#amishromance – Avonna Loves Genres

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: A Healing Touch by Suzanne Woods Fisher

Book Description

Ruth “Dok” Stoltzfus is the kind of doctor who still believes in house calls, addressing not just her patients’ physical needs but their emotional ones too. When newly widowed Bee faces a breast cancer diagnosis, Dok connects her with Fern Lapp for support. When her painfully shy assistant Annie finds herself drawn to a new calling, Dok goes to great lengths to help her achieve her dream. And when an abandoned newborn mysteriously appears at her office one frosty morning, Dok’s world takes an unexpected turn as ripples of change touch several lives.

A Healing Touch is a captivating tale of compassion, resilience, and the bonds that form in surprising places. Bestselling and award-winning author Suzanne Woods Fisher invites you into a new story that’s like medicine for the weary soul. Join Dok, Annie, and the tight-knit Stoney Ridge community as they navigate the twists of fate, discovering that sometimes the greatest healing comes from the heart.

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Elise’s Thoughts

A Healing Touch by Suzanne Woods Fisher is a compelling read. Ruth “Dok” Stoltzfus is the kind of doctor who still believes in house calls, addressing not just her patients’ physical needs but their emotional ones too. The story begins with Dok confronting one of her patients to get help. When newly widowed Bee faces a breast cancer diagnosis, Dok connects her with Fern Lapp for support. When her painfully shy assistant Annie finds herself drawn to a new calling, Dok goes to great lengths to help her achieve her dream. And when an abandoned newborn mysteriously appears at her office one frosty morning, Dok’s world takes an unexpected turn because her husband wants to foster care the infant. A Healing Touch is a captivating tale of compassion, resilience, and the bonds that form in surprising places.

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Author Interview

Elise Cooper: The idea for the story?

Suzanne Woods Fisher: I have a doctor in the storyline, a sister to the Amish Bishop who left home to pursue her education. In one of my previous books, she circles back into Stoney Ridge, becoming a doctor to the Amish. Even though this is not really a series, she will be a prevalent part of this book and the next. I wanted a book to be a hybrid, where modern medicine meets Amish wisdom.

EC: How would you describe the doctor?

SWF: She has a rural practice with a sense of appreciating the traditions and language of her patients. She does return to her roots in some ways. She must contend with the Amish patients who cannot afford to spend the money on medical procedures. She is coming with all the bells and whistles of modern medicine. It is not that they do not accept modern medicine but have more of a holistic view. The Amish will seek alternative treatments. With a serious diagnosis they are more willing to accept there is a biological end to life. Whereas with modern medicine, death is the enemy.

EC: Why the women characters in their fifties?

SWF: There are two women in their fifties. It says something about that stage of life. They are really seasoned and have a necessary viewpoint. They understand that life will have bumps ahead.

EC: How would you describe “Dok” Ruth Stolfzfus?

SWF: Practical, caring, responsible, an over helper, and an over worker.

EC: How did you come up with so many diseases?

SWF: I had mumps, behavior disorders, cancer, and anxiety disorders in the story. I am not a medical professional. I studied and did research to try to get the information correct. I hoped I addressed the information correctly.

EC: How would you describe Dok’s assistant, Annie?

SWF: Shy, has social anxiety, a loner, and lacks confidence. Yet she wants to make a better life for herself so has become unflappable. She must handle her mother’s crisis. After she sees an EMT who is Amish at work she had a sense of a calling. This is why she is pursuing to become an EMT.

EC: What about Annie’s mom?

SWF: Her mother is inflexible and cannot let go. She tries to put a guilt trip on Annie because she knows of nothing except to be a mom. She does not know how to deal with an empty nest. She is a person craving attention, which is why she is a raging hypochondriac.

EC: How would you describe one of Dok’s patients, Bee?

SWF: She is prickly, reclusive, introverted, and likes horses more than people. She is a former Olympic Equestrian. She has taken the love of horses to become a breeder of horses.

EC: Was part of the theme, letting go?

SWF: Annie’s mom could not let go. Dok could not let go of the child she was foster parenting, and Bee could not let go of her grief after her husband died. Bee also could not let go of selling the horses she breeds and cannot quite let go of her horse babies.

EC: Do you think the men in the story were similar or different: Matt, Damon, and Gus?

