Whew! Time has slipped right past me! I’m under deadline and have been under the weather. Those are never a good combination, are they? 

I have so much I want to share, and only a few minutes.

First, I’d like to send a huge CONGRATS to RITA winner, Linda Goodnight. I’m so excited for her! It truly was an honor to be nominated with such a wonderful lineup of women. We had a blast doing the rounds of interviews. You can read each interview on my Book Lover News blog. Linda has written a few things more and shared them with me, so I’ll post that a little later this week.

Second, I’d like to announce the winner of my July blog contest. The winner is commenter number sixty-one, Judy, from Goldsboro, North Carolina. She’s won an autographed copy of each book in the Sisters of the Quilt series. 

Congratulations, Judy!

I appreciate each comment made here. And I’m always encouraged by the things you share. Thank you.  

It’s time for another contest.

For a chance to win an autographed copy of each book in the Sisters of the Quilt series, all you need to do is leave a comment.  You can share your thoughts or simply post “enter me.” This contest will last approximately two weeks. Because I didn’t get to post this new contest on time, those who entered a comment on the last blog entry after the drawing had taken place will be entered into this contest.

And to round this little blog post session off, I’d like to share a bit about detasseling. Some of you are thinking, what?

Corn detasseling is the crucial last step in producing hybrid corn seed. It involves removing the pollen-producing top part of the plant, the tassel, so the corn can’t pollinate itself. Instead, pollen from another variety of corn grown in the same field is carried by the wind, pollinating the detasseled corn. The result is corn that bears the genetic characteristics of both varieties and can produce healthier crops with higher yields. Despite technological advances in agriculture, detasseling is still a task that for the most part is done by hand.

The excerpt above is from Wall Street Journal, August ‘02 To understand the process better, just follow that link.

Perhaps a fair amount of non-Amish are still involved in detasseling. I’m not sure what impact the new breeds of corn and the new machines have had on non-Amish, but detasseling is something Amish youth still do.

Corn with tassels still in place.

Corn with tassels removed.

Bis schpeeder (til later)

Happy July!

The temps are hot, the pantry needs restocking again, and the sink needs emptying . . . again, and summertime rolls on. The good news is the neighborhood pool has plenty of water

Offered in the last blog contest was an autographed copy of When the Soul Mends, to be sent when available.

Our winner is commenter number twenty-three: Julie.

A new contest!

For a chance to win an autographed copy of all three books: When the Heart Cries, When the Morning Comes, and When the Soul Mends just leave a comment below. But before you do, I’d like to share an excerpt from my newsletter that I enjoyed getting to share.

If you’d like to sign up for it, click here: Plain News Newsletter

When you sign up for the newsletter, you’ll receive a welcome letter that has a link to June’s newsletter. Plain News goes out four times a year, is free, and is chocked full of things related to the Amish. The last newsletter had parts one and two of my article “Connecting to the Old Order Amish.” It also had a link for reading the first chapter of When the Soul Mends, tidbits from author Tamera Alexander, and some suggested reads from my editor.

An excerpt from Plain News: A tidbit about Amish life

After a week of sweltering temps, it’s a beautiful day today in Pennsylvania.  I know this because Anna [1] called me from her phone shanty and told me so. She’s been busy this week weeding her garden and mowing—all in prep for taking a few days off and going to visit some cousins who live out of state.

To mow the yards, Amish use reel mowers. When living in Maryland as a child, I saw several neighbors use reel mowers to cut their grass.

For Englischers, “living green” is trendy—from recycling everything we can, to using cloth diapers instead of disposable, to avoiding fuel emissions. Much of what society is returning to in order to slow the negative impact on this planet the Amish have never stopped doing.

Today, as I shared with Anna what the “tidbit about Amish life” section in this newsletter would be about, she said that in the spirit of Tom Sawyer, anyone interested in seeing how a reel mower works is welcome to come experience using one on her yards.

And that, my dear readers, is Anna’s sense of humor in a nutshell. She makes me wish I lived next door and not seven hundred miles away!

[1] names have been changed to assure their privacy

For a chance to win an autographed copy of all three Sisters of the Quilt books, just leave a comment below. The contest will continue throughout July.

Bis schpeeder,  (til later)

While in Orlando, I tried to keep a well-known author straight.

Did it work?

