This week on Amish Wisdom Sherry Gore has agreed to fill in for me in the midst of herbusy book launch (TV interviews (including the Today Show), radio interviews and much fun! Be sure to check out all the goings-on over at her blog.) This week on the show Sherry will be interviewing Joel Cliff from PADutchCountry.com about summer in Pennsylvania Amish country. Then during the second half hour, Sherry and Brad Igou will take a look at the sensationalism of Amish on TV. Should be fascinating.

Leave a comment here for a chance to win a copy of Sherry's new cookbook, Simply Delicious Amish Cooking (or email ckrumm@litfusegroup.com if the comment box isn't working. Winner will be notified next week via email.

More about Joel Cliff: Joel is the spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Dutch Convention & Visitors Bureau, located in Lancaster County PA. Our organization is the official voice of Lancaster tourism, and our area welcomes about 10 million visitors each year.

Pennsylvania Amish Country is a picturesque landscape that must be witnessed in person to be fully appreciated. Rolling hills with lush grasses and crops, farms with windmills dotting the horizon and horse and buggies sharing the road remind you that things are simpler here in Lancaster County.

Plan your trip and learn more here: http://www.padutchcountry.com.

More about Brad Igou: Brad grew up in Lancaster City. As a sociology-anthropology major at Ithaca College, he lived and worked with an Amish family for three months in Lancaster as part of an independent study. His interest in other cultures took him to the Peace Corps in Costa Rica, where he worked in agricultural extension and taught English for three years. Following a one-year teaching stint in York, he went to Japan, where he taught English and wrote articles on Japan for numerous publications.

Returning to Lancaster in 1987, he secured a position with Amish Country Tours and is now president and a co-owner of the company. During Brad's tenure, he has overseen the renovation of the Amish Country Homestead, obtained "Heritage Site" status for the Homestead, as well as having written the script for and piecing together the complicated puzzle of the Amish Experience Theater's critically acclaimed special effects driven production of "Jacob's Choice". In addition to the daily tours of the Amish farmlands, Brad has developed popular theme tours for both individuals and groups, especially student groups.

As Editor-in-Chief, Brad is responsible for the editorial content and publishing of Amish Country News, with half a million copies printed annually. In his 25 years in this role, he has written 100's of articles about Lancaster County for the magazine. His Amish Series has long been one of the most eagerly anticipated in each new issue. He's been encouraged to publish a compilation of his Amish Country News musings and may yet consider doing so.

In 2005, working with the PA Dutch Convention and Visitors Bureau, he was instrumental in planning and scripting the "Witness Movie Anniversary Tour," which brought visitors to Lancaster from all over the world to see the farm where this famous Hollywood movie was filmed. More recently, he created the Amish Visit-In-Person Tour, which gives visitors the opportunity to personally meet and talk with the Amish where they live and work. In 2010, the VIP Tour was the first, and to date the only, experience to be designated an official "Heritage Tour" by the County of Lancaster, granting prestigious authenticity status to the experience. The year 2013 marked the debut of the Amish Mafia Tour, designed to separate Amish culture fact from fiction as depicted in the Discovery Channel TV series.

In 1999, his compilation of Amish writings titled THE AMISH IN THEIR OWN WORDS was published by Herald Press, and he is currently working on a "Volume Two." He is a past Chairman of the Board of the Pennsylvania Dutch Convention & Visitors Bureau. While Brad has spent over 12 years living and traveling abroad, he says that his heart always stayed in Lancaster, which he is now proud to call "home."

More about Sherry: Sherry Gore is a scribe for the national edition of The Budget newspaper, a cookbook author and editor in-chief of Cooking & Such magazine.

Learn more at Sherry's website, www.sherrygore.com.

More about Sherry's new cookbook, Simply Delicious Amish Cooking (Zondervan): Unbeknownst to many folks outside the Amish Mennonite population in America, Pinecraft, Florida---a village tucked away in the heart of Sarasota---is the vacation paradise of the Plain People. Unlike any other Plain community in the world, this village is a virtual melting pot of Amish and Mennonites from around the world, intermingled with people, like author Sherry Gore's family, who live there year-round. Gore has put together a cookbook that represents the people who make Pinecraft unique. With hundreds of easy-to-prepare recipes, 16 full-color photographs and black-and-white photographs throughout, this cookbook includes traditional favorites such as Sweet Potato Sweet Mash and Mrs. Byler's Glazed Donuts, as well as Florida favorites including Fried Alligator Nuggets, Grilled Lime Fish Fillets, and Strawberry Mango Smoothies. Interspersed with the recipes are true-life stories about births, engagements, weddings, deaths, funerals, celebrations, wildlife encounters, and accidents told through years of Sherry's Letters from Home column published in The Budget, the Amish newspaper. This delightful cookbook offers readers a faith-based, family-focused perspective of the simple way of life of the Plain People. It is truly a breath of fresh air from Sarasota, Florida!

Purchase a copy of Simply Delicious Amish Cooking today!

This week on Amish Wisdom I'm welcoming back Valerie Weaver-Zercher for part two of Thrill of the Chaste. This week we'll talk about the history of the Amish romance novel, chastisty as a counter-culter phenome, and more. If you didn't catch part one, listen here. Valerie's book studies the exploding subgenre of Amish fiction from every angle: Why is it so popular? What are readers seeking? Do these stories truly reflect the Amish? What motivates the authors? The publishers? Thrill of the chaste is sometimes hard-hitting but always fair, and this fascinating book is a must-read for anyone interested in the plain life. Join us Thursday at 4pm CST.

Leave a comment here for a chance to win a copy of Thrill of the Chaste (or email ckrumm@litfusegroup.com if the comment box isn't working.) Winner will be notified next week via email.

More about Valerie: Her work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Christian Science Monitor, Orion, the Christian Century, Mennonite Weekly Review, and Sojourners, among other venues, and her work has been nominated for and received special mention for a Pushcart Prize. She received a 2009 fellowship in creative nonfiction from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. Weaver-Zercher and her husband and three sons live in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. Visit her website for more information.

More about Thrill of the Chaste: The Allure of Amish Romance Novels:

Browse the inspirational fiction section of your local bookstore, and you will likely find cover after cover depicting virtuous young women cloaked in modest dresses and wearing a pensive or playful expression. They hover innocently above sun-drenched pastures or rustic country lanes, often with a horse-drawn buggy in the background—or the occasional brawny stranger. Romance novels with Amish protagonists, such as the best-selling trailblazer The Shunning by Beverly Lewis, are becoming increasingly popular with a largely evangelical female audience. Thrill of the Chaste is the first book to analyze this growing trend in romance fiction and to place it into the context of contemporary literature, religion, and popular culture.

Valerie Weaver-Zercher combines research and interviews with devoted readers, publishers, and authors to produce a lively and provocative examination of the Amish romance novel. She discusses strategies that literary agents and booksellers use to drive the genre's popularity. By asking questions about authenticity, cultural appropriation, and commodification, Thrill of the Chaste also considers Amish fiction's effects on Amish and non-Amish audiences alike.

This week on Amish Wisdom we'll be talking about the fascinating and often misunderstood practice of shunning. Authors Ira Wagler and Murray Pura will be joining me as we talk about some of the myths and facts about this Amish tradition.

Leave a comment here for a chance to win a copy of Amish Values for your Family (or email ckrumm@litfusegroup.com if you're having problems with the comment form). Winner will be notified next week via email.

More about Ira: Ira Wagler was born in the small Old Order Amish community of Aylmer, Ontario. At 17, frustrated by the rules and restrictions of Amish life, Ira got up at 2 am, left a note under his pillow, packed his duffel bag and left. Over the course of the next 5 years, Ira would leave and return home numerous times, torn between the ingrained message that abandoning one's Amish heritage results in eternal damnation, and the freedom and possibilities offered by the "English" world. Upon becoming a Christian at age 26, Ira left the Amish for good. He is currently general manager of Graber Supply, LLC and Pole Building Co. in Lancaster County, PA. Ira is the author of Growing Up Amish. Learn more about Ira at his website, www.irawagler.com.

More about Murray Pura: Murray was born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba. His first novel was released in Toronto in 1988 and was a finalist for the Dartmouth Book Award. Since that time he has published a number of novels, two collections of short stories, and several nonfiction titles including the Zondervan books Rooted and Streams. He has been a finalist for several awards in the US and Canada and in 2012 won the Word Award of Toronto for Best Historical Novel. His book The Wings of Morning has been nominated for several literary awards in the United States including Best Inspirational Romance and Best Historical Romance. Murray lives and writes in southwestern Alberta and is currently published by Barbour, Baker, Harper One, Zondervan, and Harvest House as well as several other publishing houses. His releases for 2013 include: Ashton Park, The Rose of Lancaster County, A Road Called Love, Seven Oaks, The Painted Sky, Whispers of a New Dawn, Majestic and Wild, Beneath the Dover Sky, and An Amish Family Christmas. Learn more about Murray's books HERE.

More about Ira's and Murray's books:

In honor of Earth Day this week Nancy Sleeth will be guest hosting the show. She's invited a few of her friends to talk about creation care and easy ways to go green. So join Nancy and her guests, Tracey Bianchi and Craig Goodwin, as they share their tips and experiences about going green and staying local.

More about Nancy: Nancy Sleeth is the author of Almost Amish: One Woman’s Quest for a Slower, Simpler, More Sustainable Life (Tyndale 2012) and Go Green, Save Green:  A Simple Guide to Saving Time, Money, and God's Green Earth (Tyndale 2010). Recognized by Newsweek and Christianity Today as one of the “50 Evangelical Women to Watch,” Nancy is the co-founder of Blessed Earth, a Christian environmental nonprofit. Nancy and her husband Matthew have been married for more than three decades and live near their grown children in Lexington, KY. Find out more here: http://www.blessedearth.org.

More about Tracey: (Reverend) Tracey Bianchi is an ordained, ministry leader and freelance writer who makes her home in the Chicago suburbs with her husband Joel, their three young children. Tracey serves as the Pastor for Women and Worship at Christ Church of Oak Brook, a congregation with a weekly worship attendance of 2500+ located in the suburbs of Chicago where she has worked for 15 years. She earned her Master of Divinity Degree from Denver Seminary and a BA in History and Political Science from the University of Iowa.

Her musings have appeared in places like MOPS International, Sojourners, Moody Radio, The Washington Post, Huffington Post, Today’s Christian Woman, Proverbs 31 Ministries, Leadership Journal, Gifted for Leadership and more. She was named one of Christianity Today’s “50 Women to Watch: Those Most Shaping the Church and Culture” in 2012. Her first book Green Mama: The Guilt-Free Guide to Helping You and Your Kids Save the Planet (Zondervan) was released in 2010. Her most recent project is the theme book for the 2012 MOPS International Year. Mom Connection: Creating Vibrant Relationships in the Midst of Motherhood (Baker/Revell). Tracey also serves as a board member with the Evangelical Environmental Network as well a member of the Synergy National Advisory Team. Find out more here: http://traceybianchi.com.

More about Craig: Craig is a Presbyterian Pastor in Spokane, WA, not too far from Seattle where he grew up and went to college. He and his wife Nancy have two daughters, ages 11 and 13 years old, eight chickens, and one rabbit. In 2008 their family spent a year buying only items that were local, used, homegrown, or homemade which led a blog and book titled "Year of Plenty," that explores the intersections of Christian faith, consumption, and sustainability. Along with pastoring Craig manages a farmers' market in his church's parking lot and serves on the boards of Second Harvest Inland Northwest and Plant With Purpose. He has a Dr. Ministry from Fuller Seminary. Find out more here: http://www.yearofplenty.org

Nancy, Tracey and Craig are giving away a copy of their books (Almost Amish, Mom Connection and Year of Plenty). Leave a comment HERE (or email ckrumm@litfusegroup.com if you experience trouble with the comment box). Winners will be notified next week via email.

Don't miss this week's edition of Amish Wisdom. Judy Christie is filling in as guest host extraordinaire and welcoming Amish fiction authors Barbara Cameron and Kathryn Cushman to the show. Barbara will be giving us a peek into the unique Faith and Fiction Bible study series Abingdon Press has launched. Then novelist, Kathryn Cushman will join the show during the second half hour to talk her novel, Almost Amish.

Both authors are giving away a copy of their books. Leave a comment here for a chance to win (or email ckrumm@litfusegroup.com if you're having a problem with the comment box). Winners will be notified next week via email.

More about Judy Christie: Judy Christie committed to write her first novel when she turned fifty – and her seventh novel, “Sweet Olive,” will be published this year. Like many writers, she started keeping a diary when she was nine – and still has all of them.  She loves to talk about reading and writing and how to slow down and enjoy each day more.

Judy is the author of the Green series of novels set in the fictional North Louisiana town of Green.  “Downtown Green,” the most recent, is No. 5 in the series.  Publishers Weekly has given Judy’s work a starred review, and Library Journal has compared the Green series to Jan Karon’s Mitford series and Philip Gulley’s Harmony series.

She also wrote the award-winning “Wreath,” a novel about a 16-year-old girl who is determined to finish high school after her mother dies – and lives in a Central Louisiana junkyard to do so.

Judy loves to help busy people slow down and enjoy life more and has written the popular Hurry Less Worry Less nonfiction books, including “Hurry Less Worry Less for Moms.” 

She loves to visit with readers from her green couch and blogs at www.judychristie.com. Follow her on Twitter @judypchristie.

More about Barbara: Barbara is the author of more than 35 books – fiction and non-fiction. This month Heart in Hand is in bookstores, the third book in the Amish series Stitches in Time, as well as Her Restless Heart: A Woman’s Longing for Love and Acceptance, a Faith and Fiction series Bible study. Stitches in Time is Barbara’s second series for Abingdon Press  – the first was the popular  Quilts of Lancaster County series. A fourth book in that series, Annie’s Christmas Wish, will be out in August this year. Scraps of Evidence, a Quilts of Love title, will be published by Abingdon Press in December, 2013. 

An Amish Christmas, Expanded Edition (Beth Wiseman, Kathleen Fuller, Barbara Cameron, and Kelly Long) and An Amish Gathering (Wiseman, Fuller, Cameron) were published by Thomas Nelson in 2009 and landed on the Christian bestseller lists. Both of Barbara’s novellas in those anthologies were finalists for the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) Carol Award. 

She is the first winner of the Golden Heart Award of the Romance Writers of America and a member of the local Volusia County Romance Writers of America chapter. Some of her titles include the Everything Weddings on a Budget Book and the Everything Roberts Rules of Order. She’s a former newspaper reporter. Check out her website at www.BarbaraCameron.com

More about Her Restless Heart: Her Restless Heart is the second study in the Faith and Fiction Bible study series that uses Christian fiction as a backdrop for exploring biblical themes. Just as Jesus used stories (parables) to teach important principles, inspirational fiction can open readers to greater understanding of themselves and spiritual themes.

