Shipshewana Amish Mysteries

WELCOME BACK VANNETTA 

A big welcome back to one of our favorite authors, Vannetta Chapman. Celebrating the release of her fifth book, Vannetta visited with her heroine. She thought it would be “fun to interview Callie, since she is about to find herself--once again--in the middle of a murder investigation.” Vannetta’s A Promise for Miriam made the Christian Retailer’s top 10 fiction bestseller list.

Vannetta writes inspirational fiction full of grace. She has published over one hundred articles in Christian family magazines, receiving more than two dozen awards from Romance Writers of America chapter groups. She discovered her love for the Amish while researching her grandfather’s birthplace of Albion, Pennsylvania. Her novel, Falling to Pieces, is a 2012 ACFW Carol Award finalist. A Promise for Miriam earned a spot on the June 2012 Christian Retailing Top Ten Fiction list. Chapman writes Amish fiction for Abingdon Press, Zondervan, and Harvest House. She lives in the Texas hill country with her husband.

MATERIAL WITNESS

A SHIPSHEWANA AMISH MYSTERY

Zondervan Press

ISBN-10: 0310330459

Tragedy strikes on the opening night of the Fall Crafters Fair when a woman is killed in the parking lot of Daisy's Quilt Shop, and the only material witness is one of Melinda Byer's boys. The investigation takes a more bizarre turn when detective Shane Black becomes convinced the killer was actually after Callie.

This time it's a madman loose in the largest crowd of the year, and he's looking for something or someone. If they can't figure out what, one of Deborah and Callie's close circle of friends may be next. Masked identities, antique quilts with hidden messages, an Amish boy whose handicap makes him stronger, one brave dog, and a possible hidden treasure ... this time it's nonstop action, danger, and a dash of romance.

EXCERPT   

AN INTERVIEW WITH CALLIE HARPER

VANNETTA: How are you adjusting to life in an Amish community?

CALLIE: Define adjust! I don't understand half the things my Amish customers say. I'm trying to learn Pennsylvania-Dutch, but it's harder than you'd think. I love living in the small town of Shipshewana, and I have close friends who help me more than you can imagine.

VANNETTA: Let's talk about those close friends. Amish or Englisch?

CALLIE: The gals are Amish - Deborah, Melinda, and Esther. They're actually more like sisters than friends. The guys? Well, I'm still trying to decide exactly what they are. Friends? Or maybe something more ...

VANNETTA: Guys? More than one?

CALLIE: I know that sounds terrible. I never planned for my love life to be complicated. I never planned to HAVE a love life after my husband Rick died. But with Trent, Gavin and Shane it's different. I can't believe I'm saying Shane is even a possibility, though sometimes, the way he looks at me makes me feel as if I've just stepped off a roller coaster.

VANNETTA: Wow. You are definitely very busy.

CALLIE: I am! Plus there's my dog, Max, who needs a lot of attention, and the quilt shop I inherited. My life is very full and very blessed.

VANNETTA: You used that "blessed" word. How has your faith changed since moving to Indiana?

CALLIE: I suppose I might have been angry at God, back when I lived in Texas. I'd lost my husband and then my aunt. I felt really alone. But Deborah is helping me to see that God has a plan, and the pastor at my local church is patient with me when I have a lot of questions.

VANNETTA: No doubt that helps when you find yourself in the middle of  a murder investigation, and you've been involved in two.

CALLIE: I am so grateful those are over. Those were very hard times, but now they're in the past. Soon fall will arrive, and we'll have the Fall Crafters Fair. It's the biggest event of the year, and I'm looking forward to it.

VANNETTA: Anything you'd like to ask our readers?

CALLIE: Well, I wouldn't mind a little dating advice. It's not something I have much experience at! Should I accept dates from Trent? He's our newspaper man and something of a shark as far as his work. And what about Gavin, who is one of our police officers? He's been a real rock for me. Then there's Shane, who I don't understand at all. He is more the handsome, quiet and dangerous type. Which one should I date? Or should I date them all?

FINDING VANNETTA:

Website    Facebook    Goodreads   Pinterest    Blog    YouTube    Purchase Material Witness    

UP NEXT FOR VANNETTA: I recently signed another 3 book contract with Zondervan for an Amish Artisan Mystery series. Plus I'll be writing a follow-up to A Simple Amish Christmas (Abingdon). 

A HOME FOR LYDIA

The Pebble Creek Amish Series, Bk 2

February 2013

Harvest House Publishers

ISBN-10: 0736946144

PREVIOUS RELEASES:

A SIMPLE AMISH CHRISTMAS

Abington Press, ISBN: 1426710666, EXCERPT

OTHER SHIPSHEWANA MYSTERIES

A PERFECT SQUARE    EXCERPT

FALLING TO PIECES    EXCERPT  

THE PEBBLE CREEK AMISH SERIES

A PROMISE FOR MIRIAM    EXCERPT  

A DRAWING FOR COMMENTERS

Vannetta will be drawing from blog commenters for one of her books.

Note: Commenters are encouraged to leave a contact email for faster notification. Offer void where prohibited. Prizes will be mailed to North America addresses only unless specifically mentioned in the post. Odds of winning vary due to the number of entrants. Winners of drawings are responsible for checking this site in a timely manner. If prizes are not claimed in a timely manner, the author may not have a prize available. Get Lost In A Story cannot be responsible for an author's failure to mail the listed prize. GLIAS does not automatically pass email addresses to guest authors unless the commenter publicly posts their email address.

DON’T FORGET to FOLLOW us on Twitter #GetLostStories or LIKE us on Facebook to keep up with all our guest authors and their prizes. Join Donnell tomorrow when Hank Phillipi Ryan returns to “get lost”. And come back Friday when Cat hosts Sarah Anderson. ~Angi

THE QUESTION FOR TODAY:

What's your favorite fall activity?