SWF: Matt is Dok’s husband. Damon is the horse trainer to help Bee while she is going through radiation treatment for breast cancer. Gus is the Amish EMT who opened Annie’s eyes. All three were a little more open to accepting.

EC: Next books?

SWF: The next book will come out in November, titled A Year of Flowers. It is four novellas combined in the print edition. Three teenage girls who worked in a flower shop had been mentored by the owner. They were the best of friends. Something dreadful happens in the store. They left. Each novella delves into the life of one of the girls seven years later. The fourth novella brings them back to the little town to face the owner.

In May of 2025 a book titled Capture the Moment will come out. It is the first in a series surrounding national parks. This story has a young woman who is a zoo photographer that has been asked to take a photo of a famous grizzly bear.

The next Amish book is out in October 2025. It does not have a title. Dok’s practice has been flooded ever since the local news wrote a story on her. To help, her husband gets the idea to send in an application to a program that will send two medical school graduates. She has two residents with all book knowledge and no people knowledge.

THANK YOU!!

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BIO: Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best-selling authors since 2009. Her reviews have covered several different genres, including thrillers, mysteries, women’s fiction, romance and cozy mysteries. An avid reader, she engages authors to discuss their works, and to focus on the descriptions of their characters and the plot. While not writing reviews, Elise loves to watch baseball and visit the ocean in Southern California, with her dog and husband.

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: A Is for Amish by Shelley Shepard Gray

Book Description

Siblings Martin, Kelsey, Beth, and Jonny are as different as can be, but they have one thing in common. They’re all longing to reinvent their lives. Raised by their divorced lapsed-Amish father and English mother, they only knew real stability and a sense of family when visiting their Old Order grandparents, Josiah and Sylvia Schrock, in peaceful small-town Millersburg, Ohio. Now the four want to try living with them and joining their faith—much to the Schrocks’ surprise . . .

Martin, the eldest, is reeling from a bad breakup, so he’s especially determined to make a fresh start. When he meets his grandparents’ neighbor, Patti Coblentz, he’s immediately drawn to her outgoing, helpful nature—but is so overwhelmed that he appears blunt and rude. Is there any way he can drop his defenses enough to admit she’s captured his heart?

Always self-conscious about the birthmark on her temple, Patti is resigned to never marrying and busying herself with the responsibilities of the large home and property she has inherited. Besides, Martin’s ill-mannered behavior and disconcerting directness make him the last man she’d ever want to wed—no matter how handsome he is.

Yet given time and patience—and adhering to their grandparents’ unexpectedly challenging rules—the whole family might just find what they’re looking for, even Martin and Patti.

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Elise’s Thoughts

A is for Amish by Shelley Shepard Gray has a premise where four English siblings with Amish grandparents are seriously thinking of becoming Amish. They are discontent with their lives and long for a change.

Beth, Jonny, Kelsey, and Martin Schrock had their father leave the Amish faith, marry an English woman, and then had their parents get divorced. The parents were pretty much doing their own thing, searching for their own happiness, and left the children to their own devices. They decide to try out the Amish lifestyle. It is not an easy choice as they would be leaving good jobs, homes, electricity, cars and all the English ways of life. They remember how wonderful the times were when they would visit their grandparents farm. The author explores that the fond times the grandchildren remember might have occurred only because it was a visit and now, they would have to abandon the life they knew forever.

The grandparents suggest that only one or two of them at the most, come at a time.
It is decided that Martin and Kelsey will be the first two to go. They are to live with their grandparents and try out the Amish lifestyle for one year.

Martin, the oldest, meets his grandparents’ neighbor, Patti Coblentz, and is immediately drawn to her outgoing, helpful nature, but he comes across as blunt and rude. Besides Martin’s ill-mannered behavior and disconcerting directness there is something that draws Patti to him. She cannot believe that he did not even react to the birthmark on her face. They eventually become very attracted and care for each other. The problem is that Martin was overly critical of himself and not completely happy in either the English world or the Amish world.

The other sibling, Kelsey, has completely taken to the Amish way of life. After meeting Preacher Richard, it becomes obvious that they are attracted to each other and want to spend their life together. Unfortunately, they must wait to get married until she is baptized.

This book shows the complexities of the Amish life and how it is not so easy for an Englisher to jump into the Amish faith. The author wrapped part of the story up with a beautiful happily ever after, while leaving a cliffhanger for the other relationship. Readers will take a journey with the characters seeing all the ups and downs of their feelings, questions, frustrations, and insecurities. Those who read book 1 will be waiting on pins and needles for book 2.