Below you’ll find a photo of Brandilyn Collins, writer of Seatbelt Suspense. What I want to know is when reading her Seatbelt Suspense, where’s the padded bar that both surrounds a person and gives them something solid to hold on to–like the ones on the wild rides at Disney? 

Her stories will make you want to hold on to something or someone.  Of course this is a story of her needing to hold on to something or someone. Note photo below.

When I learned she was losing it, I hurried to her side.

There she is with my influence. What would she do without me?

Seriously, if you have teens who long to read the darker stuff that might give you reason to pause, you should check out Brandilyn’s suspense books for them. For fans of suspense, her books have the mystery and suspense scary stuff, but also have the faith element of trusting in God.

After the Brandilyn issue was settled, I met up with two other RITA finalists: Susan May Warren and Amy Wallace. And they tried to beat me up. What’s with that?

So I wrestled some sense into Amy:

Okay, so we need some acting classes. It’s harder than you think to strangle someone, while Susie (Susan May Warren) gave how-to directions. 

But again my influence prevailed, causing Susan and Amy to calm down and come back to their senses.

Oh, man, am I in for it when they read this blog. And I’m picking on two women who write suspense–meaning they know how to commit crimes and not get caught! I’m a sittin’ duck! But as long as my readers are enjoying themselves, I’ll make the sacrifice;-)

This is the artistic work of Creston Mapes as I acted out the title of a book I can’t remember. What can I say? It was a very long and difficult nine days in Orlando.

I had authors to keep straight. Right, Brandilyn?

You can visit her excellent blog at: http://forensicsandfaith.blogspot.com/

Authors behaving. See how that’s done, Brandilyn?  

This is the last week for sharing RITA finalist interviews. There are eight finalists who’ve been posting the interviews on each others’ blogs. With a surname like Woodsmall, I’m closing out the final interview. 

Don’t forget, I still have a contest running for a chance to win an autographed copy of all three books.

For a chance to win you can post a comment below or post one on “Winner, an excerpt, and a contest . . .” which can be found by scrolling to the second post (Winner, an excerpt, and a contest . . . ) on Plain Talk Blog. The entries will be combined and a winner drawn August 5th.

Three of the eight RITA finalists were in Orlando for ICRS
Me, Susan May Warren, and Amy Wallace

The RITA finalist book:

Cindy Woodsmall is the author of the best-selling novels WHEN THE HEART CRIES and WHEN THE MORNING COMES, the first two books in the Sisters of the Quilt series. Her real-life connections with the Plain Mennonite and Old Order Amish families enrich her novels with authenticity. Cindy lives in Georgia with her husband, three sons, and one daughter-in-law.

1.  DESCRIBE YOUR RITA PHONE CALL.
What a busy and fun day that was! On Tuesday of each week I have an assistant, Barbara, who comes in and we juggle as much of the non-writing-related aspects of being an author as we can. The call came in during one of those days. Like other authors, I screen calls during work hours, so when I didn’t recognize the number I didn’t answer. I had a couple of radio interviews that day, so Barbara started fielding phone calls from the downstairs office. (Two of my children grew up and moved out, so I now have two offices!

When she shared the news that I was a RITA finalist, I stared at her for a long moment, then mumbled, “Is this a joke?”

She shook her head, smiling broadly. 

I gaped at her. “Are you sure? The RITA?”

She laughed. “I’m sure.”

Once I got over feeling stunned, excitement grew like a crescendo in a wonderful piece of music. Eventually, the song dissolved into two women in a home office, squealing in delight.
 
2.  TELL US ABOUT THE RITA BOOK AND WHY YOU THINK IT STOOD OUT IN THE CROWD.
WHEN THE MORNING COMES is book two in a three-book series, each chronicling a different aspect of Hannah’s journey. At the beginning of book two we see her as a seventeen-year-old Amish girl who has been betrayed by her family, her fiancé, and even her faith.
Broken, she steps off a train to search for a shunned aunt she hopes still exists. With only an eighth-grade education, she has little knowledge of how to survive in the outside world.  

I think what sets this book apart is the parallel journeys of reaping devastation and the hope of building life anew. 

A man, who has lost just as much as Hannah has but is nothing like her, becomes an unlikely champion who grows to love her like no other.

3.   HOW MANY BOOKS HAVE YOU WRITTEN?
So far I have three novels completed, with the third coming out in September.

Book one in the series is WHEN THE HEART CRIES.

