One Roller Coaster Week

Hi Everyone. Patricia Davids here to share one roller coaster week with you.

We all have them.

Something good happens and then something not so good or even horrific.


We keep going because we have faith in God's goodness and because we don't have a choice.

This was one of those weeks for me. I received word that my dear Uncle Ed had been moved into the hospice unit, the one where my husband passed away. Much as I dislike reliving that event I wanted to see my uncle before he passed. His family wasn't with him when I got there. Somehow I managed to be there the hour between the visits of his two sons. One hour out of my day. It wasn't much. Not even an inconvenience for me really. I found out later that my Aunt Gemma was so happy Ed wasn't alone. He passed away later that night. I'm so glad I got to say goodbye.

His son gave me some information I'd never heard before. Uncle Ed had died once years before and was revived. I knew that but what I didn't know was that Uncle Ed said it was beautiful and he didn't want to come back. This time, his son said, Dad gets to see the whole movie. Ed was a devout man but a tough guy, a sailor, a cop, a sheriff, he'd seen the best and the worst of this life and if he says the next life is beautiful I believe him wholeheartedly. My faith has been lagging since my husband's passing but it was restored by that story. My joy was so great I could almost hear angels singing. God had a plan.

Ed and Gemma were like salt and pepper or bacon and eggs. You never thought of one without thinking of the other. They were so close, so bonded that we all worried how Aunt Gemma was going to carry on alone. I mean we were deeply worried about her. God had a plan.

My royalty statement came the next day and I was delighted to see my books had earned enough money for me to pay my bills and plan a trip to NYC in the summer. A little happy dancing on my part. Then the next Facebook message came. Aunt Gemma had fallen at home and died of a massive brain bleed. I was stunned. My poor cousins had to make funeral arrangements for both parents. But we didn't have to worry about how she was going to carry on alone. God had a plan.

I got a phone call the next morning that my father was unresponsive and was being taken to the hospital. His pulse was 30. His blood pressure was very low. I hit the road for the two hour drive to the hospital wondering if we were going to have a third funeral in the family. But God had a plan.

Dad was dehydrated and his electrolytes were out of whack but some fluids and heart drugs pulled him back from the brink. By evening he was alert and telling us all what a good hamburger he'd had for lunch. God's plan wasn't for another funeral. Not yet anyway.

 On April 30 Ed and Gemma were laid to rest beside the church they were married in 58 years ago.
I remember their wedding. I think I was seven. I'll never forget their funeral. Amazing what God has planned for us. When I got home, I turned on the computer to see that my book The Wish was officially out and the reviews were good. More happy dancing but my kick wasn't quite as high after my roller coaster week.

I had pizza for supper with my daughter, son-in-law and my grandkids and we watched a movie. Simple pleasures worth more than gold or any review. Can't wait to see what God has planned for me tomorrow.

Have you had a roller coaster week? Feel free to share the ups and downs. We all have them.

Something Good to Eat

Patricia Davids here with something good.

Crab-filled crescent wontons

I like to cook good things for my friends and family.

I LOVE to cook things that are good and EASY.

This appetizer fits the bill. Picture and recipe are from the Betty Crocker website, my go to place for all things delicious if what I'm looking for isn't in the 1974 dog-eared copy of my own Better Crocker Cookbook that I received as a wedding gift in 1974. http://www.bettycrocker.com/ I seriously love that book. And the man.

Crab-filled crescent wontons

Ingredients

1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury™ refrigerated crescent dinner rolls or 1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury™ refrigerated Crescent Dough Sheet

1 package (3 oz) cream cheese, softened

3/4 cup chopped cooked crabmeat

1 tablespoon chopped green onion (1 medium)

1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)

1 egg white, beaten

Directions

Heat oven to 375°F.

Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray.

Unroll dough on work surface (if using crescent rolls, pinch seams to seal); cut into 6 rows by 4 rows to make 24 squares.

In small bowl, mix cream cheese, crabmeat, onion and red pepper. Spoon about 1 teaspoon crab mixture 1/2 inch from 1 corner of 1 square.

Starting with same corner, fold dough over filling and tuck end tightly underneath filling; continue rolling to within 1/2 inch of opposite corner. Lightly brush exposed corner with egg white.

Roll moistened corner of dough over roll; press to seal. Place on cookie sheet. Brush with egg white. Repeat with remaining squares and filling.

Bake 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from cookie sheet. Serve warm.

