****This giveaway is over!!! The winner has been announced!!
I’m giving away a copy of An Amish Garden. You must follow the rules to enter – if you don’t follow the rules you won’t be entered in the giveaway!
To enter you must:
1. LIVE IN THE UNITED STATES – The publisher won’t ship internationally!
2. Leave your email address when you comment – I need to be able to contact you if you win.
3. You must read Vannetta Chapman’s interview and comment about something in the interview! I’m doing this to ensure you’ve read the interview.
1. You currently write Amish fiction – have you ever thought of writing non-Amish Christian fiction? I’m willing to write whatever my publisher asks me to write. By that I mean this – I have a story to tell. Maybe it’s about a particular character or a particular situation. Always it is about God’s abundant grace. I can tell that story in any framework (historical, Amish, western, etc). So I’m completely open to writing in any genres, and I definitely read all genres.
2. I notice on the News and Events page of your website that you do book signings at quilt shows. Do you quilt in your spare time? If so, how long have you been doing this? I DO quilt in my spare time, which is hard to find. I love quilting. The more quilt shows I attend, the more I am fascinated by the ability of women (and men) to create beautiful quilts. Also, I’m very excited that I will be attending my first quilt retreat this May.
3. I’ve noticed in a lot of Amish fiction that food is mentioned somewhat often. What are your favorite Amish foods? We’ve visited quite a few Amish communities, and my favorite food is the same in each of them–dessert! I love the pies and cakes. I’ll happily skip meals in order to make room for dessert (which isn’t healthy).
4. You play the keyboard in your church’s praise and worship band. Did you learn to play the keyboard as a child? I started learning the piano at the age of 10. My dad played, and his father played as well. I love playing the piano/keyboard. As my mother reminds me “It’s what you do when you’re stressed or sad or happy.” She’s right! Playing for my church’s praise band is one of the highlights of my week.
5. What advice would you like to give to aspiring authors? To keep writing. I see too many authors who are still editing the first book they wrote many years ago. It’s important to let that one go and move on to the next story. The first book I SOLD was the 9th book I had WRITTEN.
6. Were you in a critique group when you first started writing? Are you in a critique group now? Yes. I was in the Dallas area then and had a wonderful group–the Arlington Writers Group. We represented many different genres. Now that I’m in a small town, I do not have a group. I do have several authors that I try to get together with when possible. And I have 3 pre-readers who have been with me since the beginning. They are wonderful at critiquing.
Thanks so much for being on my blog, Vannetta! Here’s a short description of An Amish Garden:
“Where Healing Blooms” Vannetta Chapman
Emma discovers a run-away teen in her barn, and the bishop asks her to provide a haven for a woman and her two children. Then her mother-in-law reveals a secret about her garden. Will Emma choose loneliness or learn to accept God’s gifts?
“Flowers for Rachael” Kathleen Fuller
Rachael’s garden is beautiful, but she is lonely. Gideon is in love with Rachael, but when Rachael finds her garden in shambles after a crisis, she rejects his help. Will she realize she doesn’t have to do everything on her own?
“Seeds of Love” Tricia Goyer
When a corporation shows interest in buying Sadie’s heirloom seeds, she panics. They are all she has left of her Dat and Mem. Eli believes he can help Sadie, but a misunderstanding leaves her heartbroken. Will she trust him again, and will the seeds of a new relationship take root?
“Rooted in Love” Beth Wiseman
Rosemary is doing her best to run her family’s household. She excels at all her tasks except one: gardening. Saul has been interested in her for years, but Rosemary has turned him down repeatedly. Saul begins helping with her family’s garden, but someone is sabotaging his efforts—and keeping a secret that could change their lives.
I find I have a few things in common with the author – most especially music. I play organ and piano for my church on the worship team, as she does. And she’s a quilter – I have a related craft, cross stitching. I love stitching each night, and go on stitching retreats when I can! Here’s hoping I can win the giveaway. 🙂
~Ruth Anne
Thanks for your post!
