Feb 25, 2015 | Amish fiction, Uncategorized
A funny thing often happens when you begin writing a new book: even though you had all the characters in your head and all the major story points plotted out, the ending can be quite a lot different than you’d originally pictured it. I love when that happens! And in the case of HARVEST OF BLESSINGS, the fifth book in my Seasons of the Heart series, Nora Glick Landwehr’s story becomes a turning point for the town of Willow Ridge—and a springboard for a new series!
Nora has a tough row to hoe. After sixteen years and a failed marriage to an Englisch man, she returns to Willow Ridge to reconcile with the family who cast her out when, at sixteen, she became pregnant out of wedlock. Almost out of spite, Nora left that baby on her brother’s doorstep and pursued the only life she believed she had open to her.
Well, it didn’t work out. Her handsome Englisch husband left her for “someone more interesting and sophisticated” but Nora was smart enough to press for a large, lucrative divorce settlement. So when she shows up in the Old Order Amish town she grew up in, she’s got a lot of black marks on her record . . . a lot of people to ask forgiveness of . . . a sixteen-year-old daughter who has no idea that Nora is her mother. It doesn’t help that she buys the biggest house in town—which immediately links her to Hiram Knepp, the deceptive excommunicated bishop—and that she shows up in a red sports car wearing short shorts and a sparkly blue ball cap.
I knew going in that Luke Hooley, Nora’s commit-a-phobe neighbor, was going to chase after her from the get-go. I did not expect Luke to evolve into Nora’s biggest supporter and best friend when it seemed that no one in her family would welcome her home. And while I also knew she was going to convert the big horse barn on her property into a consignment store for Plain crafts and gift items, I had no idea that she was a crafter herself (she creates 3-D banners of Plain people and farm scenes) nor did I anticipate the store’s immediate success and the overwhelming support Nora gets from the characters we’ve met earlier in the series.
I also knew that Millie Glick, whom we’d met in earlier books, would be in for the shock of her young lifetime when she finds out that this flashy redheaded woman in the red sportscar is her mother. Millie experiences my own feelings of betrayal and disbelief, which I so vividly recalled from learning that the dad who raised me was not my birth father—except Millie was only 16 and I was 40 when we made this life-changing discovery. When you invest your own very personal experience into a story, you risk dredging up all the muck again and perhaps getting people in your family upset again, as well.
But in this case, my investment paid off not only in an emotionally authentic story—but also in a spin-off series! My editor and I didn’t want the Seasons series to get too long (off-putting to readers who’ve not discovered me until the fifth or sixth book), but we didn’t want to leave the town of Willow Ridge, either. So starting in 2016, Simple Gifts will continue this homey little town’s story and Nora Hooley will be the anchor character in a series that centers around her shop of the same name. It was a payoff I’d never anticipated—an ending even happier than the one I’d planned to write in the first place!
Oct 11, 2014 | Amish fiction
When I began writing EMMA BLOOMS AT LAST, the fourth book in my Home At Cedar Creek/One Big Happy Family series, major story pieces were already in play. I’d created the world of Cedar Creek, Missouri, and I’d also kept readers wondering if Abby Lambright and James Graber would ever marry! In AMANDA WEDS A GOOD MAN, I’d also introduced the extended Brubaker family. One element of the writing process was different, however: I knew EMMA would be the final book in this series. I had to say goodbye, so I could say yes to other things—and that’s exactly what Emma Graber must do in this book, as well!
Poor Emma, however, deals with a very tough goodbye when her mother dies. Eunice Graber simply doesn’t wake up one morning—and if you’ve lost your mom, you realize Emma’s sense of loss will never totally go away. Already a homebody, Emma will use her mother’s passing as an excuse for not going out when flashy, confident Jerome Lambright invites her to have some fun.
An unexpected job offer from Sam Lambright turns the tide, however: Sam insists that Abby will no longer work in the mercantile now that she’s married. Everyone in Cedar Creek knows Sam will have a lot of trouble replacing Abby, and some folks doubt Emma’s ability to work in the busy store during the Christmas season.
But Emma gives it a shot. She’s kept the books for her brother’s carriage shop, so she eagerly tackles Sam’s bookkeeping—a task she can perform in the workroom, because she’s in mourning and isn’t permitted to work among the customers. Then an emotional melt-down shows Emma and her family that she hasn’t allowed herself time to grieve her mother’s passing. Even so, Emma’s dat Merle tells her to get a life—doing something besides hovering over him. As Jerome finds ways to spend time with the Graber family, Emma comes to appreciate his enthusiastic nature. She even confronts the ex-fiancee who tries to win Jerome back. Now that’s a funny chapter!
Jerome has changed his ways, as well, coaxing Emma from her cocoon instead of coming on like a fire truck. He takes her on a moonlit sleigh ride and bares his soul, allowing Emma to see that he, too, has his share of doubts. As a man who’s backed out of two previous engagements, Jerome doesn’t want to become a three-time loser nor does he want to hurt Emma by rushing into another bad match.
And in the end, EMMA BLOOMS AT LAST. She says goodbye to the shy, retiring young woman she’d been and says yes to a future as Jerome’s wife and helpmate. For me, saying goodbye to this series has provided a chance to write two new Amish series for the publisher of my Seasons of the Heart books. So I get a happy ending from making a major change, just as Emma does!