The ladies of Love Inspired who blog here have recently talked about adding recipes once in awhile to change things up. I like the idea. Dear Readers, what do you think?  After all, what we write is for you, our books, our blogs and our Facebook posts are all aimed at making you feel like you know us.

Happy cooking and Happy Reading.

My next book, The Wish, will be in stores May 1st.

Pat

2019 is off and running. Me too.

Patricia Davids here, Happy New Year to all.

2019 is off and running and so am I. Not my feet, my fingers. I have four books scheduled to be finished this year. (What was I thinking?) Two are for Love Inspired and two are for HQN. I have always claimed that I do my best work under pressure. I reckon we'll see if that is true.

One thing this killer schedule has prevented is any New Year's resolutions from me. I used to list the usual, lose weight, eat healthy, exercise more (or some). This year all I'll have time for is writing.

Are you making a resolution this year?

What is the one resolution you can say with certainty that you kept in the past? To stop smoking? To balance the checkbook? Change jobs? Give up soda or coffee? Keep a clean house? I once decided to quit my nursing job and write full time. I can't say it was a smart move but I have made it work.

To take a ride in a hot air balloon is one resolution that has never happened for me. I'd like to say this year is the year but I'm pretty sure I'll be too busy writing.

What is the one resolution or item on your bucket list you haven't accomplished and dearly wish you had?

I'm going with a visit to the Grand Canyon and beachcombing with Lenora Worth. Maybe not this year but I can always hope.



Love Inspired is reissuing my story, An Unexpected Amish Romance in Feb along with Jan Drexler's
The Amish Nanny's Sweetheart in a 2-1 collection.









Be sure and look for my first new 2019 release, The Wish from HQN. It comes out in May.

If you'd like to win a free ARC (advanced reviewer's copy) of this
book simply comment below or contact me by e-mail at pat@patriciadavids.com. I have about ten to give away. I ask that you post an honest review of the book on the book review site you like best (such as Goodreads) but you are not required to give a review to win a copy.

March is finally here!

Hello everyone, Patricia Davids here celebrating the demise of February and doing a happy dance because March has arrived.

I know, March isn't spring, but it's so close. Right? March gives us hope that spring is coming even if it brings more snowy days, too. My daffodils are six inches high. Winter is on it's way out. I couldn't be happier.

I have another reason for liking this month. It brings the release of my new book, An Unexpected Amish Romance.

I love to include a laugh or two in my stories but this is the first downright funny book I've tried to pull off. It's not really what you would expect in an Amish romance. That's the joy of it.

The Art Dept has given me another great cover that really reflects the tone of the book but there is a flaw in this I failed to see when I was given my cover break to review. Can you spot the un-Amish oops? I'll let you try. I'll be back later to check and see who found it.

A Rose By Any Other Name

Patricia Davids here wishing you a happy summer and loads of beautiful flowers.

 I have a passion for roses. I love the old-fashioned kind that grows in the back corner of my neighbor's yard and spills wonderfully fragrant blooms over the fence each summer. Sadly it only blooms once but it is worth the wait every year. Two large yellow rose bushes grace the front of my house. Sorry I don't have a picture of them.

I adore archways covered with climbing roses that beg me to sit and read poetry beneath them. I would happily share the space with a bee but more than two will send me inside.

Pictures don't do justice to these beauties in my mother's garden but they can sometimes remind me to stop and smell the roses. Things of beauty surround us and yet we hurry past without looking intent on our own troubles. I'm sure the roses don't mind.

If you aren't a gardener perhaps you enjoy the rose best when it come to your door as a nice surprise such as this "Get Well" gift from my agent when I was in the hospital last year. Nothing brightens the day for me like a yellow rose. I carried them in my wedding as my mother did before me.

I hope you've had a chance to read my latest book from Love Inspired. I'd love to hear what you thought about it, good or bad.

One Amish proverb says, "Don’t grumble because roses have thorns: rejoice because thorn bushes have roses."

Do you have a favorite flower?

After the fun.

Pat Davids here.

After all the fun I had at the RWA conference, seeing my Love Inspired sisters, meeting with my editor and agent and getting an award for 25 books, now it seems I have to get back to work.

Back to work for me means crafting a new book in a new series. Before I left for San Antonio, I finished the last book in my Brides of Amish Country series and I introduced readers to a new family and a new location for my stories. The new series, which I hope to call The Sons of Isaac Bowman, takes place in Bowman Crossing, Ohio. A fictional town near the real town of Berlin.

