When I decided I wanted to write romantic suspense, I never imagined I’d end up being the author of nine (and counting!) Amish books. My first attempts at getting published involved regular folks in suspenseful situations. My writing had captured the attention of an editor at Harlequin, but couldn’t get past the senior editor. I had almost given up on my dream of becoming a published author.
I attended the Romance Writers of America conference in NYC several years ago. I went to a Harlequin workshop where an editor announced that she’d like to see more Amish suspense. Hmm? Amish?
My wheels started turning. I remembered the first time I had ever seen an Amish man with his horse and buggy when I was a little kid. My dad explained to me how they lived. No electricity. No cars? Really? A little part of me thought my dad—who had the greatest sense of humor—was pulling my leg. I couldn’t imagine life without Happy Days and Laverne and Shirley, my favorite TV shows at the time.
The Harlequin editor’s request for Amish stories stuck with me. Before I flew home from NYC, I had an idea. What if a plane crashed on an Amish farm? I loved the idea of two worlds colliding. I arrived home, ordered some Amish books, both fiction and nonfiction, and I continued my research by traveling to a growing Amish community in the Conewango Valley, south of my home near Buffalo, NY. (Again, who knew?) The plane crash idea eventually morphed into PLAIN PURSUIT and was released by Harlequin Love Inspired Suspense in 2013.
My Amish books generally have a non-Amish hero and heroine who live and work among the Amish. The Amish community plays a key roll in the story. It’s challenging—and fun—to find unique ways to set murder and mayhem, combined with a sweet romance, against the backdrop of the (usually) peaceful Amish countryside.
Since then, I have written a total of eight Amish suspense stories for Harlequin. I have also released PLAIN OBSESSION, currently available on Kindle and Kindle Unlimited. The reader appetite for Amish stories has not seemed to dim and I look forward to writing more books.
Here’s the blurb for PLAIN OBSESSION:
Staying safe in Amish country shouldn’t be this hard.
When a close friend is murdered in her NYC apartment, Violet Jackson fears the worst—her childhood stalker has returned. But there’s no evidence she had a stalker, then or now, and no one believes her. Plagued by panic attacks, Violet returns to her mother’s country estate in Hunters Ridge, a quiet Amish community, where she had found her center years earlier.
Bad boy Theo Cooper got the discipline he needed in the army and a dose of reality when his dad got sick. Now, back in Hunters Ridge, he’s running the family’s lumberyard and stepping up to be a father to his young son.
When Violet shows up in Hunters Ridge, Theo can’t believe his good fortune. He always regretted how their budding romance in high school—however unlikely—had imploded the night of senior prom. But Violet’s not interested in romance. She’s determined to get over her anxiety and return to her life in New York. When Violet becomes the target of an apparent stalker, Theo’s protective instincts make him determined to defend the woman he’s beginning to love, even if it means risking the life he’s built in Hunters Ridge—and his carefully guarded heart.
Here’s the Amazon buy link if you’re interested in PLAIN OBSESSION: http://amzn.to/2sLxGbN
I’d love to hear why you love Amish fiction. I’ll give away a print copy of the re-release of my very first book with Harlequin, PLAIN PURSUIT to one random person who comments. It’s paired with the talented, Patricia Davids’ THE AMISH MIDWIFE.
Thanks for inviting me to stop by today. I look forward to hearing your comments.
Winner will be selected at random and announced on Tuesday, July 25th. *Giveaway starts today, Monday, July 17th and ends Monday, July 24th and is only open to US residents*
About the author:
Alison Stone discovered her love of writing after leaving a corporate engineering job to raise four children.
Constantly battling the siren call of social media, Alison blocks the Internet and hides her smartphone in order to write fast-paced books filled with suspense and romance.
Married for almost twenty-five years, Alison lives in Western New York, where the summers are gorgeous and the winters are perfect for curling up with a book—or writing one.
Go to her website at AlisonStone.com to find all her links to social media and a list of all her books.