Today I'm so thrilled to have the wonderful author and my fabulous friend Diane Craver posting! On a day that celebrates love, Diane knows all about love, sacrifice and happiness. She's one of the most fantastic people I've ever been blessed enough to know and I am sure you'll love meeting her and you'll LOVE LOVE LOVE her books! Leave a comment and be eligible to win the drawing for a $10 Amazon GC and a PDF copy of A Joyful Break. Welcome, Diane!
Amish Courtship & Excerpt of A JOYFUL BREAK
Thank you,
Regina, for featuring me here on your wonderful blog!
Before I wrote my
first Amish romance, A JOYFUL BREAK (Dreams of Plain Daughters, Book One), I
did a lot of research so thought it might be fun to share the courtship
traditions among the Plain people.
When a boy turns
16, he’s given an open-topped courting buggy so he can attend chaperoned social
gatherings and meet an appropriate girl. The main event for meeting a potential
partner is the Sunday evening hymn singing, when Amish teenagers from several
districts get together. The boy and girl who are courting usually ride in the
buggy back to the girl’s home for a chance to talk. Other structured social
events provide ways for young Amish men and women to meet partners and spend
time together. There are Sunday afternoon gathering and evening youth get-togethers,
along with barn raisings, frolics, sports activities (sledding, volleyball) and
picnics. The boy is allowed to escort the girl he is courting in his buggy to
these events.
~~~
About A Joyful
Break:
After her mother’s untimely death, a twenty-year-old
Amish woman has a difficult decision to make: Choose to break from the Plain
community and her boyfriend to live in the English world permanently...or join
the Amish church.
EXCERPT
Samuel’s blue eyes widened. “So you’re going to Kentucky,
then to the beach. We can go to the beach for our
honeymoon. I’ve always wanted to see the ocean.”
Interesting.
She didn’t recall him ever saying he wanted to go to the beach. “We won’t go. Something will happen. Besides few
Amish couples go on a honeymoon. We’ll be busy cleaning up after the wedding
for several days. Judith would kill me if we didn’t spend our honeymoon weekend
at home to help clean up. And have you forgotten how newlyweds travel to
relatives’ homes each weekend? That takes months to visit everyone. I guess
you’ve been around too many English folk in your shop and heard about their
honeymoons.”
“That’s true. We
don’t want to miss out on collecting our wedding gifts. Of course, a lot of
these gifts are furniture and quilts. I plan on making all our furniture.” He
rubbed his chin. “I’d like to go to the beach before my beard gets too long so
it’d have to be soon after we marry.”
She smiled at
him. “Then I can go to the beach again, but right now I need to go before I’m
baptized. I want to do my rumschpringe.”
He raised his
eyebrows in disbelief. “You did your running around with me when you were
eighteen. We experienced the English world together then.”
She sighed. “I
went to one baseball game with you to see the Cincinnati Reds. That was all I
did for my rumschpringe.”
“Did you forget
Kings Island when I kissed you for the first time?”
“I guess I did.”
She’d been shocked when he’d kissed her at the amusement park. The Amish
stressed to their young people that the courting couple shouldn’t have any
physical contact. Not even kissing or holding hands. Although it wasn’t proper,
she’d liked his kiss. She decided to tease him a bit. “Your kiss at the
baseball game must have been better. I remember it the best.”
He took a big
drink of pop. “I bet my kisses would be sweeter on the beach.”
“I have to tell
you the truth. I’ve taken care of my siblings for a year since my mamm died. I love them but need to take a break and
experience different things before I commit to our way of life. I want to feel
the sand between my toes and see the blue ocean. And I can’t wait to see the
dolphins play in the water.” She lifted her arm and waved her hand across the
rolling fields. “I love our country scenery but at the same time, I’m tired of
the green grass and hills. I want to see something different.”
