Tag: #contemporaryamishromance

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.

***

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.

***

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!!

***

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: 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? 

###

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?

***

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.”

***

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!!

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: The Mysterious Amish Nanny by Patrice Lewis

Book Description

Stepping into her past…

Reveals a future she didn’t know she wanted.

When car failure stalls Englischer Ruth Wengerd’s impulsive cross-country trip, she doesn’t expect to be rescued by a horse and buggy—or to suddenly become a nanny for widower Adam Chupp’s son. Helping the sweet family reminds Ruth of her Amish upbringing and the shameful secret she’s hiding. But when the temporary job begins to feel permanent, can she face up to her past…for a future she left once before?

***

Elise’s Thoughts

The Mysterious Amish Nanny by Patrice Lewis is a very uplifting book.  It has readers understanding how someone needs to change their lifestyle for their emotional well-being, preferring to have family come first.

The heroine, Ruth Wengerd, quits her lucrative job on Wall Street and impulsively leaves behind everything to go on a cross-country trip.  Unfortunately, her car breaks down in the middle of nowhere and she needs to be rescued by an Amish man and his son. Because she needs money, she agrees to be the nanny for Lucas, the son of Adam Chupp who is a widower.  She begins to fall for this family, bringing back memories of the time she was part of an Amish community as a young child.

Adam is also a contrast for Ruth.  He shows her the importance of family, and that money should be for support not for ambition.  While Ruth makes Adam understand the importance of having a partner, he shows her the importance of family.

As with all of Patrice Lewis books readers get a heartfelt story with some mysterious plotlines that will keep people turning the pages.

***

Author Interview

Elise Cooper: The idea for the story?

Patrice Lewis:  I had this story in my head years ago. I wanted to write someone snaping  emotionally, where they leave their job, and then have their car break down in the middle of nowhere after going on a cross country trip. I had read about the pressure cooker environment of Wall Street, contrary to the lifestyle I have. I based some scenes in the story from the book Young Money by Kevin Roose. Where my routine is deliberately slow and unpressured this is contrasted by the intense Wall Street environment that sucks employees every hour of someone’s life. This was the theme I wanted to explore.

EC:  What is the mystery of the story?

PL: There are several little mysteries woven through it. First, why did the heroine’s parents leave the Amish when she was a ten-year-old?  There is also how Adam tries to figure her background out after seeing a missing flyer of Ruth. Besides those there was why Ruth left a successful job on Wall Street, what had she done to become so ashamed?

EC:  You explore some traditions of the Amish?

PL:  I wrote in the story how they sing hymns. On YouTube I came across a couple of Amish girls, one playing the guitar and the other singing a particular hymn.

EC:  How would you describe the heroine, Ruth?

PL:  She is impulsive and ambitious. She is also impetuous, affectionate, kind, and tender, which comes out in her love of children.  She is searching for a “home.”

EC:  How would you describe Adam?

PL:  There is a lot of my husband in him. We have a woodcraft business for several years. It can leave someone very frazzled which is how Adam reacts. He is lonely, caring, kind, and worried about his hyperactive son. He left behind his support structure after his wife passed away. He was a single dad.

EC:  How similar is the relationship between the four-year-old child Lucas and Ruth?

PL:  Both are impulsive, enthusiastic, energetic, and firecrackers. Ruth understood Lucas.  I based the story where Ruth became Lucas’ nanny on my daughter.  She was a professional nanny and learned how to deal with these overly active children by keeping them occupied. Lucas adored Ruth and always wanted to impress her.

EC:  What about the relationship between Adam and Ruth?

PL: She still has the Wall Street mentality that money is everything, while he just wants to earn enough to support, himself and his son. Ruth is vulnerable. The relationship started with the young boy’s feelings for Ruth. She remembers the fond memories of the Amish view of community and family since in her early life she was raised Amish. They both realize what they are missing:  her a family, and he a solid home life.

EC:  How did the financial end affect the relationship?

PL:  Adam and Ruth became a team first, as she helped him with his finances. Ruth was able to keep track of his finances, write proposals, write estimates, and do the billing and payroll.  This freed him up to build, construct, and supervise. This is also based on how my husband, and I handled our business.  He can create and build, while I do the numbers and taxes. Just as with us, with Ruth and Adam, one person’s weakness is the other person’s strength. They balance each other off.

EC:  Next book?

PL:  The title is The Quilter’s Scandalous Past. It is based on a huge Amish store in Ohio called Lehman’s.  The heroine, Esther, manages the store for her aunt and uncle.  She works with this prospective buyer who knew her as a teenager. It is probably coming out in June. The third story in this series has a “Beauty and the Beast” theme.

THANK YOU!!

***

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.