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| Amy Lillard |
~ Dawn
Being
Open to Change on the Road to Publication
If you had told me five years ago that today I would be
writing Amish romance I would have scoffed. “Amish? Well, they are interesting
and unique, but romance? I write contemporary romantic comedies. Not books
about the Amish.”
And yet here I am. I just signed my second contract for a
trilogy of stories all about the Amish. And romance of course. Even though this
is where I have landed, it’s not where I started.
So how did I get from contemporary rom-coms to sweet-sweet
Amish romance? By being open to change.
It all started one fall day about a year after I had signed
with my agent. She had read my screwball romantic comedy set in Tennessee. She
shopped it around with no buyers even as I started a new book, a new series.
It had been a while that she had been trying to sell my
novel, long enough that I had lost track to all the places where she had sent
it, all the editors and houses that had turned us down. Trying to get a handle
on the possibilities that it might have, I called her office to find out which,
if any, houses still had my book.
Honestly, I expected to get her assistant on the phone. She
would tell me that she would have my agent get back to me. But when I made
contact, my agent was on the line. We talked for a while, then she finally
said, “There’s nothing wrong with your writing; it’s what you are writing. I’ll tell you what you should be writing, but
you’ll laugh.” I promised her emphatically that I would not laugh. She said
Amish romance. And I laughed.
But after a trip to the local Christian bookstore, I stopped
laughing. Women were nudging me out of the way to get to these books all
written about the Amish. So I bought a few for myself to see what the buzz was
about.
Two weeks later, I started my series. A year after that, I
signed my first contract.
I won’t tell you that it was easy. I shifted sub-genres and
went from mainstream romance to Christian stories. Was the change worth it?
Absolutely! I still write romance—my one true writing love. I still work humor
into my stories.
But my writing has become even more fulfilling to me. Now my
stories can be read by generations. I write about God-loving people who live a
simple life that most of us can only imagine.
I can’t say that switching genres is right for every writer.
And certainly, I can’t recommend that everyone stop all projects and begin a
book about the Amish. But I will say, be open. You never know what’s waiting
around the next bend.
Five years ago I could not have imagined writing Amish
romance, but I am so glad I took a chance and did.
Katie’s
Choice
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| Katie's Choice |
Katie Rose Fisher
loved Samuel Beachy with an intensity that shook their Amish district. No one
doubted they would one day marry, until Samuel turned his back on the church
and joined the world of the English. Alone now in Clover Ridge, Katie Rose
dedicates her life to God and the school children she teaches each day. Although
she secretly longs for more, Katie knows God’s hand is at work, and she is
happy.
News correspondent Zane Carson never even knew Oklahoma had
an Amish community until he got the chance to live among them and learn about
their day-to-day activities. Their simple way of life is intriguing, but not
half as much as the young teacher.
Katie Rose is flattered over the attention she receives from
Zane, but she has resolved to never marry. Even if she were to entertain the
idea, it surely couldn’t be with an outsider like Zane. Never one prone to the
restraints of organized religion, Zane finds a comfort in the rituals and
blessings in the day to day righteous living of this small Amish community. He
finds himself, God, and love with Katie Rose.
But as Zane draws closer to Katie Rose, Samuel comes back to
repent his ways and return to his place at her side. Can Zane convince Katie
Rose that he is committed to adapting to her way of life, or will Samuel win
her affec- tions back for himself once again?
From
Amy Lillard . . .
I'm a wife, mother, and bona fide Southern belle. Published
author, expert corn bread maker, and Squirrel Princess.
I live in Tulsa, though I was born in Mississippi. I moved
to the Sooner State when I was seventeen and met my soul mate and best friend
not long after. Rob and I have been married for over twenty years and have a
son--a mom proclaimed prodigy, of course! I love homemade tacos, shoes, and
romance novels—not necessarily in that order. I'm a big fan of country music, a
staunch proponent of saving the Oxford comma, and I'm shamefully obsessed with
all things Harry Potter.
To learn more, please visit:
Website: http://www.amywritesromance.com
Facebook:
Amy Lillard ~ Author
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Amy-Lillard-Author/177732292332322?ref=hl