It's hard creating new characters after coming to know and love the people of Hope Springs so well. Much harder than I thought it would be. I hope readers enjoy the new family as much as they have enjoyed my other families. If you haven't read one of my Brides books, the latest one, The Amish Nanny, is in stores now. It's book # 10, but you don't have to read them in order.

My Brides of Amish Country was never meant to go on for so long. The first three books in the series were all I had planned. As it turned out, I did 13 full length books, one on-line read and one novella. In all 15 stories revolving around a fictional place that has become almost real to me. I believe I could draw a map to get there. In fact, I have a map I created of the town and surrounding area.

I've been told readers enjoy series. Do you? What is it about going back to the same place that you enjoy? Is it seeing what old characters are up to? Or is it the anticipation of meeting new characters?
I'd love to hear your take on this. Why do you like reading series?

The Shepherd's Bride Interview

How exciting to have Carl King the hero from The Shepherd's Bride written by Patricia Davids an April 2014 release from Love Inspired Romance.

1. Carl, tell me the most interesting thing about you.

            There isn't much to tell. I live on a sheep farm in Amish country. Few people know it where I live now, but I'm ex-Amish. I've been shunned by my community and my family.

2.  What do you do for fun?

            Not much. I live alone. I like it that way. I spend time outdoors keeping an eye on the sheep. I love the freedom of being out among the sheep and keeping them safe.

3.  What do you put off doing because you dread it?

            I put off getting the mail. Every week I get a letter from someone I love, and I can't answer it. I don't even read them anymore. I burn them unopened, but each week another one comes.

4.  What are you afraid of most in life?

            That I will never be forgiven for the choice I made.

5.  What is the most important thing to you?

            Staying hidden and keeping my growing love for Lizzie hidden, too.

6.  Do you read books? If so, what is your favorite type of book?

            I don't read much. I used to, but now I avoid things that remind me of my past life.

7.  If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

            I would chance my past. I would undo the mistake that separated me from my family.

8.  Do you have a pet? If so, what is it and why that pet?

            I don't know if you can call Duncan a pet, but he's a dog. A sheep dog and a fine one. He found me at a very low point in my life. He was just a pup who needed someone to look after him. I didn't know he was actually looking after me. He brought me to this place, a place of refuge for me and gave my life purpose. I think he was sent by God. Lizzie, the farmer's granddaughter thinks he was, too.

9. If you could travel back in time, where would you go and why?

            You have no idea how many times I wake from my nightmares wishing the same thing. "Please, God. Let me go back and die with courage instead of living with this shame. And please, don't let Lizzie find out what I've done."

FEATURED BOOK:The Shepherd's Bride by Patricia Davids

Finding Refuge

Shunned by the Amish community, shepherd Carl King has given up on his dream for a family. Yet when captivating Lizzie Barkman shows up at the sheep farm where he works, Carl sees the wife he once dreamed of. Lizzie is looking for a new start, for herself and her sisters, and discovers Carl to be a kind and gentle man who cares deeply about the Amish way of life. But he is under the bann. Is it possible that this forbidden man holds the key to her family's safety—and the one to her heart

USA Today Bestseller List, December 5, 2013

Patricia Davids here.

 

I received a congratulatory email from my editor on Thursday. My e-book collection, Christmas Brides of Amish Country, debuted at # 133 on the USA Today Bestseller list. It was a dream come true.

I have a writing bucket list on the bulletin board in my office that has been there for a few years. This is what it says.

To make my dream a reality will take eight hours of work a day.

"I dreamed I was a romance writer."

I will…

1. Write four books a year.

2. Win a Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Award.

3. Win a National Readers Choice Award.

4. Have a USA Today bestseller.

5. Have a New York Times bestseller.

6. Win a Rita Award.

7. Have a book made into a movie.

"I dreamed I was a romance writer."

It all starts Today.

I WRITE.

As of last Thursday, I was able to check off number 4 on my bucket list. Last spring, I checked off my first goal when I drew a line through number 2. My book, A Home for Hannah, won the Reviewer's Choice Award for the best Love Inspired novel of 2012.

I have been blessed, and I know it. I've had some wonderful breaks in my career. Personally, I think my dear, departed husband is doing some arm twisting up in Heaven. He was a big persuasive man who believed in me wholeheartedly. There is no one I would rather have cheering me on.

But what happens after the cheering is over and the congratulations stop pouring in?