~~~~
Review
snippets for A JOYFUL BREAK:
“ I am a big fan of Amish romance. The struggles
Rachel goes through make this story well worth reading, allowing the reader to
connect with Rachel and others, as if it was their own life. Definitely a
to-buy book.” Coffee Time Romance
“ Diane Craver’s book transports you to the world
of an Amish Girl - her dreams and her conflicts. ” M. Beaugrand
“ Thank you Diane Craver for this wonderful book. ”
Rebaka
A JOYFUL BREAK is
available in paperback and ebook!
http://www.amazon.com/Joyful-Break-Dreams-Daughters-ebook/dp/B009D3TV78/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-joyful-break-diane-craver/1113130171?ean=2940015528008&itm=1&usri=diane+craver
Website:
http://www.dianecraver.com
Blog:http://www.dianecraver.com/blog
Thank you for visiting, Diane and Happy Valentine's Day. Friends, remember to leave a comment and be eligible to win the drawing for a $10 Amazon GC and a PDF copy of "A Joyful Break".
Welcome, Diane and Happy Valentine's Day. It's great to have you visit today and I am looking forward to having lots of fun :-)
ReplyDeleteThank you for hosting Diane and her book. What a wonderful excerpt and book! GREAT JOB!!! Best wishes and may you have a ton of sales! :)
ReplyDeleteHi Markee and thanks so much for visiting! Nice to meet you and I am so glad you like the excerpt and the book. I LOVE LOVE LOVE it, too! :-)
DeleteHappy Valentine's Day to you, Gina! Thanks for having me here! I love your blog!
ReplyDeleteMy blog loves YOU, Diane lol! Happy Valentine's Day and thank you so so much for visiting!
DeleteHi Markee,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for visiting. Your compliment means a lot coming from a talented writer as yourself!
Hi, Diane and Regina! A Joyful Break is a wonderful romance, which if they were real people, I'd be certain their life would turn into a true love story. I'm so proud of Diane for takiing this leap of faith and writing her first Amish novel--and selfpublishing it, too! I knew it would be a success--Celia
ReplyDeleteGear Celia, hello and Happy Valentine's Day!! It's so nice to hear from you and I agree 100% with every word you said. Big hugs to you! xoxoxoxoxoxo
DeleteThis looks like a fun read! Always enjoy Amish stories, and this one seems particularly interesting!
ReplyDeleteDiane, I wish you well with your new book!
HI Bethany and thanks so much for stopping in today. Believe me, this book is a JEWEL!!!! You'll love it. Nice to meet you. :-)
DeleteThat's a very high recommendation! :) Thank you for the opportunity to win a copy!
DeleteThank you so much, Celia! You are a blessing and wonderful friend! And a wonderful storyteller!
ReplyDeleteHi Bethany,
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you visited! Thanks for the good wishes for A Joyful Break! Hope you get a chance to read my Amish romance. I'm working on Book Two right now.
Sounds interesting! I was always surprised by my friends that grew up Amish, how many of them had never seen the ocean growing up! They had not traveled those directions! martha(at)lclink(dot)com
ReplyDeleteHi Martha, that's so interesting about never seeing the ocean - especially to one like me who comes from Rhode Island -- the Ocean State. Thanks for visiting today, nice to meet you :-)
DeleteI don't know much about the Amish -- it sounds like a different world. It is tempting to trade in the car for a buggy and slow down.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely, Ann Tracy, I couldn't agree more. Thanks so much for commenting today. Hugs!
DeleteFrom what little I know of the Amish, I really liked this excerpt and hope to win. Thanks for the giveaway and good luck on your new book.
ReplyDeleteHi Nancy, thanks for your kind comments! I know you will absolutely LOVE "A JOYFUL BREAK" - Diane is a wonderful author. Nice of you to stop in and comment :-)
DeleteI am always looking for new authors to read. I have added your name to my TBR list. Your book sounds really good.
ReplyDeleteJWIsley(at)aol(dot)com
Oh Joye, you are in for such a treat! I'd love for you to come back to my blog after you finish reading it and let me know what you thought. So nice of you to visit today - thanks and Happy Valentine's Day!!
DeleteHi Martha,
ReplyDeleteI love going to the ocean for a vacation so that would be difficult for me...probably another reason I included this in A Joyful Break. :) Thanks for visiting.
