Hello Everyone! Debby Giusti here.
I'm thrilled that Amish Fiction Writer Tracy Fredrychowski can be with us today. Many of you have enjoyed not only her past blogposts but also her delightful stories, and I'm sure you're eager to hear more from her today. As you probably know, Tracy hosts the Buggy Talk Podcast where she interviews many of the Amish writers I enjoy reading. Be sure to check out her site, but first, join me in welcoming Tracy to Seekerville. Today she's sharing deep from her heart!
When Real Life Collides with Amish Fiction…
A
deadline doesn't care that your life has become an emotional rollercoaster or
that the Lord decided to take your daddy home on Christmas Eve. All it cares
about is ensuring you make your publish date.
If you're
an author, you might know right where I'm coming from, or if you're a reader,
let me take you for a walk through what it looks like when tragedy happens in
the middle of writing a book. Even if that means you write a heart-warming
story about death and the transformation of a family sitting at your daddy's
deathbed.
It's
been a whirlwind of emotions over the last six months. When a cancer diagnosis
comes to someone you love, you never know how you'll react when the time
finally comes. I'm sure many of you have faced challenges like
this, and my heart goes out to you.
My
daddy left this world on Christmas Eve, and I will forever be grateful he
played a big part in making me who I am. In the above picture, he
dressed as an Amish man to make me smile. He might not have understood my love for writing
Amish fiction (mainly since we lived near them, and to my dad, they were just
people like us), but he loved me, and that was all that mattered.
And while he passed away before I finished my latest release,
the emotions I felt at his passing helped me write some incredible
heart-wrenching scenes. Barbara's Amish Truth
Exposed is
about a family's determination to stop generational sin. While the story is fictional
and does not resemble my father or family, a parent's death produces the same
pain and loss.
So, I
continued to write when circumstances fought hard to keep me down. It was the
faithfulness of my readers who cheered me on so I could keep going. I was
emotionally overwhelmed with gratitude that so many of my friends and readers
understood my lack of involvement in so many things.
It
took a few beautiful words from my sweet daughter that helped me process the
many things that attacked our family this past year, and I hope they will do
the same for you…
"Our circumstances
do not define our faith; our faith defines our events. So, while I am allowing
myself to process the tidal wave of yuck life that brought so many people
around me and me, I can't help but be incredibly thankful. I have been blessed
beyond measure. I can see firsthand God bringing beauty from the ashes. I feel
a closeness to Him and a dependency on Him that I can't say I would have
without the past. That alone is immeasurable. I am entering this year with a
tribe of people Jesus has genuinely sent. I am so thankful for the body of
Christ, for the endless prayers and support, for the willingness to allow us to
be transparent without judgment, and for His truth that speaks to my heart daily.
So be sad, be thankful,
grieve, and pray. But don't let your feelings or circumstances lie to you about
who God was, is, and always will be."
Laura, Tracy's daughter…
So,
please, my friends, let's strive to be refreshed and renewed and eagerly await
what the Lord has in store for us as we leave the past right where it
belongs…in the past!
As you
read Barbara's
Amish Truth Exposed – Book 4 of the Amish Women of Lawrence County, I pray you will see a story full of pain, hope, and love that withstands some
of life's most challenging circumstances.
Will this shame-filled believer ever allow God to heal her
broken heart? Or will she carry the burden of her lie alone, permitting history
to repeat itself?
Barbara Wagler is filled with
shame over dishonoring her husband’s memory. While the young Amish woman is
devastated after her husband of five years dies in a farming accident, she is
left to raise their sons alone. When her first love, Joseph Wagler, returns to
Willow Springs, can they bury the past, or will widower Roy Mullet from
Sugarcreek stir up trouble in Barbara and her sister Susan’s life?
Still struggling to allow
herself happiness, Barbara sets out on a journey to reveal the truth of her mistakes.
But her honesty leads her to question God’s ultimate promises and her father’s
sordid past.
Can
this woman continue to lie to herself, or will she find the courage to boldly
go to God and allow him to lead her on a path of deliverance?
Barbara’s Amish Truth Exposed is the inspirational fourth book in The Amish Women of Lawrence County series of women’s fiction novels.
If you like spiritual explorations, real-life challenges of emotional bravery, and basking in God’s light, then you’ll adore Tracy Fredrychowski’s exploration of hope.
Preorder the eBook at a discounted price here. Releases March 30th
Preorder paperback with a bonus here.
Connect
with Tracy Fredrychowski, Author, in the following ways:
Website
– https://tracyfredrychowski.com
Instagram
- https://www.instagram.com/tracyfredrychowski/
Facebook
- https://www.facebook.com/tracyfredrychowskiauthor/
Private
Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/tracyfredrychowski/
BookBub
- https://www.bookbub.com/authors/tracy-fredrychowski