They do stop. The world moves on and someone else wins an award or does something noteworthy. What replaces the dream that meant so much?

Sometimes it is harder to be successful than it is to be unsuccessful.

By reaching the peak you've worked toward you are left with only one way to go. Oh, you can cling to the peak for as long as possible, but eventually what goes up…must come down. A wise person prepares for the trip in both directions.

Success does not define us. It doesn't make us skinny. It doesn't solve our troubled relationships. It doesn't make us happy. If will very likely bring a new set of problems.   

I have enjoyed my fifteen minutes of fame. I printed off and framed a clip from the USA Today website for my mother. She's thrilled. I also understand that not everyone enjoys my success. We are human after all. We harbor that little green monster of jealousy inside us even though we keep it buttoned up most of the time. I'm as guilty as the next person in this, but I try hard to feel good when others do better than I have. The green monster gets a few seconds of freedom and then I close the lid on him. Life is too short and precious not to enjoy seeing others succeed.

I have complete confidence that I will check off all the dreams on my bucket list before I'm through. Overconfidence is one of my most serious faults. It leads to as many failures as successes, but it gets me up and charging toward the goal again when I get knocked down. If you stay down, how can you get where you want to go?

I'm thankful today for what God has allowed me to achieve in writing and in all parts of my life. I know full well that none of it would have happened unless it was part of His plan. I'm also prepared to slip down the slope and set my sights on a new goal. That will require me to finish another book so I'd better get writing.

 

You can aid in my next success by picking up a copy of my newest book, Amish Christmas Joy. On sale now.

What have been some of your successes? What have been some of your failures? What's next in your life?   

Plain Admirer Interview

How exciting to have Joann Yoder the heroine from Plain Admirer by Patricia Davids, a June, 2013 release from Love Inspired Romance .

1.  Joann, tell me the most interesting thing about you.

            Most people find it interesting that I'm Amish.

2.  What do you do for fun?

            Ah, fishing is my passion. I get my pole and head to the lake every chance I get.

3.  What do you put off doing because you dread it?

            Not much. I do what needs doing. The only thing I dread lately is riding to work with Roman Weaver. I get so flustered around that man.

4.  What are you afraid of most in life?

            I'm afraid I'll never have a home of my own. Since my parents died, I've been shuffled between the homes of my three brothers. Four months with one and then on to the next home. I've come to hate it.

5.  What do you want out of life?

            I want what every Amish woman wants. To serve God and to raise a family with a man I love.

6.  What is the most important thing to you?

            My faith is the most important thing. Without God, nothing is possible.

7.  Do you read books? If so, what is your favorite type of book?

            Do I read books? You are talking to a dyed-in-the-wool bookworm. I read everything. I work at an Amish printing company. I'm surrounded by reading material. My favorite things to read are books and articles about nature and fishing. Did I mention I love to fish?

8.  If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

            It's vain, I know, but I'd like to be prettier. Does that make me a silly spinster? I guess it does.

9.  Do you have a pet? If so, what is it and why that pet?

            No pets. I do have a horse to pull my buggy, but he is a working animal.

10. If you could travel back in time, where would you go and why?

            Goodness, such strange questions. I imagine I'd like to go back to when I was a child. Life was full of possibilities then. Now, I'm old enough to know that not all dreams come true.

FEATURED BOOK: Plain Admirer by Patricia Davids

Love Is Only a Letter Away

So what if Joann Yoder's Amish community deems her a spinster? She's content to stay single. In the meantime, she's working hard to finally buy her dream house. So it's problematic when she's fired from her job to make room for the owner's nephew, Roman Weaver. His blue eyes aside, she simply can't stand him! Good thing she has the secret letters she's been exchanging with a mystery man to keep her going. But who is writing her letters? And could she possibly fall for him in real life, too?

Our 2012 RT Reviewers Choice Best Book Award Winners

Please join us in congratulating our Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Best Book Award winners.

For Love Inspired Contemporary, our winner is  

A Home for Hannah by Patricia Davids.

Yearning to find a meaningful life in the outside world, nurse Miriam Kaufman strayed far from her Amish community. She also needed distance from Nick Bradley, the cop who had caused her so much pain. Back in Hope Springs to care for her ailing mother, Miriam needs Nick, now sheriff, to find the mother of the baby abandoned on her porch. Nick is as wary of Miriam's intentions as she is of facing their past. Can two wounded hearts overcome their history?

