The Letters

About The Book:  Book one in Suzanne’s brand new series; The Inn at Eagle Hill. Rose Schrock is a plain woman with a simple plan. Determined to find a way to support her family and pay off her late husband’s debts, she sets to work to convert the basement of her Amish farmhouse into an inn. While her family, especially her cranky mother-in-law, is unhappy with Rose’s big idea, her friend and neighbor, Galen King, supports the decision and he helps with the conversion. As Rose finalizes preparations for visitors, she prays. She asks God to bless each guest who stays at the Inn at Eagle Hill. As the first guest arrives and settles in, Rose is surprised to discover that her entire family is the one who receives the blessings, in the most unexpected ways. And she’s even more surprised when that guest decides to play matchmaker for Galen King.  With her signature plot twists combined with gentle Amish romance, bestselling author Suzanne Woods Fisher invites readers back to Stoney Ridge for fresh stories of simple pleasures despite the complexity of life. Fisher’s tale of God’s providence and provision will delight her fans and create many new ones. Welcome to the Inn at Eagle Hill.

About The Author: Suzanne Woods Fisher is the bestselling author of the Inn at Eagle Hill series, Lancaster County Secrets series, and the Stoney Ridge Seasons series, as well as nonfiction books about the Amish, including “Amish Peace.” She is also the coauthor of a new Amish children’s series, The Adventures of Lily Lapp. Her interest in the Anabaptist cultures can be directly traced to her grandfather, who was raised in the Old Order German Baptist Brethren Church in Franklin County, Pennsylvania. Suzanne is a Carol Award winner and a Christy Award finalist. She is a columnist for Christian Post and Cooking & Such magazines. She lives in California. For more information, please visit suzannewoodsfisher.com and connect with her on Twitter @suzannewfisher. Get Amish proverbs delivered right to your mobile device! Download the Free App! http://bit.ly/10Tygyi.  Find out more about Suzanne at http://suzannewoodsfisher.com/.

My Thoughts On The Book:  I read the book from front to back in one sitting.  I could not put it down and the wee hours of the morning slipped up on me without me knowing.  The characters Suzanne Woods Fisher paints are well developed and life-like.  She is a master wordsmith.  In The Letters, Suzanne Woods Fisher provides a great beginning to The Inn at Eagle Hill series set in Stoney Ridge. I cannot wait for the next book.  I did find that several of the characters from her Stoney Ridge series appear in The Letters which adds, a comfortable air of familiarity. As always this story is captivating as it unfolds with a story of a life extremely challenging,  a steadfast faith, and  commitment to family. This particular book ventures away from the traditional Amish novel and it is based on a real-life story. If you like Amish fiction and you have not read anything by Suzanne Woods Fisher then you are missing out on an amazing writing.  This book is available August 2013 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, offers practical books for everyday life.  For more information, visit www.RevellBooks.com.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Litfuse Publishing Group, and Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Life with Lily

About The Book:  This is Book 1 in the ‘Adventures of Lily Lapp’ series.  Lily is six in this story, just starting first grade in a one-room schoolhouse in upstate New York. Her parents are busy building a farm, and soon animals join the family—Jenny the cow and Chubby the miniature horse. A baby brother arrives, too, which Lily has mixed feelings about. (She wanted a sister!) Aside from a mischievous friend like Mandy Mast, Lily is happy at school and even happier at home. Trouble is brewing at the schoolhouse and change is on the horizon for Lily and her family.