Hi Ann,
ReplyDeleteYou aren't going to believe this but my parents actually had a buggy (no, we weren't Amish) and they sold it to the Amish in our area. My dad had work horses but also a tractor. He loved his horses and used them to haul manure and used them when he got the hay from the field. Otherwise he used the tractor.
Thank you for stopping by!
Wow, Diane, I didn't know that. How amazing. Did you get to ride in the buggy?
DeleteNo, I didn't get to ride in the buggy. It was suspended from the roof and none of us rode in it unless my older siblings did - there was a big gap in our ages. I did get to drive the horses for my dad while he pitched the hay onto the wagon. I need to scan a picture of my dad working in the fields. He was a hard-working farmer. My mom worked hard too.
DeleteHi Nancy,
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you enjoyed the excerpt and thank you so much for visiting Regina's blog. Have a good day.
I'm so happy that Diane decided to self-pub too. I think the reviews says it all about the strength of her writing. :)
ReplyDeleteGood job, Diane, and I wish you great success on future endeavors. :)
Thank you for visiting today, Miss Mae, and thank you for your kind comments!! Happy Valentine's Day!
DeleteOops, sorry - just saw I didn't hit reply before when commenting under each new comment!
DeleteThanks, Miss Mae, for encouraging me to self-publish! I love the control. I see now why you started to self-publish your wonderful books too. :)
Thanks for visiting here, Joye! I appreciate you adding my name to your TBR list.
ReplyDeleteHappy Valentines Day ! Love the excerpt.. Keep up the great work !!
ReplyDeleteThank you
Nice of you to visit, Tammy, and thanks for your kind comments. I agree, Dianne's work IS great!! ;-)
DeleteHi Tammy,
DeleteHappy Valentine's Day to you too! I'm glad you love the excerpt of A JOYFUL BREAK!Thanks for stopping by.
I LOVED this book Diane. The title was so perfect! Rachel decided to stay Amish, even though she was able to see things that she never would get to experience again and yet, she stayed true to her beliefs and did make "A Joyful Break". I hope to hear more from you. Would love to see a sequel:) Just a thought.
ReplyDeleteRebecca
Thanks for visiting today, Rebecca. Nice to meet you. And, you may be in for a pleasant surprise...;-)
DeleteHi Rebecca,
DeleteI'm glad you loved this book - thanks so much for taking the time to read A JOYFUL BREAK and to comment. Yes, I'm writing Book Two in this series and the title is JUDITH'S PLACE and Book Three will be about Katie. There will be a Book 4 but not sure which character will be the main focus.
Happy Valentine's Day! The excerpt is wonderful. This is on my TBR list.
ReplyDeleteAngel, how wonderful that you were able to visit today - thanks for your comment. Diane's excerpt IS so wonderful, I agree! Happy Valentine's Day!!
DeleteHi Angel,
DeleteHappy Valentine's Day to you! I'm glad you enjoyed the excerpt!And thanks for putting it on your TBR list - I appreciate it a lot!
Hi Diane,
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting book. I enjoyed your excerpt as well as you information about the Amish way of life. Congratulations!
Hi Gail and thanks for commenting today - it's so nice of you to visit and support Diane's new book. "A Joyful Break" IS really wonderful! Happy Valentine's Day and hugs to you!
DeleteHi Gail,
DeleteThank you for stopping by. I know you're busy writing your wonderful books. Have a Happy Valentine's Day!
I'm sharing here an excerpt of JUDITH'S PLACE which will be Book 2 in my Amish series, but it hasn't been edited yet.
ReplyDeleteShe watched Jacob start turning his hat and fingering the brim of his hat. I don’t think he came in here to talk about my brothers, she realized. “The children’s recess will be over soon. If you’d like to stay, I can have you speak to them about how important it is to listen to me.” She gave a nervous giggle.
He blurted, “I’d like you to go sledding with me this Sunday.”
Jacob caught her off guard and she wasn’t sure what to answer. At eighteen years of age, she had never been courted. It was partly her own fault because she hadn’t attended the Sunday singings. She pretty much devoted her time to her family and to her teaching. Reading books and writing articles for The Budget in her free time were precious pastimes. I want to get married and have a family someday, but not sure if I should go sledding with Jacob. It wasn’t because he was a few months younger but because she never had gone with any young man to a youth get-together. “I don’t know.” Turning her head, she looked out the window and back at Jacob’s face.
