Beloved Reader,

Spring has accomplished its goal. Grass, trees, and flowers are in full bloom, and the heat of summer is beginning to seep in. The sky is crystal blue, the trees are full of rich green leaves, and the humidity is uncomfortably high. Ah, summertime in the South. Our local pools have opened for the season, and children are jumping in with elation and laughter. Whether we’re talking about the seasons of a year or of our lives, I love that each season has its own beauty, joy, and struggles.

School is out, which means our youngest, a high schooler, is taking a deep breath and enjoying a sense of accomplishment. Our second son has finished his first year of pharmacy school, so he’s ready for a bit of respite too. His wife is gearing up for another great summer of working with the youth at the church where she’s music director. Our oldest son has just celebrated his fourth year of putting his degree to work through employment in the Nuclear Med Department at a local hospital. He’s also celebrating his first year of marriage. His wife, a Nuclear Med Technician herself, recently received the news that she’s been accepted into pharmacy school.

All seven of us—hubby, three sons, two daughters-in-law, and me—are looking forward to a week together at the beach later this summer. We live within a few miles of one another, but life pulls in so many directions that we get together most often when working to accomplish a task or for a meal on the weekend, but rarely can everyone meet at the same time.

I have some fun news to share. The Hope of Refuge is a Christy Award finalist. As a reader you may be unaware of this award, but it’s a prestigious honor to final. Publishers of inspirational fiction enter the best books they’ve published that year into the contest, and the competition is stiff. Added to that, both of my 2009 releases, The Hope of Refuge and The Sound of Sleigh Bells, are finalists for the Inspirational Reader’s Choice Contest sponsored by Faith, Hope, and Love (the Inspirational Outreach Chapter of the RWA—Romance Writers of America).

On another note of fun news, I have five new novels under contract. I’m very excited about writing those stories. And I’m currently working on a nonfiction book. I’m writing it with an Old Order Amish friend. The title of the book is Plain Wisdom, An Invitation into an Amish Home and the Hearts of Two Women. Its release date is March 15, 2011! I’ll have excerpts and a book cover to share with you in the next newsletter.

Even with just one child still in the nest, I couldn’t accomplish the goal of writing more novels, novellas, and nonfiction if I didn’t have a truly wonderful husband supporting me. We’ve been a team for over thirty years, and no matter what season we’re in, we’ve always worked to support each other’s passions. From my desire to stay home after the birth of our first child, to homeschooling our children and sending them off to public school when the time came, as well as my writing, he’s always been the strength behind my being able to carry out my goals. And I strive to help him achieve his dreams as well.

I’ve hesitated to write a letter filled with victories, because I don’t want my current season in life to sound like I’m in a place of warm sunshine and gentle rains all the time. I haven’t lived in such a place my whole life. Even this past year has held shocking news of lies and betrayal from my husband’s former employer. And sharing where my children are now doesn’t begin to reveal the toil and tears it took to get there, nor the trials that will face us again. But seasons come and go, and right now my husband and I are enjoying the fruit of thirty-plus years of working as a team.

Whether you’re currently in a place of exciting personal victories or numerous debilitating defeats, remember that this season will pass, and another will someday take its place. But through it all, God is there. He wants us to come to Him with our praises for His blessings as well as our pleas for His help. In all the seasons of life, may He "strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being," and may you "have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God" (Ephesians 3:16,18-19 NIV).

Em Gott Sei Friede (God’s peace),

Cindy

Event Notice

I'm excited to share that my publisher is working on putting together a book tour, which will begin on or near August 31, 2010. Last year we began in Atlanta and headed north. I'll tour the Southeast this time. The exact places, dates, and times will be in my next newsletter. Stay tuned for I'd dearly love to see as many of you as possible!

I want to invite you to join me on Facebook as a friend or a fan or both. I post and chat regularly on each page. Facebook contests take place on the fans’ page, and lively chats take place on the friends’ page, so a lot of readers have joined both pages.

I hope to see you there!

The Bridge of Peace
Book 2 in the Ada’s House series
Available August 31, 2010

Love and lies abound in Dry Lake, Pennsylvania

Headstrong schoolteacher Lena Kauffman finds herself at the center of controversy in her Amish community when a young man in her classroom refuses to submit to her authority. As her friends and family rally around her, especially longtime friend Grey Graber, things go from bad to worse when Grey’s wife, Elsie, becomes an accidental target in trouble meant for Lena. As the present unravels around them, each must find their own way through their private pain in order to find peace and a brighter future.

