Welcome Vannetta Chapman to Home Thoughts

Today I’m pleased to welcome fellow Harvest House author, Vannetta Chapman, to Home Thoughts. Vannetta has published more than 100 articles in Christian family magazines. She discovered her love for the Amish while researching her grandfather’s birthplace in Albion, PA. She is an award-winning member of Romance Writers’ of America, has taught school for fifteen years, and lives with her family in Texas’ hill country.

Here’s the back cover blurb to whet your appetite: A Promise for Miriam, the first book in a brand-new romantic series from popular author Vannetta Chapman, introduces the Amish community of Pebble Creek and some of the kind, caring people there. As they face challenges to their community from the English world, they come together to reach out to their non-Amish neighbors while still preserving their cherished Plain ways. Amish schoolteacher Miriam King loves her students. At 26, most women her age are married with children of their own, but she hasn’t yet met anyone who can convince her to give up the Plain school that sits along the banks of Pebble Creek. Then newcomer Gabriel Miller steps into her life, bringing his daughter, an air of mystery, and challenges Miriam has never faced before. Will Gabe be able to let go of the past that haunts him? He thinks he just wants to be left alone, but the loving and warm community he and his daughter have moved to has other plans for him. After a near tragedy is averted, he hesitantly returns offers of help and friendship, and he discovers he can make a difference to the people of Pebble Creek—and maybe find love again.

I thoroughly enjoyed Vannetta’s look at the Amish of southwestern Wisconsin. Her heroine, Miriam, rings with authenticity. In A Promise for Miriam, the characters have realistic imperfections and encounter plenty of challenges to keep readers turning the pages. Their faith and strong sense of Christian community help them through life’s difficult challenges. Vannetta’s hero, Gabriel, is multi-dimensional and well-crafted. It was a joy to witness his change of heart. I eagerly look forward to the next installment of the delightful Pebble Creek Amish series.

Please leave a comment to this post to win a copy of A Promise for Miriam. Answer the question: What do you like best about Amish fiction?  Have a great weekend, readers!  Mary

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Join me in welcoming Vannetta Chapman and win a copy of her book

Happy Monday morning, readers. Today I’m excited to welcome my friend and fellow Amish fiction writer, Vannetta Chapman to Home Thoughts. Vannetta has a new book coming out end of March called A Perfect Square. And it’s the perfect combination of Amish Inspirational and mystery romance! Here’s a blurb:

There’s more to the quaint northern Indiana town of Shipshewana than handcrafted quilts, Amish-made furniture, immaculate farms and close-knit families. When a dead girl is found floating in a local pond, murder is also afoot. And Reuben, brother of Deborah’s best friend’s fiance, is in jail as the suspect! Reuben refuses to divulge any information, even to clear himself of a crime Deborah is certain he didn’t commit. So, with her English friend, Callie-fellow sleuth and owner of Daisy’s Quilt Shop-Deborah sets out to uncover the truth. But the mystery deepens when an elderly man seeks Callie’s help in finding his long-lost daughter, missing since the days of the 1965 Palm Sunday Tornadoes. An old man who has lost his past. A young man who may lose his future. Once again Deborah and Callie find themselves trying to piece together a crazy quilt of lives and events-one that can bring unexpected touches of God’s grace and resolve the tragedy that has shaken this quiet Amish community.

I have read this book and its clues will keep you turning the pages until the satisfying end!

Here’s a little about the author: Vannetta Chapman has published over one hundred articles in Christian family magazines, receiving more than two dozen awards from Romance Writers of America chapter groups. She discovered her love for the Amish while researching her grandfather’s birthplace of Albion, Pennsylvania. Her first novel, A Simple Amish Christmas, quickly became a bestseller. Chapman lives in the Texas hill country with her husband. She

be found on the web: www.VannettaChapman.com and www.facebook.com/VannettaChapmanBooks

 Now, here’s the best part. To win a signed copy of

A Perfect Square, just answer this question: What item have

 you lost that you spent hours looking for, and did you find it?

Post your answer at the end of this interview to be entered in a drawing of

Vannetta’s book when it’s released next month. Drawing will be held on Monday, March

5th. Good luck to you all.

Have a super week!

And don’t forget to do something fun on leap-day on Wednesday! You won’t get another

chance for four years!

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Copy of An Amish Family Reunion giveaway

Good morning, folks. Happy Wednesday. Don’t ask me what happened to my regular posting day of Monday. Mondays have a way of slipping through the cracks. But today I offer three separate chances of winning a signed copy of An Amish Family Reunion. You can simply post a comment here on my blog to be entered in the drawing for one of five free books. The drawing will be held on February 15th to honor my brand new website. Please drop by www.maryellis.net if you haven’t already checked it out. Sign up for my (future) newsletter for another chance to win.

