NEWSLETTER
September 2008
Beloved Reader,
Welcome to another edition of Plain News!
I hope you’ve had a smooth transition as the new school year begins. I’m excited to have finished the novel I mentioned in the last newsletter—The Hope of Refuge. It is now with my editor. But the most exciting news I have to share this time is that When the Soul Mends is now available in stores and online!
Reviewers have given it five stars, and this is what a few of them have said:
Rarely is the third book in a series better than the two previous ones, especially when the others are best sellers. But Cindy Woodsmall has outdone herself.
When The Soul Mends is an amazing finale to this series.
Pros: Excellent writing, very touching, deals well with difficult issues. Cons: None.
The bottom line: When the Soul Mends will tug at your heart and speak to your soul.
I love how Cindy Woodsmall's characters touch the very heart of my soul.
This story stayed with me long after I finished reading the last page.
That’s exciting. And it is my sincere hope you enjoy the conclusion to Hannah’s journey. I’m going to have a chance to meet some of you! Although I don’t plan many events since life right here at home is all I can keep up with, I have two book signings and one teaching session planned for this fall, and I’d LOVE to see you there. I’ll be at LifeWay near the Mall of Georgia on Saturday, September 27, 2008. And I’ll be at Hackman’s Bible Book Store in Whitehall, Pennsylvania, on Thursday, October 9, 2008. You can find details below or go to my Web site and view Upcoming Events.
Blessings,
Cindy’s Itinerary
| WHEN: | Saturday, September 27, 2008 |
| WHERE: | LifeWay Christian Store (Mall of Georgia) 3125 Woodward Crossing Boulevard Buford, Georgia 30519 |
| WHAT: | Teaching and Book Signing 1 to 3 p.m. Teaching: How to Get Your Foot in the Publishing Door (Great for beginners and intermediates) With author Amy Wallace |
Book Signing starts at 3:15. OPEN TO ALL |
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| WHEN: | Thursday, October 9, 2008 7:00 p.m. |
| WHERE: | Hackman’s Bible Book Store 1314 Mickley Road Whitehall, Pennsylvania 18052 |
| WHAT: | Author Chat, Q&A, and Book Signing Chat: A Patchwork Journey—How the Amish Touched My Life |
 To read chapter one: |
When the Soul Mends, the final book in the Sisters of the Quilt series, is available in stores and online now! 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 fiancé 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? |
Finding Hannah
While writing When the Heart Cries, I took a midnight Amtrak ride with my youngest son. We traveled for eighteen hours, going from my home state of Georgia to Pennsylvania, where we stayed for a few days with an Old Order Amish family. My aim was for the trip to enhance the scene I wrote at the end of that book, in which Hannah boards a train heading for Alliance, Ohio.
When the time came to write the next book in the series, When the Morning Comes, I expected my earlier traveling experience to be sufficient research for when Hannah stepped off that train. But when I tried writing the opening, it didn’t sound or feel the way I wanted it to. I’d write five chapters and delete five chapters, over and over again. I longed to feel and hear the events as Hannah would. It soon became clear that I needed to see and feel what she would when she stepped off that train.
I try to experience life as my characters would whenever possible. While writing When the Heart Cries, I spent a couple of days in a neonatal intensive care unit to get a feel for the frailty of a preemie. I went to Hershey Medical Center and spent time on the same floors my characters did when they were injured. I washed dishes by kerosene lamp, drove a horse and buggy, and used a wringer washer to do laundry alongside my Amish friends. Those experiences helped me to write scenes that would hopefully come alive in the minds and hearts of my readers.
But as I struggled to write the opening of When the Morning Come, it dawned on me that although I’d experienced riding the rails, I needed to see the Alliance, Ohio, depot in person. So I made plans to board the Amtrak in Gainesville, Georgia, and change trains as needed until I landed in Alliance. I checked online to see how long the ride was and discovered that the train would arrive in Alliance around two in the morning. I could deal with that.
