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If you like Christian fiction featuring Amish characters, you just might want to look for first-time author Amy Clipston’s book, A Gift of Grace. I’ve read a few stories featuring Amish characters, which I’ve enjoyed, but what intrigued me about the premise of this book was the idea of two teenage girls from the “English” world who, after the death of their parents, come to live with their aunt and uncle in the Amish community. Instead of a budding romance that grows, this book is about a marriage tested to its limits. The cultural conflicts are just as strong, but this time they are coupled with the story of a family coming to terms with the death of someone they love, while at the same time two motherless teenage girls also struggle to come of age in a community that is steeped in tradition and completely foreign to their experiences in the modern world. 

For the girls’ Amish aunt, Rebecca, who wanted more than anything to have children of her own, the struggle to be a good mother to her nieces while being a good wife to her husband makes her feel “as if her world is being torn apart by two different cultures, leaving her to question her place in the Amish community, her marriage, and her faith in God.”

Interview with Amy:

How did you get involved in writing?
Writing is like breathing for me.  I was writing silly stories and sharing them with friends in elementary school.  In junior and high school, I turned to writing fan fiction.  After college, my fan fiction transformed into sweet romance novels.  Later, I felt the calling to turn to inspirational, and that was when I found my niche.

Where did you get the idea for A Gift of Grace?
I’m half-German, and my father immigrated to the United States with his parents and siblings in 1929.  He once told me the Amish speak the same dialect as our relatives, so I feel a connection to them.  I’ve always had a great respect and fascination with their faith and simple lives.  I began reading other Amish authors, and I was moved to create my own series.

What do you enjoy most about the writing process?
Brainstorming and plotting are the most fun.  I love getting to know my characters and playing around with storylines.

What is the most difficult aspect of the writing process?
I would say rewrites are the most difficult.  While the end result is always much better than the first draft, reworking the story forces the writer to sometimes start over and also reach deeper into his/her soul to find the story. [Read more →]

What an interesting day I’ve had! First, I got an email from Steve at Artbeads.com telling me they were looking for a few jewelry designers who also blog to feature reviews of some of their items. In exchange, Artbeads.com is offering these bloggers free supplies to review. So of course I was flattered, and I jumped at the chance! There were so many great choices, but I decided on a blue enameled copper pendant with the Chinese symbol for “faith” on it. Since faith has been such a struggle for me lately, I had to have it as a reminder that good things can come “out of the blue” if we just have faith. I’m really excited about this opportunity. I’ll post pictures when I’ve finished my design–I plan to make it reversible.

A few days ago I joined a new “street team” at Etsy called EART–Eclectic Artisans Team. So this morning I got an email from fellow EART member telling me that I was featured in a treasury! My item is the denim lapis lazuli heart pendant in the middle of the bottom row; be sure to check it out. There are some really talented people in this street team.

And last but not least, it looks like I’ll be participating in my first ever virtual “trunk show” with other EART team members on Etsy tomorrow 7 pm Eastern time (5:00 pm Land of Enchantment time). If you’d like to join the fun, click here. It’s a combination chat room/virtual conference room. Some people use their webcams, so you can see them and hear them talking! Very cool.

When I was a kid it was a common thing for my mom and dad to say “See you in the funny papers” instead of saying “goodbye,” especially when the goodbye might have been emotional. A dash of humor often makes the serious events of life a little easier to deal with, and that’s what I remember about Pam Kumpe when I met her at a writers’ conference at Glorieta, near Santa Fe, in October 2005. After commiserating about empty nest syndrome and our kids (her son, my daughter) who were then in their first semesters of college, Pam regaled us with stories about Macy, her miniature schnauzer. Pam’s endearing and personal humor is evident in her new book, See You in the Funny Papers, and it’s no wonder former Governor Mike Huckabee said the following: “…like Jesus, Pam shares lessons learned from everyday life.” I asked for Pam’s permission to share one of the stories from her book, and she graciously agreed, so here it is-perfect for the Christmas season. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.  

“Stealing Baby Jesus”

Christmas is the season for giving, but once someone stole a baby Jesus from a church lawn’s Nativity scene. I don’t understand why anyone would steal baby Jesus. I mean, why not take a wise man? Or a shepherd? Or even Joseph for that matter? We could get more of them, but there’s only one Jesus.