You’re welcome, Vanetta!!
I’ve long admired Vannetta’s writing and quilting abilities! I would love to learn to quilt. I just discovered a blog this week that had quilted postcards and they were the prettiest things. I wonder if Vannetta has ever made one of those?
~ Anne
homesteading[at]charter[dot]net
I quilt and write also, but I’ve only published magazine articles, so far. I’ve just come from a writers’ conference, and, for the first time, I feel a bit discouraged. I’ve just found none of my Christian romance manuscripts fits the formula editors want. They’ll all require major rewrites. Your comment about moving on to something new and better spoke to me. I’m also an avid reader and would love to win a copy of AN AMISH GARDEN.
I enjoyed her books. I have been lots of Amish books by other authors. I find great interest in what Amish people do. I do like crafts like cross stitching or painting in art work at my spare time
I am a big fan of Vannetta Chapman and love her books! An Amish Garden sounds wonderful! I have to agree with her regarding Amish food, the desserts are the best! Several times a year a couple of friends and I visit Amish communities around Lancaster, PA and one of the families has a bake stand at the end of their driveway with the most scrumptious cakes, pies, cookies, pumpkin rolls, and other treats! We always come away with armfuls of goodies! We are also avid rubber stampers and visit several stamp stores in various Amish homes and have come to know the families. We always look forward to our trips!
Hi Cecelia, thanks for invite to your blog…I love to read amish stories by this author. interesting to find she likes to play piano, I always wished that I could play.
Our weather is finally turning into spring and many of my shrubs and flowers are starting to bloom…love springtime.
Paula O(kyflo130@yahoo.com)
Hi Cecelia, thanks for invite to your blog…I love to read amish stories by this author. interesting to find she likes to play piano, I always wished that I could play.
Our weather is finally turning into spring and many of my shrubs and flowers are starting to bloom…love springtime.
Paula O(kyflo130@yahoo.com)
My mom quilts and I love to see the progress of them as she goes. I also play the piano for our church’s little band. I started picking out songs on the piano when I was in kindergarten, I then took classes for 2 years when I was in middle school and high school. I have just recently gotten a piano in my house and have started playing again. I am loving it. I have also started taking guitar lessons. I love reading anything about the Amish so I am hoping I can win the book. Thanks Vannetta for your writing – I thoroughly enjoy it.
I am a long time fan of Vannetta’s. I follow her on facebook and knew that she loved to crochet but somehow missed that she was a quilter as well.I can’t wait to read An Amish Garden!
I am new to Amish fiction and am devouring them and passing them to my friends, we’re having a lot of fun:) I keep reading reviews that tell me to read Vannetta Chapman. I love that she has a story to tell about God’s abundant grace and is willing and able to tell it in whatever genre she’s given. What an incredible gift! I’m looking forward to reading An Amish Garden!!
I loved reading the questions and answers here. I also quilt and love seeing how others use different ways of quilting. My grandma Cox, who is been singing in Heavens choir and quilting by the river bank taught me when I was growing up. I was never allowed to sit idle, even watching tv I had to be cutting, or sewing something. Which now I am so grateful. I also play the piano, by ear not notes. Thanks for the advice and letting us in on your home life.
Blessings
Hi Cecelia
good Interview. I enjoy reading Beth Wiseman, Kathleen Fuller, Vannetta Chapman, and Tricia Goyer’s books.I didn’t know Vannetta quilt in her spare time.I am looking forward to reading An Amish Garden.augustlily06(at)aim(dot)com.Have a wonderful week.
I use to attend quilt shows. They are very inspiring. Each quilt is one you can’t miss seeing and one you love. I would love to quilt again. I know the old way but not the new way. I made templates from a detergent box: sturdy and easy to cut. Didn’t have a special ruler or a cutting board and didn’t use the sewing machine. For me, quilting the quilt was very relaxing. I could quilt about nine stitches to an inch. Seems pretty big now. This books seems like the perfect book for spring. Would love to read it. Must feel nice being able to write across genres.