~ FRIDAY FICTION FEATURE ~
-- 'FOREVER HOME' --
AUTHOR AMY GROCHOWSKI
~Post Includes: Book Spotlight, Excerpt,
Author Bio & Giveaway~
Welcome to the Blog + Review Tour & Giveaway for Forever Home by Amy Grochowski, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!
ABOUT THE BOOK
Title: Forever HomeSeries: Amish Dreams on Prince Edward Island #1
Author: Amy Grochowski
Publisher: Ambassador International
Release Date: June 9, 2020
Genre: Inspirational Amish Romance
A Canadian Amish farmer
A Lancaster Amish businesswoman
A Prince Edward Island foster child
Providence brings together a mismatched family, giving all three a second chance for love. Only love may never have had such a tough job.
Lydia Miller is an anomaly among her Amish people -- a single woman in her 30s, running her own store, determined to forge a life on her own. But when Joel Yoder comes into town to sell his property, Lydia suddenly finds all of her hopes and dreams crumbling around her and a new opportunity placed in her lap.
Joel has his own problems. Recently jilted by his fiancée, Joel has seen his own dreams of moving to a newly established Amish community begin to falter. The new community welcomes married couples only. With his dreams quickly slipping from his fingers, Joel suddenly sees the only option he thinks he has--a marriage of convenience for both of them.
As the new couple begins life in a new settlement, they are even more surprised when a foster child in need of a home finds her way to them. Yet what will happen when the English world and the Amish world collide?
EXCERPT:
Chapter One
Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
A sensible Amish woman aspired to marry,
as Lydia Miller was reminded daily.
She also knew any wise Amish woman ought
to bypass schemes destined to failure. Yet here she stood, determined to avoid
the first and ready to plunge headlong into the second.
Lydia sucked in a breath and slid into a
seat on the second-to-last row of chairs under the auction tent. She may not
win the bid for the farmhouse at today’s estate sale, but at least she’d know
she tried everything to keep her business.
The air smelled of autumn—the cooling
rest of the earth after yielding her summer labor. Under the heavy canvas of
the tent, the two-mile stretch of Amish farmland known as Millers Creek was
hidden from Lydia’s view.
A wet trickle of perspiration trailed
from underneath her prayer kapp, then down the back of Lydia’s neck. She almost
allowed Ben to bid for her; but her brother wasn’t familiar with her finances,
nor was his future on the bidding block.
Nay, the task was up to her alone.
The wooden seat beside Lydia creaked
under the heft of her neighbor, Miriam Stoltzfus, who emitted a groan of her
own as she sat.
“Have you lost all of your good sense?”
Ever since Lydia’s mamm died, Miriam had
taken the mother role upon herself. Lydia was used to the older woman’s
more-often-than-not good intentions, which were more than Lydia needed at the
moment.
“I still have all my wits about me.”
The click of Miriam’s tongue against her
teeth issued her contradiction. Lydia’s vision settled onto the handle attached
to her bidder card. The rounded edge of the re-purposed tongue depressor
pressed into her palm. Lydia prayed a silent prayer of forgiveness for the
unkind urge to use it on the other woman.
“Gott’s will couldn’t be plainer if
Moses himself carved it on a stone tablet for you to read.” Miriam’s prayer kapp
bobbed up and down with the surety of her conviction.
The Almighty’s will? Or Miriam’s? Lydia
had to wonder.
Lydia shoved the tongue depressor
between her knees for safe-keeping and pressed her lips tight to keep from
disrespecting her elder, who continued in a not-so-quiet whisper. “The sale of
this property—including your Amish Shoppe—is a clear sign the time has come for
you to quit this spinster nonsense and settle down with a goot Amish husband.”
“And marry whom?” Not your cousin, Hiram
Glick. Miriam knew full well Lydia couldn’t accept Hiram. “I could own a
business, not just rent the building.” Lydia turned to face her neighbor. “You
know why this is important to me.” She
didn’t dare say the reason aloud. Miriam was one of the few who knew the reason
for her determination to support herself.
“Ya, I know. Even so, I tell you, Lydia,
this is a mistake. The Lord has a bigger plan for you. He is not bound by the
past. Remember, with Gott all things are possible.”
“Well then, it’s still possible I might
buy this house and save my shop today.”
Miriam sank with a deflated plop against
the back of her seat.
Lydia had the last word, but
satisfaction didn’t follow. Miriam’s words nagged at her conscience. Not the
part about signs and plans. Lydia didn’t believe she deserved such
consideration. Rather, she was struck by the existence of a Power great enough
to overcome the past. If only the past had not bound her.
But she was Lydia Miller, humble mortal.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Amy Grochowski's deep appreciation for the Amish faith and way of life stems from six years of living and working with a Beachy Amish family, as well as her own Anabaptist roots. Her debut novel, Forever Home, was a pre-published winner of Romance Writers of America's Maggie Award and a semi-finalist in ACFW's Genesis Contest. She is a member of ACFW and Word Weavers Int'l.
Amy spent her childhood in Melbourne, Australia, where her parents worked as church planters. After returning to the States, the Blue Ridge Mountains of Southwest Virginia became home. Her real-life romance began on a travel nursing assignment to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where she met her husband, David.
After a nursing career of more than twenty years, Amy is now fulfilling her long-awaited dream career as an author of inspirational romance. She is also a full-time homeschool mom for her two boys, one of whom has Autism Spectrum Disorder, and lives with her family in the bustling foothills of North Carolina.
CONNECT WITH AMY: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
TOUR GIVEAWAY
(1) winner will receive a signed author copy of Forever Home, a classic 200 recipe Mennonite Family Cookbook, a Magic Amish cloth (it really does clean like magic with no chemicals), and a $25 Amazon gift card!
Be sure to check out each stop on the tour for more chances to win. Full tour schedule linked below. Giveaway will begin at midnight June 22, 2020 and last through 11:59 PM EST on June 29, 2020. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.
Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.
Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!
*NOTE: This post contains affiliate links.
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