Oh, what fun it is to ride…
And I want YOU to ride along with me, later in this post! There might be a book in it for you.
You might be sweltering in the early summer heat, wondering what sort of meds I’m on if I’m rhapsodizing about a one-horse open sleigh. But the news here is good! My Kensington editor has invited both of me to write an Amish Christmas anthology. And because I couldn’t have a sleigh on the cover of my current WIP, WINTER OF WISHES, we’ve agreed this romantic vehicle will be featured in these two novellas and on the cover of AN AMISH COUNTRY CHRISTMAS, due out for the 2013 holiday season.
Sometimes the writing biz can be fun, you know it? Sometimes it’s pretty exciting to be me! I especially love it when an editor invites me to write an anthology we’re both excited about from the get-go. One novella will be written by Charlotte Hubbard and feature characters from my Seasons of the Heart series, and the other novella will be by Naomi King (the other me) with characters from her Home at Cedar Creek series. And these folks from Willow Ridge and Cedar Creek get to mingle at Christmas time, my favorite season to write about.
While it was wonderful to have my Kensington editor excited about this uniquely Me project, the better news is: when we asked my NAL editor, as a courtesy, if she was okay with me writing this book, she agreed—AND she offered me a new two-book contract for more Cedar Creek series books! It was a big week. Not only does this turn of events show my editors’ faith in my writing, but they’re willing to roll the dice that this long-running, lucrative wave of Amish fiction will hold out through 2014, when the second NAL book is due in.
So now, while I’m doing the final editing on WINTER OF WISHES (10/13) and meanwhile proofreading the galleys for ROSEMARY OPENS HER HEART (11/12), I’m also cogitating plots for these two Christmas novellas. My mind has been a very busy place since 2010 when I began writing two Amish series simultaneously, and this condition shows no sign of letting up. I’m good with that!
Just for a lark, what are your favorite winter/romance scenarios? One of my novellas, Kissing the Bishop, will feature two older couples getting snowed in together as their romances blossom. My other story will involve playful Amish twin sisters, 17, and a set of brothers who are immediately drawn to them and can’t tell one from the other.
I would love to hear your plot/character suggestions as I prepare to write these synopses!
Email me at CharlotteHubbard10@gmail.com, and I’ll award one copy of SUMMER OF SECRETS and one copy of ABBY FINDS HER CALLING for the two suggestions I like the best.
OK—back to your summer day, and I’ll get back to my editing.