This Jesus figurine was taken from a church in Foreman, Arkansas. Later two men called the pastor and said they’d found it on a gravel road in Oklahoma. The men wanted to return Jesus to the church, but since they had criminal records, they asked to set up a private meeting with the pastor. Now, these men did not take the baby Jesus, but they found him. Or could it be Jesus found them?

According to the Bible, Jesus was hung between two thieves at His crucifixion. One man mocked Jesus, while the other asked Jesus to remember him. Jesus replied to the one wanting to be remembered, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43).

The above narrative is one of the most touching scenes in the Bible to me. Jesus experienced physical and emotional agony on the cross, yet He listened to the plea of a man on a cross. He assured him he’d be with Him in paradise.

Jesus is the key figure in any Nativity scene, which is why the folks at the church in Arkansas think it’s a miracle that they got their baby Jesus back. They searched for Him, like shepherds hurrying off to find their Savior, and now He’s home again.

How the Jesus figurine ended up on a gravel road in Oklahoma is beyond me. Maybe he fell out of the back of a truck. I just don’t know.

I think that’s how we are. We think we’re taking Jesus along with us until we veer off course, hit a few bumps, and end up lost. Then we remember we haven’t even thought about Jesus for months, until He comes up missing. Actually, He’s stayed right on course; we’re the ones who get stuck out on gravel roads.

I’m glad the figurine was located, and it’s a great reminder for me to think about Jesus more often. I don’t have to search for Him, put His name on a sign, or look for Him on a church lawn, because He is as close to me as my next breath.

Let’s take Him with us, but do strap Him in, because if we get lost, that’s when we’ll need Him most. He will gladly show us the way home so we won’t end up on the wrong road.

Visit Pam’s website: http://www.pamkumpe.com
Read Pam’s blog: http://www.pamkumpe.blogspot.com
Look for Pam’s book at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0615243266
Visit other sites on Pam’s blog tour: http://www.blogtourspot.com/Kumpe-blog-tour/Kumpe-blog-tour-stops/

About Let Them Eat Fruitcake…

The Christmas season is a magical time of the year when there is peace on earth, winter wonderlands, and rockin’ parties . . . right? But Megan is struggling with a difficult boss and is forced to spend Christmas alone. Lelani can’t afford to fly home, and she isn’t sure she’d be welcomed. Anna’s old boyfriend has sailed back into her life, just when she’s met a for-real “nice guy” that she has been keeping away from her crazy Latino family. And Kendall has a crush on a famous actor who just might be the answer to her money woes . . . if only she could convince him she’s the love of his life.

Let’s face it, relationships are loaded with confusion, emotion, and secrets you can’t tell anyone but God. Thank goodness He’s always around to listen!

Melody, I know you’ve had over 150 books published, many of which have won awards, and your sales have totaled more than three million dollars. You are one prolific and successful author!  But what is the woman behind the successful stats like? Tell me a little bit about your background and your family.

I grew up in a non-church-going home with divorced parents and considered myself an atheist until my teens when I did a complete 180 turn and gave my heart to Christ. I’ve been married 30 years (to the same guy!) and I have two grown sons and a four year old granddaughter. Also a lovable chocolate Labrador named Bailey. We live in the Cascades mountains in Oregon. I’m a full time writer.

I love the title of your book. Of course the infamous quote attributed to Marie Antoinette came to mind when I first signed on for your blog tour. I doubt she was talking about fruitcake, something that has become an equally infamous Christmas tradition. So what is your favorite Christmas tradition?

We’re pretty low key about the holidays. Mostly we enjoy being with family members and try to keep things light and bright. My husband’s birthday happens to be Christmas day and years ago, he decided he prefers lasagna to turkey so we have “Christmas lasagna.”

Lasagna for Christmas. You know, we’ve actually done that as well. Sometimes it’s fun to break with tradition a bit.

When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I think it changed a lot. Everything from a lawyer (since I loved to argue) to a doctor (except I don’t like gore) to a teacher (probably because my mom was one). I never seriously considered being a writer (although I wrote all the time) because that seemed like the impossible dream to me.