But as I attempted to finalize my itinerary, I kept hitting dead ends. I called Amtrak several times and spoke with different people as I tried to locate a cab company or bus line so I could get to a motel after arriving. No one was able to help me locate the needed information. I couldn’t chance landing in Ohio at two in the morning without a solid plan.
I told my husband something was amiss and we needed to drive there. Being the agreeable man I married thirty years ago, he took my word for it and made arrangements to take time off from work.
A few weeks later we pulled into the Alliance train depot. The night sky swirled with snow, but the thin white blanket couldn’t hide the eeriness of the rundown, abandoned building. A white-and-blue sign near the tracks indicated a pay phone. I climbed out of the car. Snow and gravel crunched under my feet as I walked toward the phone sign. The wind whipped through my coat as if it wasn’t there.
I reached the sign, but did not find a phone.
As I stood at that bleak, abandoned depot, Hannah’s life unfolded before my eyes.
By the end of our week’s stay in Alliance, I knew more than how a traumatized teenage Amish girl managed to survive away from her home, family, and community. I also knew who she became and why.
I found Hannah.
While I conducted my on-site research, Hannah’s world became clearer each day. I went to the hotel she stayed in during her second night in Alliance. The place truly is as I described it in the book, and I wasn’t brave enough to spend a night there.
Before my husband and I returned to Georgia, we drove from Alliance to “Owl’s Perch.” Owl’s Perch is the fictitious name of a real place in Perry County, Pennsylvania. I knew Hannah would drive there from Ohio several times in book three, When the Soul Mends, and I needed to take the route myself—with its toll roads, service plazas, and mountain tunnels. Although the roads themselves are not described in much detail in the third novel, Hannah’s feelings while she’s on those roads are an important part of who she is.
In When the Soul Mends, Hannah finds herself traveling from one world to another. Like most people, I find more than one world affecting my life. Whenever I spend time in the homes of Amish families, I can hear echoes from my own childhood, when the conflicting messages of acceptance and prejudice worked to separate my Amish-Mennonite friend and me.
These messages have been explored in the Sisters of the Quilt series, as readers journey with the Amish, Mennonite, and Englischer characters who are dealing with their hopes, desires, and faith as well as hidden prejudices and fears. Some of those characters find that God’s redeeming love is the one thread that has the strength to unite regardless of all else.
Whatever world Hannah found herself in throughout these three books, she had moments of understanding aspects of God, and those moments gave her strength and hope. In book one she discovered the concept of nevertheless—that if everything ends with God, then those who are in Him have a good ending eventually. In book two she realized that He is more powerful than any injustice in her life—past or future. And when she forgives herself or others, she’s trusting that nothing bad is more powerful than God’s ability to overcome it. In book three her journey leads her to realize that love is never perfect—not in her, nor in others—but love doesn’t have to be perfect when forgiveness is there to pick up the pieces.
Throughout this series, all three worlds—Amish, Mennonite, and Englischer—form the woman Hannah is becoming. It is my hope that you’ll take the last part of this journey with me, and that you’ll be encouraged by the One who has forgiveness and wisdom for each of us, no matter what world we’ve entered.
To read about or order: Amazon
Newsletter Contest
The prize this time will be autographed copies of all three books from the Sisters of the Quilt series: When the Heart Cries, When the Morning Comes, and When the Soul Mends. The contest will run until mid-December.
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.
We have one winner from the last newsletter contest. Carol, of Wichita, Kansas, has won autographed copies of all three books from the Sisters of the Quilt series.
Bookplates are now Available
Many of you have asked how to obtain autographed copies of my books. The usual answer has been for you to mail your book to me and for me to sign it and mail it back.
We now have a much easier method—FREE BOOKPLATES.
Bookplates are adhesive-backed stickers that I can sign and mail to you in a regular envelope with current letter-rate postage. Putting the sticker on the title page of your book makes it an autographed copy!