Awarded 4.5 stars by RT reviewer Leslie L. McKee, (click for full review)

"Davis’ deep understanding of Amish culture is evident in the compassionate characters and beautiful descriptions that enliven her heartwarming story."

Click here to view more of Patricia Davids' books

For Love Inspired Historical, our winner is  

Handpicked Husband by Winnie Griggs 

Can she drive away not one, but three suitors?

Free-spirited photographer Regina Nash is ready to try. But unless she marries one of the gentlemen her grandfather has sent for her inspection, she'll lose custody of her nephew. So she must persuade them—and Adam Barr, her grandfather's envoy—that she'd make a thoroughly unsuitable wife.

Adam isn't convinced. Regina might be unconventional, but she has wit, spirit and warmth. His job was to make sure Regina chose from the men he escorted to Texas—not to marry her himself! Can they overcome the secrets in her past, and the shadows in his, to find a perfect future together?


Awarded 4.5 stars by RT Reviewer Susan Mobley (click link for full review)

"the novel successfully kicks off the Texas Grooms series, introducing complex, sympathetic characters with interesting pasts."

Click here to view more of Winnie Griggs' Books

 For Love Inspired Suspense our winner is 

Critical Condition by Sandra Orchard 

 

EVERYONE’S AT RISK There’s a murderer in the hospital, and nurse Tara Peterson is determined to prove it. With mysterious deaths in the cancer ward, anyone could be next. But no one wants to believe her…except for undercover agent Zach Davis. The murderer wants Tara’s suspicions silenced, permanently. To protect Tara, Zach lets her in on his secret, and unwittingly into his heart. Tara and her three-year-old daughter are like the family he lost years before. Zach will risk everything to keep them safe, no matter the cost.

Awarded 4.5 stars by RT reviewer Leslee McKee (click link for full review)

"Well-developed characters and fast-paced action will keep readers fully engaged in this wonderful tribute to spouses struggling with a loved one’s illness."

Click here to view more of Sandra Orchard's Books

A Hope Springs Christmas Interview

How exciting to have Sarah Wyse, the heroine from A HOPE SPRINGS CHRISTMAS written by Patricia Davids, a Dec 2012 release from Love Inspired Romance.

1.  Sarah, tell me the most interesting thing about you.

I expect people will think it's interesting that I'm Amish. I'm also a widow from a small, but wonderful, town in Ohio called Hope Springs. I work in the fabric shop, or at least I did, until recently.

2.  What do you do for fun?

Many things. The Amish know how to work, but they know how to have old-fashioned fun, too. I enjoy quilting, and I especially love quilting bees. It's wonderful to do something I love with my friends.

3.  What do you put off doing because you dread it?

I put off facing Christmas for as long as possible. I lost my husband on Christmas Eve; I learned my twin sister had been killed only a few days after Christmas, my parents both died during the holiday season. It seems that every year Christmas brings me sorrow instead of joy.

4.  What are you afraid of most in life?

That I'll must face the rest of my life alone. It will be hard, but not as hard as watching someone else I love die before me.

5.  What is the most important thing to you?

Faith in God. Love of neighbor. Caring for others. These are all things that are important to me.

6.  Do you read books? If so, what is your favorite type of book?

I should not say so, but I do like to read an Amish romance novel once in a while, however, I read my Bible every day.

7.  If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

That's a hard question. We often can't see our own faults. Perhaps I would be kinder to others, especially my neighbor, Levi.

8.  Do you have a pet? If so, what is it and why that pet?

No pets for me. My next-door neighbors, Levi Beachy, his sister Grace and his twin teenage brothers, Atlee and Moses, provide me with all the entertainment, humor and trouble I can handle. You never know what those boys will be up to next. Such pranksters. Poor Levi. He sure could use a hand with them. They need a woman's firm touch. In fact, Levi needs a wife and I plan to find one for him.

9. If you could travel back in time, where would you go and why?

I think I would go back to my childhood. Everything seemed so simple and happy then. Ah, but things must change and we all have to grow up, don't we?  

Featured Book:A Hope Springs Christmas

Amish widow Sarah Wyse does not see wedding bells in her future. Still, she can't think of a better way to spend the Christmas season than helping her handsome, shy neighbor Levi Beachy find a wife. But once the single ladies of Hope Springs start visiting his buggy shop, Levi sends the town's eligible men Sarah's way. Neither expects to find love—but with help from the close-knit community, they just might mend each other's broken heart.