He grinned at her. “Were you checking to see if there’s snow? You can’t use that for an excuse. If you don’t feel like sledding, we can do something else.”
If she didn’t go sledding with Jacob, she’d never hear the end of it from Rachel. She’d been pressuring her for months to get over her shyness and stay for the Sunday youth gatherings for the young people that were held every other church week. Rachel asked her frequently, “ How will you find a life partner if you never socialize?”
He cleared this throat. “My lunch break is almost over. You can check your schedule. I’ll stop by later this week to get your answer.”
“I don’t have any plans for Sunday and I’d like to go sledding. Danki, for asking me.” His gray eyes lit with pleasure at her answer. She hoped he’d still be happy he asked her after Sunday evening.
“Gut. I’ll look forward to seeing you on Sunday. Be sure to wear your snow boots and wear a heavy coat. I don’t want our fine Amish teacher getting sick.”
“Ya, I will.”
(gut means good, danki means thank you)
Oh, Diane! That excerpt is sooooo "gut"!!!!!!
DeleteThanks, Gina - just saw this while I'm copying names down for the drawings. Love it that you used gut!
DeleteDIANE-your latest book looks great.Regina has wonderful guests and you are the latest guest to be invited.HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!!!!!!!!REGARDS BEN SMITH
ReplyDeleteHi Ben,
DeleteI'm so glad you took time out of your day to stop by. Regina's blog is lovely and so happy to be here today! Happy Valentine's Day to you!!!!
Hello Ben and thanks for visiting my blog to support Diane today!!
DeleteIn recent years I have come to truly enjoy Amish romance. Your book sounds wonderful. I wish you every success.
ReplyDeleteHappy Valentine's Day, Sarah! I appreciate you stopping by so much. I'm glad you enjoy Amish romance. :)
DeleteThank you for visiting, Sarah! Your kind wishes are appreciated. Nice to meet you.
DeleteHi Gina and Diane,
ReplyDeleteI have never had the pleasure to read an Amish romance, but it sounds interesting. I like how they refer to our world as the 'English' world.
Wishing you both a Happy Valentines Day.
Kelley
Hi Kelley,
ReplyDeleteHappy Valentine's Day and thanks for visiting Regina's blog!
I know it's interesting how the Amish refer to us as Englishers.
Hopefully, you'll get a chance to read an Amish romance.
Happy Valentine's Day, Kelley!! It's so nice of you to stop by and comment today. What an astute observation - the "Englishers" really is interesting. Talk to you soon! Hugs, Gina
DeleteIt maybe a calmer life. Or more peaceful.
ReplyDeleteHi Renald,
ReplyDeleteGood points and the Amish do seem to have a more peaceful life and a simpler one. Thanks so much for stopping by! Have a great evening!
Nice to meet you, Renald.I think you hit the nail on the head! :-)
DeleteLooks like a very interesting book!! Happy Valentine's Day!!
ReplyDeletemarissamehresman(at)aol(dot)com
Thank you, Marissa! I'm glad you stopped by.
DeleteHappy Valentine's Day to you!
Great to hear from you, Marissa! You will love this book by Diane and all her works, I am sure! Nice to meet you and thanks for visiting to support Diane. :-)
Deletethank you for this chance to win I would love to have a viewer for the pdf type of books but I love to read and hope very much to win
ReplyDeleteGood luck to you Cassandra! I'm glad you visited here and thank you!
DeleteHi Cassandra - it's great that you love to read! So nice of you to visit today, thank you and come back again soon! :-)
DeleteI've read one Amish love story and enjoyed it. Sounds like I'd like yours too. Best wishes on it and my Indiana Jones hat is off to you in doing research and venturing into that genre. Larry
ReplyDeleteHi Larry,
DeleteI loved researching the Amish traditions and their faith. Btw, my great-grandfather was a Mennonite minister. He had passed on before I was born but my mother shared a lot of stories about him and his beliefs. Thanks so much for stopping by.
