Category Archives: Amish

Exciting News for FORGIVEN!

This week, I was informed that PLAIN FEAR: FORGIVEN had been chosen for a special promotion by Barnes and Noble. It goes on sale today as a NOOK book.

Samuel Fisher committed a sin of biblical proportions—he killed his own brother, Jacob. Samuel’s guilt overwhelms him as he struggles to understand the choices Jacob made which led to his death. Haunted by doubts and questions, Samuel starts down the same dark path of destruction. In the gripping final battle between hunters and vampires, Samuel must choose where his loyalties lie. The decisions he makes not only threaten the lives of those he loves, but determine if he will ultimately be forgiven.

You can read a preview here.

Reviews:

“An unlikely, yet fresh idea that completely works, thanks to her ability to blend the genres in a tasteful manner.” – RT Book Reviews –

“A richly detailed and atmospheric tale of suspense.” – Library Journal –

I hope you’ll help me make PLAIN FEAR: FORGIVEN a big success during this special promotion! Thanks for all your support!

Giveaway: To celebrate this promotion, leave a comment below and I’ll draw a name of a winner to receive the paperback copy of PLAIN FEAR: FORSAKEN and PLAIN FEAR: FORBIDDEN, the first two books in the series. I’ll draw a name on Monday, April 7th.

Release day and giveaway!

An interesting day to say the least. First, I noticed that this is my 666th post. Kind of weird when you think about the release of my third book in the Plain Fear series is about the battle of good versus evil.

Then when I was having my quiet time, it was no coincidence that my reading for the day in Deuteronomy 15 was about the year for canceling debts, which is what God does in our lives when we give our hearts to Christ. He cancels our debts! And we have many, for who is not a sinner? And isn’t that what Forgiveness truly is?

Which brings me back to my book. Happy release day to Plain Fear: FORGIVEN, the 3rd book in my Plain Fear series. Very excited and nervous about this book, but happy it’s finally out. Also, kind of sad to say goodbye to this series. It was such a blessing to write it. Hope you enjoy!

Here’s my best friend’s blog today, mentioning Plain Fear: Forgiven. And another wonderful writer friend’s blog talking about Plain Fear: Forgiven today.

Time to order that copy! Hope you will and hope it blesses you!

GIVEAWAY: If you mention Plain Fear: Forgiven on your Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter, or blog, I will put your name into a drawing for a free book (US residents only!) of Plain Fear: Forgiven! (Be sure and let me know!)

The Next Big Thing Blog Hop

The Next Big Thing blog hop is a giant game of tag to help readers discover authors who are new to them. For this hop, authors are answering questions about what we’re working on now. This week, I’m “it” thanks to my amazing friend Lynne Gentry. Visit her blog to see what she’s up to and to follow the bunny trail back and also hop forward to find other authors. Follow the hop long enough and you’re bound to find books you’ll love!

Here is my Next Big Thang!

1. What is the working title of your book?
Plain Fear: FORGIVEN is my next book releasing from Sourcebooks in August. It is the 3rd book in my Plain Fear series, which is an Amish/vampire tale. I am busy doing the line edits this week.

2. Where did the idea come from for the book?
The idea of an Amish/vampire story came to me and I laughed it off and put it aside. But it kept coming back to me, so I began to pray about it. I didn’t want to simply write an edgy story to be edgy or attempt to hit a market of two very popular genres. With trepidation, I ventured into this project. But once I felt like I understood the heart of my book—that this was a good versus evil story and very much about spiritual warfare—my enthusiasm skyrocketed. Praying about it gave me peace that God wanted me to write it. There is a battle being waged in this world, whether we realize it or not, and hopefully my book gives a glimpse into that battle.

3. What genre does your book come under?
This book doesn’t fit easily into a genre. It more easily fits into the vampire genre than the Amish genre, but I tend to think of it more in general fiction or romance.

4. Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
Oh boy. This is a really tough question as these characters live in my head so clearly. But it’s also a fun question to think about. Plain Fear: Forgiven tells the story of the youngest Fisher brother, Samuel. Liam Hemsworth would make a wonderful Samuel, who is a conflicted and driven young man. Emma Stone would make a great Andi, who is romantically involved with Samuel. But to complete the love triangle, we need an actress to play a strong and devout young woman who encourages and pushes Samuel to make a hard decision. AnnaSophia Robb would make a beautiful and courageous Naomi.

5. What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
Samuel Fisher committed a sin of biblical proportions—he killed his own brother, Jacob. Samuel’s guilt overwhelms him as he struggles to understand the choices Jacob made which led to his death. Haunted by doubts and questions, Samuel starts down the same dark path of destruction. In the gripping final battle between hunters and vampires, Samuel must choose where his loyalties lie. The decisions he makes not only threaten the lives of those he loves, but determine if he will ultimately be forgiven.

Sorry, that wasn’t one sentence, was it? Close enough.

6. Is your book self-published, published by an independent publisher, or represented by an agency?
It’s published by Sourcebooks.

7. How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
It took me about six or seven months to write the rough draft of FORGIVEN but then I spent another few months revising and polishing the manuscript before turning it into my publisher.

8. What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
I’m not sure there is anything out there like the Plain Fear series.

