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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

Why Amish Fiction Is Crazy Popular & More

by Chautona Havig · 3 Comments

Amish fiction has its champions and its critics, but when it comes to Christmas stories, who can resist? Check out Amish Christmas Miracles! via @chautonahavig

Amish fiction tends to be a bit polarizing. Readers tend to love it or hate it. Are the criticisms valid?  One has to wonder because, despite the naysayers, Amish fiction has a huge following. What is so appealing about Amish fiction, what do readers expect, and is the claim that “If you’ve read one, you’ve read them all” a fair one?

Amish author, Jennifer Beckstrand, joined me in a conversation about Amish fiction, her books, and a super exciting collection that released today, Amish Christmas Miracles.

Why Amish Fiction Is Crazy Popular & More

Note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.

Why Amish Fiction Is Crazy Popular & More

I had a list of questions that probably took poor Jennifer for a wild ride, but anyone who visits many of the Christian fiction Facebook groups, the Goodreads discussions, or just chats Christian fiction with friends knows that Amish fiction has rabid fans and derisive critics.  Knowing how readers felt about that, I thought it would be nice to get an author’s perspective.  I asked about:

Why people like Amish fiction.

Jennifer loves it because enjoys a happy story, and she said that people appreciate the simplicity of the lifestyle and that it’s a kinder, gentler romance than many contemporary romances.  I’m going to out her here and share that while I cut it out of the audio, she did coin a new word. “Kindler.”  We had a good laugh over that.

She also made a fascinating point about how it really does combine historical fiction with contemporary. That really hit home with me because the first Amish fiction I really loved was Suzanne Woods Fisher’s Anna’s Crossing series.

Additionally, one of Amish fiction’s most criticized elements is also why it is popular. Jennifer shared that publishers like it because Walmart does.  Readers know exactly what to expect from a book with an Amish cover.  The very predictability of general Amish plots is also what those readers like.  I found that fascinating.

They also love the strong faith element of people whose entire lives are an act of worship.

Are all Amish stories really the same?

Not hardly. For example, in the collection we discussed, there are fourteen different Amish authors and Jennifer reckons that this probably means fourteen different locations including Maine and Maryland–two states that I didn’t know had Amish communities.

Some say that the characters in these books are a bit too “perfect,” and Jennifer admits sometimes they are.  She and many authors like her, however, enjoy writing more flawed, relatable characters.

I pointed out that the tendency to write “Mary Sue” characters is by no means limited to Amish fiction, and after some reflection, I think that like many others, I’ve often held Amish fiction to a higher standard than other fiction. That doesn’t seem quite right, does it?

So we ended up discussing how genre fiction all have formulas within each genre and how the author’s job is to avoid turning it into a cliche.

All the Amish aren’t all alike!

Not just location differences, but cultural differences within those locations make all Amish stories different.  They actually put a foreword in Amish Christmas Miracles pointing out that the different places would have different lives, rules, traditions, and things.

Jennifer also talked about her original research when she decided to write Amish fiction, and after immersing herself in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania Amish culture, she decided to set her books in Wisconsin and was dismayed to learn from an Amish friend that those Wisconsin folks were very different!

People have ideas about what Amish is and isn’t and when we impose our ideas of what is and isn’t sufficiently Amish, we’re kind of arrogant.  Fun fact: In my daughter’s Amish town, I saw an Amish man getting out of a car at McDonald’s, talking on the phone.  That’s okay there. However, they’re only allowed to use a certain kind of (uncovered in crazy cold Indiana, no less) sort of buggy.  Larger families have “three-buggy garages” because they need them to fit everyone into said buggy!

When I read Buried Secrets by Rachel J. Good, my knowledge of the Amish was limited to groups NOT like the one Rachel was writing about and that yes, some Amish do decorate nurseries for their babies!

Why is Pennsylvania Dutch used where it is and when it is?

People love varying amounts of the Pennsylvania Dutch in their books, and as we were talking about it, I realized it would be a good thing to have a list of authors who use a lot and others who don’t use as much for folks who enjoy it.

Jennifer likes to use just enough to create that setting–a reminder to the reader that these people are actually speaking and thinking in Pennsylvania Dutch.

Amish Christmas MiraclesThe Amish Christmas Miracles Collection

Jennifer (J.E.B.) Spredemann was talking about how she wanted to do a box set, so eventually, those two and Rachel J. Good got together and found eleven more authors who wanted to do it.