Hi Larry and thank you so much for taking the time to stop in and comment today! It's so great to hear from you and it was very nice of you to support Diane, who is such an awesome and wonderful writer! Talk to you soon!
DeleteReading stories about the Amish is always enjoyable. Their lifestyle is so different from what most of us are familiar with.
ReplyDeleteHi Gladys,
DeleteThank you for visiting on Regina's blog. I think that's why anything Amish is so popular - they intrigue us so much with their simple lifestyle and their strong faith.
Great comments, Gladys and Diane. Thanks for visiting today, Gladys!
DeleteI love Amish Romance too & A JOYFUL BREAK looks like such a wonderful read.
ReplyDeletemarypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com
I'm glad you stopped by, Mary. Thank you and I hope you get a chance to read A JOYFUL BREAK!
DeleteThanks for visiting, Mary it's great to meet you and you are on the right track - A JOYFUL BREAK IS a wonderful book!! Hugs, Regina
DeleteThis book sounds delightful! I love finding good books I can share with my teenage daughters! This book sounds like one we all will enjoy!
ReplyDeleteHi Kimberly,
ReplyDeleteIt is nice to be able to share books with your daughters. My daughters are grown up now. They enjoyed reading A Joyful Break and remarked how much they liked it. It made my day to receive praise from family. Thank you for commenting and hope you and your daughters get a chance to read A JOYFUL BREAK!
Kimberly, it's so nice to meet you and thank you for visiting and making such an important comment about Diane's book. It totally is a book that mothers-daughters-granddaughters could all enjoy and discuss. Intergenerational! Another brilliant reason why Diane is SO great!
DeleteI have recently began reading Amish stories and am absolutely loving them. I am looking forward to your book.
ReplyDeletedebbie at taulman dot org
Hi Debbie,
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you enjoy reading Amish stories. Thanks so much for stopping by and that's great you want to read A JOYFUL BREAK.
Great to meet you, Debbie. If you like Amish stories, you have come to the right place! Guaranteed you will LOVE A JOYFUL BREAK when you read it. Thanks for visiting, come back soon!
DeleteThank you, everyone, for your wonderful and kind comments! It was fun reading them and hearing your thoughts. I put all your names on slips of paper and drew Marissa's name. Congratulations, Marissa! She receives a $10 GC to Amazon and a pdf.format copy of my Amish romance, A JOYFUL BREAK!
ReplyDeleteBecause there were so many great comments, Regina is in a generous mood and we have a second place winner. Mary Preston wins a $10 GC to Amazon!
Thanks again and have a terrific week!
Blessings,
Diane
Oh, friends! You outdid yourselves!!! Thank you all for visiting and leaving such fantastic comments. You always bring up some new points and interesting observations to consider. And your appreciation for Diane's wonderful books is apparent. That's so great!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to Marissa and to Mary Preston, too!
I know Diane will be visiting again in the future...and I hope all of you will check back again soon, too. There are some more wonderful authors slated to visit the World of Good soon.
Thank you again and blessings to all.
All my best - and big hugs,
Regina
To Diane Craver - a very, very special thank you for visiting my blog and sharing your wonderful world of writing with us! A JOYFUL BREAK is an excellent, emotional book and I can't wait for the next one in the series. All your books are wonderful.
ReplyDeleteHow could they be anything but fabulous? After all, you are an incredible writer...an incredible person...and an incredible friend.
Blessings and hugs.
Gina
Gina,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for the compliments! I'll have to show this post to my hubby. lol My grandson, Dillon, is busy playing so I'm working on JUDITH'S PLACE.
I haven't been able to finish your wonderful, LIGHT OF THE HEART, in your Sterling Lakes Series. My Kindle needs to be charged and I can't find the charger. I'm going to borrow Emily's. I love this book.
Love ya,
Diane
Thanks for reading LIGHT OF THE HEART, Diane, and I'm so glad that you are enjoying it. I'm finishing the edits to the second book in the series now, ANGELS OF THE HEART and it will be released soon - very exciting.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to JUDITH'S PLACE. Um, make that more like - I can't wait!
Hope you find your charger lol!
Luv you, too,
Gina