Based on a novel of the same name by acclaimed Christian fiction author Barbara Cameron, this six-session Bible study explores the heart’s longing for love and acceptance and the Bible’s answer to this universal human need. The Participant Book has five daily readings per week, each including Scripture, reflections on the day’s topic with questions and space for writing responses, prayer, and a suggestion for the day—a question to ponder, Scripture to consider, or action to take.

More about Kathryn Cushman: Kathryn Cushman is a graduate of Samford University with a degree in pharmacy. She is the author of four previous novels, including Leaving Yesterday and A Promise to Remember, which were both finalists for the Carol Award in Women's Fiction. Kathryn and her family currently live in Santa Barbara, California. Visit her Web site at www.kathryncushman.com.

More about Almost Amish: "Cushman crafts strong characters that are easy to connect with."--Romantic Times

Julie Charlton is at the breaking point. She's overwhelmed and burned out, and in today's unrelenting society, her kids are, too. When her sister-in-law Susan, a Martha Stewart-in-training, lands the chance to participate in a reality TV series promoting simple living, and needs another family to join her, it seems like the perfect opportunity.

The location is an idyllic farm outside an Amish community in Tennessee. Julie, with her two children, joins Susan and her teenage daughter for a summer adventure. Susan needs to succeed in order to become self-sufficient after an ugly divorce, Julie needs to slow down long enough to remember what her priorities are and regain a sense of purpose and meaning. It becomes clear from the start that "living simple" is no simple matter. With the camera watching every move, Susan's drive for perfection feels a lot like what they left behind, while Julie suddenly finds herself needing to stand up for slowing down. With each new challenge, their season of "going Amish" gets more and more complicated, as each woman learns unexpected lessons about herself and her family.

This week on Amish Wisdom we'll be talking with some of the authors from Abingdon Press' Quilts of Love series. We'll take a peek at a few of the books and chat a bit about simple living. 

To win a set of the books, leave a comment here (or email ckrumm@litfusegroup.com if the comment box is not working). Winner will be notified next week via email.

More about the series: Quilts tell stories of love and loss, hope and faith, tradition and new beginnings. The Quilts of Love series focuses on the women who quilted all of these things into their family history. Featuring contemporary and historical romances as well as women's fiction and the occasional light mystery, you will be drawn into the endearing characters of this series and be touched by their stories.

This week on Amish Wisdom, I've gathered some experts to discuss the topic of Anabaptists and war. Novelist and pastor Murray Pura, Mennonite author and blogger Linda Maendel, and Hutterite Farm Steward Paul M Wipf will join me for a fascinating look at both the history of the Anabaptists and dispel some myths. Ever wondered what the difference was between pacifism and nonresistance or the biblical roots of nonresistance? Then Thursday's show is for you.

Murray Pura will also be giving away a copy of his new book, an Amish American story set in 1941, Whispers of a New Dawn. Leave a comment to be entered to win (or email ckrumm@litfusegroup.com if the comment box is not working for you). Winner will be notified via email next week.

More about Linda Maendel:Linda Maendel and was born and raised Hutterite. I live on a colony in Manitoba, Canada and work in our school, teaching English and German to K-6 students. During the summer months I enjoy helping with all the other colony work, cooking, gardening and canning. In my free time I love to read, write and maintain my blog, Hutt-Write Voice. I have one published German children's book and have translated a set of Bible Stories into our language, a Carintian German dielect which we fondly call Hutterisch, and originates from the province of Carinthia in Austria.

More about Paul M. Wipf: Paul is the Farm Steward and supervises the Crop land and Manpower at the Viking Hutterite Colony. Married to Martha with five children Paul has interest in preserving and sharing Hutterite History, Faith and Culture. In 2000 he toured Belgium, France, Italy, Austria and Germany in search of the birthplace of the Anabaptists and their ancestral faith. Paul has interest in other cultures and his Colony is actively involved with global charitable groups.

To understand the Hutterite culture, it is helpful to understand the foundations of the system. Hutterites try to be true to their understanding of the Gospel. Hutterites are New Testament people and their ideal is to live by the ideals of the Sermon on the Mount as followers and Disciples of Christ. Discipleship meant following Christ in the church, with your brothers and sisters. The purpose of life of individuals was to serve each other and the “Community”. This would bring glory to God and be a witness to the world. All of life was to be brought under the rule of Christ. By serving each other, Hutterites, and other Christians, served God.

More about Murray Pura: Murray was born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba. His first novel was released in Toronto in 1988 and was a finalist for the Dartmouth Book Award. Since that time he has published a number of novels, two collections of short stories, and several nonfiction titles including the Zondervan books Rooted and Streams. He has been a finalist for several awards in the US and Canada and in 2012 won the Word Award of Toronto for Best Historical Novel. His book The Wings of Morning has been nominated for several literary awards in the United States including Best Inspirational Romance and Best Historical Romance. Murray lives and writes in southwestern Alberta and is currently published by Barbour, Baker, Harper One, Zondervan, and Harvest House as well as several other publishing houses. His releases for 2013 include: Ashton Park, The Rose of Lancaster County, A Road Called Love, Seven Oaks, The Painted Sky, Whispers of a New Dawn, Majestic and Wild, Beneath the Dover Sky, and An Amish Family Christmas.

More about Whispers of a New Dawn: When Murray Pura's The Wings of Morning was released, one of his rave reviews came from Romantic Times magazine:

"Pura has created one of the finest stories of Amish fiction I have ever read....The reader will be applauding the exceptional writing and the cast of characters demands an encore performance."

Here is that encore performance.

In the third book in his Snapshots of History series, Murray brings back Jude and Lyyndaya Whetstone, the beloved lead characters in The Wings of Morning.

The year is 1941 and Jude and Lyyndy, with their adult daughter, Rebecca, are summoned to far-off, exotic Honolulu where Rebecca, a flyer like her father, meets a likeable young pilot. The two enjoy a friendship that seems to be turning into something more serious.....until Sunday, December 7, 1941 dawns on the Hawaiian Islands.

Readers who love the simplicity of the Amish, a good romance, and a dramatic historical setting are in for a treat with Whispers of a New Dawn.

This week on Amish Wisdom I'm welcoming back Valerie Weaver-Zercher to talk about her new book, Thrill of the Chaste. Valerie's book studies the exploding subgenre of Amish fiction from every angle: Why is it so popular? What are readers seeking? Do these stories truly reflect the Amish? What motivates the authors? The publishers? Thrill of the chaste is sometimes hard-hitting but always fair, and this fascinating book is a must-read for anyone interested in the plain life. Join us Thursday at 4pm CST.

Leave a comment here for a chance to win a copy of Thrill of the Chaste (or email ckrumm@litfusegroup.com if the comment box isn't working.) Winner will be notified next week via email.

More about Valerie: Her work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Christian Science Monitor, Orion, the Christian Century, Mennonite Weekly Review, and Sojourners, among other venues, and her work has been nominated for and received special mention for a Pushcart Prize. She received a 2009 fellowship in creative nonfiction from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. Weaver-Zercher and her husband and three sons live in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. Visit her website for more information.

More about Thrill of the Chaste: The Allure of Amish Romance Novels:

Browse the inspirational fiction section of your local bookstore, and you will likely find cover after cover depicting virtuous young women cloaked in modest dresses and wearing a pensive or playful expression. They hover innocently above sun-drenched pastures or rustic country lanes, often with a horse-drawn buggy in the background—or the occasional brawny stranger. Romance novels with Amish protagonists, such as the best-selling trailblazer The Shunning by Beverly Lewis, are becoming increasingly popular with a largely evangelical female audience. Thrill of the Chaste is the first book to analyze this growing trend in romance fiction and to place it into the context of contemporary literature, religion, and popular culture.

Valerie Weaver-Zercher combines research and interviews with devoted readers, publishers, and authors to produce a lively and provocative examination of the Amish romance novel. She discusses strategies that literary agents and booksellers use to drive the genre's popularity. By asking questions about authenticity, cultural appropriation, and commodification, Thrill of the Chaste also considers Amish fiction's effects on Amish and non-Amish audiences alike.

This week on Amish Wisdom we're celebrating our three year anniversary! I'm bringing in Amy Clipston and Sherry Gore to help me celebrate! During the first segments of the show, Amy will be on to fill us in on what's new in her life and to talk about her new series, Hearts of the Lancaster Grand Hotel. The first book, A Hopeful Heart, releases in June and is available for pre-order. Then during the last segment of the show, Sherry Gore is going to pop in and catch us up on her whirlwind life. She told me earlier this week that her house is being remodeled for an appearance on the Today Show. Wow! Can't wait to hear more about that!

AND ... what's a celebration without gifts? I've got FIVE 5-book prize packs to give away too! Just leave a comment below (or email ckrumm@litfusegroup.com if you are having a problem with the comment box). Winners will be notified next week via email.

More about Amy Clipston: Amy Clipston is the bestselling and award winning author of the Kauffman Amish BakerySeries. She also has written young adult novels, including Roadside Assistance and Reckless Heart. Her novel A Promise of Hope was the 2011 Selah Award Winner for Fiction. Amy has been interviewed by numerous radio stations and newspapers, and she has spoken at churches, schools, writers’ organizations, and libraries. 

Aside from writing, Amy is passionate about organ transplantation and blood donation. She serves on the blood drive committee at her work and she runs blood drives at church. Her husband, Joe, has received two kidney transplants. Most recently, he received a kidney through a "swap" at Johns Hopkins Hospital on June 14, 2011.  During the swap, Amy gave a kidney to a woman, and in exchange, the woman's husband gave a kidney to Joe.  Both Joe and Amy's recipient are doing well; their kidney function is perfect. Amy has written a memoir called A Gift of Life, which outlines her husband's struggle with kidney disease, and the book will be available in February 2014.

She holds a degree in communication from Virginia Wesleyan College and works full-time for the City of Charlotte, NC. Amy lives in North Carolina with her mother, husband, two school-age sons and four spoiled rotten cats. Amy enjoys reading and watching movies, and she is also active in her church. Visit www.amyclipston.com.

More about A Hopeful Heart (Zondervan): In A Hopeful Heart---the first book in a new Amish Heart of the Lancaster Grand Hotel series by bestselling author Amy Clipston---Hannah Glick, a recently widowed Old Order Amish woman, struggles to support her three children after unexpectedly losing her husband, and she finds herself stuck at a crossroad in her life. 

Her community offers her love and support, but a new friend offers her the chance of a new life after unexpectedly losing her husband. When she meets a nice Englisher (non-Amish man) at the luxury hotel where she works, her world is turned upside down while she tries to decipher God’s plan for her. 

Wealthy businessman Trey Peterson is surprised at his attraction for the gentle Amish woman who works as a housekeeper in the Lancaster Grand hotel where he is staying. They share a common bond of loss and are able to offer each other comfort and support as they journey through their grief.

Joshua King wants nothing more than to offer his friendship and love to Hannah and her family. Not only is he her husband’s best friend and business partner in their shared horse business, he has always been in love with Hannah. Are they destined to be only business partners or will Joshua be able to convince her that they belong together for life?

More about Sherry: Sherry Gore is a scribe for the national edition of The Budget newspaper, a cookbook author andeditor in-chief of Cooking & Such magazine.

Learn more at Sherry's website, www.sherrygore.com.

More about Sherry's new cookbook, Simply Delicious Amish Cooking (Zondervan): Unbeknownst to many folks outside the Amish Mennonite population in America, Pinecraft, Florida---a village tucked away in the heart of Sarasota---is the vacation paradise of the Plain People. Unlike any other Plain community in the world, this village is a virtual melting pot of Amish and Mennonites from around the world, intermingled with people, like author Sherry Gore's family, who live there year-round. Gore has put together a cookbook that represents the people who make Pinecraft unique. With hundreds of easy-to-prepare recipes, 16 full-color photographs and black-and-white photographs throughout, this cookbook includes traditional favorites such as Sweet Potato Sweet Mash and Mrs. Byler's Glazed Donuts, as well as Florida favorites including Fried Alligator Nuggets, Grilled Lime Fish Fillets, and Strawberry Mango Smoothies. Interspersed with the recipes are true-life stories about births, engagements, weddings, deaths, funerals, celebrations, wildlife encounters, and accidents told through years of Sherry's Letters from Home column published in The Budget, the Amish newspaper. This delightful cookbook offers readers a faith-based, family-focused perspective of the simple way of life of the Plain People. It is truly a breath of fresh air from Sarasota, Florida!

Pre-order a copy of Simply Delicious Amish Cooking today!

Be sure to tune in on Thursday for an encore presentation of Judy Christie interviewing me and ex-Amishblogger, Mary Ann Kinsinger, about the Adventures of Lily Lapp series.

While you're listening leave a comment on here for a chance to win a copy of Life with Lily and the newest book in the series, A New Home for Lily! Winner will be announced next week via email.

More about A New Home for Lily: Change is all Lily faces when her family moves to an Amish community in Pennsylvania. She has to make new friends, settle into her new home—which she thinks is ugly—and adjust to another new baby brother. (Still no sisters!) Even worse, a boy at school, Aaron Yoder, enjoys tormenting poor Lily. There are some bright spots about Lily’s new home—she has a wonderful teacher, and her relatives have moved close by. But there are a few lessons Lily needs to learn about starting over. Read an excerpt.

My son Ian was complaining that he had nothing new to read, so I handed him Lily #2 off the bookshelf—just to see what he’d think. (His primary interests are Legos and Star Wars, but he loves to read all sorts of things.) He absolutely ate that thing up! Read it all that day, in two focused sittings. Read his favorite parts out loud and asked when he could get the next one. So maybe the real audience for these books is seven-year-old boys! Ha! – Barb

More about Life with Lily: Life with Lily is the first book in the ‘Adventures of Lily Lapp’ series. Lily is six in this story, just starting first grade in a one-room schoolhouse in upstate New York. Her parents are busy building a farm, and soon animals join the family—Jenny the cow and Chubby the miniature horse. A baby brother arrives, too, which Lily has mixed feelings about. (She wanted a sister!) Aside from a mischievous friend like Mandy Mast, Lily is happy at school and even happier at home. Trouble is brewing at the schoolhouse and change is on the horizon for Lily and her family.

AND ... be sure to check out Lily's interactive website! Play games, meet Lily's family, take the quiz, download the coloring pages, and so much more!

Watch the trailer: 

More about Judy: Judy Christie is the author of the Green series of novels set in the fictional North Louisiana town of Green.  “Downtown Green,” the most recent, is No. 5 in the series.  Publisher’s Weekly has given Judy’s work a starred review, and Library Journal has compared the Green series to Jan Karon’s Mitford series and Philip Gulley’s Harmony series.

