Extras
Crosses & Losses quilt pattern
From the Amish Quilt series
In each of the Amish Quilt books, you’ll find the quilt instructions for “Sunrise Over Green Fields,” the Crosses & Losses quilt that Amelia, Emma, and Carrie make together. But if your copies aren’t handy at the sewing machine, here they are all in one place. Crosses and Losses Quilt instructions (PDF, 4.2MB, 6 pages).
It’s Not About the Bonnet:
The Appeal of Amish Fiction
By Adina Senft
Since 1997, when Bethany House released Beverly Lewis’s The Shunning, women’s fiction novels set in the Amish world have enjoyed unprecedented popularity in the CBA (Christian Booksellers Association) market—and they’re filtering into the ABA (American Booksellers Association) market as well. Amish fiction has become its own subgenre, with separate and often preeminent listings on fiction sites such as Christianbook.com and Family Fiction. In 2009, 10 of the top 25 Christian books were Amish fiction. The Wall Street Journal reports that Lewis has sold 13.5 million copies of her books, and that author Wanda Brunstetter has sold more than five million. Sales reps are demanding more, and publishers are asking themselves, why are these books so popular? Is it really true that all they have to do is “put a bonnet on it” to hit the bestseller list? What attraction can a culture that forbids the use of electricity or cars, that requires strict standards of dress, and that insists on constant submission and obedience as a way of life, have for the modern female reader?
Several attractions, as it turns out—all of them markers of a larger literary tradition that has been drawing people to the countryside of imagination since ancient times: pastoral fiction.
Read the entire article here. (PDF, 6 pages)
FOR WRITERS
On this writing journey, it's good to share useful resources for both traditionally and independently published authors.
Business of writing (by Shelley Adina)
- Going Indie in 10 Easy Steps (pdf)
- Killer Back-Cover Copy worksheet (pdf)
- Marketing with Metadata handout (pdf)
- Record keeping: Copyright registrations (pdf) and ISBNs (pdf)
- Business plan for indie authors
- Writing a Pitch Perfect Query Letter (pdf)
- List of logins and retailer policies upon the death of an author (pdf)
Book cover designers
- Seedlings Online (Jenny did my Glory Prep and Smoke River covers, as well as the covers for my Magnificent Devices translations and the Mysterious Devices series.)
- Carpe Librum Book Design (Evelyne did my Whinburg Township Amish, Amish Cowboys of Montana, and Amish Kindred Spirits covers)
- Alchemy Book Covers
- The Killion Group
- Book Covers by Melody
- Erin Dameron Hill
- Wicked Smart Designs
Editors
- Leslie Peterson at Write Away Editorial (developmental and copy)
- Jenny Leo copyedited my traditionally published books
- Christina Boys (developmental and copy)
- Bev Katz Rosenbaum (copy + developmental)
- Anselm Audley (developmental, with international clients)
Easy DIY formatting
Story consultants
- Camy Tang, the Story Sensei. She's consulted on a couple of my books. Love her!
- Cathy Yardley
Marketing general
Helpful folks
- Kristine Kathryn Rusch's blog is my go-to resource.
- Rachel Aaron
- Kaye Dacus's Writing Series
Random notes: For the bucket list
- Take a mystery class from SJ Rozan at the Art Workshop International in Assisi, Italy.
- Go to the Women's Fiction Festival in Matera, Italy.
- Get an MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University.
- Get a PhD in Creative Writing from Lancaster University in the UK.