Monday, May 14, 2018

A Spring Visit to Amish Country and a Cover Reveal

by Jan Drexler

We spent the past week visiting family in Michigan and Indiana, and of course we included a tour through Amish Country!


Indiana's Amish Country is full of farms and seemed a bit crowded compared to our wide open prairies in South Dakota! But at the same time, it's home.


It was also Ascension Day, so the Amish families were spending the day observing the holiday with family. We saw several farms with many buggies parked in the drive.


Since it was a holiday for the Amish, it was a day of rest for the horses, too!


Another bonus? We saw babies of all kinds!


This mama was watching over two sleeping foals in this pasture. These are draft horses - huge horses! The day before this, we saw a farmer plowing with a team of eight of these horses, four in front and four behind. There is a lot of power in those muscles!


There were also plenty of lambs, kids, and calves with their mothers, too. But the cutest was this little guy:


There is nothing better than a passel of baby animals to welcome spring, is there?

And now it's time to reveal my new cover!

Order this book here!
Due to be released Sept. 18, 2018

"The Sound of Distant Thunder" is the first in my new series from Revell, The Amish of Weaver's Creek. The series is set in the Holmes County, Ohio Amish community during the American Civil War.

Here is a little bit about the story:

 Katie Stuckey and Jonas Weaver are both romantics. Seventeen-year-old Katie is starry-eyed, in love with the idea of being in love, and does not want to wait to marry Jonas until she is eighteen, despite her parents' insistence. So much can happen in a year. Twenty-year-old Jonas is taken in by the romance of soldiering, especially in defense of anti-slavery, even though he knows war is at odds with the teachings of the church. When his married brother's name comes up in the draft list, he volunteers to take his brother's place. But can the commitment Katie and Jonas have made to each other survive the separation?

From the talented pen of Jan Drexler comes this brand new Amish series set against the backdrop of the Civil War. She puts her characters to the test as they struggle to reconcile their convictions and desires while the national conflict threatens to undermine and engulf their community.


9 comments:

  1. I was so fortunate to read "The Sound of Distant Thunder" already, and heartily recommend this beautiful story of mixed emotions and choices. Right isn't always "right" for all people and Jan shows this on multiple levels...

    And I'm in love with these baby animals!

    YIKES! So in love.

    Spring, Jan! SPRING!!!!

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    1. SPRING!!!!! Don't you love it?

      We even have spring here in the Black Hills today!

      And I'm so glad you enjoyed "The Sound of Distant Thunder." :-) I'm working on the second book in the series and loving every minute!

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    2. It was beautiful, Jan. Absolutely beautiful.

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  2. Jan, this story sounds awesome. You had me at "Katie Stuckey and Jonas Weaver are both romantics." I mean, hello! I'm a romance writer.

    Oh, and the pictures. This is why I have so many pictures of calves. Baby animals, like most babies, are irresistible.

    Glad you had a nice trip and are home safely.

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    1. Thanks, Mindy! I do love this story. One of the story threads is how Katie's and Jonas's love for each other matures through the book. :-) Yes, I love romance, too!

      There were so many baby animals on the farms we drove past...I wish I could have gotten pictures of all of them!

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  3. Jan, what a wonderful group of photos! I love the baby animals! And the countryside is gorgeous.

    Congrats on the upcoming release! Sounds like a fantastic story!

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    1. I love visiting Amish Country any time of year, but in the spring, with everything in bloom and the grass a rich green, it's gorgeous!

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  4. Sounds like a great story! I enjoy the historical Amish books better than modern times.

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    1. I hope you get a chance to read it! I love historical stories, too, and when they have Amish characters it's even better. :-)

      Thanks for stopping by!

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