Judy also wrote “Wreath,” a novel about a 16-year-old girl who is determined to finish high school after her mother dies – and lives in a Central Louisiana junkyard to do so. “Wreath” was a finalist for the Carol Award from the American Christian Fiction Writers.

Her next novel, “Sweet Olive,” will release from Zondervan in Fall 2013.

Judy leads retreats and workshops around the country and writes the popular Hurry Less Worry Less series, including the recent “Hurry Less Worry Less for Moms” and “Hurry Less Worry Less at Christmas.” 

Judy loves to visit with readers on her Kitchen Couch Blog at www.judychristie.com and invites you to stop by. For free weekly tips on how to hurry less and worry less, listen to her podcast. You can also visit her at www.Facebook.com/judychristie and www.Twitter.com/judypchristie.

This week's Amish Wisdom will center on following the "God-sized dreams" you were created for and "letting go of trying hard" with authors Holley Gerth and Emily Freeman. The first half hour Holley is back on the show to talk about her new book, You're Made for a God-Sized Dream, about how to abandon fear and live fully. Then during the second half hour, we'll meet Emily Freeman and hear about her new book, Graceful. She'll share what's she's learned about how to drop the "good-girl persona", stop striving and start trusting God.

Both Holley and Emily are giving away a copy of their books. Just leave a comment below (or email ckrumm@litfusegroup.com if you're having problems with the comment box). Winner will be notified next week via email.

More about Holley: Holley Gerth is a bestselling writer, certified life coach and speaker. She loves connecting with the hearts of women through her popular blog and books like You're Already Amazing and You're Made for a God-Sized Dream. She's also cofounder of (in)courage and a partner with DaySpring. Holley lives with her husband, Mark, in the South. Hang out with her at www.holleygerth.com.

More about You're Made for a God-Sized Dream: We all long to live with more purpose, passion, and joy. Yet in the middle of our hectic lives, the God-sized dreams that have the potential to lead us into all God has planned for us are the ones that tend to get lost. With her intimate, approachable style and constant encouragement, popular blogger and author Holley Gerth invites women to rediscover the big dreams God has given them--and then dare to pursue them.

With the enthusiasm and honesty that we all want from our closest friend, Holley encourages women to overcome excuses--too busy, too late, too far out of my comfort zone--and believe that their God-sized dreams can become reality. She takes readers by the heart and says, "Yes! You can do this! Let's go!" and then guides them forward with a loving hand. A licensed counselor and certified life coach, Holley insightfully combines inspiration with practical application in this positive book.

More about Emily: Emily P. Freeman is a writer who loves to read and a speaker who would rather listen. Every Sunday night, she leads a small group of high school girls at her house where they talk about real life, real love and the God who makes a difference. Emily's husband John is a youth pastor and they live, love and serve together in North Carolina with their twin daughters, their son, and their crazy dog, Finn. The author of Grace for the Good Girl, she attended Columbia International University to study the Bible and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro where she earned a degree in Educational Interpreting for the Deaf. Connect with Emily online at www.ChattingAtTheSky.com.

More about Graceful: You know her--the good girl. She's the reliable one who shows up every week at youth group wearing a purity ring and a smile. She gets good grades, makes the team, and doesn't need to be told to come home on time. But deep down she is crushed by the weight of the responsibility to be the good one, the smart one, the one who never messes up.

With the same candor and gentle spirit she showed women in Grace for the Good Girl, Emily Freeman now gives young women what they need to be free on the inside, no matter what's going on outside. Through an honest look at the roles girls play, she helps them learn to stop trying and start trusting that the Jesus who came to save them also comes to live with them, right here and now.

I'm sure this week's show will be such fun. Eight of the ladies from the blog Mennonite Girls Can Cook will be joining me. They've got two cookbooks, Mennonite Girls Can Cook (2011) and their forthcoming Celebrations (May 2013). The ladies will be talking about how the blog began, Mennonite cooking, history and life-style, fill us in on each of their roles, discuss food and community, and of course dish about some of their great recipes. Don't miss it - Thursday at 4pm Central.

Leave a comment below to win 1 of 2 copies of Mennonite Girls Can Cook Celebrations (or email ckrumm@litfusegroup.com if the comment box isn't working for you). Winner will be notified via email next week.

More about the Mennonite Girls Can Cook: Mennonite Girls Can Cook is a group of ten women who share recipes and their faith, with a purpose, inspiring hospitality while using their resources to help needy people around the world. A simple recipe blog was started to document their family favorite recipes in 2008 and has since resulted in two cookbooks.

The bestselling authors of Mennonite Girls Can Cook return with a second course in their new Celebrations cookbook (due to be published May 2) to honor all of life. Filled from cover to cover with inspirational reflections, personal stories, and beautiful photos, this new book contains much more than recipes--it will soon become your kitchen companion for life's celebrations.

Visit their website for more information and some FABULOUS recipes, www.mennonitegirlscancook.ca.

More about Celebrations: The bestselling authors of Mennonite Girls Can Cook return with a second course in their new Celebrations cookbook. From mouthwatering mini-muffins and succulent soufflé to campers' stew and lattice-topped grilled apples, the Mennonite Girls share recipes to honor all of life. Join the girls for brunch celebrating a child's birth, campfire cooking with family, and even the more somber celebrations of a life well-lived. Filled from cover to cover with devotional reflections, personal stories, and beautiful photos, this book contains much more than recipes—it will soon become your kitchen companion for life's celebrations.

This week on Amish Wisdom we'll be welcoming back two fiction writers to chat about their latest releases. The first half hour we'll hear from Nancy Mehl. She'll be sharing about, Unbreakable, the new book in her Mennonite series, Road to Kindgdom. We'll also hear how Nancy's feeling "inspired" by the Mennonites this spring. Then during the second half hour Jennifer Beckstrand will be joining the show. She'll be giving us the scoop on Miriam's Quilt, the third book in her Forever After in Apple Lake series, about three cousins who find love in Amish country. Fun.

Both authors are giving away copies of their books. Be sure to leave a comment here (or email ckrumm@litfusegroup.com if the comment box isn't working). Winners will be notified next week via email.

More about Nancy: Nancy Mehl lives in Wichita, Kansas, with her husband Norman and her very active puggle, Watson. She’s authored fourteen books and is currently at work on a new series for Bethany House Publishing. All of Nancy’s novels have an added touch – something for your spirit as well as your soul. “I welcome the opportunity to share my faith through my writing,” Nancy says. “God is number one in my life. I wouldn’t be writing at all if I didn’t believe that this is what He’s called me to do. I hope everyone who reads my books will walk away with the most important message I can give them: God is good, and He loves you more than you can imagine. He has a good plan for your life, and there is nothing you can’t overcome with His help.” Readers can learn more about Nancy through her Web site: www.nancymehl.com or her blog. She is also active on Facebook.

More about Unbreakable: Gentle and unassuming, Hope Kauffman has never been one to question the traditions of her Mennonite upbringing. She quietly helps her father run Kingdom Quilts and has agreed to the betrothal he arranged for her with the devout but shy Ebbie Miller.

Despite the attempts of Hope and other Kingdom residents to maintain the status quo, changes have already begun to stir in the small Mennonite town. The handsome and charismatic Jonathon Wiese is the leader of the move to reform, while Ebbie insists Kingdom must remain true to its foundation. When Hope’s safety is threatened by a mysterious outsider, she can’t help but question what she’s always been taught about the Mennonite tradition of nonviolence.

As it swiftly becomes apparent the threat Hope faced is only the beginning, the town that’s always stood so strong finds itself divided. With tensions high and their lives endangered by an unknown enemy, will Hope and the people of Kingdom allow fear and division to break them or will they draw on the strength of the God they serve?

Nancy is also giving away a Kindle Fire and hosting a Facebook Party on March 5th. Click the button for details. 

More about Jennifer: Jennifer Beckstrand is the author of three novels in the Forever After in Apple Lake series, aboutthree cousins who find love in Wisconsin's Amish country. Miriam's Quilt is the third book in the series, following Kate's Song and Rebecca's Rose. Jennifer has a degree in mathematics and a background in editing. She has won two writing contests and serves as the PAN liaison in her Utah RWA chapter. She and her husband have six children and live in Utah.

Learn more about Jennifer at her website: www.jenniferbeckstrand.com.

More about Miriam's Quilt: Miriam’s Quilt is currently in the top 50 Religious Fiction books on Amazon. In Miriam’s Quilt, Miriam Bontrager has loved Ephraim for as long as she can remember. But when scandal rocks Miriam’s family, Ephraim decides that she is not worthy of him. Heartbroken, Miriam vows to never again trust anyone with her affections. But will she surrender her heart when a man of simple faith and gentle ways shows her how to love again? Seth Lambright has always found Miriam pretty, but she’s also too stuck-up to pay him any notice. That is, until she comes to his stable after Ephraim’s devastating rejection. Spending time with Seth’s horses gives Miriam comfort and helps her mend, but her presence nudges Seth dangerously close to falling in love. Unable to ignore the way Miriam tugs at his heart, will he risk everything to show her that there is more to love than the pain of bitter memories?

Don't miss Amish Wisdom this week. My friend, blogger and columnist Rhonda Schrock, will be filling in as host. Her guest is a Mennonite blogger, Dorcas Smucker, from the blog "Life in the Shoe". Sounds like a delightful show.

Dorcas is giving away a set of her four books, Ordinary Days, Upstairs the Peasants are Revolting, Downstairs the Queen is Knitting and Tea and Trouble Brewing. To enter, just leave a comment here (or email ckrumm@litfusegroup.com if you experience a problem with the comment box). Winner will be notified next week via email.

More about Dorcas:Dorcas Smucker is a Mennonite minister's wife and a mother of six. She lives in Oregon's Willamette Valley in a 100-year-old farmhouse. She writes a monthly column, Letter from Harrisburg, for the Eugene, Oregon, Register-Guard, and speaks to various groups. Mostly, she keeps busy with cooking, giving advice, cleaning, doing laundry, battling ants and mice, sewing, and listening to people who need to talk. Her idea of heaven on earth involves sunshine, a porch swing, a good book, and a pot of tea. Dorcas is also the author of: Ordinary Days, Upstairs the Peasants are Revolting, Downstairs the Queen is Knitting and Tea and Trouble Brewing (Good Books, Intercourse, PA).

Be sure to visit Dorcas' blog Life in the Shoe.

More about Dorcas' recent release: Tea and Trouble Brewing

You never know what you'll find in the Smuckers' Oregon farmhouse. Perhaps teenage boys lighting WD-40 on fire, an army of ants invading, or all the lights dimming. Author Dorcas Smucker, mom of six, gets her perspective back by brewing a pot of tea and escaping for a few minutes. In this collection of essays and stories, she invites you to join her for a cup of tea, hear her tales, and then remember all the stories of your own.

More about Rhonda: Rhonda Schrock is the mother of 4 sons, ages 6 to 22. She and her family live in Northern Indiana. She is a telecommuting medical transcriptionist and the writer of the weekly column, “Grounds for Insanity,” which appears in The Goshen News.  A prolific blogger, she appears twice monthly on Suzanne Woods Fisher’s website and writes once monthly for Sherry Gore, author and founder of “Cooking & Such” magazine. Rhonda is also the editor of “Cooking & Such,” and her column is featured there regularly.  

You can find her at www.RhondaSchrock.com.

This week on Amish Wisdom we're welcoming back the lovely and hilarious Lee Ann Miller. We'll be talking about several wonderful topics: contentment, the fascination of the Amish, Lee Ann's TV work, baking and cooking, and what she's been reading. Don't miss this fun show.

Lee Ann is giving away a copy of her current read, Only God: Change Your Story, Change the World. Leave a comment here for a chance to win it. Winner will be notified next week via email. (Or email ckrumm@litfusegroup.com if you're having trouble with the comment box.)

More about Leeann: Lee Ann Miller met, dated and married a young Amish man within 28 days! That was over twenty years ago. Daryl and Lee Ann live in scenic Holmes County, Ohio in the middle of Amish Country. They are happy parents of two teenager sons. 

The Millers own and operate a nine room bed & breakfast in Walnut Creek called The Miller Haus. Through a guest at their B&B in 2005 Lee Ann began doing television work on local FOX & abc affiliates. Now she appears regularly in Cleveland and Columbus and every Monday on Good Morning West Virginia in Charleston, wchstv.com. 

Lee Ann loves baking, babies, fresh ground coffee and her favorite season in Ohio is Spring. Lee Ann hopes and tries to live out her faith in the most messy, beautiful way possible! 

For more information about Lee Ann, please visit her website leeannmiller.net.

More about Only God: Change Your Story, Change the World: Experience firsthand how Only God can use you—and the local church—to transform people, communities, the world. . . in an extraordinary way! You’ll come away with a renewed sense of purpose, as you read Dwight Mason’s powerful, life-altering message of hope. Get ready to let God work in and through you to change your world!

I'm thrilled to welcome best-selling Amish fiction author, Shelley Shepard Gray back to the show. Shelley will be talking about her brand new series with Avon Inpsire called The Days of Redemption. We'll also hear her thoughts on the Amish and what she thinks about all these sensationalized Amish TV programs. Should be a fun time. Tune in Thursday at 4pm Central.

Leave a comment here for a chance to win a copy of Daybreak (or email ckrumm@litfusegroup.com if you're having a problem with the comment box). Winner will be notified next week via email.

More about Shelley:

Shelley Shepard Gray is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Sisters of the Heart, Seasons of Sugarcreek, Secrets of Crittenden County, and Families of Honor series. She lives in southern Ohio, where she writes full-time, bakes too much, and can often be found walking her dachshunds on her town's bike trail.

Learn more at Shelley's website: www.shelleyshepardgray.com.

More about Daybreak:

In this close-knit Amish family, nothing is as perfect as it seems . . .

When Viola Keim starts working at a nearby Mennonite retirement home, she strikes up an unlikely friendship with resident Atle, whose only living relative, son Edward, is living as a missionary in Nicaragua. Viola understands the importance of mission work, but she can't imagine leaving her father in the hands of strangers. Even though her family is New Order Amish, it's not the Amish way, and though she doesn't know Ed, she judges him for abandoning his father.

But when Ed surprises his father with a visit, Viola and Ed both discover an attraction they never expected. Despite her feelings, choosing Ed would mean moving to a far-off country and leaving her family behind. She can't do that. Her twin sister, Elsie, is going blind and will need someone to care for her all her life. Her family is reeling with the recent discovery that her grandmother hid her past as an Englischer. Her father seems forgetful and distracted—and to be harboring some secrets of his own.

Does Viola dare leave them all behind and forge her own life? Or will family ties mean her one chance at love slips away?

