Launched from a genetic pool such as this, it is really no wonder that I fell in love with storytelling before I could even read. My mother’s stories aren’t full of much action, but she is very introspective and curious: a combination that constantly spots stories and characters hidden among her interactions with customers who visit her quaint Miller’s Amish Country Store. My father has floppy black hair needled with silver and hazel eyes that glow green when he tells a story, which he must accentuate with explosive hand motions, facial expressions, and colorful descriptions that keep his listeners enthralled. When the life of Rachel’s baby is at stake, however, choices must be made that will bring the darkness to light, forever changing the lives of those who call Copper Creek home.Ī bonnet book, you say? Seriously? Oh, yes, I answer, cocking my eyebrow knowingly. She is eventually coerced into leaving by her brother-in-law, the bishop.īut secrets run deep in this cloistered community, and the bishop is hiding some of his own, threatening his conscience and his very soul.

Refusing to repent and name the partner in her sin, Rachel feels the wrath of the religious sect as she is shunned by those she loves most. Raised in an Old Order Mennonite community, Rachel Stoltzfus is a strong-willed single woman, content living apart from mainstream society until whispers stir the moment her belly swells with new life. (Tyndale House Publishers, JClick on this link to see her page there) You can thank me later. I’m letting you in on this a little early, ahead of her release date. She is swift and sure and her debut novel will knock your socks off. This sassy little sprite of a girl stole my heart last year at Nashville’s Southern Festival of Books.

Jolina Petersheim has done both these things and I know that you will love her and her work as I do. (Lately, I rarely post anything on the blog, I’m so busy with the writing of the next book and raising a family.) But sometimes I come across someone who truly, TRULY impresses me as a person and a writer.

The outcast by jolina petersheim