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Author Interview

Elise Cooper: How much of the alphabet are you going to have?

Shelley Shepard Gray: If it was up to me, I would do the whole alphabet, but right now it is the first three letters. In this book I had two of the four siblings’ stories. I had originally thought that the hero, Martin, and the heroine, Patti, would have their own story. But it was not going to be that easy for him to go from being English to Amish. Because of that I knew that the readers would want as part of the story a happily ever after. His sister, Kelsey, does not have as many qualms of becoming Amish. Also, since it is a three-book contract for now, I wanted to make sure each of the four siblings had their story.

EC: Was Martin’s story a cliff-hanger?

SSG: I did not see it as a cliff-hanger, more of his and Patti’s story a continuation. I wanted to be realistic, and not every relationship is easy with these characters being very complex. Their story will not get resolved until book three, but they will be in book two. Mainly they must get over the fact that he does not think he wants to become Amish and she has been baptized.

EC: How would you describe Martin?

SSG: When he was in his English environment he was relaxed, confidant, outgoing, and attentive. He doubts himself and is searching for happiness. I think he is direct, thinks a lot of himself, and sometimes rude. He is like a lot of people I know; he needs a reset. He must stop looking for an easy solution.

EC: How would you describe Patti?

SSG: Vulnerable, sweet, kind, patient, audacious, has a sense of humor, self-conscious of her birthmark, and is lonely. She is desperate to want to belong.

EC: What about their relationship?

SSG: They are in love with each other. The reader knows they are meant to be together, but it will not happen overnight.

EC: Being Amish versus English?

SSG: In some of my stories the characters must navigate that if they become Amish it will be a difficult life and that the problems they are facing in the English world do not just go away. While writing the second series I ever wrote, Seasons of Sugar Creek in the third book I had an Amish hero and an English heroine. In this story, the characters allowed me to delve into some tough issues. One of my Mennonite friends told me how serious the solemn vow is to become baptized. But people do break it, yet it is not something that should be taken lightly. Being Amish is not easy considering they do not have electricity or a car. The daily parts of their life are difficult although they do embrace it.

EC: Is this Amish community liberal

SSG: Yes, they would have to be. I have them as New Order. I based the town on my knowledge of Holmes County, which is a progressive Amish community.

EC: What was the role of Connor, who thought of himself as Patti’s beau?

SSG: I put him in the story for Patti to have a reminder that this is the person she had settled for. Even though Martin presented a bunch of different challenges, he was always nice, kind, and respectful of her. Connor is territorial, possessive, not respectful of her, makes her feel unworthy, a chauvinist, self-centered, a bully, and egotistical. She will decline his advances.

EC: What about the other sibling Kelsey?

SSG: She is independent, easily frustrated, at times a troublemaker, prickly, feisty, blunt, and is looking for stability as well as peace. She also can be a drama queen. She was loving the life as a middle child.

EC: How would you describe her beau, Richard?

SSG: Confidant, personable, and an advisor as an Amish preacher. I modeled him after a Bishop I once had dinner with. They are both young and very charismatic.

EC: What about their relationship?

SSG: Kelsey’s relationship with Richard was a nice contrast to Martin and Patti. They liked each other and their love came naturally. Their relationship was a lot lighter than the others. I hope the readers enjoyed the scenes where she is fighting with the hen. They become captivated by each other. Richard was willing to wait and be patient with her until she made the decision to become Amish.

EC: Do you have another book coming out next month that is a compilation with other authors Lenora Worth and Rachel J. Good?

SSG: Yes, it is titled The Christmas Gathering. It again has an English person that falls in love with the sister of his Amish friend. The novellas I write usually has a story around Christmas. This one has a fun gathering, with everyone getting along, the English and Amish. In this story there is a scavenger hunt. The heroine did leave the faith but was not baptized yet. The theme was reunions.

EC: Next books?

SSG: The second book comes out in January with another sibling, Johnny as the hero. It is titled B is For Bonnet. He ends up working in a bicycle shop. But of his storyline he must make amends with his father. C is for Courtship; the third book comes out in November 2025.

But before these I will be writing the second book in another series, Unforgotten, out in November. It is a suspense story set in Kentucky.

THANK YOU!!

