Why I Wrote A Faith of Her Own
Since I started writing Amish fiction, all of my full-length novels have been set in Middlefield, OH. This includes my YA series, The Mysteries of Middlefield. I had the opportunity to write about the characters in those three books (A Summer Secret, The Secrets Beneath, Hide and Secret) as adults in my series A Middlefield Family. But there were some characters from these books whose stories I hadn’t explored…and they wanted their journeys told.
It may sound strange (and possibly a little crazy) to say that fictional characters are begging for their own book. But that’s one of the mysteries of writing—creating characters that end up taking on a life of their own. Bekah and Caleb needed to find their way back to each other, and the secondary plot of A Faith of Her Own shows how that plays out. Yet there were three characters from The Mysteries of Middlefield who spoke to me more than the others: Anna Mae, Jeremiah, and Amos.
When I wrote Hide and Secret, the book that features Anna Mae and her friendship with brothers Jeremiah and Amos, I never thought Anna Mae and Jeremiah would remain friends. He was leaving the Amish to become a vet, and she was remaining Amish. Amos, Jeremiah’s older brother who has a form of autism (it’s not explicitly diagnosed in the books but he does have it) would always be close to Anna Mae throughout her life. I envisioned Anna Mae staying Amish, getting married and visiting Amos on a regular basis.
However, these characters had other ideas.
Writing A Faith of Her Own allowed me to explore a few themes—making difficult decisions, following God’s lead even when it seems contradictory, and releasing past hurts and regrets in order to move forward and live free. It also allowed me to spend more time with these characters that are three of my all time favorites. Anna Mae is a strong woman, but is she strong enough to make a decision that will possibly separate her from everyone she loves? Jeremiah is a kind man, but he has made choices that can be considered cruel. And Amos sees the world in a different way—a child-like way, but with a wisdom that at times is unfathomable.
A common thread in all my books is that beyond the Amish lifestyle, the Amish are like Yankees/Non-Amish in many, many ways. Sure, they face different challenges due to living more simply and being very steeped in their culture. But when it comes to matters of faith, family, and love, we are all much the same. Perhaps you or someone you know can identify with Anna Mae and Jeremiah’s struggles…and like them, will come to see that God is always there, loving us through our darkest times.
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I was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, grew up in Little Rock, Arkansas, and currently live in Geneva, Ohio. I’ve been married to James for 21 wonderful years (really, they have been wonderful!) We have three terrific children, three dogs, and have raised cattle, pigs, and chickens at various times over the years. We would have gone into the goat business, but I had to draw the line somewhere. I started writing in 2000, and published my first short story a year later. Since then I have authored several short stories, novellas, novels, and have done a lot of freelance non-fiction work. I have also worked as an editor. I have a Masters degree in Special Education, emphasis on teaching the blind and visually impaired, and a Bachelors in Early Childhood/Elementary Education. I have taught all age groups ranging from age 4 to age 21. A few of my favorite things: my relationship with Christ, chocolate (of course!), autumn, a satisfying book, good friends, a sense of humor, people who don’t take themselves seriously, haunting melodies, NFL football, and did I mention chocolate?