Rest. I could sure use some. Not the veg-out-in-front-of-the-TV kind of rest, but soul-rest. This week's guests, Dr. Matthew and Nancy Sleeth (Almost Amish) will be joining me to talk about Matthew's new book, 24/6: A Prescription for a Healthier, Happier Life. The Sleeth's know rest doesn't just happen. It takes intentionality, commitment and restraint. 24/6 provides a life-giving prescription for a healthier, more God-centered life amidst a digitally-crazed, always-on world. The Sleeth's will share how their family was dramatically transformed when it began adopting Sabbath practices —physically, emotionally, relationally and spiritually.

Leave a comment here for a chance to win a copy of 24/6 (Or email Christen (ckrumm@litfusegroup.com) if you are having problems with the comment box.) Winner will be contacted next week via email.

More about Matthew Sleeth: Matthew Sleeth, MD, a former emergency room physician, treated a growing number of patients with physical symptoms from working too much, consuming too much, and having too little time to focus on their faith and families. Following a new calling, Dr. Sleeth resigned from his position as chief of the medical staff and director of a busy ER to teach, preach, and write about the biblical call for a 24/6 life. A highly sought-after speaker, Dr. Sleeth has spoken at more than 1,000 churches, campuses, and events in the last five years. Dr. Sleeth lives in Lexington, Kentucky, with Nancy, his wife of more than 30 years, and their two grown children.

More about Nancy Sleeth: As co-founder and Managing Director of Blessed Earth, Nancy Sleeth travels throughout the U.S. speaking and writing about faith and the environment. Prior to heeding this spiritual and environmental calling, Sleeth served as communications director for a Fortune 500 company and as an educator and administrator, most recently at Asbury University. Sleeth is a graduate of Georgetown University and holds a masters degree in journalism. She is the author of Almost Amish: One Woman’s Quest for a Slower, Simpler, More Sustainable Life. She also authored Go Green, Save Green, the first-ever practical guide for going green from a faith perspective. She and Matthew Sleeth have been married for more than 30 years. They are the parents of Clark (a Physician preparing for medical missions) and Emma (creation care speaker/author for teens and young adults).

Learn more about the Sleeth's by visiting their website, Blessed Earth.

More about 24/6:A Prescription for a Healthier, Happier Life:

“MATTHEW SLEETH HAS CRAFTED A COMPELLING INVITATION TO CONSIDER AND PARTICIPATE IN SABBATH-KEEPING, AN INVITATION THAT IS, IN MY EXPERIENCE, WITHOUT PEER.” –EUGENE H. PETERSON, Author of The Message

“Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy.”

Sounds nice, but how do we find rest in a 24/7 world? Just as the Hebrews were slaves in Egypt, we have become slaves to technology. Our technological tools allow 24-hour productivity and connectivity, give us more control, and subtly enslave us to busyness itself. Sabbath is about restraint—intentionally not doing everything all the time just because we can. Setting aside a day of rest helps us reconnect with our Creator and find the peace of God that passes all understanding. The Sabbath is about letting go of the controls one day a week and letting God be God. So how do we do it?

In 24/6, Dr. Matthew Sleeth describes our symptoms, clarifies the signs, diagnoses the illness, and lays out a simple plan for living a healthier, more God-centered life in a digitally-dazed, always-on world. Sleeth shares how his own family was dramatically transformed when it adopted Sabbath practices and helps readers better understand how their own lives can be transformed—physically, emotionally, relationally and spiritually—by adopting the 24/6 lifestyle.

My mouth is watering as I'm preparing for Thursday's interview. Cookbook authors Dawn Stoltzfus (The Farmer's Daughter: Recipes from a Mennonite Kitchen) and Tina Eicher (co-written with her husband, Jerry Eicher, The Amish Family Cookbook) will be on to share scumptions tips about sweet treats and old family recipes. Yum!

For a chance to win either The Amish Family Cookbook or The Farmer's Daughter, leave a comment on this post (or if you have problems with the comment box, email ckrumm@litfusegroup.com). Winners will be notified next week via email.

About Dawn Stoltzus: Dawn Stoltzfus is a wife, a mother of two sweet little boys, and a lover of anything creative. She started and ran The Farmer's Wife Market until 2008 when she sold it in order to stay at home to raise her family. She loves to cook, for one or three hundred, and sees cooking and entertaining as an opportunity to "be Jesus to people" and serve them out of love and joy rather than out of a sense of obligation. Her love for cooking was inspired by her mother and developed as she cooked for her family of six on their active, working dairy farm in Ohio. For more about Dawn, visit www.dawnstoltzfus.com. 

About The Farmer's Daughter: Welcome to the warm and inviting kitchen of Dawn Stoltzfus, a young Mennonite wife and mother who was raised on a dairy farm where simple, wholesome food was a key ingredient of the good life. In A Farmer's Daughter, she opens up her recipe box, wipes away the crumbs and wrinkles from the well-loved recipes, and shares them with cooks and food-lovers everywhere. She offers us over two hundred delicious recipes that reflect the comfort foods she learned to cook from her mother, the same hearty and creative recipes she made and sold at The Farmer's Wife Market.

Along with the simple, wholesome recipes for starters, main dishes, sides, and desserts, readers will find charming stories from Dawn's Mennonite upbringing, tips and tricks for easy meal planning and preparation, and ideas for serving with flair. Anyone who loves to feed their loved ones hearty, wholesome meals will treasure this cookbook.

About Tina Eicher: Tina Eicher was born and married in the Amish faith, surrounded by a whole community of great Amish cooks. At fellowship meals and family gatherings, Tina’s dishes receive high praise and usually return empty. Tina is the coauthor, along with husband and bestselling Amish novelist Jerry Eicher, of My Dearest Naomi and The Amish Family Cookbook. Jerry and Tina are the parents of four children and live in Virginia. For more about the Eichers, visit www.eicherjerry.com.

About The Amish Family Cookbook: From the home of bestselling author Jerry Eicher (more than 350,000 books sold) and his wife, Tina, comes this warm and inviting peek into an Amish kitchen, complete with….

Amish recipes:

Hannah Byler’s Pecan Pie

Beat on low speed slightly or with hand beater:

 3 eggs   1/3 cup butter, melted  1 cup light corn syrup 

 ½ t. salt  2/3 cup sugar 

Stir in: 1 cup pecan halves. 

Pour into:  1 pie crust

Bake at 375 for 40-50 minutes.

Amish proverbs:  It takes seven to cook for to make a really happy wife.

and Amish humor:

The Englisha visitor suffered through a three-hour Amish wedding service, sitting on the hard backless church bench. 

 “Why does it take so long to tie the knot?” he asked afterward.

 “Well,” the bishop said, stroking his long white beard. “So that it takes ‘em a lifetime to untie it.”

Readers will laugh, pray, and eat robustly with The Amish Family Cookbook at their side.

Don't miss Amish Wisdom this week. Kelly Long will be filling in as host and she's welcoming her friend and co-author Beth Wiseman back to the show. They will be talking about their book, An Amish Kitchen, as well as talking about what's new for both of them in 2013.

Leave a comment here for a chance to win a copy of An Amish Kitchen. Winner will be notified next week via email. (If you are having problems leaving a comment using the comment box, please email Christen (ckrumm@litfusegroup.com).

More about Beth: Beth Wiseman is the best-selling author of the Daughters of the Promise series and the Land of Canaan series.  All of her books have held spots on the ECPA (Evangelical Christian Publishers Association) Bestseller List and the CBA (Christian Book Association) Bestseller List.  She is a recipient of the prestigious Carol Award, two-time winner of the Inspirational Readers Choice Award, and an INSPY Award winner.  Her first book in the Land of Canaan series—Seek Me With All Your Heart—was selected as the 2011 Women of Faith Book of the Year.  Beth is contracted with Harpercollins Christian Publishing into the year 2015.  

As a former newspaper reporter, Beth was honored by her peers with eleven journalism awards, including first place news writing for The Texas Press Association.  She has been a humor columnist for The 1960 Sun in Houston and published articles in various publications.  However, writing novels is where her heart is.  She left her job as a journalist in 2008 to write novels fulltime.  

Beth has a deep affection for the Amish and their simpler way of life, and while she plans to continue writing Amish love stories, she is also branching out into other areas.  Her first non-Amish, contemporary—Need You Now—released in April 2012 and landed on the CBA Bestseller List. She enjoyed writing the story based in a town near where she lives, and she’s chosen another small Texas town for her next non-Amish contemporary—The House that Love Built—which will be based in Smithville, the same quaint town where movies such as Hope Floats and Tree of Life were filmed. This novel will release in April 2013.  In between her contemporaries, she will be writing more Amish novellas.    

Beth and her husband are empty-nesters enjoying country life in Texas with two dogs, two cars, four coats, and two pigs. When she’s not writing, she loves to travel, paint, and enjoy time with friends and family. She hangs out at Fans of Beth Wiseman on Facebook and loves hearing from readers. For more about Beth and her books, visit www.bethwiseman.com.  

More about Kelly: Kelly Long's Amish fiction has hit al three ECPA, CBD, and CBA bestseller lists. She was nominated for a Carol award in 2012 and enjoys writing Amish that explores darker issues while still providing beauty and romance. Her latest releases are An Amish Kitchen, A Marriage of the Heart, and a sweet, non-Amish novella e-book, Hart's Truth. Kelly can be found at FB FANS of Kelly Long, Amishliving.com, and KellyLongAmish on Twitter. She resides in Pennsylvania with her family and loves the Amish people.

More about An Amish Kitchen (co-written with Amy Clipston): The Amish Kitchen is the Heart of the Home – and the Ideal Setting for Stories of Love and Hope.

Fall in Paradise, Pennsylvania, always brings a brisk change in the weather. This season also ushers in unexpected visitors, new love, and renewed hope for three women.

Fern has a green thumb for growing healing herbs, but longs for love to bloom in her life. Then the next-door neighbor’s oldest son, Abram, comes running into Fern’s kitchen seeking help for his little sister. The crisis soon leads to a promise of romance—until mistrust threatens to end the growing attraction.

Nearby, Hannah runs her parents’ bed and breakfast, Paradise Inn—but her life feels nothing like Paradise. She longs for a man of integrity to enter her life, but never expected him to knock on the front door looking for a room. Will she be able trust Stephen with her future once she discovers his mysterious past?

When a storm blows a tree onto Eve’s farmhouse, she has little choice but to temporarily move her family into her parents’ home. Outside of cooking together in the kitchen, Eve and her mother can’t agree on anything. But this may be just the recipe for hope in healing old wounds.

Three Amish stories—each celebrating love, family, and faith—all taking place in a tight-knit community where the kitchen truly is the heart of the home.

Also Includes Reading Group Guide and 45 Old Order Amish Recipes

“Fans of Amish fiction will find triple the enjoyment here thanks to this gathering of novellas in one book.” —Publishers Weekly for An Amish Wedding

Welcome to 2013! My first guest of the year will help get 2013 off to a good start. Crystal Paine will be back on the show this week to talk about her new ebook, 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life. Crystal is a wife, mom of three, and bestselling author of The Money Saving Mom’s Budget and the e-book 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life. Visit her blog, www.MoneySavingMom.com, for high-value coupons, online bargains, freebies, and practical ideas and inspiration to get your life and finances in order. MoneySavingMom.com - one of the top personal finance blogs on the web and averages over one million pages views per month. Crystal has contributed to articles in Woman's Day, as well as being mentioned on National Public Radio and CNN.com, in USA Weekend and Real Simple magazine. Crystal has also appeared as a guest on the 700 Club, and featured in numerous other local newspapers and radio and television stations. 

Crystal is giving away a copy of her ebook. Just leave a comment here for a chance to win (or email ckrumm@litfusegroup.com if you're having problems with the comment box). Winner will be notified next week via email.

More about 21 Days to a More Discplined Life: Stop Letting Life Just Happen to You and Start Happening to Life!

Do you have ideas, hopes, and dreams for what you want to accomplish in your life, but you feel like you’re being held back by a lack of personal discipline?

Are you easily overwhelmed by your big ideas or projects, and you just don’t know where to start and how to make real progress?

Do you find yourself making “all-or-nothing” plans for transforming your life, and then three days later you crash and burn under the weight of your plan?

Learn more about Crystal at her website: http://crystalpaine.com

(Original air date 12/10/11)

We've got two guests on the show this week. The first half hour I'll be chatting with Noah Coleman. Noah is the son of Bill Coleman of Amish Photo. If you've read my Christian Post articles, seen my book covers or spent any time at my blog then you've seen Bill's gorgeous work. His eye is unmatched. Today Noah will be talking about how he helps his father, now in his 80's, and what's new and coming soon to AmishPhoto.com. Then during the second half of the show we'll kick off the Christmas season with Judy Christie. She's going to pop in to talk about her book, "Hurry Less, Worry Less at Christmas."

More about Judy and her book: Have a More Meaningful Christmas Season In Hurry Less, Worry Less at Christmas, Judy Christie meets us where we are--in a frenzied, out-of-control frame of mind--and helps us begin to have a deeper understanding of the joy of the Christmas season and how that can be a starting point for a more abundant life in the new year.

Topics include:

• Getting Christmas clutter and activities under control
• Developing a thankful heart
• Beginning new traditions
• Savoring the spiritual focus of Christmas

For more about Judy, visit her website!

Don't miss today's show! 5pm EST, toginet.comwww.toginet.com/shows/amishwisdom. And if you have to miss it, just go to the site and click and listen or download it as a podcast, at your convenience!

More about Amish Photo:

Bill Coleman is an internationally acclaimed photographer of the Amish. The photographic legacy he deems his Amish Odyssey is four decades long, a goodly number of years to document the lives and landscapes of the Old Order Amish sect in a hidden valley somewhere in Pennsylvania. But forty years is scantly time to portray a people whose ancestors immigrated to the area in the 18th century.

The Amish have a love affair with life and simplicity, with preserving ages of innocence and respect, with teaching responsibility and the joys of tradition. These very private people are reluctant to reveal themselves to outsiders.

Bill, albeit knowing he will always be an outsider has, charmingly, respectfully cajoled his way into the hearts and homes of a number of Amish families willing to allow him to document their lives from birth to death, generation after generation. His determination to keep their location secret, their lives private, equals their determination to maintain their way of life.

His photographs, often images of a precise scene taken at each season of the year and of cherubic children as they mature, holds a continuity of life and lifestyle beholden to the past, yet treasured for the future. In a sect where tradition and the ethic of hard work, respect of elders and love of children intertwine.

Bill creates beautifully powerful images. The past is present in every nuanced curve of the land. His photographs are intimate portraits of a place and a people who live in the simplicity of the past as the realities of the 21st century encroach upon their future.