To read chapter one, click here: The Bridge of Peace

More Book News!

I asked my publisher if they could offer a limited-time special for my readers, and they did it!

Here’s the offer. During the month of June, When the Heart Cries e-book is on sale for $1.59! Wow! You can download the e-book onto your computer, certain cell phones, or onto an e-reader like Kindle, Nook, or Sony Reader. (Sony Reader currently has the price listed at $1.99.)

I hope you’ll help to make this fantastic deal worth all the effort it took for my publisher to provide it. I want to encourage them to offer specials like this again, so please tell your family and friends about this promotional deal.

Remember, this offer is only good during the month of June.

Coming August 31, 2010, a chance to win a trip for two!

Starting August 31, 2010, you’ll have a chance to win a FABULOUS trip for two to Amish Country! You can’t sign up just yet, but be sure to read the next newsletter. I’ll have all the details and a link for you in the next newsletter, so you can easily enter the sweepstakes.

Amish Connection

Words & Letters

I received a letter from one of my Amish friends not long ago. As I handled the white envelope that arrived in my mailbox, I thought about how it had been in a home built in the 1700s and addressed to me in the same manner as if it were the 1700s—by candlelight. I slit open the envelope with my letter opener and unfolded the crisp, white paper with a smile of anticipation. Seeing the handwritten words and knowing that I had in my hand the opportunity to “visit” with my friend touched my heart.

E-mail, texts, Twitter, Facebook, etc. are wonderful. We can stay in touch with family and friends no matter where we, or they, are. But how often do we save or print out e-mails? Most of the new communication technology promotes brevity. That’s not a bad thing. I enjoy that newer aspect of life a lot. But with a real letter in hand, I poured myself a cup of coffee and moved to my recliner, ready to absorb the sights, sounds, and aromas radiating from those pages.

In this age of instant communication, there’s something special about getting mail that you can hold in your hand, knowing that someone cares about you enough to sit down, pick up a pen, and share his or her life, thoughts, and feelings, then seal and stamp the letter or card and take it to the post office.

Do you have any special letters or cards you’ve saved that you enjoy rereading? Handmade cards from your children when they were little, with misspelled words and crooked hearts pasted with too much glue? Maybe a collection of special letters from a loved one, tied with an old-fashioned ribbon?

I’m not a hoarder at all. I routinely clean out storage rooms, closets, and drawers. But I don’t throw away letters or cards. If you’ve ever sent me a letter or note via US mail, I still have it. I’m amazed how many years of notes, cards, and lengthy letters can be stored in one stackable tub. I keep a tub in an easily accessible spot, and when I receive something handwritten, it is displayed in a prominent place for a while, then stored in that tub. When I’m dealing with a particularly bad patch of life, I can return to that container that holds years of items written to me and read through them. It’s soothing to read a thank-you note for doing something I don’t remember, or to read about a loved one’s garden, neighbor, or doctor’s visit. I have ten years of sweet letters from our sponsor daughter in Thailand, most of which have the same words written over and over. I enjoy reading the birthday and Mother’s Day cards again too. Or the humor cards, like the one that says, “You have just received the Amish Virus. Since we do not have electricity or computers, you are on the honor system. Please delete all of your files. Denki!”

Words—whether written, sung, or spoken—have the power to encourage the downtrodden, heal wounds, make us laugh, and call to mind a memory of honor or hurt decades after the event.

We all store words. Maybe you don’t have a tub full of them in an office closet, but I’ll bet you can recall, with sorrow or joy, some words that you’ve stored. What words are you giving someone else to store?

2010 Amish-Made Quilt Contest

I love offering this Amish-made Quilt Contest each year, and I hope you’ll join in the fun! The rules are a little different from past years. You can read them on my Web site. The contest will close January 1, 2011. A winner will be notified on or near January 15, 2011. The winner will be announced as soon as she or he responds to the notification.

Newsletter Contest

Last issue, the readers of my newsletter had the chance to win an autographed copy of Taste of Pinecraft by Sherry Gore and the Amish-made wall hanging shown below. The winner of the contest has been chosen and notified by e-mail, but at this time we are still awaiting her reply. Since this is "vacation season," with people traveling and not keeping up with their e-mail, we will give her more time to claim her prizes. If we do not hear from her within a reasonable time frame, we will choose a new winner and share that information in the next newsletter.

For this newsletter contest, five people will have a chance to win an autographed copy of The Bridge of Peace. The contest will run until a few days before our September 2010 newsletter is sent out.

Here’s how to enter. (Please follow these steps carefully to prevent your entry from being disqualified.)