CRIME SCENE: HOUSTON and DiAnn Mills

THE CHASE

Zondervan
ISBN: 978-0310333173

To the FBI it's a cold case. To Kariss Walker it's a hot idea that could either reshape or ruin her writing career. And it's a burning mission to revisit an event she can never forget.

Five years ago, an unidentified little girl was found starved to death in the woods behind a Houston apartment complex. A TV news anchor at the time, Kariss reported on the terrifying case. Today, as a New York Times bestselling author, Kariss intends to turn the unsolved mystery into a suspense novel. Enlisting the help of FBI Special Agent Tigo Harris, Kariss succeeds in getting the case reopened. But the search for the dead girl's missing mother yields a discovery that plunges the partners into a witch's brew of danger.

THE TRAILER

THE EXCERPT

THE AUTHOR

Award-winning author DiAnn Mills is a fiction writer who combines an adventuresome spirit with unforgettable characters to create action-packed, suspense-filled novels. DiAnn’s first book was published in 1998. She currently has more than fifty books published. 

Her titles have appeared on the CBA and ECPA bestseller lists and have won placements through the American Christian Fiction Writer’s Carol Awards and Inspirational Reader’s Choice awards. DiAnn won the Christy Award in 2010 and 2011. 

DiAnn is a founding board member for American Christian Fiction Writers and a member of Inspirational Writers Alive, Romance Writers of America, and Advanced Writers and Speakers Association. She speaks to various groups and teaches writing workshops around the country. DiAnn is also the Craftsman mentor for the Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild. 

She and her husband live in sunny Houston, Texas.

THE Q&A

ANGI: How often to you get lost in a story?

DIANN: Often! If I like the story, the world stops. I’m a tough reader to get hooked. The truth is if I’m not drawn into the story in the first or second line, then I’m on to the next one.

ANGI: What’s the first book you remember reading? 

DIANN: Little Women - over and over again. I knew I wanted to be a novelist like Jo. In fact, I adopted boys just like she did. 

ANGI: Can you tell us about a real-life hero you’ve met?

DIANN: A man who’d been one of the Lost Boys of Sudan. He is now the Bishop for the Episcopal Church of Aweil in the Northern Bahr al-Ghazal state of Southern Sudan. He’s making a difference and risking his life. We wrote a book together, and he calls me Mom. 

ANGI: What’s your favorite fairy tale?

DIANN: Beauty and the Beast. Belle saw the real man inside the beast. She fell in love with his heart, not his looks. I love the scene where they are dancing and she realizes her feelings for him. 

ANGI: Where do you read and how often?

DIANN: I read on the treadmill or elliptical every morning. Helps pass the time while I’m keeping in shape. :) 

ANGI: Fairy Tale or Action Adventure?

DIANN: Action adventure with a spunky heroine who isn’t afraid to step into a man’s role! 

ANGI: What was the first story you remember writing?

DIANN: A western. I was in the 2nd grade. Lots of gunfire and fast horses. 

ANGI: Who’s your favorite villain?

DIANN: Sweeney Todd

ANGI: What is your biggest vice?

DIANN: Impatience. There I said it.  

ANGI: How is it working with hot guys and sexy women all day?

DIANN: Intimidating, but I’m working on my confidence. If they get too out of hand, I bump ‘em off.  

ANGI’S GOTTA ASK: Hi DiAnn. The writer in me wants to know how you introduced yourself to the FBI for information regarding the cold case THE CHASE is based on. And I’m certain our readers would love to know some of the details you’ve come across or how many you were able to use in the book. Could you share?

DIANN’S GOTTA ANSWER: Initially, I phoned Houston’s FBI, introduced myself, and asked for the PR person. My initial goal was to interview the PR person for FBI protocol. Media Coordinator Shauna and I instantly became friends. She’d been recruited as a news anchor into the FBI, had been an agent, and is now in her current role. I wrote the book and she read every word so procedure and language would be correct. When Shauna finished, she wanted to know what was next! I asked what she had in mind. She suggested writing a series from solved cold cases. She got the clearance, and the Crime Scene: Houston series was born. The solved cold case used in The Chase captured my attention and passion. No matter what cases I looked at, my attention went back to the child found starved to death with no identity. I remembered the case - and with adopted children of my own - I had no choice but to write it. Shauna was fabulous, furnishing me with DVDs of press conferences and the victim board. The latter was a bit graphic, but I wanted my hero and heroine to feel the same anguish. That meant I had to experience tough emotions.

Shauna helped me with the second book in the series too. :) 

THE WHEREABOUTS

Contact      Website    Facebook   @diannmills   Goodreads   

THE NEXT RELEASE: The Survivor

THE PAST RELEASES

Check out DiAnn's fantastic website for a list of previous releases.

THE DRAWING

DiANN will be drawing for a copy of The Chase and will mail internationally.

Note: Number of entrants varies. Winners of drawings are responsible for checking this site in a timely manner. If prizes are not claimed in a timely manner, the author may not have a prize available. Get Lost In A Story cannot be responsible for an author's failure to mail the listed prize. GLIAS does not automatically pass email addresses to guest authors unless the commenter publicly posts their email address.

DON’T FORGET to FOLLOW us on Twitter (#GetLostStories) or LIKE us on Facebook to keep up with all our guest authors and their prizes. Join me tomorrow when I host Alyssa Everett. And come back Thursday when Jill hosts Tracey Devlin. A special Income Tax weekend with that great CPA Tax Investigator, Tara Holloway (Death, Taxes, and a French Manicure & Death, Taxes, and A Skinny No-Whip Latte by Diane Kelly)  ~Angi

DIANN’S GOT A QUESTION FOR EVERYONE!

If you could step into any career, what would it be and why?