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Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: Their Road To Redemption and The Amish Midwife’s Bargain by Patrice Lewis

Book Description – Their Road to Redemption

To put their pasts behind them…

Can they find forgiveness together?

Moving to Montana is the chance Thomas Kemp needs to open his own business and seek a wife—while keeping his shameful past hidden. Except the beautiful Amish widow who catches his eye wants financial independence, not marriage. When Emma Fisher’s toddler bonds with the newcomer, she believes Thomas is everything she wants in a husband. But can she accept his past…for the chance at a future together?

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Book Description – The Amish Midwife’s Bargain

An accident on a stormy night

Will change the course of their lives…

Grieving after the loss of a patient, midwife Miriam Kemp returns to her Amish roots and vows to leave her nursing life behind. But when she accidentally hits Aaron Lapp on a rain-drenched road, she offers to help the scarred and handsome—if somewhat cranky—bachelor while he recovers. Could this arrangement allow them to heal…while finding a love they never expected?

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Elise’s Thoughts

Their Road to Redemption and The Amish Midwife’s Bargain by Patrice Lewis continues the story of the Kemp siblings. Both are books about forgiveness, hope, and how choices made can influence someone’s life.

Their Road to Redemption is the second book in the series. Thomas Kemp travels to the Amish community in Montana to redeem his life. He is ashamed of his criminal activities of the past. Now working as a bookkeeper, he meets an Amish widow and single parent, Emma, who has vowed never to get married. But her toddler, Hannah, bonds with Thomas and they become attracted to each other. He questions if she will accept his past where the three can become a family.

The Amish Midwife’s Bargain has one of the Kemp siblings, a nurse, Miriam, grieving after losing a patient. She decides to visit her Amish brother, Thomas, after vowing to leave the nursing profession. But when she accidentally hits Aaron Lapp on a rain-drenched road, she offers to help him recover. He has his own scars literally, after having his face burned in a barn fire. This story will remind readers of “Beauty and the Beast.”

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Author Interview

Elise Cooper: How did you get the idea for the story, Their Road to Redemption?

Patrice Lewis: I had a three-book series of siblings, and this is the middle sibling. This is a story of redemption and making better choices. Everything someone does from morning until sleep is a choice. I wanted to show how the hero, Thomas, had his bad choices catch up and then his good choices turned it around.

EC: How would you describe Thomas?

PL: He was a juvenile delinquent when younger, but now he is redeemed. He is broken, subdued, quiet, shy, scarred, and humble.

EC: How would you describe Emma?

PL: High-spirited, outspoken, a go-getter, confident, independent, passionate about her skill of making soap, and determined.

EC: What about the relationship between the two?

PL: Emma does not want to rely on a man for financial support. She is gun-shy since her late husband was emotionally abusive, selfish, and stubborn. Emma is determined to remain single. She and her late husband never wanted to be married, but after she became pregnant, they did marry. Both she and Thomas have secrets and hold each other at arm’s length. Yet, they do admire each other. Thomas does not think he is worthy of her.

EC: What is the role of a secondary character, Jeremy?

PL: He is another redemption. In Thomas’ backstory, he feels he must pay it forward. He sees in Jeremy himself and wants to help him to redeem his life.

EC: What about the role of Hannah, Emma’s young daughter?

PL: She is instrumental in bringing Emma and Thomas together. Hannah sees Thomas as a father figure and becomes attached to him. Emma starts thinking maybe her daughter sees something in Thomas that she doesn’t. Hannah saw his kindness.

EC: What about the second book, The Amish Midwife’s Bargain?

PL: This is about the third sibling, Miriam, a nurse. I saw this reference to a private nurse, which enabled me to have Miriam and Aaron get closer. She helped him after she accidentally hit him with her car. This led me to a “Beauty and the Beast” theme. It became effortless to write. Hands down it is the favorite story I have written so far. My mother used to be a nurse and I saw how some have painful journeys.

EC: How would you describe Aaron, the hero?

PL: He has been terribly disfigured in a barn fire. Now he wants to be left alone. His became bitter with a very scarred face. He can be stubborn, grumpy, with emotional pain, prickly, lonely, and likes animals more than people.

EC: What was the role of the scar?

PL: I wrote two ways that children responded to his disfigurement. Hannah accepted him and never saw his scars. Then there was an “English” boy who runs away from him in terror. He realized with Hannah’s reaction that some could be accepting of him and not consider him a monster, a beast.