Bill’s photos touch one’s senses beyond the gift of sight. They reveal the laughter of the youngsters, the chill of a snowy field, the aroma of a fresh baked apple pie, the touch of little girls clutching their baby dolls, and the mellifluous hammering of a barn raising. Beyond the physical senses are those of place, of humor, of past, and present thriving harmoniously. He portrays the whimsy of children at play with equal respect to the seriousness of Sunday worship.

On many days, from sunrise to sunset, Bill aims his camera at what he calls the “symphony of forms that created the valley…the lights, colors and textures of the fields, the farmlands, and the faces.” In describing his passion for preserving the gentle nature of this Amish sect, he confides, “I wish they knew how much I love them.” Look at his photos and you will have no questions about his love.

For more information and to see some his amazing work, please visit: www.amishphoto.com

Don't miss this week's show. Sherry Gore will be interviewing Cindy Woodsmall about her new book, Christmas in Apple Ridge.

Cindy is giving away a copy of her book. Leave a comment for a chance to win it (or if you're having problems with the comment box, email ckrumm@litfusegroup.com). Winner will be notified next week via email.

More about Cindy: Cindy Woodsmall is a New York Times and CBA best-selling author of ten works of fiction and onework of nonfiction, whose connection with the Amish community has been featured widely in national media and throughout Christian news outlets. She lives outside Atlanta with her family. Visit www.cindywoodsmall.com for more info.

More about Christmas in Apple Ridge: Experience the holidays with the Plain folk of Apple Ridge, Pennsylvania, in these touching novellas centered around love, romance, heartache, and restoration from best-selling author Cindy Woodsmall. 

The Sound of Sleigh Bells

Beth Hertzler is unable to let go of a past tragedy, but when she discovers a large, intricately carved scene of Amish children playing in the snow, something deep inside Beth’s soul responds. Determined that her niece meet the gifted artist, her aunt tracks him down, but it’s not that simple – will Jonah be able to offer Beth the sleigh ride she’s always dreamed of and a second chance at real love?

The Christmas Singing

Mattie thought her childhood sweetheart adored her until he abruptly ended their engagement on Christmas Eve. Brokenhearted, Mattie moves away and pursues her longtime dream of becoming a cake decorator, and even finds a new beau. But when Mattie is forced to return home three years later, will learning the truth behind Gideon’s rejection restore her Christmas joy – or open the door to even deeper heartbreak?

The Dawn of Christmas

Sadie enjoys her freedom away from home and her mission trips to Peru, but after four years, her Old Order Amish family insists it’s time to come home and settle down. Levi, a bachelor who distrusts women after a family heartbreak, also has no desire for romance. To keep their families from meddling in their lives, Sadie and Levi devise a plan—but soon discover that the walls around their hearts are breaking down. Can they let go of their prejudices, learn to trust each other, and embrace a future together?

More about Sherry: Sherry Gore is a scribe for the national edition of The Budget newspaper, a cookbook author andeditor in-chief of Cooking & Such magazine.

More about Cooking & Such: Adventures in Plain Living: This quarterly magazine features simple stories of funny moments and faith-testing trials. Tastefully written by writers from Plain communities across the country, this publication is unlike any other in the world.

Photographs depicting everyday life bring readers of all ages and backgrounds to a slower pace and a simpler place in time. Favorite recipes by seasoned cooks with mouth-watering photos make each issue a necessity in the kitchen and a feast for the eyes. Plain or not, you’ll want to get cookin’, gathering your friends and family around the table for a hearty meal and warm conversation.  

Specialty dishes like Three-Layer Strawberries and Cream Cake pretty enough for a wedding make reading and cooking a treat. Who could pass up a plate of homemade gingerbread waffles slathered in hand-rolled butter and lavishly drizzled with maple syrup? Or a bowl of caramel corn with hot, mulled cider? 

A smorgasbord of articles and stories by writers of various ages provides wholesome reading for the entire family. You can treat yourself to the wisdom of Anna Miller of Mother Hen in the Kitchen and Lovina Eicher, writer of the syndicated column, The Amish Cook. Former writer for The Pinecraft Pauper, Steven Fisher, will take you to the back forty of his family's Pennsylvania farm in his new column, Beyond the Barn Door.

Lena Yoder, author of Tastes From a Farmer's Wife, teaches you Preserving Traditions with recipes and recollections of butchering and canning in Topeka, Indiana. And Rhonda Schrock, mother of four sons and author of the column, Grounds for Insanity, will have you laughing and crying with her tales of mischief and mayhem. You'll find these and many more unforgettable stories tucked within the pages of Cooking & Such: Adventures in Plain Living.

Look for Sherry's new cookbook, Simply Delicious Amish Cooking, this spring.

Don't miss this week's show. During the first half of Thursday's show I'll be welcoming Mary Ellis back to Amish Wisdom. Mary will be talking about her new series, The New Beginning series, and filling us in on what's new in her life. Then during the second half of the show, we'll meet author Jenny Miller. Jenny is a mother of three children with the same genetic disorder. She shares her story in her book, Life is a Gift, and other lessons I’m learning from my daughters. Jenny's gentle spirit and peace is evident as she shares how joy and sorrow have been like train tracks in her life. "They run together. Life is a combination of both". Tune in Thusday at 5pm Eastern.

For a chance to win a copy of Mary Ellis' Living in Harmony or Jenny Miller's Life is A Gift, just leave a comment here (or email amy@litfusegroup.com if you're having trouble with the comment box). Winner will be notified next week via email.

More about Mary: Mary Ellis grew up close to the eastern Ohio Amish community, Geauga County, where her parentsoften took her to farmer's markets and woodworking fairs. She loved their peaceful, agrarian lifestyle, their respect for the land, and their strong sense of Christian community.

She and her husband now live close to the largest population of Amish in the country--a four-county area in central Ohio. They often take weekend trips to purchase produce, meet Amish families, and enjoy a simpler way of life.

Mary enjoys reading, traveling, gardening, bicycling and swimming. But her favorite pasttime is snorkeling, which she seldom gets to do living in Ohio. She is a former middle school teacher and a former saleswoman for the world's best chocolate company. Now she writes full-time and wonders why her house is still dusty and her garden has so many weeds. She is currently working on the New Beginnings series. Book 1-Living in Harmony is set in Maine and released in August. Book 2-Love Comes to Paradise is set in Missouri and will release in Feb 2013. Book 3-A Little Bit of Paradise is set in Kentucky and will release in July of 2013.

For more information, visit Mary's website: www.maryellis.net.

More about Living in Harmony: Living in Harmony is the first book in bestselling author Mary Ellis's New Beginnings series. It's about fresh starts and love...and how faith in God and His perfect plan for our lives provides us with the peace and joy we desire.

Amy King--young, engaged, and Amish--faces difficult challenges in her life when she suddenly loses both of her parents in a house fire. Her fiancé, John Detweiler, persuades her and her sister Nora to leave Lancaster County and make a new beginning with him in Harmony, Maine, where he has relatives who can help the women in their time of need.

John's brother Thomas and sister-in-law Sally readily open their home to the three newcomers. Wise beyond his years, Thomas, a minister in the district, refuses to marry Amy and John upon their arrival, suggesting instead a period of adjustment and counseling. During this time Amy discovers an aunt who was shunned. She wishes to reconnect with her, but this puts a strain on her relationship with John.

Can John and Amy find a way to live in happily in Harmony before making a lifetime commitment to one another?

More about Jenny Miller: Jenny Miller lives in a little log cabin in the beautiful mountains of Colorado, along with her husband Erv and their daughters Courtney and Brooklyn.  She is passionate about connecting with other women, writing from her heart, and finding beauty in the ordinary.  She enjoys her role of wife and mommy, as well as cooking, decorating and teaching Sunday School.  More than anything, she longs for God to use the story of her life to shine hope into the lives of others. 

For more about Jenny and her story, visit www.lifeisagiftthebook.wordpress.com.

More about Life is a Gift: Jenny counted her newborn's fingers and toes, amazed anew at God's tremendous gift of life-but the gift did not turn out as she hoped. Her precious baby girl, the fulfillment of her childhood dreams, had serious medical problems. As her dreams crumbled around her, Jenny wrestled with the God of her youth-a God she knew only as secure, faithful, and loving. Now her prayers rang hollow, and God seemed unpredictable, confusing, and distant. Didn't He see tears? In this tender and deeply personal story of dashed hopes and broken dreams, Jenny shares in vivid detail her struggle to accept the journey God chose for her journey of faith through which she reluctantly embraced the lessons God had set before her. Through brokenness, she gained peace, comfort, even joy and a far deeper understanding that life-all life-is a gift from God.

This week on Amish Wisdom we'll meet two new-to-Amish-Wisdom authors of Amish Fiction, Olivia Newport and Alice Wisler. Olivia Newport is the author of Accidentally Amish. Her novels twist through time to find where faith and passions meet. (Exciting!) Olivia lives in Colorado, where her husband and two twenty-something children help her know the difference between real life and the people stomping through her head on their way to her stories. Then during the second half of the show we’ll meet author Alice Wisler. Alice will be talking about her new book, Still Life in Shadows, which released this past July. Alice and I have more in common than writing about the Amish. Curious? Tune in on Thursday to find out more.

For a chance to win one of TEN copies of Accidentally Amish or a copy of Still Life in Shadows, leave a comment here. Winners will be notified next week via email.

More about Olivia: Olivia Newport’s novels twist through time to find where faith and passions meet. Her husband and two twentysomething children provide welcome distraction from the people stomping through her head on their way into her books. She chases joy in stunning Colorado at the foot of the Rockies, where daylilies grow as tall as she is.

Find out more about Olivia, visit www.olivianewport.com.

More about Accidentally Amish: Escape the helter-skelter of the modern culture and join software creator Annie Friesen, hiding at the home of an Amishman. With her high-tech career in jeopardy, Annie runs from fast-paced Colorado Springs—and straight into the hospitality of San Luis Valley’s Amish community. There she meets cabinetmaker Rufus Beiler, and the more time she spends with him, the more attracted she becomes. When Annie finds she shares a common ancestor with Rufus, she feels both cultures colliding within her. But is her love for Rufus strong enough for her to give up the only life she’s ever known?

More about Alice: Inspired by Mose Gingerich of  the TV series, Amish: Out of Order, Still Life in Shadows is a tale of yearning to belong.  I hope my readers will know, that like Gideon Miller and Kiki Yanagi, they always belong.

Find out more about Alice, visit www.alicewisler.com.

More about Still Life in Shadows: It's been fifteen years since Gideon Miller ran away from his Amish community in Carlisle, Pennsylvania as a boy of fifteen.  Gideon arrives in the Smoky Mountains town of Twin Branches and settles in at the local auto mechanic's garage. He meets a host of interesting characters -the most recent acquaintances are Kiki, an autistic teen, and her sister Mari. Known as the "Getaway Savior" he helps other Amish boys and girls relocate to life in modern America.

One day the phone rings. On the other end is his brother Moriah calling from Florida. Of course Gideon welcomes his brother to stay with him and offers him a job. But Moriah is caught in a web which ends in his death and forces Gideon to return to the town of his youth, with his brother's body in the back of a hearse and Mari and Kiki at his side. He must face not only the community he ran away from years ago but also his own web of bitterness. Will he be able to give his anger over to God and forgive his father?

Wishing you and yours a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend. I pray you have much to be thankful for and are able to spend some quality time with family and friends! Tune in to Amish Wisdom on Thursday while you're bustling around the kitchen and catch Lee Ann Miller as she shares her observations about Amish holidays and traditions: Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, and weddings!

More about Leeann: Twenty Years ago she met, dated, and married an Amish man within 28 days. “Big D” and Leeann live in Ohio’s Amish Country with their two teenage sons.

They also have a Bed & Breakfast called the Miller Haus. Leeann is a regular cooking guest on several FOX & abc affiliates in our region and represents the brand ‘Taste of Home’, and is a field editor for their magazine.

She loves to bake, cook, & extend hospitality. She believes in truth, mistakes, love, failures, dreams, goals, wit, & grinding the best coffee beans you can find!

For more about Lee Ann, please visit her website.

So be sure to tune in at 4:00 PM Central on Thursday!

Don't miss this week's show as we welcome back Amish author Beth Wiseman. We'll be catching up with Beth since her last visit to the show and hearing all about her new book, His Love Endures Forever. I always appreciate Beth's candor and stories, and I know you will too. Be sure to tune in Thursday at 5pm Eastern. 

Leave a comment below to be entered to win a copy of Beth's book. Winner will be notified via email next week.

More about Beth: Beth Wiseman's previous releases have held spots on the CBA and the ECPA bestseller lists. In 2010, she received the INSPY Award for Amish Fiction. In 2011, she received the American Christian Fiction Writer's Carol Award and was the Inspirational Readers Choice winner for her book Plain Paradise. Her novel Seek Me with All Your Heart was the 2011 Women of Faith Book of the Year. In addition, Wiseman has been a Retailers Choice Finalist, a Booksellers Best Finalist and a National Readers Choice Finalist. Today, she and her husband are empty nest parents of two grown sons, enjoying the country lifestyle and living happily with and assorted menagerie of domestic and farm animals including dogs, cats, pot-bellied pigs, chickens, goats, and a miniature donkey in a small community in South Central Texas. Visit www.bethwiseman.com for more.

More about His Love Endures Forever: An unplanned pregnancy. An absent father. Can love really endure all things?

Danielle Kent is anything but Amish. But as destiny would have it, she has fallen in love with an Amish man.

Now she’s 18, pregnant, and hopeful that the child’s Amish father—Matthew Lapp—will do the right thing and marry her. She knows Matthew plans to leave his Colorado settlement for a life in the Englisch world. But that plan never included a baby.

When Matthew walks away from her and their unborn child, she has nowhere to turn. Her unlikely friendship with Levi offers some comfort—yet they have so little in common. This wasn’t the plan she had for her life, and she has never felt so alone. She doesn’t want to be pregnant. Doesn’t want to be Amish. Doesn’t want to trust God.

And yet.

God has plans beyond what her mind can imagine . . . loving plans to show a lost young woman that His love never fails but endures forever.

The holidays are the most wonderful time of the year—and the most chaotic, too. On the show the week we'll learn how to keep the holidays simple with some of the lovely contributors of Not Quite Amish, a new simple lifestyle blog headed up by best-selling and Amish author Tricia Goyer. The Not Quite Amish ladies will share their tips to keep things uncomplicated during the holiday season—simple gifts, simple food, simple ways to carve out time, simple ideas for family time—so you can focus on the real reason we celebrate. Be sure to tune in Thursday at 4 pm Central!

Leave a comment here for a chance to win a copy of Amish Proverbs and an Amish 2013 calendar featuring some of your favorite Amish authors! Winner will be notified via email.

More about today's Not Quite Amish guests:

Carey Bailey — This fun-loving mother of two also has a passion for helping fellow women discover ways to create a powerful relationship with Christ. She is the author of Cravings, an innovative forty-day devotional for busy moms that allows them to draw closer to the Lord in the midst of busyness.

Vannetta Chapman — She has published more than 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.

Tricia Goyer — Tricia is the author of more than 30 books and has published more than 500 articles for national publications such as Focus on the Family, Today’s Christian Woman, and HomeLife Magazine. She is the host of Living Inspired and the founder of Not Quite Amish. Her most recent release is the first book in a new Amish series, The Memory Jar.

Amy Lillard — Amy Lillard is an award winning author who loves reading romance novels from Amish to contemporary. These two genres meet in her debut novel, Saving Gideon. Born and bred in Mississippi, she now lives in Oklahoma with her husband and their son.

Nancy Sleeth — She is the author of Go Green, Save Green, the first-ever practical guide for going green from a faith perspective. Nancy specializes in leading workshops on the nuts and bolts of stewardship practices at home, work, school, and church and facilitating women’s retreats on Sabbath practices, simplicity, and sustainability.

Caitlin Wilson — Caitlin Wilson is the founder and editor of Re-Mix-Her, a personal-style and fashion blog. She works at Litfuse Publicity Group as the Chick of All Trades (social media coordinator and publicity assistant).

Elizabeth Byler Younts — She is the author of an Amish memoir titled Seasons: A Real Story of an Amish Girl. Seasons is the story of her grandmother Lydia Lee Coblentz who grew up in an impoverished Amish family through the Great Depression. Seasons was released in August 2011 and quickly became an Amazon bestseller in three categories.

I'm gearing up for a fun interview on Thursday with Sherry Gore!

She's back on the show to fill us in on her new cookbook (April 2013) and talk about what it's been like to live with a TV crew underfoot for the past week. Big things in the works for Sherry.

Sherry is giving away a one-year subscription to her magazine, Cooking & Such. Leave a comment for a chance to win it. Winner will be notified next week via email.

More about Sherry: Sherry Gore is a scribe for the national edition of The Budget newspaper, a cookbook author and editor in-chief of Cooking & Such magazine.

More about Cooking & Such: Adventures in Plain Living: This quarterly magazine features simple stories of funny moments and faith-testing trials. Tastefully written by writers from Plain communities across the country, this publication is unlike any other in the world.

Photographs depicting everyday life bring readers of all ages and backgrounds to a slower pace and a simpler place in time. Favorite recipes by seasoned cooks with mouth-watering photos make each issue a necessity in the kitchen and a feast for the eyes. Plain or not, you’ll want to get cookin’, gathering your friends and family around the table for a hearty meal and warm conversation.  

Specialty dishes like Three-Layer Strawberries and Cream Cake pretty enough for a wedding make reading and cooking a treat. Who could pass up a plate of homemade gingerbread waffles slathered in hand-rolled butter and lavishly drizzled with maple syrup? Or a bowl of caramel corn with hot, mulled cider? 

A smorgasbord of articles and stories by writers of various ages provides wholesome reading for the entire family. You can treat yourself to the wisdom of Anna Miller of Mother Hen in the Kitchen and Lovina Eicher, writer of the syndicated column, The Amish Cook. Former writer for The Pinecraft Pauper, Steven Fisher, will take you to the back forty of his family's Pennsylvania farm in his new column, Beyond the Barn Door.

Lena Yoder, author of Tastes From a Farmer's Wife, teaches you Preserving Traditions with recipes and recollections of butchering and canning in Topeka, Indiana. And Rhonda Schrock, mother of four sons and author of the column, Grounds for Insanity, will have you laughing and crying with her tales of mischief and mayhem. You'll find these and many more unforgettable stories tucked within the pages of Cooking & Such: Adventures in Plain Living.

Oh! Sherry just revealed the cover of her new cookbook, Simply Delicious Amish Cooking, this week! Have a look.

Thursday on Amish Wisdom I'll be introducing two more Amish fiction authors, Adina Senft and Beth Shriver. The first half hour we'll hear about Adina's Amish Quilt series. Then during the second half of the show, Beth will give us the behind the scenes scoop on her new book, Annie's Truth.

Want to win a copy of these great reads? Just leave a comment on this page and you'll be entered to win The Wounded Heart, The Hidden Life or Annie's Truth. Winner will be notified next week via email.

More about Adina: Adina Senft grew up in a plain house church, where she was often asked by outsiders if she wasAmish (the answer was no), she made her own clothes, and she perfected the art of the French braid. She holds an M.F.A. in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University in Pennsylvania, where she teaches as adjunct faculty. 

Writing as Shelley Bates, she was the winner of RWA’s RITA Award for Best Inspirational Novel in 2005, a finalist for that award in 2006, and, writing as Shelley Adina, was a Christy Award finalist in 2009. Three of her books have shortlisted for the American Christian Fiction Writers’ Carol Award for book of the year. Of her fiction, publisher and industry blogger W. Terry Whalin has said, “Readers will be lost in the vivid world that [she] paints with incredible detail and masterful storytelling.” 

A transplanted Canadian, Adina returns there annually to have her accent calibrated. Between books, she enjoys traveling with her husband, playing the piano and Celtic harp, and spoiling her flock of rescued chickens. These days, she makes period costumes and only puts up her hair for historical events and fun. For more about Adina, visit her website at www.adinasenft.com.

More about The Wounded Heart: “With this quaint, gentle read, Senft’s promising series is off to a good start andwill make a nice alternative for Jerry S. Eicher readers who want to try a new author.”  —Library Journal

A widow with two small children, Amelia Beiler is struggling to make ends meet. She is running her late husband’s business, but it’s not what she was raised to do, which is run a home. When she gets an offer for the business from Eli Fischer, she’s only too relieved to consider it--especially when it looks like Eli’s interest might include more than just the shop.

But when she begins to experience strange physical symptoms and is diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, it’s difficult not to question God’s will. If she pursues the treatment she believes in, she risks going under the bann. But how can she allow Eli to court her when she can’t promise him a future?

More about The Hidden Life: Emma Stolzfus has never been courted or kissed, and now that she’s 30, it has become her place as the unmarried daughter to look after her elderly mother. But in the dark hours when her mother is asleep, Emma writes letters and essays to Amish periodicals, short stories, and even a novel she’s been working on for the last five years.

When a New York literary agent, Tyler West, takes an interest in her work, Emma secretly goes to meet him. When she returns, something about her is different—and the men of her Amish community take notice. But how can she settle for second best when her heart made its choice years ago—to a man she can never have? Only her friends, Amelia and Carrie, know the truth in her heart as they work together on their quilt ... and only they understand when an old tragedy comes to light that will either hurt or heal ... and reveal Emma’s hidden life.

More about Beth: Childhood memories of her grandfather's ranch came alive as Beth wrote her first Amish story. Herparents grew up in the country, so she appreciates pastoral life and respects those who make a living off the land. She visits a nearby Amish community just south of Fort-Worth for an occasional church service or brunch with the bishop and his wife. Beth received a degree in social work and worked as a caseworker before starting a family. Beth and her husband, two children, along with two cats, a beagle, live in Texas after moving from their first home in Colorado. She freelances for the local papers in her area and writes columns, devotionals for magazines, and novels in a variety of genres in both fiction and nonfiction. For more about Beth, visit her website at www.bethshriverwriter.com.

More about Annie's Truth: Annie Beiler seems to have it all—a loving family in a tight-knit Amish community and the affections of an attractive and respected young man. But when she learns that she was adopted after being found as an abandoned newborn, she sets out on a journey to find out who she is.

After learning the truth about who she really is, can this prodigal daughter be accepted back into the safety and security of home?

This week we'll be talking with two authors of Amish fiction who are brand new to Amish Wisdom. The first half hour we'll hear from Amy Lillard about her new book Saving Gideon. Then during the last half of the show Anna Schmidt will be telling us about her latest release, A Sister's Forgiveness. 

Both authors are giving away a copy of their books (Anna's publisher has graciously offered FOUR copies of A Sister's Forgiveness!) - for a chance to win just leave a comment on this post. Winners will be notified next week via email.

More about Amy Lillard: Amy Lillard is an award-winning writer who loves reading romance novels from contemporary to Amish. These two genres meet in her first book, Saving Gideon. Born and bred in Mississippi, she now lives with her husband and son in Oklahoma. Learn more about Amy and her other books at her website, www.amywritesromance.com.

More about Saving Gideon: Gideon Fisher wants one thing out of life -- to be left alone. This is not the Amish way, but he’s devastated after the death of his wife and son to the point of losing his faith. He buys a farm on the outskirts of the district and pulls away from his community. But when a freak spring snowstorm brings a beautiful Englisher to his farm, what choice does Gideon have but to let her in?

Dallas socialite Avery Ann Hamilton is intrigued by the Amish farmer who pulls her out of the snow and into his austere lifestyle. Poor little rich girl, Avery has just gone through (yet another) bad breakup. Every man she meets only wants her for her father’s money. All she has ever wanted is to be loved for herself. Avery soon discovers the Oklahoma Amish country is the perfect place to hide out and heal her broken heart.

But she finds a peace in those back roads that she’s never felt before. Now her life has purpose and meaning as she connects with God and those around her. And there’s something more as she begins to care for this man who needs both love and forgiveness.

Gideon never wanted to live again much less fall in love, but Avery finds her way into his heart, showing him the beauty of life and God’s greatness. Yet as the feelings between Avery and Gideon grow, can they overcome their dissimilar lifestyles, or will their sheer differences pull them apart?

More about Anna Schmidt: Anna has three times been a finalist for the coveted RITA award for romance fiction and has twice before been recognized by Romantic Times magazine with their Reviewer's Choice Award. She enjoys gardening and collecting seashells at her winter home in Florida. Find out more about Anna and her other books at her website, www.booksbyanna.com.

More about A Sister's Forgiveness: Anna Schmidt’s second book in her contemporary Mennonite romance series proves that one moment can change everything. Available now, A Sister’s Forgiveness presents a moving story of faith and forgiveness.

Sisters Emma and Jeannie are best friends, and so are their teenage daughters Sadie and Tessa. And then the unthinkable happens that changes everything in a moment. A tragic accident results in Tessa’s death and Sadie is responsible leaving both families devastated. Soon sorrow becomes bitterness as Jeannie’s marriage disintegrates and Emma’s two children are mired in guilt and depression. But through faith, can each sister find a way from heartbreak to forgiveness?

Welcome to this week's show. While I'm away this week Virgina Smith has graciously agreed to guest host Thursday's Amish Wisdom. She'll be getting the scoop on Amish fiction authors Martha Bolton and Kelly Irvin. We'll hear about both author's new books, Josiah For President and A Heart Made New.

Want to win a copy of either book? Leave a comment here. Winners will be notified next week via email.

But, first more about our guest host, Virginia Smith: Virginia Smith is the bestselling author of over twenty Christian novels, an illustrated children's book, and more than fifty articles and short stories. An avid reader with eclectic tastes in fiction, Ginny writes in a variety of styles, from lighthearted relationship stories to breath-snatching suspense. In 2011 her romance novel, A Daughter's Legacy, received a Holt Medallion Award of Merit. In addition to writing, Ginny is an active inspirational speaker and frequent presenter at schools and conferences. When she isn't writing or speaking, Ginny and her husband, Ted, enjoy exploring the extremes of nature – snow skiing in the Wasatch Mountains near Salt Lake City, motorcycle riding on the curvy roads in central Kentucky, and scuba diving in the warm waters of Mexico and the Caribbean.

Be sure to check out Virginia's latest Amish fiction book, A Plain and Simple Heart, an exciting new Amish-meets-Wild West adventure from bestselling authors Lori Copeland and Virginia Smith, weaves an entertaining and romantic tale for devoted fans and new readers. For more about Virginia please visit her website at www.virginiasmith.org.

More about Martha Bolton: Emmy-nominated and Dove-nominated writer Martha Bolton is also the author of over eighty books of inspiration and humor. She wrote the libretto for The Confession Musical, based on Beverly Lewis' popular Amish trilogy, as well as the libretto for Half-Stitched, the Musical, based on Wanda Brumstetter's newest Amish romance. Martha was a staff writer for Bob Hope for over fifteen years, writing humor to entertain the public and presidents alike. For more about Martha and her other books, visit www.marthabolton.com.

More about Josiah For President: When former Congressman Mark Stedman throws in the towel on his presidentialcampaign, his only choice is to return to his home state and decide how to spend the rest of his life ... until he meets Josiah Stoltzfus, an Amish farmer from Pennsylvania. Stedman learns more from Josiah in a few hours than in his many years in office. He comes to the conclusion that someone like Josiah should be running the country. Not a career politician, but someone with a little old-fashioned common sense, someone who's not afraid of rolling up his sleeves and getting his hands dirty. Someone like Josiah Stoltzfus. Using his old campaign headquarters for a base, Mark Stedman determines to introduce a new candidate to America. He pledges to do everything in his power to make sure Josiah gets elected. But can a plain man of faith turn the tide of politics and become the leader of America, and what will he have to risk to do it?

More about Kelly Irvin: Kelly Irvin is a Kansas native and has been writing professionally for 25 years. She and her husband, Tim, make their home in Texas. They have two children, three cats, and a tankful of fish. A public relations professional, Kelly is also the author of two romantic suspense novels and writes short stories in her spare time. To learn more about her work, visit www.kellyirvin.com.

More about A Heart Made New: The Bliss Creek Amish (Book 2)

In the second novel of Kelly Irvin's Bliss Creek Amish series, readers will be delighted to return to a town and a family they've already come to love.

Annie Shirack is trying to fight her feelings for David Plank, a young Amish man who's struggling with an aggressive case of Hodgkin's lymphoma. David loves Annie too much to let her into his life, only, he fears, to leave her.

When a homeless young woman named Charisma and her two-year-old daughter, Gracie, show up in Bliss Creek, Annie welcomes them into the Shirack household and tries to help them establish a new life. But all the good deeds in the world can't change the ache in Annie's heart...or help her forget the man she loves.

I'm so excited about this week's show. I've invited the great Judy Christie to play "host" and interview me and ex-Amish blogger, Mary Ann Kinsinger, about our new children's book Life with Lily. Such a fun show ahead.

Leave a comment on here for a chance to win a signed copy of Life with Lily! Winner will be announced next week via email.

More about Life with Lily: Life with Lily is the first book in the ‘Adventures of Lily Lapp’ series. Lily is six in this story, just starting first grade in a one-room schoolhouse in upstate New York. Her parents are busy building a farm, and soon animals join the family—Jenny the cow and Chubby the miniature horse. A baby brother arrives, too, which Lily has mixed feelings about. (She wanted a sister!) Aside from a mischievous friend like Mandy Mast, Lily is happy at school and even happier at home. Trouble is brewing at the schoolhouse and change is on the horizon for Lily and her family.

