Coffee isn’t my best friend. It’s a drink. I mean, I like it. It’s smooth, warm, and comforting at times. But, it’s just…a drink. I enjoy making posts on Facebook about coffee. A lot of times people will post pictures on my wall that have to do with coffee because they think I have an […]
Here are a few random questions that I’ve asked my Amish friends over the years. This doesn’t mean that these answers hold true in every Amish community, in every state, or in every district. I can only tell you what my friends in Lancaster County told me: 1. Do you shop at Wal-Mart? Of course. 2. […]
Do Amish women read the Amish novels we are writing? During a couple of visits to Amish Country, I asked around about this, and the answers were consistent. “Some do, some don’t.” Unless you are an Amish person living in an Amish community, there is no way that an author can be 100% accurate about […]
Vanity, pride, and competition are frowned upon. Even during sports, players don’t keep score. But, having said that, I have noticed a bit of competition among the women in Lancaster County when it comes to cooking. For example, during one of my first visits to an Amish community (before I’d established relationships with some of […]
Readers of Amish fiction are well educated about the ways of the Plain People. Sometimes, it’s important to mention that rules vary from state to state, and even from district to district. I have an Amish friend in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. I was shocked the first time I went inside her home. There were pictures […]
Hello readers! Beth Wiseman has a new book releasing on July 7th called Her Brother’s Keeper (An Amish Secrets Novel Book 1). For the next five days Beth will be sharing myth-busting facts/secrets about the Amish. She will top it off with a never-before-seen peek at the upcoming novella, A LOVE FOR IRMA ROSE which […]
People often ask me what is the hardest thing about writing a book. The answer is…writing. That’s it. That’s all I’ve got. Okay, I will elaborate to increase the word count a little on this post. The hardest thing about writing is actually typing words on a blank page. For me, dreaming up the story […]
When the Amish arrived in Pennsylvania in Colonial times they likely did not look much different than the thousands of other German immigrants who came. They dreamed of leaving religious intolerance behind and carving farms out the Pennsylvania landscape to build self-sustaining lives where their faith could take form in everyday actions. The Amish have […]
The strawberries are ripening as fast as we can pick them here in central Pennsylvania, and we’re all kept busy finding ways to use the delectable treat. My husband comes in from the garden every day now with a strainer full of lovely, ripe berries. The ones that are grown here, unlike the strawberries you […]
After the labor of plowing and planting in Amish farms and fields comes the season of growing. And for the women and girls of an Amish family, this means picking the first bounty of their producing gardens. From early lettuces to cucumbers and radishes, I think we all—Amish and Englisch—look forward to fresh vegetables after […]