EC: How would you describe Miriam?

PL: Determined, patient, and a helper. She responds to those in pain, emotional and physical. She was devastated and doubted herself after she lost a patient.

EC: What about the relationship between the two?

PL: Miriam feels she must get past Aaron wanting to live in solitude. She wanted to show him that his outward scars did not diminish who he was as a person. Aaron helped her to realize she lost a patient because they were beyond help. Both have scars, admire, and respect each other. Both helped each other to get back on “their horse.”

EC: Next books?

PL: A book will come out in March, titled The Amish Beekeeper’s Dilemma. It is about a woman who became a property keeper for an old man. His nephew came to take over the farm. A conflict develops around it. Another book that has no release date but is titled, Uncovering Her Amish Past. The main character, Penelope, is “English.” She is adopted and an only child. She went to an Amish settlement, staying at a Bed & Breakfast. It turns out she is a twin to an Amish woman. THANK YOU!!

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: Lost and Found by Suzanne Woods Fisher

Book Description

Trudy Yoder shares a passion for birding with Micah Weaver–and she has an even greater passion for Micah. Their friendship is finally turning romantic when Micah abruptly grows cold. Worse still, he wants to leave Stoney Ridge.

Micah Weaver thought he was over Trudy’s older sister. A year and a half ago, Shelley had broken his heart when she ran away from Stoney Ridge to pursue a singing career in Nashville. Then, out of the blue, she’s started to leave distressing phone messages for him.

When the bishop asks for volunteers to scout out a possible church relocation in Tennessee, Micah is the first to raise his hand. Despite scant details, he’s confident he can find Shelley. After all, his reputation as a field guide is based on finding birds that don’t want to be found.

What Micah doesn’t know is that what you’re looking for isn’t always what you find.

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Elise’s Thoughts

Lost and Found by Suzanne Woods Fisher has a story that looks at change and how someone faces that change. There are hints of romance, dashes of humor, and some drama. Most of the characters in the story explore difficult choices. There is conflict between the Liberal Beachy Amish order, and the more conservative Amish order plus the conflict between those who want to protect the bird sanctuary of Wonder Lake and those who want to build a church, and the conflict between medical doctors and Amish parents.

The best part of the story has the heroine, Trudy Yoder, questioning her judgement of falling for Micah Weaver. They were best friends, and it appeared the relationship could go beyond that when he decides to pick up and leave without telling her why. Those who read the related first book, A Season on the Wind, will understand that Micah had strong feelings for Trudy’s sister, Shelley until she left to pursue a music career. Now he receives a message from Shelley to rescue her. After he finds her and brings her back to the Amish town of Stony Ridge things come to a head.

The story delves into loyalty, devotion, community, and love. It is insightful, inspiring, and thought-provoking with the information provided. A bonus for those who love birds is the bird log entry at the end of each chapter, along with a birder’s glossary.

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Author Interview

Elise Cooper: This book is another genre then your Ice Cream Series books?

Suzanne Woods Fisher: My grandfather was raised “plain” so I do have a connection. I have many cousins who dress plain and are raised plain. The door opened for me to write a non-fiction book about the Amish. I have written historical fiction as well as contemporary women’s fiction. This is how things have progressed for me.

EC: How did you get the idea for the story?

SWF: I wanted to understand how the Amish relate to each other within the different spectrums from ultra-conservative to very progressive. Those I write about are a little more central. This book brings in both sides that work with each other. Historically there is a concern that the liberal churches would tempt the children away. What is interesting is that the older orders would not have conflicts with the other orders but pack up and move off. This is something I explored. The conservative order sent a scouting team to Tennessee.

EC: Why the bird angle?

SWF: Going back two books there is a novel I wrote titled A Season on the Wind. I know that the Amish revere nature, particularly birds. They are stellar bird watchers. They just use patience, maybe expensive scopes. Micah was in that book, a bird lover who also stutters. He is a listener. The little girl in the story is Trudy who is also crazy about birds, but also adores Micah. This current book is not a sequel but a companion book. In the first book Micah wrote bird logs, the kind of bird and descriptions. In this book, Trudy wrote the bird logs. Trudy likes the songbirds, while Micah likes the raptors.

EC: What was the role of Shelley?

