Hello! The original post (found below) went live on September 10. Today is October 6, and I’m popping in to let you know that although I’m running late for pulling contest winners, I’ll pick FIVE winners tomorrow to help make up for it. I’ll contact the winners and then post a new blog entry as soon as I’ve heard from each one. Until then I’m busy writing, writing, writing on book two of the Ada’s House series.

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While on my book tour, a journalist from the Wall Street Journal, Alexandra Alter accompanied me during a visit with my Amish friends. Some of you may remember that in the last blog post I wrote a little about Alexandra joining us.

I was thrilled to see that her article – and a sketch of Hannah’s face – were featured on the front page of the Wall Street Journal yesterday!  The piece ran in the newsprint, but you can find the online version here.

The only small correction I have is that my books have actually sold over half-a-million rather than the 134,000 that the Nielsen BookScan reported.

In preparation for the October 6 release of The Sound of Sleigh Bells, I am offering a chance to win an autographed copy! Simply comment on this post to be entered.  Click here to read more about The Sound of Sleigh Bells. The first chapter will be available online in a short time, so check back soon!

I also wanted to share a piece from my upcoming newsletter, Plain News. It features the visit to Daniel and Miriam’s house, which Alexandra mentions in her Wall Street Journal article.

Excerpt from “Plain News September 2009.” The newsletter is free and is sent four times per year. To sign up to receive this free newsletter, go to: Plain News

Amish Connection

On the last day of my book-signing tour, my husband, my editor, a journalist, and I pulled into the driveway of one of my Amish friends. Miriam and Daniel and their two youngest children came out of their farmhouse to greet us. Feeling Miriam’s arms around me for the first time since May, I did not want to let go. After hugs and warm welcomes, we introduced them to my editor and the journalist.

Daniel invited us into their home, where Miriam’s kitchen island was covered with goodies. The aromas of fruits, cheeses, and homemade desserts filled our senses. We put some of the delectables on our plates, took cups of coffee, and moved outside to sit under a shade tree. After more than a week of changing hotels every night and pushing to get to each event on time, it was relaxing and pleasant to enjoy these treats with such great company!

After our midmorning refreshments, we went to the barn to hitch the horse to the buggy for a short ride. Although I’ve written books with characters hitching a horse to a buggy, I needed greater detail about it for my next novel. The smell of hay and horse feed filled my nostrils. In another part of the barn, calves added their young voices to the sounds of the horses.

I watched carefully, asked a lot of questions, and took notes as Daniel showed me the blacksmith’s tools, explaining what each one was used for, and then hitched the horse to a two-person carriage. Once Daniel had the rig hitched, he gave each of us a ride. August’s temps bore down on the black asphalt and shadeless road, so we took short rides in order to spare the horse. I find buggies rather difficult to climb in and out of, but well worth the effort. Alexandra (the journalist) had never traveled to Amish country before, so it was fun to see her enjoying the farm and the ride.

After the buggy rides, Shannon (my editor) and I visited my friend’s craft room, which is located above the carriage house. The room smelled of old wood, reminding me of attics and of my writing room at home. It had a lot of items that Shannon had seen on my Web site and in my newsletter, including decorative hames, which are wall hangings made using a quilt patch between two old wooden pieces of a harness, the part that goes around the horse’s neck. The craft room also had various sizes of baskets lined with sewn fabric and topped with hand-painted lids, frames with paintings, antique foot-pedal sewing machines with scenes painted on them, and cute birdhouses made from old boots. When I visit, I always enjoy seeing the new crafts Miriam has created.

When we returned to the house, all the refreshments had been removed and dinner was being set out. My friend’s teenage daughter had been hard at work as the adults were busy visiting and riding in the buggy! The aromas were delicious, but the food tasted even better than it smelled. We had roast beef and lots of fresh seasonal vegetables from the family’s garden. The small potatoes had been boiled in a tasty mix of seasonings, the home-grown green beans were perfectly crisp, and the ice-cold water did wonders to quench our thirst after being outside in the heat.

Time seemed to drift away as we continued to chat while enjoying our dessert of pumpkin roll and ice cream. In fact, we were enjoying our visit so much that when I glanced at the clock, I gasped. We had very little time to get to our next signing! Everyone jumped up and rushed about, only taking enough time to put the leftovers in the refrigerator so they wouldn’t spoil.

