Southern-Style Meet & Greet with Beth Wiseman

So glad you joined me again this week for another Southern-Style Meet & Greet!  As always, there's lots of fun in store this week with another fabulous author, so stay tuned for a great opportunity to get to know Beth Wiseman.

But first, I can't wait to share the name of last week's giveaway winner of To Die For by Sandra Byrd.  There were a LOT of entries last week, and I can't say enough how much I wish that all of you could be winners!  But, we can only choose one, and thanks to random.org, that person is...

Charity U (photographer4ever832@...)

Charity, I'll be in touch with you shortly to get your mailing address.  Congrats on your win!

And now, time to start this week's Meet & Greet!

Beth Wiseman is high up on the list of my favorite Amish fiction authors.  It took me a long time to discover her books, but once I did, I was a goner.  *sigh*  I love her emotional stories, her believable characters, and her skillful writing. And if that isn't enough to convince you that she's great at her job, maybe this will:

**  2011 Inspirational Readers Choice winner -- Plain Paradise;

**  INSPY Award Winner and best-selling author of the Daughters of the Promise series and The Land of Canaan series;

**  Author of the 2011 Women of Faith Book of the Year -- Seek Me With All Your Heart;

**  ACFW Carol Award Finalist, Retailers Choice Finalist, Booksellers Best Finalist, National Readers Choice Finalist

Quite a hefty list of accomplishments there, and every single one is so well deserved.  Last year, I had the enormous pleasure of being a judge for the INSPY Awards, and not to take away anything from the other nominees in the now-obsolete Amish fiction category, but her book, Plain Paradise, was one of the very best Amish books I have *ever* read.  Period.  I am so thrilled that she was a winner in last year's inaugural INSPY class among some very fine Christian authors.

So, without further ado, I hope you enjoy this week's special guest, Beth Wiseman!
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When did you first know you wanted to be a writer?  

I wrote my first short story to my grandparents when I was very young, maybe six or seven-years-old.  For as long as I can remember, I always knew I wanted to be a writer.  I worked as a newspaper reporter for years before I sold my first series to Thomas Nelson, and I think that experience helped me with regard to editing and meeting deadlines.  I loved being a reporter, but fiction is where my heart is.  I love to make things up!  :)

 

If you were not a writer, what would your dream job be and why? (This is, of course, assuming that writing IS your dream job!)  :o)

I wish I had an answer for this.  I honestly can’t imagine doing anything else.

Quite alright.  I'd say the same thing in your shoes. :o)

 

What genre do you most like to write?  

Love stories.  Not necessarily romances, but a love story of some sort—love between husband and wife, boyfriend and girlfriend, mother and daughter, father and son, sisters, best friends, or between a person and God.  Love stories are endless, and my head is full of them.    

Do your own personal experiences, or those of family and friends, ever find their way into one your stories?

Yes.  Book #4 in my Daughters of the Promise series—Plain Paradise—is about adoption, and as an adoptee myself, I’m familiar with the emotions that go along with the storyline.  I’ve also written about autism, which stemmed from a friend who worked with autistic children.  There are lots of other instances.  Sometimes it’s hard to write things that are close to my heart, but always rewarding in the end if it helps one person to find peace through my stories.  

What do you hope readers “take away” with them after they read one of your books?   

The peacefulness that we all want and need comes only from God.  Live.  Laugh.  Love.  Forgive.  Cherish.  And pray. 

Well said.  :o)

What is your latest book release?    

Healing Hearts just released.  This is the first time that my novellas have appeared together in one collection.  This book is a great way for someone to ‘try me out’ so to speak.  There are three completely different short stories.  Here’s the back cover blurb:

Three heartfelt stories about second chances, trusting your heart, and the power of forgiveness.

"Healing Hearts"  Empty-nesters Levina Lapp and her husband Naaman have no children under their roof for the first time in 30 years. When Naaman leaves to visit cousins in Ohio, Levina never expected him to be gone a year. Now that he's back, will they be able to move beyond this estrangement, and rekindle the fire of the love they once shared?

"A Change of Heart"  Leah is a writer in a community that does not encourage such fruitless endeavors. She lacks the skills necessary to be a good Amish fraa—cooking, cleaning, quilting, and gardening.   Aaron is aware of Leah’s short-comings, but his heart is captured by this spirited young woman. Will Leah’s role as an Amish wife and mother force her to set aside her creative life--or will Aaron make an offer she never dreamed was possible?

"A Choice to Forgive"  Lydia has loved two men in her life. Daniel, who disappeared one Christmas Eve long ago, leaving only a note saying he wanted to live in the Englisch world. And Elam, Daniel's brother, to whom she had been happily married for 15 years. When Elam dies, Lydia gives up on ever loving again. But she is shocked when Daniel wants to return to the Order and her life. Is there enough forgiveness in her heart to overlook the past and move into a future that could fulfill her dreams?

Previously published in An Amish Love, An Amish Gathering, and An Amish Christmas, gathered together for the first time.

I just finished the first of those novellas a few weeks ago.  Can't wait to start on the other two!

Are you currently working on another novel, and if so, can you give us a snippet about it?  

I am very excited about the book that I just turned into my editor.  It’s my first non-Amish book titled Need You Now.  It’s contemporary fiction, and it releases in April 2012.

Where can readers find you on the web?  

www.bethwiseman.com 

http://blog.bethwiseman.net

www.amishliving.com

www.amishhearts.com 

and on Facebook (Fans of Beth Wiseman) and Twitter.

What is your most favorite thing about the South? 

I’m a born and raised Texan, and it’s hard to imagine living anywhere else—except maybe in August when it is SO terribly hot and humid here!  I love our Southern hospitality.  Recently, some friends visited from Canada, and they just went on and on about how friendly everyone is here.  I live in the country, so everyone waves and there really aren’t any strangers.  

Iced Tea—sweet or un-sweet?   

Depends on my mood…lol.  But my real favorite is raspberry tea.

BBQ Pork or BBQ Beef?  

Beef!  

Oh, dear...I sense a revolt coming on from all the pork fans!

Potluck dinner or restaurant dinner?   

Oh my…I love both!

Summer or Winter?  

I’m failing this part of the interview because I can’t seem to choose!  We have a pool and it gets hot in Texas, so we enjoy the summer.  BUT, we also have a fireplace, and some of my best books have been written in front of the fireplace.  So, it’s a toss-up!

Country gal or city gal?  

They say you can take the girl from the city, but you can’t take the city out of the girl.  I disagree.  I grew up in the city, but I’ve been out here in the country long enough to be country through and through.  :)

You, you all, or y’all?   

Y’all come back now…lol.  

What she said.  :o)

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Oh, what a great time!  Love, love, love this stuff!  Thank you so much, Beth, for coming by my front porch this week, and giving us all the opportunity to get to know you a little better!  It's was a real treat.  :o)

Beth has also been so sweet to offer us a book to give away this week, too!  If you'd like the chance to win a copy of her latest book, Healing Hearts, simply follow the rules below.  Easy-peasy!

Giveaway rules:

1.  Leave a comment with your email address disguised like "yourname at yourdomain dot com" or something similar.  No email address, no entry...sorry.

2.  All entry comments must be left by Sunday, August 28th.

3. Contest is open internationally.

4.  Become a follower/email subscriber for an additional entry, and let me know in your comment if you're a new one or an existing one.  (No need to create a separate comment for this.  Combining everything into one comment is much easier.)  The upside?  You'll know what's happening here with future Meet & Greets...a win-win, for sure.