If you would like a free autographed bookplate, just send your request, along with a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE*) to:
| Cindy Woodsmall P. O. Box 1420 Flowery Branch, GA 30542 |
*SASE: A self-addressed stamped envelope is a business-size envelope with your name, address, and the proper postage on it. Please put the SASE inside the envelope you’ve addressed to me. Include a note with the number of bookplates you’d like. You may request up to ten bookplates. If a requested number isn’t provided, we’ll send you one bookplate. These are free to you, but not to me. So please order only as many bookplates as the number of my books you currently own. If you intend to buy more books as gifts, please wait until after your purchase before you order the bookplates.
A regular first-class postage stamp (currently $0.42) will cover up to ten bookplates. A first-class postage stamp will also be sufficient for mailing your SASE envelope to me. So you’ll need two envelopes—one addressed to me, one addressed to you—each with a first-class stamp on it.
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This is what the bookplate looks like—but the actual bookplate is sharper and nicer looking.
Author Spotlight: Susan Meissner!
She’s written a gripping book titled The Shape of Mercy, which earned a starred review from Publishers Weekly. Now, that’s saying something! This book hit the shelves on September 16, 2008, so it’s available in stores and online now.
I’m so excited about Susan’s new book! Below Susan shares with us a heart connection concerning Shape of Mercy.
When I was 13, I played the role of an innocent woman accused of witchcraft in the play To Burn a Witch. To save herself, my character at the eleventh hour began to accuse another young woman in her prison cell—a friend from her village—of bewitching her. The play ends with my character being freed and the likewise innocent friend - who would not lie to save herself—being led away to her execution.
I’ve never forgotten how it felt to imagine myself accused falsely, nor what it felt like to accuse falsely. The latter has actually been more haunting. To point a finger at someone and make a declaration about him or her based on nothing more than fear is to make friends with love’s enemy. I had read The Crucible years ago in high school, but I didn’t really make the connection between what happened in Salem in 1692 with what continues to happen with sad regularity all the time: We often judge what we don’t understand, when we are afraid or when we become indifferent to our ignorance. But the truly amazing thing is, while the Salem witch trials arguably revealed the worst in us, it also laid bare the bit of divine in us that shines even in the darkest place. When faced with death, there is still courage enough within us to stand for what is right. Those who lost their lives so long ago in Salem refused to confess they had an allegiance with Satan. In writing The Shape of Mercy, I found that fidelity to God remarkable —and this is what I now think of when I think of Salem, not of a hangman’s rope but utter devotion to Truth.
Publishers Weekly wrote:
Meissner's newest novel is potentially life-changing, the kind of inspirational fiction that prompts readers to call up old friends, lost loves or fallen-away family members to tell them that all is forgiven and that life is too short for holding grudges. Achingly romantic, the novel features the legacy of Mercy Hayworth—a young woman convicted during the Salem witch trials—whose words reach out from the past to forever transform the lives of two present-day women. These book lovers—Abigail Boyles, elderly, bitter and frail, and Lauren Lars Durough, wealthy, earnest and young—become unlikely friends, drawn together over the untimely death of Mercy, whose precious diary is all that remains of her too short life. And what a diary! Mercy's words not only beguile but help Abigail and Lars together face life's hardest struggles about where true meaning is found, which dreams are worth chasing and which only lead to emptiness, and why faith and hope are essential on life's difficult path. Meissner's prose is exquisite and she is a stunning storyteller. This is a novel to be shared with friends. (Sept. 16)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
To read about or order: Amazon
 | Tidbits from my editor, Shannon [Hill] Marchese |
I recommend Churched: One Kid’s Journey Toward God Despite a Holy Mess.
It’s a hilarious memoir of growing up in church—fundamentalist Baptist—among crazy people but loving them anyway. Available October 7!
He spent his childhood trapped within the confines of countless bizarre, strict rules. And lived to tell about it.
In this first-hand account, author Matthew Paul Turner shares amusing–sometimes cringe-worthy–and poignant stories about growing up in a fundamentalist household, where even well-intentioned contemporary Christian music was proclaimed to be “of the devil.”