And please drop by my friend and fellow author, Vannetta Chapman’s blog, for a third chance to win An Amish Family Reunion. Vannetta is halfway through reading my book and so far, so good.

here’s the link to drop by and post a comment. http://vannettachapman.wordpress.com/2012/01/18/an-amish-family-reunion/

All you have to do is leave a comment to be entered in the drawing. She will draw a lucky winner in about a week.

that’s it–have a great week. Ohio just dodged a bullet in the big snowstorm that just arrived in the East.

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Anybody in the market for a cookbook?

Happy Thursday,

If anyone’s in the market for a great cookbook, here’s one complied by Nicole O’Dell called Novel Morsels that’s available for just 2.99. It contain recipes from 65 Christian authors, recipes that appeared somewhere in their books. Yours truly is honored to be among the 65 contributors. click on this link for more info and ordering info:

http://nicoleodell.com/parent-side/nonfiction/novel-morsels/

Also, don’t forget to drop by the Vessel Project blog to read 5 things I’ll bet you didn’t know about me. this is a great blog by Keiki Hendrix who features a different author each week. Here’s the link:

http://vesselproject.com/2011/11/07/five-things-about-mary-ellis/

And before I forget, get yourself down to Amish Country this Saturday if you’ll be in Ohio and drop by The Gospel Bookstore in  Berlin on Oak Street. Friends of mine Suzanne Woods Fisher, Jerry Eicher and many, many more (30!) will be signing books. Wish I could be with them, but I had a previous committment. Tell them I say “Hi”.

And don’t forget that Amy Clipson, Vannetta Chapman and Shelley Shepard Gray are on their “grand Amish Country Tour”. These 3 are great writers and lovely women so check out this link if you live in Ohio, Indiana or PA. http://zndr.vn/AmishCountryTour You can buy a signed book which would make a great Christmas gift!

Blessings on you all! Mary

 

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Plenty going on for fans of Amish fiction!

Happy Monday Morning!

I hope you all slept well, since this will be a busy week! Anybody who will be in central Ohio this weekend (Saturday Nov. 5th) I’ll be signing books at the Buckeye Book Fair, the largest literary fund-raiser in Ohio, from 10-4:00. It’ll be at the Fisher Auditorium, on the OSU Extension Campus, just south of Wooster, Ohio. Please go to www.buckeyebookfair.com for details and directions. I would love to meet fans of Amish fiction and readers in general! I’ll be signing copies of A Marriage for Meghan, book two of the Wayne County series. Profits benefit literacy efforts in Ohio.

Speaking of fans of Amish fiction, if you’re on Facebook please drop by Beth Wiseman’s Facebook party tomorrow to celebrate the release of her latest, The Wonder of Your Love, book two of her Land of Canann series. And here’s the best: if you post a comment, you can win one of Beth’s paintings. check out this link for a peek at her artwork:

http://blog.bethwiseman.net/2011/10/27/beth-wiseman-facebook-party.aspx

Beth is a award-winning writer and talented artist and a dear friend of mine, so please head to her Facebook party tomorrow, Nov. 1st.

And for anyone who’ll love to meet Shelley Shepard Gray, Vannetta Chapman, and Amy Clipson–and who wouldn’t if you’re a fan of Amish fiction–click on this link to meet up with one of these three super writers on the Amish County tour. They’ll soon be stopping to meet readers, sign books, light Christmas trees, and give talks in Indiana, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Don’t miss your chance to meet three lovely friends at once. Here’s the link: http://zndr.vn/AmishCountryTour). Also, they have a nifty YouTube video about their tour, so take a peek at that too: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umSEbGUqkgI

Remember, books make lovely Christmas gifts, and it’s not too early to start thinking about that! Oh, did I mention I finally finished fall cleaning over the weekend?? Now if I can only keep my dog, cat, and hubby out of the house for a while. smile…

Blessings on you and yours! Mary

 

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Win 4 different books for great summer reading

All right, I know summer is almost history…but according to the calendar we still have 3 more weeks. This week a great writer, K. Dawn Byrd, is interviewing 4 different writers including yours truly. Please drop by her blog to read the interviews with Vannetta Chapman, Margaret Daley, and Martha Rogers. The 4th interview will be mine so don’t stop scrolling down too soon. Post a short comment after each interview for a chance to win a free copy of that author’s newest release. That’s all there is to it. One quick comment gets to a chance to win.

Here’s the link to her blog: http://kdawnbyrd.blogspot.com;

And have a great post holiday week. I was pleased to see so many restaurants and businesses closed yesterday, giving many of my fellow, hard-working Americans an appreciated day off.

Blessings on you and yours, Mary

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