I know many writers who never intended to write when they were thinking about future careers. So in your case, how did you get involved in writing?

In my mid-thirties, I got the strongest desire to get serious about writing. I’d been doing some op-ed pieces for the newspaper and suddenly I just wanted to write a book. Fiction, of course. So I simply began writing and it seems I’ve been writing ever since. I treat writing as a fulltime job, which it is for me. Aside from procrastinating, I usually write daily (Monday through Friday, office hours) until the book is finished and then I give myself “time off” until it’s time to start the next one.

What did you enjoy most about the writing process, and what do you find is your biggest struggle?

I love not knowing exactly what’s going to happen next. I don’t outline and I’m as surprised as the reader when a story takes a twist or turn. I would be bored if I knew where the story was going. I’m a by-the-seat-of-my-pants writer. That used to worry me…until I realized there are others out there just like me. Viva la difference!

But sometimes I’ll procrastinate. I’m not even sure why exactly, but it’s like I get distracted with any little thing that will keep me from sitting down to write. But then, once I sit down, I write pretty fast anyway, so maybe my procrastination is actually a way of stewing on a story before I begin putting it all down in writing.

Every writer has a unique story about how they came to be published. What’s yours?

I really wanted to write fiction, but back when I started writing there wasn’t a lot of fiction in the Christian market. To me that meant there should be more. To publishers it meant “it won’t sell.” Thankfully I was right-there needed to be more. But for my first few years, I was rejected time and again (for fiction). I just kept on writing until I had about five books completed (some adult, some teen). And finally an editor who believed in me asked if I’d consider writing nonfiction. So I did and it sold. About the same time I began to sell my fiction as well. Fortunately I have my little stockpile of books, all which sold. And, over the years, I’ve published with some of the very same publishers who originally rejected me. I guess, besides being impatient, I’m also persistent. In the publishing arena, persistence pays off.

Everyone loves to hear how and where writers get their ideas. So how did you get the idea for Let Them Eat Fruitcake?

Having written for teens for nearly a decade, I wondered about my readers who were in their twenties now. I think that’s a hard age these days and I wanted to create something that would speak to that young career woman who’s trying to sort out her life, her values, her friends, her faith…. I think fiction is a great way to teach truth and my hope was that these 86 Bloomberg Place characters living together under one roof would inspire readers to be better friends, share their faith, and live life more fully.

What are the major themes of the book, and is there any character in particular you most identify with?

I jokingly tell people that 86 Bloomberg Place is like that old TV sitcom “Friends” with faith mixed in. The main themes are relationships, life decisions, and where faith fits in. I’m probably most like Megan, but I’d like to be more like Lelani. Megan can be a bit of a bulldog sometimes, whereas Lelani is kinder and gentler and far more patient. However Megan’s faith is more substantial and she is having an influence in the house. It’s fun watching the characters mature, interact, become stronger friends, and figure out what’s important in life.

Have you had any difficult or confusing relationships like those in the book? How did you handle and what was the result?

Right out of college, I shared a house with three other (very diverse) women. It wasn’t easy and one of the women turned out to be the most difficult person I’d ever come across. Ironically it was on the “mission field” and the women were all Christians…and yet I felt more challenged to love my housemate than I did anyone else in that entire third world country.

What do you hope readers will take away from your book?

I hope they’ll enjoy a few laughs, a peek into the lives of some very human-like characters, and perhaps a spiritual challenge that they’ve found tucked between the lines.

Will we see any of these characters again?

Let Them Eat Fruitcake is the second book in a four book series (86 Bloomberg Place). The next installment is titled Spring Broke and the housemates end up going to Maui, where some mysteries about Lelani’s life are resolved. Also, there is romance and few other surprises. The final book is Three Weddings and a Bar Mitzvah.

Thanks so much, Melody. Readers, you can visit Melody’s website at http://www.melodycarlson.com

Win a prize!
If you leave a post in response to this interview by 5pm CST on November 21, you will be entered into a drawing for a $25 gift certificate to the Collin Street Bakery. The Collin Street Bakery is world-famous for its – you guessed it – fruitcake and will deliver your baked goods almost anywhere in the world.

Links:

Visit other stops on Melody’s blog tour…

Buy Let Them Eat Fruitcake at Amazon.com…