SWF: In A Season on the Wind, she disappears to pursue a music career and broke Micah’s heart. She is Trudy’s sister. In this book, she is leaving him cryptic messages asking for help. Little by little he gets sucked into finding her. He does this by using his birding skills. She was flamboyant and flashy.

EC: How would you describe Micah?

SWF: The silent type because of his stuttering. He is a loner, dependable, sometimes overreacts. He is extremely intelligent and gifted.

EC: How would you describe Trudy?

SWF: She is like the bird, a sparrow. She is plain, loyal, reliable, observant, curious, and likes to take charge. She is easy to overlook. She has a lot of attention to detail.

EC: How did Trudy’s parents react to her?

SWF: She gets taken for granted. She is very faithful and can be counted on. Her older sister was the focal point of the family. The parents were overprotective of Shelley because of her special needs and by doing this pushed Trudy aside. She has always been the sister in the background.

EC: The Amish bishop was very supportive of Shelley getting medical help?

SWF: He told her parents to get on board with what the medical doctor advised. I based it on a similar situation within my extended family. The parents want to keep everything under wraps and secret. A lot of pride gets involved with a little shame. In the story the bishop and the doctor were the voice of reason.

EC: What about the relationship between Trudy and Micah?

SWF: She makes him feel special. He opened her eyes to birds. They are best friends. She is absolutely devoted to Micah. She does not notice his flaws and just sees who he is deep down with a lot of admiration. They both love to go to Wonder Lake in the town because rare birds are there.

EC: Next books?

SWF: The third ice cream book comes out in May titled Love on A Whim. It picks up where the second book left off with family drama, ice cream, and Cape Cod.

The next Amish book comes out in October featuring the doctor who is helping Shelley in this story. The doctor was raised Amish. She knows them well and speaks the language. There will be other romances in the story. But the main part of the plot is how she is relating to the Amish with events in their lives.

I am also writing four novellas about three young girls working in a flower shop. Something dreadful happens there and the girl’s scatter. In the first three novellas each girl is featured as they return to their hometown. The fourth novella will wrap up all stories up and will release as a printed book with all the novellas.

THANK YOU!!

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Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: Amish Wilderness Survival by Mary Alford

Book Description

To stay alive,

she must escape a killer’s clutches

When her brother goes missing, Leora Mast will do anything to find him…even if it means putting her life in danger. Upon arriving in Montana, she finds an ally in Fletcher Shetler, but almost as soon as they meet, they’re running for their lives. With Fletcher’s help, Leora must unravel the truth about her brother’s disappearance…before the man who wants them dead tracks them down.

From Love Inspired Suspense: Courage. Danger. Faith.

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Elise’s Thoughts

Amish Wilderness Survival by Mary Alford blends an Amish story within an intense thriller. The plot is action-packed as the hero and heroine are immediately thrust into a dangerous situation where they must run for their lives.

Leora Mast is trying to find her twin brother, Tanner, who has gone missing. After losing her parents to a fire and surviving cancer she only has him left, with an unmistakable link. She travels to Montana to speak with Tanner’s Marine buddy, Ethan Connors. Leora had tasked Ethan with finding her brother since he runs a SARS (Search and Rescue) program.

Ethan went into partnership with Fletcher Shelter and his brother, using dogs to find people in the mountains of Montana. Fletcher and Ethan are more like family than friends, and when Ethan stopped returning his phone calls, Fletcher goes to his home to investigate. There he finds Leora, a ransacked house, and no signs of Tanner or Ethan.

Shortly after arriving Leora and Fletcher are confronted by unknown assailants who kidnap them and want answers to what Tanner has stolen and where he is hiding it. Able to escape, both journey into the woods where they find Ethan’s search and rescue dog, Molly. With the help of Molly, they try to stay one step ahead of the bad guys as they try to find Ethan and Tanner. With their lives on the line Fletcher and Leora open up about their past and realize they have feelings for each other.

The story is riveting as readers will not want to put the book down. They will feel as if they are right there with the characters, going on the journey with them.

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Author Interview

Elise Cooper: How did you get the idea for the story?

Mary Alford: I always enjoy writing Ethan into my stories. Regarding the heroine, she has had a troubled past, but is very strong. I also wanted Fletcher to have his own story, since he has been a hero in other books. It was kind of a wrong place at the wrong time story since Fletcher was just checking on Ethan. The heroine was also going to Ethan’s house to follow up on any news about her brother. Unfortunately, they both saw the house in chaos and were greeted by evil people who kidnapped them.