Now I read Jennifer’s story, Peanut Butter Christmas, and seriously.  Amish, Santa Claus, Miracles, and faith struggles… what more could you want from a Christmas story. How about absolutely adorable twin boys who don’t quite get how this Santa thing works.  I also told my own Santa story from my childhood.  Eeep!

The authors are as follows and I’m listing a few of each authors’ books that I thought you might want to take note of:

Jennifer Beckstrand

  • The Matchmakers of Huckleberry Hill series
  • Sweet as Honey from the Honeybee Sisters series
  • Andrew from the Petersheim Brothers series

Kathleen Fuller

  • Amish Christmas Miracles
  • Amish Christmas Wedding
  • A Double Dose of Love

J.E.B. Spredemann

  • The author’s Amazon page

Dana R. Lynn

  • Her Amazon page of various series

Susan Lantz Simpson

  • Plain Discovery  (Book One of the Plainly Maryland Series)
  • The Promise (Book One of the Amish of Southern Maryland Series)
  • Rosanna’s Gift  
  • Lizzie’s Heart   

Ashley Emma

  • Amish Alias
  • Undercover Amish

Lenora Worth

  • Their Amish Reunion
  • Her Amish Child
  • Seeking Refuge
  • Amish Christmas Hideaway

Serena B. Miller

  • Her Amazon page of various titles

Loree Lough

  • A Little Child Shall Lead Them Series
  • Mistletoe and Murder: A Christmas Suspense Collection

Rachel J. Good

  • His Unexpected Amish Twins
  • His Pretend Amish Bride
  • His Accidental Amish Family 
  • Amish Christmas Twins

Laura Bradford

  • The author’s Amazon page

Tracy Fredrychowski

  • Secrets of Willow Springs – Book 1
  • Secrets of Willow Springs – Book 2
  • The Amish Women of Lawrence County
  • Love Blooms at the Apple Blossom Inn

Adina Senft

  • The Wounded Heart
  • Herb of Grace

Mary Alford

  • Amish Country Murder 
  • Amish Country Kidnapping

The collection is .99 but only until 11/15/2020, so grab it now!

The regular retail price is 9.99, so you really want to grab it fast.  Seriously, Jennifer’s story is worth the dollar price tag several times over all by itself, so grab it while you can.

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Comments

  1. Alicia Haney says

    November 10, 2020 at 1:25 pm

    Thank you for sharing about this awesome sounding book. I love Amish stories and I love Christmas. Have a Great week and stay safe.

    Reply
  2. Jennifer Beckstrand says

    November 10, 2020 at 8:10 am

    Chautona, what a delightful blog! Thank you so much for interviewing me on your podcast. I had so much fun. We definitely need to do it again sometime. Hugs and blessings!

    Reply
  3. Karen Morgan says

    November 10, 2020 at 7:44 am

    Have you read any Amish books by author Linda Byler? She has vivd descriptions and unusual settings and plots.Her bio indicates that she is still a member of an Amish church, and I feel like her books are truly authentic Amish. Als you mentioned “Amish” lifestyle and tradtion varies greatly in different areas. I have only read a few of her books, SADIE’S MONTANA trilogy and several of the Christmas ones. More on TBR list. 🙂

    Reply

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The Because Fiction Podcast

The Because Fiction Podcast
The Because Fiction Podcast

Taking the pulse of Christian fiction

Episode 145: A Chat with Debut Women's Fiction Author, Sara Brunsvold
byChautona Havig

Debut Author, Sara Brunsvold, is bursting on the Christian Women’s fiction scene with an amazing book, The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs. Kip. With characters who have captivated my heart from page one (and enough quirkiness to keep my attention to the last), Sara Brunsvold is sure to become a favorite author, and this book is already on my top five of the year before it’s even released!

Note links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.

This Novel Isn’t Even Available Yet, and It’s in My Top 5!

If you’d told me that I’d fall so in love with two chapters of a book that it would push that book into my top five of the year so far, well… I’d have laughed.

The joke’s on me because it happened with Sara Brunsvold’s The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs. Kip. This debut women’s fiction novel has a bit of a split-time element and is set in Kansas City. Trust me when I say that meeting Clara was one of the most fun introductions to a character I’ve ever had. I just love this woman, and I’m drumming my fingers to get to read more about her.  Not surprising considering it won the ACFW Genesis’s award a couple of years back. 😀

Sara says her passion is intergenerational stories, and you definitely get this with Aidyn and her “assignment,” Mrs. Kipp.  But you also get inter-cultural and ideological influences in this book as well.

