Christmas Release 2013 Series: The Christmas Quilt by Vannetta Chapman

Vannetta Chapman

Hi, fellow writers! How is your holiday season going so far? We're continuing our Christmas Release series today with another interview. Vannetta Chapman is here to share about her latest release, The Christmas Quilt. Enjoy!

An Interview with Vannetta Chapman

Welcome, Vannetta!

How did this project take shape?

Abingdon was looking for authors for their Quilts of Love line, and they approached my agent and asked if I would consider writing a book to follow up on A Simple Amish Christmas, which was my first published book and a stand-alone.

So this began as a book that centered around the making of a quilt, but like most things in our lives it turned in an unexpected direction and became a story about faith and grace. In particular, Annie's quilt reflects the fruits of the Spirit found in Galatians 5. As each block of the Christmas Quilt is sewn, Annie and Leah share a story based on love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. It's a romantic story, set in the heart of the Christmas season and focusing on the gifts that God so freely gives to us. 

Please share some themes of your novel.

I would say that the theme is confidence in God's grace and provision. Even when we're in the midst of difficult situations, our God can be trusted. 

What makes your project stand out from other Christmas titles?

The Amish address the Christmas season in a different way than most people in our society, which makes this story different. There's less focus on the preparation for a holiday and more focus on the reason that we celebrate this special day.

Tell us one interesting fact about your book.

A friend of mine, whom the book is dedicated to, made me a hand-stitched, hand-quilted nine patch quilt to go with the book.

What’s next for you as an author?

Murder Simply Brewed, my new Amish mystery series will release in March. I also have a novella coming out in May titled, Where Healing Blooms, which will be in the collection, An Amish Garden.

What else would you like to share about this project?

We all can use a little more peace, joy, and grace, especially during the Christmas season. My prayer is that you will be filled with these things, with God's love, after reading The Christmas Quilt.

~~~~~

New from Abingdon: The Christmas Quilt

The Christmas Quilt

Your favorite characters return in this highly anticipated follow-up to A Simple Amish Christmas.

Annie's life is deliciously full as the Christmas season approaches. She helps her husband, Samuel, attend to the community's minor medical needs. She occasionally assists Belinda, the local midwife, and most days, she finds herself delivering the buggy to her brother Adam. Annie’s sister-in-law Leah is due to deliver their first child before Christmas morning, and Annie is determined to finish a crib quilt before the boppli arrives. With six weeks to go, she should have no problem . . . but God may have a different plan. Leah is rushed to the English hospital when the infant arrives early, and Annie discovers the Christmas quilt may hold a far greater significance than she ever imagined.

~~~~~

Vannetta Chapman is the author of several novels, including A Promise for Miriam and Falling to Pieces. She discovered her love for the Amish while researching her grandfather’s birthplace in Albion, Pennsylvania. Vannetta is a Carol award winner and a multi-award-winning member of Romance Writers of America. She was a teacher for 15 years and currently resides in the Texas Hill country. For more information, visit her at www.VannettaChapman.com.

Christmas 2012 Series: Postmark: Christmas

Question for you, dear reader-writers: How many Christmas stories have you read so far this fall? Maybe none. Maybe you wait until a bit closer to the big day. Because I'm a reviewer, I've read two so far. They always help me anticipate the beautiful Christmas season. Today we're launching a Christmas story series for Mondays through to the New Year. We'll feature interviews with authors of holiday books due out this Christmas season. So, I know it's a little early, but light a cinnamon candle, grab a pumpkin latte, and let's check in with
Darlene Franklin, one of the authors of Postmark: Christmas, a novella compilation from Barbour. Enjoy! ~ Annette

First, welcome, Darlene! Please share a bit about the book, Postmark Christmas. 

The holidays are stamped for love in Christmas, Florida. While keeping her eye open for her next job lead, will nomadic event planner Stella find romance instead? How will one retired major change war widow Randi’s postcard-sending mission? Can photographer David Levine draw shy Gabi Archer out of her shell? Will retired police officer Rick Stanton be able to steal postmistress Edie Hathaway’s heart?

Postmark: Christmas is contemporary romance.The authors on the compilation are:  Paige Winship Dooly, Darlene Franklin, Kathleen E. Kovach, and Paula Moldenhauer. How did the compilation come about?

I turned to people with a working knowledge of Florida. First, Paige Winship Dooley, a resident of Miramar Beach, joined me. Next I invited Kathy Kovach, who wrote part of the contemporary Florida volume, Florida Weddings. In turn, Kathy invited new-to-fiction author, Paula Moldenhauer. It didn’t hurt that I knew Kathy and Paula from my years in Colorado! We had a reunion of sorts.

What makes your Christmas compilation different than others you’ve seen or read?

The setting—Christmas, Florida—isn’t your typical snowy Christmas scene, although we do add a snow machine at the Christmas festival for those who must have snow with their Christmas. The use of the post office is another unusual angle. Several years ago, I saw a news story about the post office in Christmas that would postmark Christmas mail with “Merry Christmas, Christmas, Florida.” The idea of using that post office as a setting for a Christmas novella immediately appealed to me. We also sought to have a variety of ages among the heroes and heroines. Love can happen at any age!

What time of year did you write it and how did you motivate yourself to write a Christmas novel at that time of year?

Becky Germany (the Barbour editor who offered us the contract) made us wait until the ACFW conference in late September, because she wanted to introduce Paula as the recipient of a first-time fiction contract. The manuscripts were due on February 1^st. So we got to write the stories during the Christmas season. Becky is good about that! 

I remember Paula receiving that contract. What a moment! Nice of Becky to give you the "assignment" during the season. What’s next for you in writing? Will you do more Christmas stories?

I hope to write more Christmas stories! But nothing slated for Christmas 2013 at this time. Next year I’ll have three books in the Maple Notch Dreams series published in the new Heartsong book club from Harlequin. Those are historical romances set in northern Vermont from 1927-1942. I also have more novellas coming out next year: all four stories in Calico Brides (June 2013) and Angel in Disguise in Texas Brides (May 2013).

It's been delightful hosting you today. Congratulations to you and the team!

To learn more about Postmark Christmas or these authors, visit Barbour's website.  See you next Monday for another great Christmas book feature!



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