The book signing at Rachel’s Country Store was very busy. During the signing, Daniel and my husband took my editor to the train station in Harrisburg. She had a flight to catch in Philadelphia. Since our vehicle was in Harrisburg, and we hadn’t come in a horse and buggy, the journalist waited for me to finish and then took us back to Miriam’s home before she left for New York.

Within minutes, Miriam and I were reclining under the shade tree again as if there were no dishes to be washed. She said we couldn’t use valuable chat time doing work—not during such a short visit. I promised to be useful during our next stay. When the men returned, they joined us, and the conversation flowed nonstop until my husband and I had to leave.

While on our way to our van, rain began sprinkling the farm while the sun shone brightly. I turned to my friends and said, “We’re about to see a rainbow.” As we hugged good-bye, we marveled at the gorgeous rainbow, commenting that it felt like a promise that even though our trip had been short, we’d have more visits in the future.

My husband and I visited my dad, stepmom, and brother while in Pennsylvania, and by the time we arrived home, we’d traveled more than three thousand miles. But Home Sweet Home greeted us at the end of our trip…as did bills, yard work, and a teen who’d successfully weathered most of the first two weeks of school without Mom or Dad.

Excerpt from “Plain News September 2009.” The newsletter is free and is sent four times per year. To sign up to receive this free newsletter, see link above this article. I tried to post that same link here, entered the same URL, and took all the right “techie” steps, but the link kept leading to weird places. Sorry.

To enter to win a copy of The Sound of Sleigh Bells, comment on this post!

What an adventure! I have recently returned home to Georgia from my seven-state book signing tour. Although my husband and I are still exhausted, we were thrilled to get to take such a journey and meet with all the readers who came out to see me!

Our tour began on Tuesday, August 11 with an appearance on Fox 5 Good Day Atlanta. We had a signing that evening in Norcross, GA at the Barnes and Noble. There was quite a crowd, as you can see in the video my husband took.  The next day, I had a signing in Nashville, TN, and the day after that in Plainfield IN. Here are my reflections and some shots of these signings!

On Friday, we headed to Illinois, and on Saturday and Sunday we had two signings in Michigan. Here’s the video from that weekend. Ann Byle wrote a great article about my visit in the Grand Rapids Press, that you can also find online here.

Monday began our visit to Ohio with a taped interview on Central Ohio Public Radio at Ohio State University. Afterward we met up with my editor, Shannon (Hill) Marchese. We then went to a book signing and Q & A at Barnes and Noble in Columbus. On Tuesday, we had a signing and lunch at the Der Dutchman, which is an Amish restaurant in Walnut Creek, OH. I met my editor’s mom, an Englischer and an Amish woman who always help provide the clothing for the models for my books’ covers, and I even met one of the models. We had a great time and a delicious meal.

Also on Tuesday, I traveled to Joseph Beth Booksellers in Pittsburgh, PA. I had a really fun time getting to know the group, and I was able to discuss the writing and story aspects of my book with one aspiring author.  On Wednesday I had an in-depth interview with Pennsylvania Public Radio at Temple University. Here’s a link to the audio. That evening, we had a signing at Hackman’s Bible Bookstore in Whitehall, PA, during which I was joined by a journalist from the Wall Street Journal.

Our final stop on the book signing tour was on Thursday Rachel’s County Store, which is an Amish dry goods store in Newburg, PA. About five times more people came to that signing than we’d planned for. I signed over 250 books before we sold out of certain titles. We were thrilled to meet so many readers!

The tour felt like a whirlwind, but I was helped along the way by my husband and editor. It was my first experience at having so much time with my editor as she traveled in the vehicle with us. I could not have received a better blessing! She shared so many helpful insights about the book I’m currently writing–book two of Ada’s House series. After all but one of the signings and interviews, we all went to one of my Amish friends home for supper, where we had some precious time to catch up and an unbelievable delicious meal.

Huge, huge thank you to readers who contributed to The Hope of Refuge hitting the #29 spot on the New York Times best-sellers list!

Sheryl of Lawrenceville, GA  and Grace of Jamestown, NY are our winners from the August 5th drawing for a copy of the Hope of Refuge! I’ll begin a new contest next week so check back to enter!

Here are some photos from our signings and visits throughout Amish Country!

In celebration of the release of The Hope of Refuge, I’m going on a seven-state book-signing tour. Below are the dates, times, and locations of the stops on the tour.

