© 2010 Pat (Cletch) Williams, Flickr | CC-BY | via Wylio
Today I hit a milestone.
A couple of times a year, I have that moment where I hit the end of a first draft of a new book. And it’s a relief every time.
Today I finished the first draft of my second contribution to the Sugarcreek Amish Mysteries Series being published by Guideposts Books.
I just want to make sure you know about the series! If you’re a fan of Amish fiction, this could be right up your alley. Or, if you’ve never read Amish stories before but enjoy a good cozy mystery, this could be for you.
Here’s the basic description:
If you’d told thirty-year-old Cheryl six months ago that she’d give up her secure banking job in Columbus, Ohio, to become a shopkeeper in a charming small town hailed as “The Little Switzerland of Ohio,” she certainly wouldn’t have believed you. However, with everything that has happened since, Cheryl decides to take her biggest leap of faith yet.
Together with her Siamese cat, Beau, Cheryl moves into Aunt Mitzi’s cozy little cottage in Sugarcreek and quickly settles into the routine of running the Swiss Miss gift shop, where all kinds of homemade gifts and food fill the shelves, and the aroma of candles, candy, and pungent cheeses fill the air.
As an “Englisher,” Cheryl finds it challenging to fit in among the Amish. And when mysteries unfold at every turn, she questions whether or not she’s cut out for the so-called “simple life.” Fortunately, she finds a good Amish friend and mentor in Naomi Miller, and together they put their trust in God as they join forces to unravel the clues.
A team of eight authors are contributing to this “continuity series.” That label means that characters and locations continue from book to book with a different mystery, and a new book releases every few weeks.
So far five books are out: Blessings in Disguise, Where Hope Dwells, The Buggy Before the Horse, A Season of Secrets, and O Little Town of Sugarcreek. Book 6, Off the Beaten Path, is next in line.
Then on December 16, my first contribution to the series releases, Peace Like a River. (As soon as I have a final cover image, I’ll post it!)
The manuscript I just finished drafting is number 14, so you’ll have to wait till next summer for that one!
And for now, it’s time for me to dig into the self-editing stage before I turn in the manuscript in a few weeks and see what the actual editors have to say about it.
Here’s a youtube video about the series.
Here’s a link where you can order. (Guideposts’s specialty is selling direct to readers, so for right now you won’t find these books in stores or any other online sites.)
Every four weeks there’s a new book, and that will continue for a couple of years! Check it out!