EC: You refer to SARS?

MA: SARS stands for Search and Rescue.I did a lot of the research on-line and found out how interesting are the animals. In the story, Molly is a former military dog, a German Shepherd, adopted by Ethan. Fletcher was trained in the SARS program by Ethan. They now do rescue missions in the mountains. There will be future books with these dogs.

EC: What was the role of Molly?

MA: She is a Search and Rescue dog. Because Ethan disappeared, Molly went out on her own looking for him. After escaping from their kidnappers, Fletcher and Leora run into the woods and find Molly. She has been trailing Ethan so the three team up.

EC: How would you describe Ethan?

MA: Former military. He is strong, helpful, and courageous. Leora’s brother, Tanner, relates to Ethan when they served together in the military.

EC: How would you describe Fletcher?

MA: He is one of five brothers. He is the one who tries to keep the family together. His life is embedded in the Amish community. Once engaged to marry a woman who ran out on him, he has decided that he might never get married. He is very protective, kind, tender, and never gives up.

EC: How would you describe Leora?

MA: Leora is guilt ridden, caring, and a worrier. She has been through a lot. Tanner is her twin. They lost their parents in a fire when they were teenagers. The fire was ruled to be arson. After they moved to Colorado, Tanner leaves the Amish community. The story begins after she has finished her chemo because of breast cancer. Leora is strong emotionally, but weak physically.

EC: What about the relationship between Fletcher and Leora?

MA: Because of her cancer she is afraid to get involved with anyone, not wanting to put anyone through heartache. Fletcher gains Leora’s trust. They realize they care about each other but struggle with their past. He even told her how he feels with this quote, “This is the life. We love them for a while, and then mourn them for a lifetime.” He wants her to know he would cherish every moment he has with her, no matter how long.

EC: Does Tanner play a role?

MA: He is torn between being Amish and English. He has struggled with his life. To Leora, Tanner is everything, which is why she looks for him.

EC: Next books?

MA: The next book will feature Ethan, titled Amish Country Ransom, coming out in August. The heroine in the story is Jade, who was also in this book.

Deadly Mountain Escape comes out in 2024 with different characters and a new setting, Ruby Valley Montana.

THANK YOU!!

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Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: Her Amish Country Valentine by Patricia Johns

Book Description

Can a wedding-date deception
Become true love?

Tired of being seen as a lonely workaholic, advertising exec Jill Wickey promises to bring her “casual boyfriend” to her sister’s Valentine’s wedding. Too bad he doesn’t exist! Then Thom Miller, a carpenter working at her aunt’s Amish B&B, offers to be Jill’s fake boyfriend—if they turn the lie into truth. But dating Thom in idyllic Amish country makes Jill wish their temporary arrangement could last…

From Harlequin Heartwarming: Wholesome stories of love, compassion and belonging.

The Butternut Amish B&B

Book 1: Her Amish Country Valentine
Book 2: A Single Dad in Amish Country

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Elise’s Thoughts

Her Amish Country Valentine by Patricia Johns blends Englishers within an Amish community. Readers will have fun seeing how a romance can bloom from strangers to friends to falling in love. What also makes the plot interesting is how the author has set up not one, but four different relationship stories.

The story opens with Jill Wickey coming to Danke Pennsylvania for her younger sister’s wedding. She is staying with her Amish great-aunt, Belinda, the owner of Butternut Bed & Breakfast. After her sister, Elsa, teases Jill about her single status she claims she has a plus one. Now, she just needs to find a date. A carpenter working on Aunt Belinda’s kitchen agrees to be Jill’s plus one with some prodding, but only if she agrees to casually date him before the wedding. He doesn’t like misleading people and this way it won’t technically be a lie. As they get to know each other they realize that they have a lot in common with strong feelings.

Jill’s family is English along with Amish cousins and Belinda who remained Amish. Belinda’s other job is being a matchmaker to the Amish community. She is asked by Nellie King to find her a husband, the condition for keeping her father’s farm. What Belinda does not realize is that her neighbor, Eli, aspires to be with her.

Each of the couples are struggling with their differences: Jill is a city gal while Thom wants to stay in the country. Elsa wants a big wedding, while Sean wants to just be married by a judge. Nellie needs a farmer, while Mark knows nothing about it although he is willing to learn. Belinda sees Eli as too dependent and odd. The four couples, Jill and Thom, Elsa and Sean, Nellie and Mark, and Belinda and Eli, think they have different reasons for finding or avoiding love. Readers will go through all the emotions as each couple struggles to find their happily ever after.

