Ruth does things like that. Vince
Hi Mary and Dana!
ReplyDeleteI'm so excited about this collection of Christmas stories and know the readers will love every delightful tale! Congrats, ladies, on another anthology bestseller, for sure!
We'll all be counting down the days until Amish Christmas Miracles releases! Just in time to begin the holiday season!
Hugs to you both!
Debby, you've got me humming "For we need a little Christmas, right this very minute... We need a little Christmas NOW!"
DeleteThank you, Debby. I can't believe we're almost to October. Christmas is around the corner.
DeleteAnd Cate, we definitely need a little Christmas now.
DeleteI’m so happy to be a part of this! I learned a lot and I’ve enjoyed working with the other writers! I know our readers will love this collection.
ReplyDeleteLenora, we are happy to have you in the collection. I believe it will be a wonderful one.
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