Sep 2, 2013 | Amish fiction
At long last, a year after we read Miriam’s story in AUTUMN WINDS, it’s time to learn about Rhoda Lantz’s turn at romance! Her story is totally different from her sister Rachel’s, as Rhoda finds the man of her dreams while looking at ads posted on the bulletin board in Zook’s Market—and is in immediate trouble.
Before she’s even hung up from talking with Andy Leitner, asking about the job caring for his two kids after school, along with his aging mom, just the timbre of his voice whispers to her lonely heart, calling up forbidden longings. Word gets out about her English employer . . . a secret kiss in the moonlight . . . and Rhoda may well be shunned. Rest assured that Bishop Hiram Knepp finds ways to make Rhoda’s life miserable—and a few of HIS secrets, after the sleighing accident of his two 5-year-old twins, will get the folks of Willow Ridge up in arms, as well.
And, oh yes! Miriam and Ben will get married on New Year’s Day, but their ceremony will be interrupted by even more surprises. If you think Willow Ridge goes into hibernation during the cold winter months, think again!
I’d love to hear what you think of this story–feel free to post on my Charlotte Hubbard Facebook page, or to post a review on BN.com, Amazon and other online bookstores. Thank you so much for your interest in my Seasons of the Heart series!
Jun 8, 2013 | Amish fiction, Uncategorized
I am so pleased to announce that AUTUMN WINDS, the second book in my Seasons of the Heart series, has recently been named Inspirational Romance of 2012 by RomanceReviews.com. I was excited last year when the reviewer emailed to tell me she had given my book a “Perfect 10” rating, but this win for the entire year is frosting on the cake.
WHY am I excited about this particular award? Because I had nothing to do with it! To win a lot of awards, you must nominate your own book–or have someone nominate it for you–and sometimes for online awards, you must then go begging to your friends, saying “VOTE FOR ME!” I really, really dislike these popularity contests, so I don’t participate. It just doesn’t feel right to me. So, compared to many other novelists, I don’t have a lot of awards listed beside my name.
That updates you for now, although it’s nearly time to bring on the 3 new books I have coming out this fall: WINTER OF WISHES, AN AMISH COUNTRY CHRISTMAS, and AMANDA WEDS A GOOD MAN. You can see more about those now on my Upcoming Titles page, and newsletters will go out soon! Thanks so much for your interest in my books.
Jul 4, 2012 | Amish fiction, Uncategorized
I just wrote my hottest Amish scene ever!
And as I write this, I’m chuckling. The thought that this scene between two Amish teenagers, fully clothed, is HOT tickles my funny bone.
At the same time, however, this scene took me back to when I was eighteen with raging hormones (well, OK, I was 19 and in college before I ever got to the “raging” part) and eagerly exploring the trail that passionate kisses blazed. It took me back to my days of first dates, especially with guys I knew next to nothing about on campus…or better yet with guys who were only visiting campus. “I will never see this guy again” can lead you in a lot of different directions.
Writing this brief scene reminded me of my favorite Stephen King quote: “a short story is like a kiss in the dark from a stranger.” Because red-headed, playful Mary has been talked out of the winter’s cold and into a warm hay-filled barn by adventurous Bram, whom she met only this morning, she does indeed receive kisses in the dark from this stranger. And that part suits her fine: she’s Amish, yes, but she’s a young girl looking for a man to court and marry. It’s Bram’s premature talk of jumping the fence to start his own business—with her—rather than joining the Old Amish church that strikes the fear in her.
As well it should. And even though they only kiss and they remain fully clothed, and even though the description and action cover only a few long paragraphs, big trouble comes to light—and this brings on the real HEAT. We’re talking hellfire here, if these kids don’t follow the Old Ways. Preacher Abe, Bram’s uncle, walks in on them with his lantern. Abe has overheard his nephew’s talk of leaving the faith he’s been raised in, and both kids could be in for enough discipline to ruin their carefree days of Christmas —if Abe tells their parents. As well he should. But will he?
Do you remember being that scared, getting caught when you were making out? Being that innocent and feeling like the world’s about to come crashing down around you because of some hot kisses and careless whispers? Boy, I sure do! That sort of heat—fear of parental reprisal or worse—often overrode my adventurous streak with guys, at least until I figured out it was best if I simply didn’t tell my parents everything I was doing at college. These two Amish teenagers will have to reach that “point of no return,” as well, when they decide to commit to each other and their faith (Amish kids must join the church before they can marry) or to break their families’ hearts and leave instead.
Maybe that’s one of my favorite things about writing. Not only do we transport our readers to other places and times and mindsets in our stories, we take ourselves there, as well. Today I took myself into a dark barn with a good-looking, hot-blooded young man who told me I was everything he ever wanted as he kissed me until the world started spinning.
You know, I could use more days like this.
A funny thing often happens when you begin writing a new book: even though you had all the characters in your head and all the major story points plotted out, the ending can be quite a lot different than you’d originally pictured it. I love when that happens! And in the case of HARVEST OF BLESSINGS, the fifth book in my Seasons of the Heart series, Nora Glick Landwehr’s story becomes a turning point for the town of Willow Ridge—and a springboard for a new series!
