Sarah Price's Blog, page 16

Dear Sarah,

I love the photos that you share on your Facebook page of the Amish, especially the clotheslines. My question is why do Amish women wear the same style of dresses?

Betty U.

Hi Betty,

Great question and fairly easy to answer. The Amish follow very specific doctrine, most of it based on the following Bible verse:

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. Romans 12:2 (KJV)

In other words, they try to live their lives according to the Bible and God’s Word, not according to society and the outside world. Hundreds of years ago, they would not have stood out among their peers for dressing plain and simple. Most people dressed that way, unless they were royalty or extremely high society. As the non-Amish communities began to change (and their style of dress with it), the Amish did not change.

Now, that being said, let’s remember that Amish people are not made from a cookie cutter. Different communities have different levels of acceptance when it comes to fashion. For example, most Amish women make their dresses from polyester fabric. Obviously that is a new trend since polyester wasn’t invented until 1941. Polyester is very practical since it is inexpensive, wears well, and doesn’t require ironing (although I much prefer cotton!). Additionally, the traditional colors worn by Amish women reflected nature (green, blue, pink, burgundy, and yellow). Today you might see other colors such as red, lavender, and deep purple. The fabric patterns are different, too. Some might have tiny pinstripes in them or a texture.

Basically, the style stays the same: a modest neckline, long or mid-length sleeves, and a skirt that hangs below the knee (WELL below the knee). Other than that, the individual patterns differ by community and even family. The length of the skirt might be longer or shorter. The waist might be slightly tapered or loose. And the shoulders might be a bit puffy or very plain.

In conclusion, the main reason that their style of dress has not changed over the past few hundred years is because if they embraced the non-Amish way of dress, they would be conforming to the world. That doesn’t mean that they haven’t changed their sense of fashion over the years, but they try to always keep it plain and simple.

Hugs and blessings,

Sarah

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The post Dear Sarah: On Amish Dresses appeared first on Sarah Price.

I am happy to announce that Mount Hope: An Amish Retelling of Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park is now available! The story follows Fanny Price who is born to an impoverished Amish family living in Westcliffe, Colorado. Her parents make a hard decision to send her back to Mount Hope, Ohio in order to live with extended family. But, upon arriving at the Bontragers’ farm, Fanny quickly learns that she is an outsider.

When I embarked on this journey of adapting Jane Austen’s romances written in the early 1800s, I was looking forward to the challenge of recreating her six novels in the Amish setting. What I quickly learned was how Jane Austen’s timeless classics transcend time and location. In any culture, love is often met with difficult decisions and tiring trials.

What I enjoyed most about writing Mount Hope was how, unlike her other heroines, Jane Austen created the original Fanny Price to be appear oppressed and meek. The journey that readers take with both Austen’s and my Fanny Price is one of a personal evolution. Readers will fall in love with Fanny Price and experience the same emotions as she does: sorrow for her losses and gratitude for God’s grace as she learns how to stand up for herself and live with countless disappointments.

About Mount Hope: An Amish Retelling of Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park:

When her father can no longer provide for his large family, Fanny Price is sent away from her small Amish community in Colorado to live with her aunt’s family in Mount Hope, Ohio. Fanny immediately feels out of place at the Bontrager farm but finds a friend in her aunt’s stepson, Elijah Bontrager.

As time passes, Fanny begins to long for their friendship to blossom into something more, but her hopes are dashed when Elijah starts to court someone else. With her uncle pressuring her to marry a man who can take her off his hands, Fanny must learn to rely on God for her future.

Don’t forget that we are throwing an online party to celebrate Mount Hope’s release. Hope to see you there! CLICK HERE to RSVP.

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When Emma’s interference in her friends’ lives backfires, will the consequences be more than she bargained for?

Based in an Amish setting, The Matchmaker follows the same trials and tribulations of Jane Austen’s Emma. You will meet Emma Weaver who thinks a little too highly of herself and those around her. She is quite happy to express her opinions, often when she shouldn’t. Personally, I love Emma as a character because she is so real. Let’s face it…she’s flawed. Aren’t we all? But her flaws get her into a few situations that will make the reader chuckle. That’s the best part of retelling Jane Austen’s novels: She had the greatest characters!

A lot of people loved First Impressions, the first book in this series. I suspect that they will also love Emma since she is not the quintessential female character in an Amish book. But she is real… perfect only in the fact that she is flawed and, most likely, quite similar to people we encounter in our daily lives. Perhaps even a little bit like ourselves.

Dear Sarah,

I have a question about the Amish. Do all of them farm? It would seem there isn’t enough farmland for them all to farm. Thank you for your morning videos. I love having my coffee with you. I just seen your one today. I love when you talk about Scripture.

Jill P.

Dear Jill,

I’m so glad that you enjoy my morning videos! I love doing them so it makes me extra happy that people love watching them.

Dear Sarah,

I noticed that your Amish Classic series fluctuates in price. I’m curious how authors set the pricing for their books and why they don’t just stay the same price (low, preferably).

Ellen M.

Dear Ellen,

Great question and one that I’m sure many readers (and aspiring authors) want to know the answer to. There are three types of published books:

Independent (or Self-Published) Books

Small “Press” Published

Traditionally Published

When an author self-publishes his or her book, they have a lot of flexibility in pricing. In this situation, the author does all of the publishing, marketing, editing, etc. for his or her own book.

When an author publishes through a small press, they are basically self-publishing with a “company” who will supposedly edit and market the book. Unfortunately, many of the “small press” publishers are people looking to make money off of an authors’ work without really knowing what they are doing, having contacts to market, or staff to properly edit. Buyer Beware on this one. Pricing is more flexible with this type of situation but in the hands of the “company” representing the book.

Traditionally published books are by real publishers who have staff, experience, real office buildings, and contacts to help authors be more successful. In these situations, the publisher manages the retail price for eBooks as well as the cost to retail outlets for physical copies (which impacts the retail price to buyers). The author has little control over this.

A perfect example is my Amish Classic series. First Impressions is now $2.34 on Amazon for the eBook.The other books in the series are also heavily discounted. I had no input on the pricing for those books. However, I’m sure happy that they are discounted for my readers.

There is nothing more that I like than to offer a great price on the books.

First Impressions is the first book in my Amish Classics series. It is an adaptation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Although it was challenging to re-tell such an amazing romance from an Amish setting, I enjoyed writing it very much. I believe that it appeals to many different readers: those who love reading about the Amish, those who love Jane Austen, and those who simply love a good, clean romance!

Here’s an excerpt from First Impressions: An Amish Tale of Pride and Prejudice:

The reddish-gold rays of the setting sun lit up the sky behind the roofline of the large white barn. The double doors to the hayloft were open and two robins sat on them, singing a song of good night to the rest of the farm. The black and white Holstein cows lazily meandered through the back pasture near the stream, a few pausing to dip their heads and drink from the refreshingly cool water in the fading heat of the late spring day. One of them, a fat one with a white chain around her neck, looked up, her soulful brown eyes scanning the barnyard before giving a deep, investigating “moo.”

A young woman, wearing a rich blue dress and no shoes upon her feet, walked down the lane. Her head was adorned with a white, heart-shaped prayer kapp. A few strands of brown hair had fallen free from the neat bun that was hidden beneath the organdy fabric and clung to the back of her tanned neck. Two white ribbons hung from the kapp, casually resting on her back as she walked. Two brown chickens ran in front of her, a rooster close behind.

When the rooster saw the woman, he stopped and puffed his feathers at her, his neck bulging out as if ready to attack. “Scoot!” she admonished, kicking her foot at the brightly colored rooster to shoo it away.

As she approached the end of the lane, she paused, glancing around for a moment to ensure that no one was on the road before she stepped off the driveway, shaking the cool dust from her bare feet before stepping onto the warm black asphalt of the road that led to town. It was the mailbox that beckoned her, a dented gray mailbox with a single nameplate resting atop: Blank.

If you are an e-book reader, First Impressions is on sale for $2.34! How great is that? CLICK HERE to purchase a copy.

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It always amazes me how one family can have multiple children from the same parents and yet, each child grows into completely different individuals. In my own family, my two children are as different as night and day. One loves animals, knows her future goals, and works day and night on achieving them. The other is more reserved, likes sports, and is testing his wings in a different state for both work and college. Despite those differences, there are similarities. They are both smart (too smart), independent, funny, and stubborn as all get out!

My children are no different than other children, even Amish children.

Take the Lapp family in my series, The Amish of Lancaster: Fields of Corn, Hills of Wheat, Valley of Hope, and Pastures of Faith. All four of the children in the different books are quiet, reserved, righteous, and godly. Well, three of the four. Samuel from Valley of Hope is a bit of a scoundrel and finds himself on the brink of destruction until he finally sees the light. Emanuel, Sylvia, and Daniel are older than Samuel and walk more in the path of righteousness that their parents taught them. However, the four Lapp children in the series each find a love interest in someone quite different.

While Emanuel and Sylvia fall in love with Englischers, Daniel and Samuel are attracted to Amish girls. Daniel has to make a decision to stand up to the community on behalf of his love interest while Samuel finds that Mary Ruth Smucker is the only one in the community who stands up for him. Emanuel is willing to leave the community for Shana Slater but finds something is missing in his life while Sylvia is courted by Jake Edwards (oh yes, dear Jake who made thousands of hearts swoon on the pages of Hills of Wheat…sigh…maybe I need to revisit their story) and finds contentment living outside of the Amish ways.

Writing those stories was an exercise of love for me. While I write love stories, there is nothing better than falling in love with those stories and the characters that come to life with each word that I type. Understanding how those characters feel is important to me. While it is not possible to know everything about them, what is possible is understanding that they are individuals who have their own dreams, desires, and, occasionally, disappointments.

Just like our own stories, no one has a fairy tale romance. There are ups and there are downs. But the common thread among Emanuel, Sylvia, Daniel, and Samuel’s stories is God. No love story can be complete without God.

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Is there a list of books to read in order out there? I’m just finishing up 4 of your books (The Amish of Lancaster series) and not sure my next read.

Jennifer

Dear Jennifer,

I’m so glad that you enjoyed my first four books (Fields of Corn, Hills of Wheat, Pasture of Faith, and Valley of Hope).

I would recommend reading the two Amish Circle Letters books (Book 1 and Book 2) and then I would dive into The Plain Fame Series (Plain Fame, Plain Change, Plain Again, Plain Return, and Plain Choice). By that time, Plain Christmas will be released in October 2016. After reading that series, you should read Secret Sister: An Amish Christmas Tale. You can really read this book at any time, but since it will be Christmas season, I would recommend that book.

I will be doing a “throwback” to some of my older books during the next couple of weeks. First up is Fields of Corn, my very first Amish fiction book! Back in the late 1980s, I lived on an Amish farm in Lancaster County, PA. The family had an apartment over a mule shed that they rented out to people. It was one of the most special times in my life. I became a part of their extended family, going to picnics, making applesauce, enjoying dinner, and helping with the chores…all alongside these wonderful, kind people.

Here’s a little about Fields of Corn:

In Fields of Corn, Shana Slater, a non-Amish woman from out of state, doesn’t realize that her life is about to change when she pulls into the Lapp farm in Leola, Pennsylvania, to inquire about renting a small apartment over a mule shed. Yet, the price is right and the rolling fields of corn present a peaceful place for her to retreat when she is not working in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Her curiosity about the Amish way of life is piqued when she befriends Emanuel Lapp, the son of her landlord. As she learns about the Amish through his eyes, she quickly realizes that the Amish way of life is more than just religion and a plain way of living. She also discovers that the more she learns, the more she is unexpectedly falling for much more than their plain and simple lifestyle. When two worlds collide, which will survive and at what cost?

CLICK HERE to purchase Fields of Corn!

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I am thrilled to announce that Into the Amish (ebook) is on sale for $0.99! This price is for a LIMITED time so hurry and get your copy!

What readers are saying:

A wonderful story of faith, family, hope, love and determination. This book reminds us the grass isn’t always greener and sometimes manure is better! – Deb

I’m a huge fan of Erin Brady’s so when she asked me if I’d like to read her new book, I jumped at the chance. I was not disappointed. Into the Amish was funny, heart-wrenching at times, and so very romantic. The concept of a tough New York City lawyer immersing herself into the Amish community with no Wifi connection or need for stylish clothing is brilliant, and the execution by the co-authors was terrific. – Kimberly

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