And then there’s that next book she has coming out.  You know, the one about a gal cooking her way through her grandma’s German cookbook?  Yeah.  The one we have to wait until early 2024 for?  Yeah. That one.  Sigh.

When Sara told us about her favorite authors, a lot of things made sense.  Just sayin’. Find out which of Katherine Reay’s books are her favorites and how she fangirled over Reay’s response to an email (and why you should email your favorite author!).

The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs. Kip by Sara Brunsvold

Aidyn Kelley is talented, ambitious, and ready for a more serious assignment than the fluff pieces she’s been getting as a cub reporter for the Kansas City Star. In her eagerness, she pushes too hard, earning herself the menial task of writing an obituary for an unremarkable woman who’s just entered hospice care.

But there’s more to Clara Kip than meets the eye. The spirited septuagenarian may be dying, but she’s not quite ready to cash it in yet. Never one to shy away from an assignment herself, she can see that God brought the young reporter into her life for a reason. And if it’s a story Aidyn Kelley wants, that’s just what Mrs. Kip will give her–but she’s going to have to work for it.

Debut author Sara Brunsvold delights with this emotional multigenerational story that shows that the very best life is made up of thousands of little deaths to self. You’ll want to be just like Mrs. Kip when you grow up!

This book is 40% off with free shipping from Baker Book House. That’s less than the Kindle version if you like paper!

You can learn more about Sara at her WEBSITE (and sign up for that newsletter so you can get Mrs.Kip’s 8 Rules to Live By). Oh, and if she does those videos of her cooking through that book, you’ll want to know when/where to find them.

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Episode 145: A Chat with Debut Women's Fiction Author, Sara Brunsvold
Episode 145: A Chat with Debut Women's Fiction Author, Sara Brunsvold
May 20, 2022
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Episode 136: A Chat with Middle-Grade Historical Author, Marie Sontag
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Reposted from @beckylewis345 Life can be hard. Ent Reposted from @beckylewis345 Life can be hard. Enter cozies like A Sprinkle in Time by Dana Mentink. Clean, with a sweet romance, whose amateur sleuth runs a delectable shake shop. A dog, a child, precocious twins who work for the shake shop, and lovable Papa Luis. Plus, of course, plenty of suspects. “Murder, mayhem, and milkshakes. Who’d a thunk it?”

Trinidad Jones becomes someone I truly care about in this book. I am amazed at how she and Gabe’s two other former wives forgive each other and actually become friends. Not just friends, but family, as thick as blood. Now there is a small cluster of characters to follow and enjoy in this town of Upper Sprocket. Fun!

I enjoy the inclusion of dogs, children, and special-needs people, and Dana Mentink brings them all to our Shimmy and Shake Shop story. Noodles is old, but what a loyal companion, and, wow, does he have an amazing ability or two! Little  Felice adds warmth and vulnerability to the tale. Doug, the special-needs brother of Trinity’s love interest, Quinn, adds reality and complexity to the novel. 

Mentink has a good sense of humor and I laughed out loud several times. Just what I want out of a cozy. Mystery, romance, great characters, laughter. A fun occupation that the sleuth actually works at. I am happy to report I made it through the book without indulging in ice cream! But, can you?

I am looking forward to more murder and mayhem in Upper Sprocket! Plus more Freakshakes! 

———————————————————————
I received a copy of the book from Celebrate Lit. (I also bought my own copy.) No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own.
———————————————————————
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Reposted from @celebratelit Did you know that When Reposted from @celebratelit Did you know that When the Pilot Falls by April Hayman from the Ever After Mystery series is 25% off with the Celebrate Lit Summer Sale? 

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In 1923, there aren’t many pilots, but Willie Labeau didn’t let that stop… her.

A bear of a man, Hugh Taylor, needs a stunt plane pilot, and despite their rocky introduction, Willie sets off for golden California and a new life as his pilot. There’s just one little thing she has to do in addition to flying.

Leave his past alone. Period.

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And Hugh vanishes.

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A fierce air race, a sincere act of humility—are they enough to free Hugh and give Willie a chance to be with him… forever?

Find out in this next book in the Ever After Mysteries, combining beloved fairy tales and mysteries. When the Pilot Falls offers a retelling of “East of the Sun, West of the Moon” that will keep you gripped to the edge of your seat as you watch hearts soar and daring dos.

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Dial W for Wrangler: Vi's just trying to sell used Dial W for Wrangler: Vi's just trying to sell used recliners and old, broken wagon wheels.  She can't help it if folks keep asking for help with their love lives... can she?
See the lengths Wade goes to in his quest to behave like a rational guy.
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