About The Authors:  Suzanne Woods Fisher lives with her family in the San Francisco Bay Area. She has one husband, four children, one son-in-law, a brand new grand-baby, and a couple of dogs. She graduated from Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California.Suzanne has contracts with Revell for six more books about the Amish, both fiction and non-fiction. She is also the host of “Amish Wisdom·” on toginet.com, a weekly radio program featuring guests who are connected to Simple Living.  Want to find out more about Suzanne?  Then visit her at http://suzannewoodsfisher.com/.
Mary Ann Kinsinger was raised Old Order Amish in Somerset County, Pennsylvania. She met and married her husband, whom she knew from school days and started a family. After they chose to leave the Amish church, Mary Ann began a blog, A Joyful Chaos, as a way to capture her warm memories of her childhood for her own children. From the start, this blog found a ready audience and even captured the attention of key media players, such as the influential blog AmishAmerica and the New York Times. She lives in Pennsylvania.
My Thoughts About The Book:  I loved each chapter because they were charming vignette. Younger school children would enjoy hearing a chapter a day read aloud.  It would make a great classroom read or one that parents could read to their small ones at bedtime.
I loved how the book brought out great life lessons without being  overly preachy. I would recommend Life with Lily to girls age six to twelve, with the younger ones being read to. Each chapter contains a drawn illustration, which adds to the overall charm of the book. When I finished I could not wait for the next book in the series to come out. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and have shared it with a young mother so that she can read it to her little ones.. It was interesting to read about Amish life from a child's point of view. I know my granddaughter will enjoy this story.  I would recommend this book for children who are looking for an interesting book full of adventure. Parents will like it also for the values that are modeled in the adventures Lily encounters.  If you are interested in obtaining the book then click here.  If you want to see what others are saying about the book then check out the blog tour schedule by clicking here.

Disclaimer:  I received this book free from the Litfuse Publishing Group bloggers tour. I was not required to write a positive review. All they asked for was an honest review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.

A Lancaster County Christmas Giveaway!

    

To celebrate the release of her first Christmas book, Suzanne Woods Fisher has teamed up with her publisher, Revell, to bring you the "Christmas in September" iPad Giveaway! The winner will be announced on 9/27 at the A Lancaster County Christmas Facebook Party! Details below. Tell your friends and join in the fun (9/7-9/27).  Oh and be sure to follow the blog tour here - many of the bloggers have copies of the book to giveaway!  Suzanne and Revell will be presenting one merry winner with a Christmas Prize Pack (valued at over $600):

• A Brand New iPad 2 with Wi-Fi
• $25 gift certificate to iTunes
• A copy of A Lancaster County Christmas

To enter, click here http://litfusegroup.com/blogtours/text/13425768.  But, hurry the giveaway ends on 9/26.  But, wait! There's more! The winner will be announced at the A Lancaster County Christmas Facebook Party on 9/27 at Suzanne's author page. During the party she'll be revealing something *BIG* - you won't want to miss it. She'll also be hosting a book chat, trivia contest and giving away a few early Christmas presents! Hope to see you there.

About the Book:  Jaime and C. J. Fitzpatrick began their married life in love and looking forward to a bright future together. But when Jaime's mother dies and she wins a National Geographic Photography Contest her father, who deserted them when she was six months old, returns to the scene and now four years later the once happy couple has drifted apart and they are almost ready to call it quits.

Mattie Riehl was hoping to give her husband Sol the Christmas gift they have both longed for--news that another baby was on the way, only to be disappointed with a miscarriage. With the Christmas holidays approaching the young mother feels an acute awareness that her dream of a big family isn't likely to become a reality. A random meeting at the doctors office, a lost owl whistle and a grudging favor to return the whistle to six year old Danny topped with a  winter storm raging outside blows the Fitzpatricks into the Riehl home--and into a much slower pace of life. Can these two couples from different worlds help each other understand the true meaning of love this Christmas?  Can the two young women come to grips with their lives, their dreams, and God's perfect grace?

