Author Marta Perry & Leah's Choice

My guest today is Author Marta Perry who has been a Love Inspired author for years. God has now called Marta to write Amish stories. I had the pleasure of reading her first Amish story which Marta will tell you about. Here's Marta:

"We recently had a special celebration in our church. We were each asked to write a message about or bring a photograph of someone who had influenced our lives in a particular way. It proved to be an emotional exercise, as you can imagine, which caused me to think of the many Christian women whose spiritual gifts have inspired me over the years. One of these was the minister of my church when I was growing up.

It was highly unusual to have a woman minister back in the fifties, and even more so when the church was in a small rural Pennsylvania community. But then, Pastor Ruth was an unusual woman. She had come to our area years earlier, when her minister husband was called to our church. Although she was ordained herself, she took on gladly the traditional roles of a minister’s wife in those days—hosting ladies’ teas, helping in the church nursery, taking meals to the sick.

She became such an indispensable part of our church family that when her husband passed away, the church unanimously called her to take over the pastorate. And so I had for my spiritual mentor this lovely Christian woman. She was quiet, gentle, humble, and self-effacing. Despite those qualities, or perhaps because of them, she never hesitated to find the strength to combat wrong when she saw it. Her life was a testament to her faith.

Although I didn’t realize it at the time, Pastor Ruth must have been in the back of my mind when I started writing about Leah Beiler, the protagonist of my current Amish book from Berkley, LEAH’S CHOICE. Leah, a humble, devout Amish teacher, is confronted with a surprising turn to her life with the arrival of two men in her Pennsylvania Amish community: Daniel, an Amish widower with three troubled young children and a tragic mystery in his past, and Johnny, the fiancé who left her ten years earlier when he ran away to the outside world.

Leah faces decisions she never expected to make, and her life is further complicated by her rebellious younger sister and her dedication to her volunteer work with a clinic studying the genetic diseases that afflict many Amish children. She discovers that she must find her strength in God to make the right choices, even when they bring her pain, trusting in Him to guide her to the place He has prepared for her.

I hope, if you read Leah’s story, you’ll let me know what you think of it. You can reach me at marta@martaperry.com, and I’ll be happy to send you a signed bookmark and my free brochure of Pennsylvania Dutch recipes. Or visit my website (under renovation) at www.martaperry.com or my blog at www.booksbymartaperry.blogspot.com."

I think any reader would love this book. I certainly did!--Lyn

Author Marta Perry & Her Grandmother Mattie

My guest today is a longtime friend Author Marta Perry. She is a prolific writer and a good one too. Here's Marta:

"One of the strongest women I ever knew was my grandmother, Mattie Dovenbarger, but I didn’t realize that until long after her death. I was only eight when Grandma Mattie died. I remember being taken to see her during her last days, at the home of my aunt, and hearing my mother and aunt assure me that Grandma was slipping away into the arms of Jesus. Since she’d often spoken of Him, it seemed to me that she must be happy.

When I thought of her afterwards, I remembered most of all her patience and serenity. Grandma could sit for hours rocking a cranky child and play endless games with a sick one. I never saw her upset or angry, never heard her speak a harsh word. I knew, without asking, that when she sat with her Bible in her lap, eyes closed, she was praying, possibly for me.

Many years later, when I started researching my family history, I realized what an extraordinary woman she had been. Born in Ohio in 1869 to English and Pennsylvania Dutch parents, she married at twenty to William Dovenbarger and took up the life of a busy farm wife. Over the next eighteen years she had seven children, one of whom, Elizabeth Lucinda, died at age eleven in one of the flu epidemics which took so many lives. She saw two of her sons go off to Europe in World War I, praying them through until their safe return. She was only forty when her husband died, leaving her with three children still at home to support at a time when there was no government safety net. She worked hard, raised her children to lives of faith, and never seemed to lose her serene spirit or her confidence that God would show her the way.

