When the Soul Mends

Rumors and lies left Hannah's life in tatters; can the truth possibly stitch it back together?

Having fled in disgrace more than two years earlier, Hannah finally has found happiness in the Englischer world, as well as love with Martin Palmer, a man with whom she can safely entrust her heart. But almost immediately after her arrival in Owl's Perch, the disapproval of those who ostracized her reopens old wounds.

As Hannah encounters former fiancë Paul Waddell, truths unknown to her surface about the events during her absence and she faces an agonizing decision. Will she choose the Englischer world and the man who restored her hope, or will she return to the Plain Life-and perhaps her first love?

When the Heart Cries

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Hannah Lapp was born and raised in an Old Order Amish home, without electricity, a telephone, or the right to follow her heart. Without her parents' knowledge, she's been in love with Mennonite Paul Waddell for years. When he asks her to marry him, she accepts, even though to do so will cause her family to avoid her for the rest of her life.

Before Hannah and Paul reveal their relationship, tragedy strikes. In one unwelcome encounter, all that Hannah has known and believed is destroyed and she faces losing everything: her family, her fiancé, and even her faith in God.

CBA bestseller
CBD bestseller
2007 ECPA Christian Book of the Year Award finalist
Books-a-Million FaithPoint Book Club January '07 selection
Reviewer's Choice Award Winner

When the Morning Comes

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Storytellers’ Journal & a new contest

The Hames Contest was fantastic! Nancy Lou of Raleigh, North Carolina received her Amish-made hames in the mail today. A huge thanks to every one of you who participated! I was thrilled with the response!

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I have an article coming out in the 2008 Storytellers’ Journal that tells about how I connected with the Amish.

I’ve shared a little of it here, but the full article will be available in May at your local Christian bookstore. Just ask the store manager for your complimentary copy of Storytellers’ Journal. If they dont’ have it, ask the manager order copies from their WaterBrook/Multnomah sales representative.

Connecting to the Old Order Amish Community

The garden needed more weeding, but the sun was sliding below the horizon, taking with it my ability to distinguish between weeds and produce. Laundry on the clothesline flapped in the summer breeze, reminding me and my Amish friend, Anna,[1] that we’d moved too slowly through the chores as I spent the day learning to handle the responsibilities of an Amish woman.

While I helped Anna take the clothes off the line, I reflected on how we met. Five years ago, I’d had a story in my heart that I wanted to write, but I needed an inside view. I wondered whether I could interview someone who was living an Old Order Amish life.

While growing up in Maryland, I’d had an Amish friend. Our adventures generated a desire in me to write about the joys and difficulties of relationships between the Plain folk and outsiders. The angst and disapproval of our parents concerning our friendship led to the story idea about Hannah and Paul. Decades later, when I actually started writing a novel about an Amish family, my friend and I lived a thousand miles apart and I’d lost contact with her.

[1] Names have been changed to assure privacy

That’s the intro to the article and I hate to stop there, but I have to. The full article will be available in May at your local Christian bookstore. Just ask the store manager for your complimentary copy of Storytellers’ Journal. If they don’t have it, ask the manager to order copies from their WaterBrook/Multnomah sales representative. Writing the article was a very enjoyable project I’d love to share with you. The final product is free, so don’t be shy about requesting a copy from your local Christian bookstore.

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The new contest has two items ~

The Amish-made craft seen above is one of the items. It is a
wooden washboard with a log cabin quilt patch.

And an autographed copy of When the Morning Comes is the second item.

The craft items I give away are made by Amish friends and I treasure them, but my hand-made items I want to share about today are created by my sister. She’s quite an artist and she’s made cherished works for as far back as I can remember. She doesn’t create the items as a profession; they are gifts. Her gifts range from cross stitch family trees, to hand-painted Christmas ornaments, to watercolor & caligraphy gift cards, to portraits of family members, and beyond. A part of her is in each item and it still surprises me how that makes each object carry a piece of who we’ve always been ~ the love, the fun, the struggles, the parts of life no one else is privvy to.

For a chance to win both of these items, all you need to do is enter a comment.

Do you have a hand-made item in your home that is special to you? Something maybe you or your sister, mom, dad, brother, or child made. If you’d like to share about that, we would all enjoy reading about it. If you’re more comfortable leaving a comment that simply says enter me, that works just fine too;-)

You don’t need to leave any personal info where readers can see it. You can enter your first name only and then log your e-mail address into the correct field when leaving a comment. I’ll be the only one able to read your e-mail address.

The contest is for residents of the continental United States and it will continue until June 1st.

God’s peace ~

Cindy