Churched is a collection of stories that detail an American boy’s experiences growing up in a culture where men weren’t allowed to let their hair grow to touch their ears (“an abomination!”), women wouldn’t have been caught dead in a pair of pants (unless swimming), and the pastor couldn’t preach a sermon without a healthy dose of hellfire and brimstone. Matthew grapples with the absurdity of a Sunday school Barbie burning, the passionate annual boxing match between the pastor and Satan, and the holiness of being baptized a fifth time–while growing into a young man who, amidst the chaotic mess of religion, falls in love with Jesus.
To read about or order: Amazon
I’d like to also recommend Jeffrey Overstreet’s fantasy novel, Cyndere’s Midnight. This is particularly recommended as a gift for the men-folk readers who like a good battle scene like in the Lord of the Rings. If you or your loved one loves Stephen Lawhead or Tolkien, you’ll love Jeffrey’s novels. Cyndere’s Midnight is the second book in Overstreet’s The Auralia Thread series, and his writing has been called “exceptionally well crafted”, “beautiful”, and “thought-provoking.”
When a bloodthirsty beastman discovers Auralia’s colors, his conscience awakens. When the heiress of a powerful kingdom risks everything to help him, their lives—and the lives of a kingdom—hang in the balance.
In Cyndere’s Midnight, the power of Auralia’s colors brings together a bloodthirsty beastman and a grieving widow in a most unlikely relationship…one that not only will change their lives, but could also impact the four kingdoms of The Expanse forever.
Jordam is one of four ferocious brothers from the clan of cursed beastmen. But he is unique: The glory of Auralia’s colors has enchanted him, awakening a noble conscience that clashes with his vicious appetites.
Cyndere, heiress to a great ruling house, and her husband Deuneroi share a dream of helping the beastmen. But when Deuneroi is killed by the very people he sought to help, Cyndere risks her life and reputation to reach out to Jordam. Beside a mysterious well–an apparent source of Auralia’s colors—a beauty and a beast form a cautious bond. Will Jordam be overcome by the dark impulse of his curse, or stand against his brothers to defend House Abascar’s survivors from a deadly assault?
To read about or order: Amazon
Recipes ~From the Esh Family Cookbook
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For those who love tomatoes and are looking for a new way to enjoy them, I’ve shared a scrumptious tomato pie recipe. Nothing says it’s fall like school days and delicious apples, so I’ve included a recipe for apple cake too.
Tomato Pie, submitted by Mrs. David (Elizabeth) Esh
Crust:
2 cups Bisquick
2/3 cup milkMix and spread evenly in greased casserole dish.
Slice tomatoes and put on crust. Sprinkle with basil, oregano and parmesan cheese. Put on second layer of tomatoes and herbs. Put 1 cup mayonnaise on top. Bake 45 minutes at 350 degrees.
Note from Mrs. Esh: “Be creative and use different cheeses, and/or add peppers, onions, etc. (Anything that works with pizza!) Canned tomato chunks (drained) can also be used for a ‘different’ winter dish.”
Harvest Apple Cake, submitted by Mrs. Jerre (Ruthie) Esh
Mix well 6 cups diced apples with 2 cups sugar and let sit for 1 hour.
Sift
3 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamonBeat:
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup oilPour over apple mixture and add flour mixture. Add 1 cup walnuts. Mix well. Bake in tube pan (greased and floured) at 350 degrees for 1 hour.
Something to think about ~
Love is like a violin. Sometimes the music stops, but the strings are still attached!
A tidbit about Amish life
The Old Order Amish meet for church service every other Sunday. They refer to the non-church Sundays as “in between Sunday.” Since they don’t have a church building, the meeting place is rotated. With approximately 25 families in each district, every member holds church on their property—either in their home, barn, or shop—once each year.
When the rotation rolls around to a family’s turn, preparations—which include a lot of cleaning—begin a week or two in advance. One room is cleared of all furniture. If it’s a shop or barn, all tools and equipment are stored away to make room for the benches.
On Saturday afternoon, a horse-drawn wagon arrives from the homestead that held the last service. The driver unhitches the wagon and leaves it on the property of those who are hosting the current Sunday meeting. The men set up benches in two separate sections: one for men and the other for women. An elderly person, or one with health issues, can bring in a chair with a back.
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