Book two and the RITA finalist is WHEN THE MORNING COMES.

Book three is WHEN THE SOUL MENDS, and it will be out September 16, 2008.
 
4.   DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE?
Since all three of my books are part of the same journey, each one is a favorite for a different reason. Hannah’s Old Order Amish innocence, strength, and epiphanies work both for and against her in each book. I think those things will linger in my heart as I continue to write more books.
Book one, WHEN THE HEART CRIES, made the CBA best-seller list and was an ECPA Christian Book Award finalist, along with books by Karen Kingsbury, Angela Hunt, and Charles Martin. I didn’t think it was possible to be more pleased with a work, but book two, WHEN THE MORNING COMES, made the New York Times best-sellers extended list (#34) and is a RITA finalist, so I’m just off-the-wall excited. Of course, those who know me best would tell you I didn’t need a set of books to be off the wall. 

5.   DESCRIBE YOUR WRITING PROCESS.
I’m a super plotter who starts by taking the time to discover who the characters are. That begins with who their parents were and the mood of the home throughout their childhood, and it includes any traumatic or ecstatic experiences they had while growing up.
I spend time inside an Old Order Amish home, living as my characters do, while interviewing those within the community and seeing firsthand the various trades in which they make their living. This ensures that my characters and plots have a solid foundation.
The next step is to spend a week plotting out each character’s goals, motivations, conflicts, as well as the events that distance each one from his or her goals. I don’t plan out the epiphanies but allow those to grow organically as I write. So far they’ve surprised me every time.
After all that prewriting, I let creativity take over, ignoring or changing the outline as needed. I extensively edit, edit, edit as I go. After that I send each chapter to my critique partner. Since she’s also part of the planning and plotting process, she knows the story inside and out. She critiques with great scrutiny, and I pay close attention to anything she has to say.

6.  WHEN DID YOU DECIDE TO BECOME A WRITER AND WHY CHRISTIAN FICTION?
I decided to write when I had no other choice. The stories inside my head wouldn’t go away and refused to become quiet, so (long story short) I began writing.
The stories grow naturally from characters who may tremble in pain, fear, or confusion, but whose faith is never negotiable to them. Although the journeys are not about being or becoming a Christian, the characters have a God-centered world view, and the stories are about them dealing with the traumatic and ecstatic parts of life the best way they know how, and both the beauty and the distress of doing so.  

7.  TELL US ABOUT YOUR NEXT OR UPCOMING PROJECTS.
I’m about halfway finished with THE HOPE OF REFUGE, an Amish novel where the lead heroine, Cara, is a single mom living in Bronx, New York. Cara had been raised in foster care, and while trying to keep her own six-year-old daughter from the same fate, she begins following pieces of a memory that lead her to an Old Order Amish community. What she discovers inside this community seems more destructive than all her years of having no one.

8.  DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR UNPUBLISHED WRITERS?
Pray. Not so much about God opening doors for you as much as seeking from Him your direction, your inner compass. Be willing to lay writing down. Be willing to revamp your entire lifestyle in order to write. Be ready to follow every rule concerning writing. Be ready to break every rule.

Be ready.

That’s what listening during the quiet hours can do for us—cause us to be ready to both hear and follow to the best of our ability.

But please, please remember that success is not about how many books we’ve written or sold—if any. Success is being His and walking in whatever that means from His perspective, not some preconceived idea of ours or those around us.

Thank you so much to all RITA finalists in the INspirational category for both giving and sharing such wonderful interviews! I’m deeply honored to be a RITA finalist with such a wonderful lineup of authors.

Gross Dank, [Many thanks]

Cindy

It’s always exciting to send out a new edition of my Plain News newsletter. The June issue went out on Saturday, chocked full of interesting things shared only in the newsletter, including the first chapter in When the Soul Mends, the second half of the article about connecting to the Old Order Amish, a contest with a chance to win all three books autographed, and some humor from an Old Order Amish friend.

Since Saturday, I’ve received positive feedback about Plain News from hundreds of you. Thank you!

Some e-mailed me with questions that I’ll address here. I won’t be able to respond individually for weeks, so my daughter-in-law will try to respond to as many as possible later on today. When she returns to full-classes at UGA in the fall, I’m going to miss her help!! How I wish computers were as intuitive as she is on what needs to be done and how. Anyway, if you hear from her, be sure to say hello.