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Author Interview

Elise Cooper: The idea for the story?

Patricia Johns: My best-selling books are Amish. Heartwarming Publishing is not an inspirational line but are sweet stories. I suggested an Amish adjacent, which has an Amish environment, but the hero and heroine are English characters. We worked within the line requirements. In this book, it was a country versus a city story. I am drawn to Amish romances because of the way the community connects.

EC: It seemed the city people were the isolated ones; can you address that?

PJ: Often times I write about the insiders versus the outsiders. People within a tight community versus those city dwellers who are wishing they can be a part of the tight community. I liked the idea putting the English heroine, Jill, in an environment surrounding the wedding of her little sister. There is a tight Amish community and there are the English within the community who like living the country way. Now Jill is the fish out of water.

EC: What about the differences between Jill and her sister Elsa?

PJ: Both sisters are jealous of each other and have different strengths

Elsa is better with connecting with those in the family that stayed Amish. She is more domestic, able to knit and cook. A real people pleaser.

Jill is a loner, tough, intimidating, and does not reconnect easily. She is a workaholic, independent, private, succeeds professionally, and a career woman. Yet, she is guarded, pragmatic, and levelheaded.

EC: How would you describe Thom?

PJ: He is kind, honest, a hard worker, stubborn, wounded, protective, and decent.

EC: Can you describe the relationship between Jill and Thom?

PJ: Jill must look closer at what she wants for her life. She must decide what she wants to give up, and what she is willing to compromise on. She is in her thirties, so she has a direction, and has made choices/sacrifices to get where she is. At this point in her life is she willing to sacrifice what she has become? She wants a romance but is not sure how to open herself up to one. While Thom’s last romance had his heart more into it than his girlfriend. This really hurt him. It makes him ‘once bitten, twice shy.’ Then he falls head over heels for Jill, which loosens his feelings up again.

EC: What is the role of Eeyore?

PJ: I love him. He represents everything in the country life, where there is no control. He has his own mind and ideas. He is the heart and soul of the bed and breakfast. Eeyore can be obstinate, stubborn, adventurous, and does his own thing. I contrasted Eeyore with Jill and Elsa who want to control something. Elsa wants to control how people see her, the relationship with people, to have everything sweet and wonderful all the time. Jill wants to control her achievements and professional success. Then there is Eeyore the donkey who no one can control.

EC: There are four couples that try to achieve a relationship: Aunt Belinda and Eli, Amish Nellie and Mark, Jill and Thom, and Elsa and Sean. Are there similarities or differences?

PJ: There are marriages for convenience and marriages for love. The practical side has no guarantee they will find love, while the romantic side is making sure the personality of the partner makes it easy to live with.

Nellie is naïve, sweet, kind, and sheltered. She eventually decides she wants true love over the practicality. Nellie is a foil to the rest because she thought she wants a practical marriage, while the Englishers are looking for love

Eli is set in his ways, but his animals were his friends and family and companions. Belinda is frustrated with him because of his quirkiness. Eli has always been in love with Belinda.

Sean does not realize that one of his friends, Mae, considers herself his ex-girlfriend even though she has never dated him. He is clueless about her feelings for him. He has been in love with Elsa the whole time. Sean asks Elsa to have Mae as a bridesmaid. She accepts because she does not want to rock the boat although she is jealous of Mae. With the wedding Mae does not like the reality that Sean will never be with her and is off the table.

Jill and Thom must struggle between their lifestyle and their love for each other. Their lifestyles represent their security. They both want to control things to feel safe. Yet, falling in love is very dangerous.

EC: Next books?

PJ: It will take the full series to have Belinda and Eli find their happily ever after. The next book in this series is titled A Single Dad in Amish Country, released on June 27^th. The heroine is a commercial pilot, Hazel Dobbs who meets the single dad, a landscaper.

Their Amish Secret will be released April 24^th, a love inspired story. The heroine is Claire Glick who had a baby out of wedlock. She manages a bed and breakfast. The father of her son, Joel Beiler, shows up at her doorstep with medical problems. There is a lot of distrust between them. The theme of this book is what does each person in a relationship really bring to it.

THANK YOU!!

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