AND ... be sure to check out Lily's interactive website! Play games, meet Lily's family, take the quiz, download the coloring pages, and so much more!

And the trailer: 

More about Judy: Judy Christie is the author of the Green series of novels set in the fictional North Louisiana town of Green.  “Downtown Green,” the most recent, is No. 5 in the series.  Publisher’s Weekly has given Judy’s work a starred review, and Library Journal has compared the Green series to Jan Karon’s Mitford series and Philip Gulley’s Harmony series.

Judy also wrote “Wreath,” a novel about a 16-year-old girl who is determined to finish high school after her mother dies – and lives in a Central Louisiana junkyard to do so. “Wreath” was a finalist for the Carol Award from the American Christian Fiction Writers.

Her next novel, “Sweet Olive,” will release from Zondervan in Fall 2013.

Judy leads retreats and workshops around the country and writes the popular Hurry Less Worry Less series, including the recent “Hurry Less Worry Less for Moms” and “Hurry Less Worry Less at Christmas.” 

Judy loves to visit with readers on her Kitchen Couch Blog at www.judychristie.com and invites you to stop by. For free weekly tips on how to hurry less and worry less, listen to her podcast. You can also visit her at www.Facebook.com/judychristie and www.Twitter.com/judypchristie.

I'm thrilled to be welcoming Mindy Starns Clark and Leslie Gould back to the show this week. These two authors have teamed up once again for the next book in their Christy Award winning series, The Women of Lancaster County. The latest installment, The Amish Bride, tells the story of a Mennonite woman and an Amish man, and the conflict that arises when the sparks start to fly. Then during the last segment of today's show we'll turn all ears to Leslie and her other new release, Courting Cate. Tune in and leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of the books. Winners will be notified next week via email.

Watch the trailer:

More about The Amish Bride: 

More about Mindy: Mindy Starns Clark is the author of many books, which include the popular Smart Chick Mysteries, Whispers of the Bayou, Shadows of Lancaster County, and Under the Cajun Moon. In addition, Mindy’s plays and musicals have been featured in schools and churches across the United States.

Visit Mindy's website at www.mindystarnsclark.com.

More about Courting Cate: In Paradise, Pennsylvania, Cate Miller is known more for her sharp tongue and fiery temper than her striking appearance. Her sweet and flirty sister, Betsy, on the other hand, seems to have attracted most of the bachelors in Lancaster County!

But the sisters' wealthy father has made one hard-and-fast rule: older Cate must marry first, before younger Betsy can even start courting. Unfortunately, untamable Cate has driven away every suitor--until Pete Treger comes to town, that is.

Prodded by the men of the area, Pete turns his attention to winning Cate's hand. But is his interest true or is there a scheme at play?

More about Leslie: Leslie Gould, a former magazine editor, is the author of numerous novels, including Beyond the Blue and Garden of Dreams. She received her master of fine arts degree from Portland State University and lives in Oregon with her husband, Peter, and their four children.

Welcome to Amish Wisdom. This week we'll have three guests on the show. The first half hour will feature guest host Rhonda Schrock who will be interviewing author and illustrator, Ingrid Hess. Ingrid has a delightful new book out called An Amish Alphabet. Then during the second half of the show I'll be sitting down with Christa Black, author of God Loves Ugly. She'll be sharing her inspiring message and personal story. 

Leave a comment here for a chance to win a copy of either guests' book. Winner will be notified next week via email.

More about Rhonda Schrock: Rhonda Schrock is the mother of 4 sons, ages 6 to 22. She and her family live in Northern Indiana. She is a telecommuting medical transcriptionist and the writer of the weekly column, "Grounds for Insanity," which appears in The Goshen News.  A prolific blogger, she's written professionally for Bethel College while contributing to parenting and humor blogs and maintaining her own.  She appears twice monthly on Suzanne Woods Fisher's website and writes once monthly for Sherry Gore, author and founder of "Cooking & Such" magazine. Rhonda is also the editor of "Cooking & Such," and her column is featured there regularly.  You can find her at www.RhondaSchrock.com.

More about Ingrid Hess: Ingrid Hess is an illustrator, graphic designer, and graphic design professor living in Rochester, New York. The simplicity in her work is heavily influenced by her Amish and Mennonite heritage; the bright colors and patterns are inspired by art from Costa Rica, where she lived for four years as a child.

Ingrid holds an MFA in Graphic Design from Indiana University with an emphasis in the book arts and has worked in the publishing industry since 1996. Her dual passions of design and illustration work well together and help her tell stories through pictures. Her research focuses on economic justice as a way to bring peace to the world.

Ingrid is author and illustrator of Herald Press titles Sleep in Peace (2008 Rodda Book Award winner) and Walk in Peace. She also wrote Think Fair Trade First in which she seeks to empower children to understand that they can make a difference in the world. Learn more about Ingrid here.

More about An Amish Alphabet: A is for Amish; B is for barn raising; C is for church. What is it like to be Amish? In this delightful and whimsical full-color book, author and illustrator Ingrid Hess offers an entertaining yet informative introduction to Amish faith and life. In a style that will capture the imaginations of children and adults alike, Hess takes readers behind the scenes and invites them to think about living out faith in new ways.

More about Christa Black: Christa Black is a popular blog author, speaker, and singer/songwriter whose songs have been recorded by multi-platinum-selling artists Jordin Sparks and Michael W. Smith. She has toured with The Jonas Brothers, Michael W. Smith, and Jennifer Knapp. Christa lives in Los Angeles, California with her husband and rescue dog, Nala. GOD LOVES UGLY is her first book and corresponds with her CD/Album God Loves Ugly. Learn more about Christa at her website, www.christablack.com.

More about God Loves Ugly: DO YOU EVER LOOK IN THE MIRROR AND HATE WHAT YOU SEE? Your eyes can lie. Rejection, shame, and self-hatred can poison perceptions and hinder us from seeing and believing what's actually true. In GOD LOVES UGLY Christa Black shares her personal victory against powerful adversaries--her thoughts, feelings, and reflection. From world-touring stadium performer to rehab-bound bulimic binge eater, Christa's unashamed transparency will win your heart, hold your attention, and give you practical tools to overcome the monsters that can consume our lives. She invites the reader into her own painful struggles and spiritual journey, providing solutions to life's problems in a highly entertaining and vulnerable, yet empowering way. You were made to live free. Whether you are struggling with an eating disorder, depression, addiction, or just feeling a little insecure, GOD LOVES UGLY will shift the way you think, motivate permanent change, and inspire your heart to find peace.

This week on Amish Wisdom I'll be welcoming Joe Mackall to the show. We'll talk about his experiences among the Amish which he's captured in his book, Plain Secrets: An Outsider Among the Amish. Joe's writing has appeared in a variety of venues, including The New York Times, The Washington Post and on NPR’s “Morning Edition.” 

Leave a comment here for a chance to win a copy of Joe's book. Winner will be contacted next week via email.

{More about Joe}

Joe Mackall is the author of Plain Secrets: An Outsider Among the Amish and of the memoir The Last Street Before Cleveland. He’s the co-founder and –editor of River Teeth: A Journal of Nonfiction Narrative. His work has appeared in a variety of venues, including The New York Times, The Washington Post and on NPR’s “Morning Edition.”  Mackall is a Professor of English and the director of creative writing at Ashland University in Ohio. 

{More about Plain Secrets}

Joe Mackall has lived surrounded by the Swartzentruber Amish community of Ashland County, Ohio, for over sixteen years. They are the most traditional and insular of all the Amish sects: the Swartzentrubers live without gas, electricity, or indoor plumbing; without lights on their buggies or cushioned chairs in their homes; and without rumspringa, the recently popularized "running-around time" that some Amish sects allow their sixteen-year-olds.

Over the years, Mackall has developed a steady relationship with the Shetler family (Samuel and Mary, their nine children, and their extended family). Plain Secrets tells the Shetlers' story over these years, using their lives to paint a portrait of Swartzentruber Amish life and mores. During this time, Samuel's nephew Jonas finally rejects the strictures of the Amish way of life for good, after two failed attempts to leave, and his bright young daughter reaches the end of school for Amish children: the eighth grade. But Plain Secrets is also the story of the unusual friendship between Samuel and Joe. Samuel is quietly bemused—and, one suspects, secretly delighted—at Joe's ignorance of crops and planting, carpentry and cattle. He knows Joe is planning to write a book about the family, and yet he allows him a glimpse of the tensions inside this intensely private community. 

These and other stories from the life of the family reveal the larger questions posed by the Amish way of life. If the continued existence of the Amish in the midst of modern society asks us to consider the appeal of traditional, highly restrictive, and gendered religious communities, it also asks how we romanticize or condemn these communities—and why. Mackall's attempt to parse these questions—to write as honestly as possible about what he has seen of Amish life—tests his relationship with Samuel and reveals the limits of a friendship between "English" and Amish.

This week we'll be looking at the history and roots of the Amish and Anabaptists. Authors Murray Pura and Ira Wagler will be my guests as we dig into questions like:

• What is the birth of Anapatism?
• What effect did Martin Luther's Reformation have on those who started Anabaptism? 
• Why was adult baptism such a significant issue?
• Let's talk about the persecution those fledgling groups encountered. How did they survive?
• What motivated the Anabaptists' theology? (Schleitheim Confession or other articles of faith?) 
• Pacifism wasn't a core value of Anabaptism in those early years. How and when did it evolve into a core value? 
• Let's look at the Plain lifestyle of the Anabaptists--why did simple living become an identifying symbol?

These are just some of the questions we'll try to answer during the hour. Have a question? Leave it in the comments and we'll talk about it during Thursday's show.

Murray is giving away a copy of his new book, The Face of Heaven! Leave a comment here for a chance to win it. Winner will be notified next week via email. More about Ira: Ira Wagler was born in the small Old Order Amish community of Aylmer, Ontario. At 17,frustrated by the rules and restrictions of Amish life, Ira got up at 2 am, left a note under his pillow, packed his duffel bag and left. Over the course of the next 5 years, Ira would leave and return home numerous times, torn between the ingrained message that abandoning one's Amish heritage results in eternal damnation, and the freedom and possibilities offered by the "English" world. Upon becoming a Christian at age 26, Ira left the Amish for good. He is currently general manager of Graber Supply, LLC and Pole Building Co. in Lancaster County, PA. Ira is the author of Growing Up Amish. Learn more about Ira at his website, www.irawagler.com.

About Growing Up Amish: New York Times eBook bestseller! One fateful starless night, 17-year-old Ira Wagler got up at 2 AM, left a scribbled note under his pillow, packed all of his earthly belongings into in a little black duffel bag, and walked away from his home in the Amish settlement of Bloomfield, Iowa. Now, in this heartwarming memoir, Ira paints a vivid portrait of Amish life—from his childhood days on the family farm, his Rumspringa rite of passage at age 16, to his ultimate decision to leave the Amish Church for good at age 26. Growing Up Amish is the true story of one man’s quest to discover who he is and where he belongs. Readers will laugh, cry, and be inspired by this charming yet poignant coming of age story set amidst the backdrop of one of the most enigmatic cultures in America today—the Old Order Amish.

More about Murray: Murray Pura earned his Master of Divinity degree from Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, and his ThM degree in theology and interdisciplinary studies from Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia. For more than 25 years, in addition to his writing, he has pastored churches in Nova Scotia, British Columbia, and Alberta. Murray’s writings have been shortlisted for the Dartmouth Book Award, the John Spencer Hill Literary Award, the Paraclete Fiction Award, and Toronto's Kobzar Literary Award. His novels for Harvest House include Face of Heaven and The Wings of Morning. Murray pastors and writes in southern Alberta near the Rocky Mountains. He and his wife, Linda, have a son and a daughter. www.murraypura.com

More about The Face of Heaven: (Harvest House, $13.99 trade paper (352p) ISBN 978-0-7369-4949-1) For the second book in his Snapshots of History series, Pura (The Wings of Morning) sends a quintet of Amish young people into the midst of some of the most charged battles of the American Civil War. Invoking the biblical edict, “Thou shalt not kill,” their families and community shun them. None abandon the pacifist beliefs of their faith easily. Despite their passions for peace, the five set out for the front lines, believing slavery to be a sin so egregious it cannot be ignored. Heroine Lyndel Keim tends to the wounded under the tutelage of Clara Barton and then on her own in makeshift field hospitals. Her brother Levi, beau Nathaniel King, his brother Corinth, and Joshua Yoder serve with determination and character that is a testimony not only to their belief in God but their trust in Him as well. Pura’s action-packed attention to military detail pulls the reader directly into the mechanics and the atrocities of a war that divided the nation. Still, the war is merely a backdrop to the personal conflicts of these young Christians who feel compelled to follow their convictions despite the impending consequences. 

This week we'll be revisiting "Who Are the Anabaptists?". The first show featured Ira Wagler, Sherry Gore, Erik Wesner and Mary Ann Kirkby. On Thursday's show we'll welcome back Erik Wesner and also hear from a former Old Order Mennonite, Osiah Hoorst and a practicing Hutterite, Linda Maendel. Not sure of the differences between, Amish, Old Order Amish, Mennonite & Hutterite? Well, tune in and have all your questions answered.

For a chance to win an advanced copy of my latest book The Haven - leave a comment here (or email amy@litfusegroup.com if the comment box isn't working)! One winner will be notified via email next week.

More about our panel:

Erik Wesner: 

Erik is the author of the popular blog "Amish America." He has visited 30+ Amish communities in nearly a dozen states, and met around 5,000 Amish families.  

Erik is the author of Success Made Simple: An Inside Look at Why Amish Businesses Thrive, and Kim sa Amisze?, the first book on the Amish in the Polish language.

He has contributed to Amish-themed articles featured in Entrepreneur Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and other print media, and was the 2008 Snowden Fellow at the Young Center at Elizabethtown College. 

Osiah Hoorst: 

Osiah Horst grew up in an Old Order Mennonite family in Canada.  Osiah’s father Isaac wrote a column for a local newspaper which eventually grew into the book A Separate People: An Insider’s View of Old Order Mennonite Customs and Traditions, a witty and incisive look at Old Order Mennonite society.

Isaac penned 2 dozen books and many columns, before passing away in 2008.  Osiah has kindly taken some time to answer questions today about Old Order Mennonite life and his father’s work.

