Beloved Readers,

I have several exciting things to share with you today.

This first news may be redundant for Facebook friends and blog readers, but in case you only receive the newsletter, I need to share that Romantic Times honored me with their Career Achievement Award for Inspirational Fiction. To read my take on it, click HERE.

And now, it’s only about a month before the release of the third and final book in The Amish of Summer Grove series, Gathering the Threads. While I was sad to say goodbye to the characters, I’m so excited to share what I feel is a heart-felt conclusion to Ariana’s story. The release date is August 15! If you click on the image below, you will find a link to the first chapter of the book..

I am so excited to announce a new Christmas novella set to release October 10, 2017!

The Gift of Christmas Past is something many of you have been asking me to write for many years—a non-Amish story! It’s Southern Romance, set in Asheville, North Carolina.

This is my first official co-written fiction work, and my coauthor is my daughter-in-law Erin.

If you follow me on social media, you may have noticed a few pictures I’ve shared that have connections to the yet-to-be-released Christmas novella.

From the top, going clockwise, the images are:

If you are normally a reader of Amish stories, I hope you'll jump genres for this next Christmastime release! It’s well researched and has the same “Woodsmall” touch that many readers have said they love.

To answer a question I know many will be wondering about: yes, I will still write Amish stories. :-)

Because I am so excited about both of these upcoming books, I want to offer a special giveaway to my newsletter subscribers. A full autographed set of The Amish of Summer Grove three-book series AND an autographed copy The Gift of Christmas Past. To enter, click on the following link. It’ll take you to a private blog post just for newsletter subscribers. Scroll down to “Leave a Reply,” and enter a comment.

After three months of draus in da Welt, Ariana has returned to Summer Grove, the Old Order Amish community where she was raised for twenty years, and life with her Brenneman family. Skylar Nash, the Englisch-raised young woman is working in Ariana’s café while getting to know her birth family and their Plain way of life. Skylar’s time in Summer Grove has changed her outlook, just as Ariana has grown to see her personal faith in God in a different light than the manner she was taught while growing up. Both women will have to make decisions about their paths— and Ariana must decide what role her childhood friend, ex-Amish Quill Schlabach, will play in her life. To read the first chapter, click HERE.

Arson wasn’t the only fire that ignited between them. Young love. Promises made. Lies spoken. She was arrested. He returned to the safety of his wealthy parents. Almost ten years later, Hadley and Monroe are both specialists in the field of speech therapy. They meet again . . . thrown together to help a four-year-old-girl rendered mute after being rescued from a fire. Years of secrets and anger beg to be set free as Hadley and Monroe try to push aside past hurts and find common ground in order to help the traumatized child and her family. Can the love of Christmas past drift into the present, bringing healing and hope for all? To read Chapter One, click HERE.

Releases October 10, 2017. Preorder HERE. (ebook version available soon!)

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