My editor has created a miniature poster that you can print out to share with others or bring to the event for me to sign. I encourage you to download the signing event’s flyer—a beautiful piece of artwork, similar to what you see below. Each one has the date, time, and location of that particular book signing. We did this so you can print out flyers to share with others. You can print as many as you’d like and take them to your book club, church, coworkers, friends, relatives, or even the local library.

This is my first book tour, and I’d love to meet as many readers as possible. I think I’ll get the opportunity to speak for a few minutes at each signing as well as answer some questions. If the economy has taken a hit at your home and you don’t wish to buy a book, come on out and let’s have some fun anyway. I’ll sign the flyer you’ve printed or a bookmark.

My editor, who is flying in from Colorado, will be with me for the tour starting in Columbus, Ohio. She’s been my editor throughout the Sisters of the Quilt series, The Hope of Refuge, and The Sound of Sleigh Bells. Behind every enjoyable, satisfying read is a great editor. She challenges me to write and rewrite until the story inside my heart matches the one that’s showing up on the page for readers. She makes me work really hard, but I always return the favor!

From My Editor: The Top 5 Reasons for Going to Cindy’s Book Signing
1. CSI will be on tomorrow night too.
2. How else can you ask, live and face-to-face, “What is Hannah up to now?”
3. I know Cindy, and she always has intriguing surprises and some unforgettable insight for her readers.
4. Where else can you go but a bookstore to meet Cindy AND pick up that copy of Charlotte’s Web for your daughter’s reading list AND get the perfect gift for your mother-in-law’s birthday [Hint: The Hope of Refuge]?
5. What a perfect opportunity for a field trip with your book club or women’s small group.
One last shameless plug from the editor… This is a great excuse to get out of the house with some friends and introduce them to some terrific books in a friendly, personable environment. Have a ladies’ night out at the bookstore.

If I can manage all the technical aspects while traveling, I will be using Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube to keep you updated on how the signing tour is progressing.

Follow the tour on:

Facebook | Twitter | YouTube

Tuesday, August 11 7-8:30pm

Barnes & Noble

5141 Peachtree Parkway, The Forum

Norcross, Georgia 30092

(770) 209-4244

Flyer (PDF) | Map

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Wednesday, August 12 7-8pm

Barnes & Noble Opry Mills

515 Opry Mills Drive

Nashville, Tennessee 37214

(615) 514-5000

Flyer (PDF) | Map

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Thursday, August 13 6-8pm

Barnes & Noble

2540 Futura Pkwy. #135

Plainfield, Indiana 46168

(317) 838-7941

Flyer (PDF) | Map

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Friday, August 14 6-8pm

Barnes & Noble

1550 West 75th

Downers Grove, Illinois 60516

(630) 663-0181

Flyer (PDF) | Map

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Saturday, August 15 1-3pm

Baker Books

2768 East Paris Ave SE

Grand Rapids, Michigan 49546-6139

(616) 957-3110

Flyer (PDF) | Map

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Sunday, August 16 2-4pm

Barnes & Noble Booksellers

3700 Rivertown Parkway Ste. 2058

Grandville, Michigan 49418

(616) 531-1825

Flyer (PDF) | Map

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Monday, August 17 7-8:00pm

Barnes & Noble Booksellers

1739 Olentangy River Road

Columbus, Ohio 43212

(614) 298-9516

Flyer (PDF) | Map

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Tuesday, August 18 7-8:30pm

Joseph Beth Booksellers

2705 E. Carson Street

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15203

(412) 381-3600

Flyer (PDF) | Map

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Wednesday, August 19 6-8pm

Hackman’s Bible Book Store

1341 Mickley Road

Whitehall, Pennsylvania 18052-4610

(610) 264-8600

Flyer (PDF) | Map

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Thursday, August 20 1 – 3pm

Rachel’s Country Store (Amish dry goods store)

6352 McClays Mill Road

Newburg, Pennsylvania 17240

(717) 530-9452

Flyer (PDF) | Map

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On August 5, two winners were drawn from those who’d left comments below. The winners are Sheryl, of Lawrenceville, Georgia, and Grace of Jamestown, New York. Congratulations Sheryl and Grace!  This contest is now closed. I’ll begin a new contest a week or so after I’m home from my book tour.

In the July issue of my newsletter, Plain News, I wrote about my latest trip to Pennsylvania and spending some of that time with Amish friends. For those of you who don’t receive my newsletter, I’m posting an excerpt below.