Linda Maendel:

Linda Maendel and was born and raised Hutterite. She lives on a colony in Manitoba, Canada and works in the local school, teaching English and German to K-6 students. During the summer months she enjoys helping with all the other colony work, cooking, gardening and canning. In her free time she loves to read, write and maintain her blog, Hutt-Write Voice. She has one published German children's book and has translated a set of Bible Stories into her language, a Carintian German dielect which they fondly call Hutterisch, and orginates from the province of Carinthia in Austria.

I'm cooking up somthing great for this week's show. The amazing duo behind the Gooseberry Patch Cookbooks, Vickie and Jo Ann, will be on Thursday's show to share about their company, the cookbooks and so much more.

For a chance to win a copy of one of their beloved cookbooks, Harvest Table, leave a comment here (or email amy@litfusegroup.com if the comment box isn't working). Winner will be notified next week via email.

A word from Vickie and Jo Ann about Gooseberry Patch:

Back in 1984, we were next-door neighbors raising our families in the little town of Delaware, Ohio. Two moms with small children, we were looking for a way to do what we loved and stay home with the kids too. We had always shared a love of home cooking and making memories with family & friends and so, after many a conversation over the backyard fence, Gooseberry Patch was born. 

We put together our first catalog at our kitchen tables, enlisting the help of our loved ones wherever we could. From that very first mailing, we found an immediate connection with many of our customers and it wasn’t long before we began receiving letters, photos and recipes from these new friends. In 1992, we put together our very first cookbook, compiled from hundreds of these recipes and, the rest, as they say, is history. 

Hard to believe it’s been over 25 years since those kitchen-table days! From that original little Gooseberry Patch family, we’ve grown to include an amazing group of creative folks who love cooking, decorating and creating as much as we do. Today, we’re best known for our homestyle, family-friendly cookbooks, now recognized as national bestsellers. 

One thing’s for sure, we couldn’t have done it without our friends all across the country. Each year, we’re honored to turn thousands of your recipes into our collectible cookbooks. Our hope is that each book captures the stories and heart of all of you who have shared with us. Whether you’ve been with us since the beginning or are just discovering us, welcome to the Gooseberry Patch family! Learn more at www.gooseberrypatch.com.

Here's a fun recipe from the Christmas in the Country Cookbook:

Berry Scone Mix in a Jar

2 c. all-purpose flour

1/2 c. vanilla sugar

1/4 c. powdered milk

2 t. baking powder

1 t. lemon zest

1/4 t. salt

1/3 c. shortening

1 c. sweetened, dried blueberries

Stir together flour, sugar, milk, baking powder, lemon zest and salt in a large bowl. Cut in shortening using a pastry cutter or fork, until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in berries. Pour into a one-quart, wide-mouth canning jar; pack down gently. Add additional berries to fill jar if necessary. Secure lid; attach instructions. Store at room temperature for up to 6 weeks, or freeze up to 6 months. 

Instructions:

Place scone mix in a large bowl; toss gently to mix. Add one beaten egg and 1/4 cup water; stir just until moistened. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; quickly knead gently for 12 to 15 strokes, or until nearly smooth. Pat to 1/2-inch thick. Cut into desired shapes and place one inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Brush with milk. Bake at 400 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden. Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly; serve warm. Makes 6 to 8 scones.

This week Vannetta is back on the show to tell us all about her TWO new releases, A Promise for Miriam and MaterialWitness. We'll be talking about special needs children, the difference between Amish schooling and American schooling, fall festivals in Amish country, and catching up with the latest news from Vannetta. Don't miss Thursday's show.

For a chance to win either of Vannetta's new books, just leave a comment here (or email amy@litfusegroup.com if the comment box isn't working). Winners will be notified next week via email.

More about Vannetta: Vannetta Chapman writes inspirational fiction full of grace. She 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 novel, Falling to Pieces, is a 2012 ACFW Carol Award finalist. A Promise for Miriam earned a spot on the June 2012 Christian Retailing Top Ten Fiction list. Chapman writes Amish fiction for Abingdon Press, Zondervan, and Harvest House. She lives in the Texas hill country with her husband. www.vannettachapman.com

More about A Promise for Miriam: 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.

More about Material Witness: Tragedy strikes on the opening night of the Fall Crafters Fair when a woman is killed in the parking lot of Daisy's Quilt Shop, and the only material witness is one of Melinda Byer's boys. The investigation takes a more bizarre turn when detective Shane Black becomes convinced the killer was actually after Callie. This time it's a madman loose in the largest crowd of the year, and he's looking for something or someone. If they can't figure out what, one of Deborah and Callie's close circle of friends may be next. Masked identities, antique quilts with hidden messages, an Amish boy whose handicap makes him stronger, one brave dog, and a possible hidden treasure ... this time it's nonstop action, danger, and a dash of romance.

What is "The Comfort Quilt?"

After the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York City, a school in Ohio created a simple, patchwork quilt for children whose parents had been killed in the attacks. A school in New Jersey hung the quilt, and there it stayed--until four years later--when Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans. The Comfort Quilt was sent to a school in Mississippi which had taken in many displaced New Orleans' students. When the Nickel Mines School shooting occurred, the Comfort Quilt moved again...this time to bring comfort to the Amish families of Nickel Mines.

The Comfort Quilt was taken by the Amish to Virginia Tech, after the tragic shootings that took place on April 16, 2007.

Dr. John Dooley and Dr. Bryan Cloud, both of Virginia Tech, will be joining us on Thursday, along with Dr. Cloud's wife, Renee. The Cloud's only daughter, Austin, was killed in the shootings. Renee and Bryan Cloud have developed a strong bond with the Nickel Mines families and, says Dr. Dooley, the couple has inspired many with their demonstrations of Amish grace.

Join me on Thursday as the Clouds share their story and show us how they turned a tragedy into a blessing through service.

###

This week I'm giving away a copy of my just released book, The Haven! Leave a comment here (or if you're having problems with the toginet page, email amy@litfusegroup.com) for a chance to win it. Winner will be notified next week via email.

Tune in on Thursday at 4:00pm CDT and catch my guests Lisa Bogart and Karen Anna Vogel talk about their new books and how they've incorporated their crafty talents into great reads.

Be sure to leave a comment here (or if you're having problems with the toginet page, email amy@litfusegroup.com) to be entered to win either Lisa's Knit with Love or Karen's Knit Together. Winners will be contacted via email next week.

More about Lisa: Lisa Bogart is a knitter, weaver, and scrapbooker with a degree in Fine Arts from Colorado StateUniversity. She works at Piedmont Yarn & Apparel in Oakland, California, and belongs to three knitting circles. She lives in California with her family.

Website: www.LisaBogart.com   

Facebook: www.facebook.com/LisaBogartAuthor 

More about Knit with Love: Stories to Warm a Knitter’s Heart (Revell Publishing October 2011) shares amazing anecdotes of more than 40 knitters, from a Staff Sergeant in Iraq who started a group of knitting soldiers, to a high school guidance counselor who recruited athletic and academic students alike for knitting during the lunch hour. It also includes a fascinating look at knitting throughout history, the many ways knitting can contribute to the community, various tips and tricks for the knitter, even a step-by step plan for starting your own knitting group.

Friendships, outreach, advantages, and how-tos—it’s all here! These knitting tales will inspire, encourage, and make you smile. Rediscover your love for the craft and the creativity, passion, and peace that come with your talent.

More about Karen: Karen Anna Vogel is a trusted English friend to many Amish in Western Pennsylvania and New York. She's the author of Amish Knitting Circle, Knit Together, and The Amish Doll. 

She has a B.A. in psychology and a Masters in Biblical Counseling and loves mentoring young women. Karen and her husband of 31 years, Tim, enjoy living in rural PA and have four grown children. www.karenannavogel.com

More about Knit Together: "Two cultures knit together by one faith" Ginny and James Rowland have close-knit ties with many Amishfamilies in the small-town of Smickburg, PA. But these ties are threatened to unravel... Ginny's photographer brother, Joseph, comes up from Pittsburgh to capture Amish farm scenes, but instead captures the heart of an Amish woman, Katie Byler. A shunned Amish man finds refuge in the Rowland's Baptist Church. The Bishop discovers his son is dating the Rowland's daughter. Will Granny Weaver's knitting circle, that Ginny and other Englishers attend, be able to bring harmony through their love and faith?

DUE TO A SCHEDULING MIX-UP AMY'S INTERVIEW WILL BE NEXT WEEK, 7/26.

This week we're welcoming Amy Clipston back to Amish Wisdom. We'll catch up on all the news and talk about her latest book, A Season of Love, the final installment in the Kauffman Amish Bakery series. Amy will also be telling us what she's working on now that the her widely popular series is finished. 

For a chance to win a copy of Amy's book, leave a comment here. Winner will be notified via email next week.

More about Amy: Amy Clipston is the author of the bestselling Kauffman Amish Bakery novels. She has a degree incommunications from Virginia Wesleyan College and currently works for the city of Charlotte, North Carolina. Amy lives with her husband, two sons, and four spoiled-rotten cats. Visit www.amyclipston.com.

More about A Season of Love: In the fifth and final novel of the Kauffman Amish Bakery Series, three young women are about to change their lives. Lizzie Anne and Samuel have decided to get married, and Lindsay is about to be baptized in the Amish faith and is courting Matthew. While Katie Kauffman is happy for her friends who seem to have settled their futures, she is also finding herself something of a fifth wheel. When Lindsay's sister Jessica returns to Bird-in-Hand, she finds that Jake Miller has moved on with his life. He lost hope that Jessica would ever be satisfied to settle in rural Pennsylvania and takes comfort in becoming close friends with Katie. However, it's not an easy road as Jake is Mennonite and Katie has just been baptized in the Amish faith. Her father forbids them to see each other, adamant that his daughter marry an Amish man. A Season of Love is filled with surprising twists that will grip you to the very last words. As the stories of your favorite Amish community draw to a close, join Lindsay, her friends, and all the people of Bird-In-Hand for one last volume.

This week on Amish Wisdom I'll be interviewing two authors who both write "Plain" suspense. The first guest is Amanda Flower who's new release A Plain Death is an intriguing mystery set in the Amish community. Then during the second half of the show, we'll hear from Nancy Mehl. Nancy's new book, Inescapable is a suspense story set within the Mennonite community. (Be sure to click the link below to enter to win the Gorgeous Mennonite-made quilt that Nancy is giving away!)

Be sure to leave a comment for a chance to win either A Plain Death or Inescapable. Winners will be notified next week via email.

More about Amanda Flower: Amanda Flower, an Agatha-nominated mystery author, started her writing career in elementary school when she read a story she wrote to her sixth grade class and had the class in stitches with her description of being stuck on the top of a Ferris wheel. She knew at that moment she’d found her calling of making people laugh with her words. Her debut mystery, Maid of Murder, was an Agatha Award Nominee for Best First Novel. Amanda is an academic librarian for a small college near Cleveland. She also writes mysteries as Isabella Alan. www.amandaflower.com

More about A Plain Death: An unlikely friendship between a high-tech woman and a runaway Amish girl leads to murder. Her first day in Appleseed Creek, Ohio, Chloe Humphrey, befriends Becky, an ex-Amish teenager looking for a new home. While driving Chloe’s car, Becky collides with a buggy, killing an Amish bishop in the process. The case moves from accident to murder when police reveal a cut brake line. Now, Chloe and Becky’s handsome brother, Timothy, must discover who the real intended victim is before the murderer makes a second attempt.

"A gentle and thoughtful Christian mystery, this series debut will appeal to readers wanting to learn more about the diversity within Amish communities." -Library Journal

More about Nancy Mehl: Nancy Mehl, the author of 13 books, received an ACFW Carol Award in 2009 for her novel For Whom the Wedding Bell Tolls. She has a background in social work and is a member of ACFW and RWA.

She writes from her home in Wichita, Kansas, where she lives with her husband, Norman, and their puggle, Watson.

Visit her website at www.nancymehl.com.

More about Inescapable: Page-Turning Romantic Suspense Set Against the Backdrop of a Small Mennonite Town

Lizzie Engel is used to running away. At eighteen, she left her Mennonite hometown, her family, and her faith with plans never to return. Five years later, Lizzie finds she'll have to run again. False accusations at her job, a stalker, and a string of anonymous threatening letters have left her with no other options. This time, however, her escape is back to Kingdom, her hometown.

As Lizzie becomes reacquainted with Kingdom, she realizes she may not have left her Mennonite roots and her faith as firmly in the past as she thought.

She draws on the support of Noah Housler, an old friend, as she hides out and attempts to plan her next steps.

When it becomes painfully clear that the danger has followed Lizzie to Kingdom, suspicions and tensions run high, and she no longer knows who to trust. With her life and the lives of those she loves at risk, Lizzie will have to run one last time--to a Father whose love is inescapable.

Win a Quilt from Nancy Mehl & RSVP for 7/26 Facebook Party! Enter Today - 7/11-7/25!

Hope you all have a wonderful Fourth of July holiday with family and friends. This week on Amish Wisdom we're running an encore presentation of my Life with Lily co-author, Mary Ann Kinsinger. Mary is the ex-Amish blogger of the widely popular, A Joyful Chaos!

For a chance to win a copy Life with Lily when it releases, leave a comment below. Winner will be notified next week via email.

More about Mary Ann Kinsinger: Mary Ann is the gentle voice behind the very popular blog, A Joyful Chaos. Mary Ann Kinsinger lives with her husband and three children in the beautiful Appalachian mountains in southwestern PA...only a few miles from the house where she grew up in an Amish family. Mary Ann has enjoyed writing from a very young age and has had some of her work published in magazines. She is a busy mother and enjoys spending time with her family, reading, crafts, cooking, and for the past year blogging... where she is chronicling her journey from a happy little Amish girl to where she is today.

More about Life with Lily:

Love this note from an early reader:

"...We got our copy of Life with Lily and it's being very well read at our house. My ten year old daughter (who is not a reader at all) has been found in corners, in her room - even under the table at one point - all reading this book. She loves it! :) I'm so glad you sent it our way. She keeps thanking me for getting it for her." --Lori, Radiant Lit

For a child, every day is a thing of wonder. And for six-year-old Lily Lapp, every day is a new opportunity for blessings, laughter, family, and a touch of mischief. As she explores her world, goes to school, spends time with her family, and gets into a bit of trouble with her friends, Lily learns what it means to be Amish and what it means to grow up. From getting a new teacher to welcoming a new sibling, Lily’s life is always full of adventure.

The first of four charming novels that chronicle the gentle way of the Amish through the eyes of a young girl, Life with Lily gives children ages 8-12 a fascinating glimpse into the life of the Amish–and lots of fun and laughter along the way. It combines the real-life stories of growing up Amish from Mary Ann Kinsinger and the bestselling writing of Amish fiction and nonfiction author Suzanne Woods Fisher. With charming illustrations throughout, this series is sure to capture the hearts of readers young and old.