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

Five Fast and Easy Ways to Help an Author

with Meghan Carver

I came across this meme quite a while ago, and quite frankly, I can’t remember where. (I’m glad it has the url on the bottom. At least amarketingexpert.com can get the credit. 😊 )

It summarizes perfectly several fast and super-easy ways a reader can help an author. In this day of social media and online shopping, it isn’t just a matter of writing anymore.

As the image says, reviews really do matter. This past Sunday, a woman at church told me how much she had enjoyed Amish Country Amnesia and that she had stayed up way too late to finish it. (By the way, that’s one of the best compliments you can give an author. We love keeping you up late! 😊 ) But then we talked about reviews, and she stated quite emphatically that she always reads the reviews for anything that she is thinking of purchasing.

That started me thinking about all the reviews I read as I browse online. If I’m looking at a jacket online and reviewers say that the zipper doesn’t work well, I’m much less likely to follow through with the purchase. On the other hand, if several buyers rave about the soft fabric of a knit top I’m considering, then that will, most likely, seal the deal. Truly, though, I find reviews as simple as "I love it!" helpful.

On behalf of all the authors on this blog, thank you for reading our books! We appreciate you!

Q4U: How much do reviews influence your purchases?


Before you go, let's take a moment to remember what happened on this day seventeen years ago ~

May God bless the sacrifice of so many that day, the families left behind, and may He preserve and protect our freedoms!

~ Meghan

We All Need a Valley of Hope

This month, Harlequin released my novel, Valley of Hope. Well, technically, it’s a re-release since I originally wrote this novel in 2013 and self-published it.

Sarah Price's Amish romance, Valley of Hope, at Walmart

For over 35 years, I’ve been writing romance novels. Seeing a novel published and sitting on the bookshelves of a store, especially Walmart, is always a thrill.

But especially for this book, Valley of Hope.

You see, in most Amish romances, the Amish are depicted as living idyllic lives. They smile as they do chores, they fall in love by fence posts, and they live happily ever after.

Having grown up in a Mennonite family, I’m very familiar with the culture of conservative Mennonites as well as Amish. When I was nineteen, I found an Amish family who took me in and let me stay with them. For years I would spend summers and spring breaks at their farm. Later, an older Amish woman let me rent a room from her and I spent several years with her, going back and forth to Pennsylvania from my life in New Jersey.

And I know that not all Amish romances begin with the sweet meeting by the fence post.

In Valley of Hope, the fourth book in my Amish of Lancaster series, Samuel Lapp is a headstrong young man who, while on rumpschpringe—that period of freedom before Amish youth take their kneeling vow—prefers to hang out with Englischers. He loves Mary Ruth, but he’s wrong when he thinks she will wait for him forever.

What I loved about writing this novel was how it depicts the inner turmoil some of the youth go through when involving the process of making that final commitment to join the Amish church. Not a lot of people realize that there are two types of Amish: those who are born into the community and those who join the church. Not all of those who are born Amish actually become Amish.

An Amish Farm in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
Photo Credit: Sarah Price

Samuel Lapp isn’t certain that he wants to become Amish and give up the good life. Only he comes to learn that what he believed was exciting and fun isn’t as ‘good’ as he originally thought. Isn’t that something we can all relate to? How many times have we thought we wanted something, worked hard to achieve it, and when we obtain those goals, we realize that we aren’t as happy as we thought we’d be.

Does Valley of Hope have a happy ending? Well, most of my novels do. But surprises happen along the way because…well…that’s life. It’s full of surprises, just like the real world of romance and life. And just like the real world, sometimes we all need a valley of hope in times of indecision. 

Sarah Price is the author of over 40 novels, several of which were on the ECPA Bestseller Fiction List. She runs the Amish Fiction Authors blog at http://www.amishfictionauthors.com. Her own website is http://www.sarahpriceauthor.com.   

All Things Amish: Love Inspired Books is Doing an Amish Blitz

Good morning everyone.

Cate here today to wish you a happy 2017.

One of the things I love best about the Love Inspired editors is how they're always looking to give new authors a chance to break into the line. I was blessed to sell through the Killer Voices contest back in 2014. That contest focused on LIS. Before that there was Speed Dating with an Editor. More recently, From Blurb to Book (all lines) and Manuscript Matchmakers (for LIH) have resulted in a lot of new sales.

So some of us were wondering, what will be the hot new contest for 2017.

We soon got our answer - AMISH!