But first! It’s time to have another blog contest. The winner of the last blog contest, Nancy  Capps, won an Amish-made wall hanging. Congratulations, Nancy! The contest this time is for an autographed copy of The Hope of Refuge. I’m very excited about my upcoming release, and if you read the excerpt from my newsletter, you’ll begin to see why.

 

New Yorker Cara Moore has nothing and is on the run. Young Amish woman Deborah Mast has everything and is on her way to the wedding altar. When their lives collide, neither one will be the same. Can the humility and faith of Ada save either of them?

For a chance to win an autographed copy of The Hope of Refuge, just leave a comment below.

Amish Connection

From the yard of my closest Old Order Amish friend, I sipped a cup of coffee as I watched sunlight peek over the mountains and fill the valley. Along the creek banks of a nearby pasture, bands of mist rose like dancing trees and then disappeared into nothingness six or so feet from the ground. I’d never seen mist do such a jig. Sunlight sparkled off the dewy grass. The creek had overflowed its usual bounds because of abundant spring rains and ran wildly through the meadow. The steady clop of horses’ hoofs against the asphalt softened as the rigs pulled onto the gravel driveway.

It was a day I’d looked forward to for a year. The annual Amish school sale. It’s a bustling auction with at least four auctioneers selling various goods at different stations, two makeshift kitchens set up on the property, and several commercial-size grills filled with chicken.

The sales from this auction support Amish schools in the surrounding community. So on that beautiful spring day, many districts of Amish people attended the school sale, along with hundreds of English folk (also known as Englischers or non-Amish). A district has between eighteen to twenty-eight families. When the population grows to around twenty-five families, the Amish church leaders start looking into ways to divide that district—which involves several things, one of which is renovating a current structure or building a new one-room Amish schoolhouse.

On the day of this auction, there were probably a thousand people inside the warehouse-type building owned by an Amish family for the purpose of timber framing. This school sale is held each year on the day before Mother’s Day, which lends itself to a great gift-buying opportunity for Amish and English alike.

Most of my family was there, eating and drinking the homemade goods and bidding on things from hand–sewn, faceless dolls to wall hangings to king-size quilts.

I love these auctions!

When I finally tore myself away from my Amish friends a week later, I brought with me a beautiful Amish quilt for the quilt contest. The quilt was sewn by at least a dozen Amish women from that area. It’s gorgeous! So if you haven’t entered the Amish quilt contest yet, I encourage you to do so this time.

After the crowds had gone home, the cleanup began. The sun sank behind the mountains, and about the time dark settled over the land, everything was in order enough for supper to begin. About nine o’clock that night, amid soft conversations and bursts of laughter, my husband, youngest son, and I sat at the familiar old oak table and shared a meal with a group of very weary and content Amish folk. It was another great year of earning money to pay the schoolteachers from several districts in the area, and they were pleased.

The aromas, sights, and sounds of an Amish school sale are only one piece of the authentic Amish culture captured in my new book, The Hope of Refuge.

 

Excerpt from “Plain News July 2009.” The newsletter is free and is sent four times per year. To sign up to receive this free newsletter, go to: Plain News

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Hello Amazing Readers!

For those of you who blog and are eagerly awaiting The Hope of Refuge, you might be interested in an opportunity being offered by Random House.

The release date for The Hope of Refuge has been moved from mid-September to August 11!

Raised in foster care and now the widowed mother of a little girl, Cara Moore struggles against poverty, fear, and a relentless stalker. When a trail of memories leads Cara and Lori out of New York City toward an Amish community, she follows every lead, eager for answers and a fresh start. She discovers that long-held secrets about her family history ripple beneath the surface of Dry Lake, Pennsylvania, and it’s no place for an outsider. But one Amish man, Ephraim Mast, dares to fulfill the command he believes that he received from God–“Be me to her”– despite how it threatens his way of life.

JOIN THE HOPE OF REFUGE BLOG TOUR

Do you have an established personal blog? If so, you may be eligible to join the blog tour for Cindy’s new book The Hope of Refuge. As an approved blog reviewer, you’ll receive a free, advance copy of The Hope of Refuge and a giveaway copy!

To submit your blog for consideration, email wbpgblogtours@randomhouse.com by June 24, 2009.

Include your name, street address, and a link to your blog. A limited number of review slots are available, so email now! The blog tour will take place August 3-11.