About the Author:  "Suzanne Woods Fisher is a bestselling author of Amish fiction and non-fiction and the host of a weekly radio program called Amish Wisdom. She has twenty books under contract with Revell--seven published, thirteen to come...she's contracted all the way into 2016. The Waiting is a finalist for a 2011 Christy Award. The Choice is finalist for a 2011 Carol Award. Amish Peace: Simple Wisdom for a Complicated World and Amish Proverbs: Words of Wisdom from the Simple Life were both finalists for the ECPA Book of the Year (2010, 2011).  Her interest in the Amish began with her grandfather, W.D. Benedict, who was raised Plain. She has many, many Plain relatives living in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, and travels back to Pennsylvania, as well as to Ohio, a couple of times each year for research.  Mrs. Fisher has a great admiration for the Plain people and believes they provide wonderful examples to the world. In both her fiction and non-fiction books, she has an underlying theme: You don't have to "go Amish" to incorporate many of their principles--simplicity, living with less, appreciating nature, forgiving others more readily-- into your life."  "When Suzanne isn't writing or bragging to her friends about her first new grandbaby (!), she is raising puppies for Guide Dogs for the Blind. To Suzanne's way of thinking, you just can't take life too seriously when a puppy is tearing through your house with someone's underwear in its mouth."  Want to learn more about Suzanne Woods Fisher?  Then check her out online at http://www.suzannewoodsfisher.com.  Want a copy of the book, then check out the following link:  http://www.amazon.com/Lancaster-County-Christmas-Suzanne-Fisher/dp/0800719956/ref=sprightly-20

My Thoughts:  This book was a wonderful read and a great feel good story.  Once I began I did not want to put it down.  The characters were so lifelike I found myself routing for each of them as they faced their personal struggles in the story.  Fisher is a master storyteller.  This was her first book I have read and I cannot wait to get my hands on more.  She is phenomenal.  I would give this book 5 stars easily.  Now get out there and enter the contest. I have already, and posted it on facebook.... and I would love to win an IPad 2....and a book.  How about you?

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Litfuse Publicity Group as part of a September Blog Tour. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

A Lancaster County Christmas

About the Book:  Jaime and C. J. Fitzpatrick began their married life in love and looking forward to a bright future together. But when Jaime's mother dies and she wins a National Geographic Photography Contest her father, who deserted them when she was six months old, returns to the scene and now four years later the once happy couple has drifted apart and they are almost ready to call it quits.
Mattie Riehl was hoping to give her husband Sol the Christmas gift they have both longed for--news that another baby was on the way, only to be disappointed with a miscarriage. With the Christmas holidays approaching the young mother feels an acute awareness that her dream of a big family isn't likely to become a reality. A random meeting at the doctors office, a lost owl whistle and a grudging favor to return the whistle to six year old Danny topped with a  winter storm raging outside blows the Fitzpatricks into the Riehl home--and into a much slower pace of life. Can these two couples from different worlds help each other understand the true meaning of love this Christmas?  Can the two young women come to grips with their lives, their dreams, and God's perfect grace?

About the Author:  "Suzanne Woods Fisher is a bestselling author of Amish fiction and non-fiction and the host of a weekly radio program called Amish Wisdom. She has twenty books under contract with Revell--seven published, thirteen to come...she's contracted all the way into 2016. The Waiting is a finalist for a 2011 Christy Award. The Choice is finalist for a 2011 Carol Award. Amish Peace: Simple Wisdom for a Complicated World and Amish Proverbs: Words of Wisdom from the Simple Life were both finalists for the ECPA Book of the Year (2010, 2011).
Her interest in the Amish began with her grandfather, W.D. Benedict, who was raised Plain. She has many, many Plain relatives living in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, and travels back to Pennsylvania, as well as to Ohio, a couple of times each year for research.
Suzanne has a great admiration for the Plain people and believes they provide wonderful examples to the world. In both her fiction and non-fiction books, she has an underlying theme: You don't have to "go Amish" to incorporate many of their principles--simplicity, living with less, appreciating nature, forgiving others more readily-- into your life."
My Thoughts:  This book was a wonderful read and a great feel good story.  Once I began I did not want to put it down.  The characters were so lifelike I found myself routing for each of them as they faced their personal struggles in the story.  Fisher is a master storyteller.  This was her first book I have read and I cannot wait to get my hands on more.  She is phenomenal.  I would give this book 5 stars easily.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Litfuse Publicity Group as part of a September Blog Tour. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."