Just before the holidays, this info posted by the LI editors:

Love Inspired is always seeking new authors and you could be one of them!
Do you have a Christian contemporary romance that celebrates all things Amish? If so, we would love to see it!
We publish clean Christian romances that are 55,00 words, with a faith element. The romance must be the focus of the book, and both the hero and heroine should be Amish (we are open to all sects: Old Order, New Order, Mennonite, etc.). Characters may question their faith within the story, but ultimately both the hero and heroine must remain Amish at the end of the book (we prefer they not leave the community). We also prefer not to see mixed Amish/non-Amish relationships, unless the non-Amish character joins the Amish church at book’s end. As with any other romance, we also are looking for engaging, emotional plots, appealing characters and a happy ending.
Submission dates: Monday, January 9, 2017 – Tuesday, January 31st 2017 at 11:59 p.m. EST
What Love Inspired needs to see:

• A cover letter that introduces your book and includes any previous publishing credits, writing contest wins, or affiliations.
• A 3-5 page synopsis. What happens in your book—tell us the key moments, the crucial twists and turns, and how it ends! Show us what drives your story forward, including the internal and external conflicts your hero and heroine face to get to their happily ever after.
• The first chapter of your manuscript (up to 25 pages).

What you get:

• A quick response! Skip the slush pile and hear back from Harlequin within 20 business days after the submission period ends.
• Editorial feedback for every Love Inspired appropriate story received.
• The possibility of having your novel published in the Love Inspired line!
• 
  

For the full writing guidelines for Love Inspired, check out our page on Submittable here.
On January 9, 2017 you can submit your proposal for #AmishBlitz on the Submittable page, which will go live on that date.
And check out the hashtag #AmishBlitz on Twitter, as well as following @MelissaEndlich, @ShanaAsaro, @gigiquin, @EmilyRodmell, @Elizabeth_Mazer, and @DinaJDavis. We’ll be sharing tips, insider know-how, our wishlists and more throughout the #AmishBlitz.
Any questions? Leave a comment. We can’t wait to hear from you!
Are you in?

If you are interested, check out the page on the Harlequin Community Forum - Amish Blitz.

So, I'd love to talk about the appeal of Amish fiction. If you write it, what about it appeals to the writer in you?

If you read it, similar question - what is the appeal?

Is there anything you'd like to see done that you haven't seen so far?

Personally, I never had more than a passing knowledge of Amish culture. I'd driven through Lancaster County, eaten at some family-style Amish restaurants. I guess I knew as much as the ordinary person. But then I started doing some research for part of a book I'm working on, and I found myself drawn to the deep faith and abiding trust in God that seems to be a strong part of their lives. In particular, the Amish willingness to forgive spoke to me. Forgiveness is something so many of us find difficult.

If you're interested in learning more about general Amish spiritual beliefs, there are a couple of books I recommend.

Amish Grace: How Forgiveness Transcended Tragedy

The Amish Way: Patient Faith in a Perilous World

 Even if you're not planning to write Amish, they are interesting reads.

So, is anyone out there planning on entering this Amish blitz? We'd love to welcome you to the Love Inspired Family. 

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?

RITA FINALIST – KATIE’S WAY-by Marta Perry

When were you born? Katie’s Way was born November 1, 2011

Where were you born?

I was born to author Marta Perry in the Pennsylvania Dutch area of the United States which makes perfectly good sense. Marta lives where the Amish do and I'm an Amish love story.

Do you have any brothers and sisters?

Marta has written many, many books, but my particular family is called Pleasant Valley. I am the fifth book in that series.

Some of my older many siblings include: Leah’s Choice, Sarah’s Gift, Anna’s Return, and Rachel’s Garden. Hannah's Joy is the latest book in the series and is available now.  Then in November, book seven, Naomi’s Christmas arrives. Whew! That Marta works fast!

What do you think made you a RITA finalist?

The Amish believe pride to be a sin so please don’t think I'm bragging. After all, I am an Amish novel. But since you ask….My characters are extremely well created, so much so that the lilt of Pennsylvania Dutch practically rises from the page. You can tell my author knows her stuff. My plot is thick and entwined, with many twists and turns, all of which grow naturally from the characters and their stories. The rich texture of family weaves a lovely thread throughout, and the faith issue of forgiveness, both of others and one self, is subtly presented. In my very humble opinion, Katie’s Way is a wonderful-gud book.

Here’s the cover blurb:

A quilt shop brings Amish and Englisch together, and trouble follows...

After a thwarted romance, Katie Miller starts over by moving to Pleasant Valley and opening a quilt shop. Soon Amish and Englisch turn the store into a lively spot...to the consternation of Caleb Brand, who crafts furniture next door. Then Katie's sister joins her, to escape rumors of her wild rumspringa, and Katie feels the burden of responsibility for a restless teenager. Even worse, her efforts to bring more people to Main Street arouse resistance among local businesses. When acts of vandalism threaten Katie's shop, she turns to Caleb for comfort, and their friendship deepens. But will Caleb's secret past prevent him from embracing a future with Katie? Or will their fragile romance develop the strength to last a lifetime?