Erin and I at work in my office.

As a mom of all sons, I can’t tell you how fun it is having a daughter-in-law, a really great one! I also have a terrific future daughter-in-law. More on that later!

If you signed up to receive the newsletter and didn’t receive it on Saturday, please enter your e-mail address again at Plain News. Although the newsletter can’t be sent out to individuals, you will receive a welcome letter with a link to the latest newsletter. At the bottom of that newsletter is a link to the previous newsletter and so on.

I went into my e-zine account last night (i.e. newsletter server) and saw that 78 people were inactive. When I began reading the e-mail addresses, I realized why. Some had simply changed e-mail accounts, so they are in good shape. But most of those 78 people had entered their e-mail address in wrong. For example, someone had put @homtail.com which should have been entered as @hotmail.com. With one glance at each e-mail address, I could tell what simple slip of a key had happened, but fixing it will take take days of work . . . days I can’t give right now.

If my daughter-in-law has time, she’ll begin addressing that issue too. Did I mention how great it is to have a daughter-in-law? — although I’ll be honest, letting go of my son wasn’t easy. I fell in love with Erin long before the engagment took place, and I was excited for her and my son to have found each other, but I wasn’t braced for all the emotions that led up to the wedding day and letting him go.

On my wedding day, my mother told me, if you want my opinion from here on out, you’ll have to ask. I’ll not offer an opinion on any decisions you’re making. I’m opinionless . . . unless you ask.

She stuck to that too. She helped me move and decorate half a dozen homes, stayed with us for at least a week for the birth of each child, asked lots of questions of how I wanted things done, and never gave an unsolicited opinion. To say I miss her doesn’t begin to cover it. We had a fantastic relationship, and I did ask her opinion regularly. I try to live by that same wisdom.

What is it with me today? On to your questions . . .

Several asked, “In the newsletter you said the book you’re currently writing on is possibly titled Hope of Refuge. Will it be Amish too?”

Yes, the novel I’m writing on has an Amish setting with Amish characters. I’m very excited about this new novel. It has two storylines, both of which are based on true stories and issues that have faced at least one Old Order Amish community. It’s book one in a three-book series, but the main story will begin and conclude in the first book. Hopefully there won’t be any cliffhangers this time;-)

I say hopefully because sometimes a story, as in Sisters of the Quilt, comes to an author in a certain way, and there’s nothing the author can do but write it. But Hope of Refuge is now plotted, so if it continues to behave, you’ll read a wonderful based-on-true-life story in a single book.

Several asked: “You were in Pennsylvania without doing a book signing?!”

I send my deepest apologies on that one. I hope it never happens again! But this trip was planned to coincide with a particular Amish community’s school-sale auction. It took months of planning and every minute was accounted for. We had to take our son out of school for three days to meet our agenda. We drove our van to Pennsylvania. Five days later my husband and son returned with a van load of items bought at the auction. I stayed and worked on writing projects with an Amish friend, but I can’t really share about that yet; I will say I was so far away from the main flow of traffic my Blackberry couldn’t receive e-mails nor half the cell calls that came in. When my phone did work, I only heard part of what was being said and then the call dropped. Days later I hired a driver (like the Amish do) to take me to BWI so I could catch a plane to Georgia. Once I was halfway to the airport, my Blackberry started buzzing nonstop as it sent and received e-mails. My agent called me, saying he’d received an e-mail from me that I’d written to him seven days earlier. LOL. I could have sent it U.S Postal service and it arrived much sooner than that.

The next question I received several of after the newsletter went out asked if I could give permission to use and/or send you the first chapter of When the Soul Mends.

Although you can forward the newsletter to whomever you wish and they can open the link to that chapter, I’m not allowed to send out individual chapters. I had to get permission from Random House to post that chapter in my newsletter, which means I can’t give you permission to use that chapter on your blog. Only the publisher can do that.

On that same note, I can’t answer questions about the plot and outcome of When the Soul Mends. I’m sure you understand. But once it’s out, let’s discuss it!

I received such wonderful feedback on that first chapter of When the Soul Mends, as well as encouraging congrats on being a Rita finalist for When the Morning Comes.

Denki! Denki! Denki! (Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! )

If you have a question, feel free to send me a note or post it in the comments. I’ll get back with you on it as soon as possible . . . which can be a while sometimes

Gott segen eich ~ God bless you!

Cindy