Reflecting on my grandmother’s life led me to the desire to write about a character like her...a strong woman of faith who could endure all life’s difficulties and retain a sense of serenity and wisdom. That character is Miz Callie in my new series from Love Inspired, The Bodine Family. The central strength around which her large extended family revolves, Miz Callie was a joy to write. She came alive on the page for me, as I hope she will for readers. In the first book, TWICE IN A LIFETIME, available now from Steeple Hill Books, Miz Callie’s longing to resolve a family secret sends her granddaughter on a quest for the truth, as well as bringing her to a love she didn’t think she’d ever experience. Miz Callie, of course, knew better. Filled with Miz Callie’s love for her family, her devotion to God, and her love of the natural wonders of the Carolina coast, the subsequent books will follow the adventures of the rest of the Bodine clan as they come home to love.

And finally for Sentimental September: My mother left me some beautiful advice in a note I found folded into her Bible after her death. It reads, "Reach out to other people for Jesus, and you'll receive more than you can imagine." My mother and grandmother showed that in their lives. I hope I can do the same."--Marta

Marta has a new venture coming up soon. She has written her first Amish series: The Pleasant Valley Amish Series from Berkley Books, and the first book, LEAH'S CHOICE, debuts this November. I wrote an endorsement for Leah's Choice --Even if you're not a fan of Amish books, this one is captivating with tender and true emotion. Don't miss it! For more info, drop by her website.

Book Monday-Author Cindy Woodsmall & The Hope of Refuge

The book I'm featuring today is one that will tempt those who love reading Amish stories. When living in Iowa, I ate dinner with friends in an Amish home. I was a little surprised and amused to see that the woman of the house was a fan of Amish novels. Here's the scoop:

The Hope of Refuge Raised in foster care and now the widowed mother of a little girl, Cara Moore struggles against poverty, fear, and a relentless stalker. When a trail of memories leads Cara and Lori out of New York City toward an Amish community, she follows every lead, eager for answers and a fresh start. She discovers that long-held secrets about her family history ripple beneath the surface of Dry Lake, Pennsylvania, and it’s no place for an outsider.

But one Amish man, Ephraim Mast, dares to fulfill the command he believes that he received from God–“Be me to her”– despite how it threatens his way of life. Completely opposite of the hard, untrusting Cara, Ephraim’s sister Deborah also finds her dreams crumbling when the man she has pledged to build a life with begins withdrawing from Deborah and his community, including his mother, Ada Stoltzfus. Can the run-down house that Ada envisions transforming unite them toward a common purpose–or push Mahlon away forever? While Ephraim is trying to do what he believes is right, will he be shunned and lose everything–including the guarded single mother who simply longs for a better life?


About the Author ~ Cindy Woodsmall is the author of and the When the Heart Cries,New York Times best-sellers When the Morning Comes and When the Soul Mends. Her ability to authentically capture the heart of her characters comes from her real-life connections with Amish Mennonite and Old Order Amish families. A mother of three sons and two daughters-in-law, Cindy lives in Georgia with her husband of more than thirty years. Visit her website.

What others are saying ~ “Cindy Woodsmall’s The Hope of Refuge takes the reader on an emotional journey into the heart of Amish country and the heart of a very human heroine. A compelling novel…” –Karen Harper, New York Times bestselling author of Deep Down

I’m not a huge fan of Amish books, but Cindy Woodsmall’s novels are in a class by themselves. The Hope of Refuge is one of my top picks for 2009. Novel Reviews and I highly recommend it—a 5-star read. –Ane Mulligan of Novel Reviews

“What a beautiful story of hope and renewal! Cindy Woodsmall’s The Hope of Refuge is an honest and moving portrayal that rings with authenticity.” –Marlo Schalesky, award-winning author of If Tomorrow Never Comes and Beyond the Night

This book The Hope of Refuge was excellent!
It was so good that I couldn't put it down… –Cecelia Dowdy

Available August 11, at your local bookstores.
Also available at Amazon
Or Christian Book Distributors: