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Defining Community
I want to thank everyone for contributing to such a great dialog in response to my last post, "The Language We Use." Many of you had great comments and questions. Several of you had mentioned that "community" was harder to define than "family." I've given some thought to this, and here is what I've been…
Read MoreThe Language We Use
I am auditing a German class at Smith College, I am very aware of how culture shapes the language we use. The professor for this class is schooled in linguistics, and she often has us visualize something from the German perspective. It can be something as simple as which preposition we use. For instance, in…
Read MoreGratitude
There are some days when I have to sit back and count my many blessings. This is one of those days. It is a gorgeous late summer/early autumn day here in the Pioneer Valley. I just finished my German homework for a class I'm auditing at Smith College. Today as I was walking through campus,…
Read MoreQuestions Anyone?
I was scheduled for a Q&A at Goodreads this afternoon. I didn't realize until I submitted a comment, that there is quite a delay in the process. It takes a day for me to receive your comments, and another day or so before you get my answers. You are welcome to ask me questions there…
Read MoreTrachselwald Castle: An Anabaptist Prison
Several months ago, I made a new friend. She lives in Switzerland, the motherland of my Anabaptist ancestors. It all started with a kind email. Here is part of that email: My name is Miriam Koch and I am from Switzerland. I am glad that I can be in touch with you because I have…
Read MoreAnnouncing Two Goodreads Giveaways!
I am announcing a Goodreads giveaway for each of my books, Why I Left the Amish and Bonnet Strings: An Amish Woman's Ties to Two Worlds. I've made it easy for you to enter one or both giveaways. You can click on the buttons below. Don't delay, especially if you want to get in on…
Read MoreBetween Revenge and Blind Forgiveness
The faster the counseling intervention into the Post-Traumatic Stress that develops from sexual abductions, the better the outcome. I hope the girls' families will be open to the girls receiving "best practices" treatment, both within and outside of the community. — Julie Melrose, former worker in a child protective agency Like many people, I have…
Read MoreGuest Posts and Giveaway of “Bonnet Strings”
Lately I have been finding my way around the blog world, discovering many interesting new sites. And I have, as in the post with Amanda Luedeke on author platform, invited several people to write guest posts for me. As I meet new bloggers and introduce myself, I am also being invited to write guest posts…
Read MoreWhat is Author Platform?
Amanda Luedeke is an agent with MacGregor Literary. Follow her on Twitter @amandaluedeke or on Facebook. Her marketing book, The Extroverted Writer, is available on Amazon and BarnesandNoble.com. I recently discovered literary agent, Amanda Luedeke, when I was purusing blogs for authors. I am now a fan of her column "Thursdays with Amanda"…
Read MoreResources for Writers
I remember long before I started writing for a public audience and I was still living in my Amish community. I wrote a lot of letters. Sometimes on a Sunday, I would write as many as 10 letters. And each one of them was usually several pages long. I also did journal writing most of…
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