Note: You are reading the Web site version of Plain News. The Newsletter Contest is only available to those who receive the newsletter via their inbox. The newsletter is free and is sent four times per year, but on an occasion a special announcement may be sent. To sign up, to go http://www.cindywoodsmall.com/newsletter.php.

Author Spotlight

I’d like to share with you a new Amish story coming out by Nancy Mehl. Nancy and I belong to a professional writers’ group, but I didn’t know she was writing a story about the Plain people. Whenever she sent an e-mail to our group of professional writers or posted something on Facebook, I was drawn by the way she worded her thoughts, shared her humor, and balanced out deep and difficult issues. I e-mailed her privately and was again delighted by how she expressed herself. After several wonderful exchanges, I learned that she had an upcoming book with an Amish setting, so I asked if she’d share a part of her journey to writing Amish books with my readers.

Here's Nancy Mehl:

I never planned to write about the Amish/Mennonite way of life. In fact, Simple Secrets was originally a proposal for a cozy mystery. At the time, the title was Murder, Plain and Simple. The setting was an Amish town. I came up with the idea because the concept of evil set in such a simple, innocent location appealed to the mystery writer in me. But somehow, the town became Mennonite and the story morphed into romantic suspense with a strong thread of mystery.

When my publisher first suggested I adjust the story line to lean toward a more romantic flavor, I wasn’t certain I could do it. Although I hate to admit it now, at the time I had a tough time understanding the appeal of “bonnet books.” But after I agreed to change my original concept, I discovered something interesting. I think I figured out why so many people love to read stories written by wonderful authors like Beverly Lewis, Kim Sawyer, and of course Cindy Woodsmall.

One of the clues came from my previous cozy-mystery books. The Ivy Towers series was set in a small town drawn from my imagination. I named it Winter Break, Kansas. I’m a winter person, but the winters in Wichita, where I live, had been rather disappointing for a while. My frustration with our lack of snow led me to create Winter Break, where snow comes early and leaves late. I fashioned the town as a place I wanted to live. And readers responded. I received lots of letters and e-mails from people telling me how much they loved Winter Break. One woman even said she’d been scouring maps, trying to find it!

I realized as I created the Mennonite town of Harmony, Kansas, that all of us are looking for that rare place where old-fashioned values still exist. Where people treat one another with love and respect. Where evil is defeated and good always triumphs. What better place than a town filled with people who live simply—who have shut out the harsh voices of the outside world?

So-called bonnet books open the door to that unique spot where life is lived the way we dream it can be. I hope my readers will fall in love with Harmony, Kansas, like I have.

Simple Secrets releases to stores on June 1 and is now available online.

Blessings from Harmony!

Nancy Mehl
www.nancymehl.com

To read about or order: Amazon.

Recipes from the Esh Family Cookbook

Asparagus Cheese Strata
submitted by Mrs. Ruthie Esh (Jerry)

1-1/2 lbs. fresh asparagus, cut in small pieces
3 Tbsp. butter
1 loaf of bread (or as much as needed)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (divided)
2 cups fully cooked ham (or 1 lb. sliced ham)
1 onion, chopped
6 eggs
3 cups milk
Salt & pepper to taste

Cook asparagus until tender. Drain and set aside. Butter bottom and sides of 13x9x2 inch baking dish. Place a layer of bread on the bottom of the casserole and sprinkle with ½ cup cheese. Layer with asparagus, ham, and onion. Cover with remaining bread. In a bowl, lightly beat eggs; add milk and pour over bread. Cover and refrigerate until ready to bake.

Bake uncovered at 325 degrees for 50 minutes. Sprinkle with the rest of the cheese. Return to oven until cheese is melted and a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.

Ice Cream Sundae Dessert
submitted by Jerre Esh, age 8 (c/o Amos & Linda)
and Mrs. Annie Esh (Levi)

2 cups (or 12 oz.) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 can (12 oz.) evaporated milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1 package (12 oz.) vanilla wafers, crushed
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 quarts vanilla ice cream, softened

In a saucepan over medium heat, melt chocolate chips with milk and salt. Cook and stir until thickened, about 25 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. Combine wafer crumbs and butter. Set aside one cup. Press remaining crumbs into a greased 13x9x2 inch chilled pan for 10-15 minutes. Pour chocolate over crumbs. Cover and freeze for 20-25 minutes or until firm. Spread the ice cream over chocolate; sprinkle with reserved crumbs. Freeze at least two hours before serving. Makes 12-16 servings.