9. Who or what inspired you to write this book?
It reminded me of Phantom of the Opera, which I’m a huge fan of both the book and musical. Christine is naïve and young and she opens her mind to a dark force. There’s a line in the musical that resonates in me: “I gave my mind blindly.” And that is exactly what Hannah, the heroine in the first book, did. For this series, I wanted to show how alluring evil really is. Evil doesn’t look scary at first. It’s appealing. Satan doesn’t appear to us with a forked tongue or horns and pitchfork. He was the most beautiful angel, the worship leader in the heavenly realms. But he fell. He became the father of lies. He distorts the truth and draws us toward evil and sin with promises and appealing whispers. It’s why my story needed someone innocent of this world, like an Amish girl, so I could show how easily we are deceived.

Below you will find 2 authors who will be joining the blog hop next Wednesday. Be sure to bookmark and add them to your calendars for updates on WIPs and New Releases! Happy Writing and Reading!

You don’t want to miss my BFF, Dorothy Love, who is a fabulous writer and who has some great inspirational fiction to offer.

And, a very dear friend of mine, Jennifer Archer, is an amazing writer. I love her women’s fiction but also you will love her young adult fiction.

Ohio Amish Country





This week, I flew to Ohio and visited with my friend, Shelley Shepard Gray, who writes Amish fiction. We celebrated her recent books and her new title: New York Times best selling author! Isn’t that awesome? Anyway, she drove us to Murphin Ridge Inn where we stayed in a luxurious cabin (really roughing it!) and then showed me around the edge of Appalachia where some Amish live and where I’m setting part of my next Plain Fear novel: Forbidden.

It rained the first day but that didn’t stop us from sampling yummy fresh soft pretzels or just pressed apple cider. Yum!

Since Autumn is my favorite season, I soaked in the colors of fall that surrounded us in these rolling hills and towering trees. What a great time we had!

Here are a few pictures of our trip: the cabin where we stayed (nestled in the trees), a covered bridge we traversed (built in the 1850s), a horse and buggy, and beautiful fall colors at Murphin Ridge Inn.

It’s getting close!


Have you ever had that feeling? You’re a mile from Gramma’s house and you can’t wait to get there? Or the flight attendants are securing the cabin for landing and you’re on your dream vacation? Or you’re closing on that house you’ve always wanted and the movers are coming? Or you’re ten months pregnant and you’re waiting for that first labor pain so you can actually hold that sweet baby in your arms? There’s much angst and excitement and nervousness in the anticipation of these events.

Well, I’ve been waiting a long time for this ‘baby’ to arrive. It’s not a visit or a trip or a move or a real baby, but to writers we often refer to our books as our babies because we tend them with such care and devotion as a mother tends to her baby. And so, my baby is ALMOST here! Just a few weeks until August 1st when it officially releases! And just like packing for a trip or moving or preparing for the arrival of a baby, there is much to do.

Today, I’ve posted an excerpt on my website! I hope you’ll take a look. This is not the usual first chapter of the book. But I hope you will enjoy it. A couple of weeks ago, I posted a different excerpt on my e-newsletter. So here ya go:

https://leannaellis.com/books.html

Just go to the book page on my website (www.leannaellis.com) and click on Plain Fear: Forsaken. You’ll see the button to click on the left in red.

What do you see?


When you’re going 55 miles per hour or even 70? When I was in Amish country a couple of weeks ago, my friend Julie, her daughter, Alex, and I took a buggy ride. It was rather pleasant. It was a beautiful day. Still in the morning, it wasn’t yet too hot. As we were clip-clopping down the highway, Julie noticed how we could really see the things along the road–a fruit stand, beautiful daisies, a farmer plowing a field behind horse and plow. If we’d been in a car, traveling at a high speed, all would have been a blur. Or we might have seen one thing and missed the others.

We felt the swoosh of air as a truck passed us and reminded us of how in our non-Amish world we’re always in a hurry. How many times do I say, “Hurry, kids! Get in the car. We’re going to be late!” We race here and there and everywhere. We race to church. We race to leave and get to the restaurant before anyone else can. We race through our lives. Are we seeing and yet not really seeing?

No, I don’t really want to ride in a buggy and give up my car. I value my air-conditionin and the heated seats and that it can take me from Dallas to Memphis in a day. But I want to take the time to notice the fruit stand and stop and buy some fresh strawberries that actually taste like strawberries. I want to notice the flowers, the petals, the white petals and yellow and black center, rather than see a blur. I want to notice the farmer, and if he’s a neighbor wave hello or stop and chat.

So maybe we should take a horse-drawn buggy tour of our lives. And I want to enjoy every minute of this life, noticing every detail.

Simple and Sweet


One of the things I love about summer is simple eating. Strawberries. Blueberries. Watermelon. Simple and sweet. Fresh. Ripe. Delicious.

When I was in Amish country last week, I bought these beautiful strawberries at an Amish farm. They were wonderful. I didn’t eat dinner one night and just munched on these sweet strawberries. Yummy!

Simplicity is one of the things I love about the Amish. Their lives are simple. Slower-paced. Without email and texting and television, they can focus on each other, their work, their families. It’s a simpler way of life. I think that’s one of the attractions to their culture and one of the reasons for the popularity of Amish fiction. Simple and sweet. Although I love my life, love the opportunities my children have with all of their activities, love that I am blessed to be writing and publishing my stories, sometimes it’s all overwhelming. It’s busy. Going here. Going there. Go. Go. Go. There’s always something to do. It’s hard to find quiet moments to just be still and quiet and think. Simplicity is something I’d like to strive for in my own life. But not something easily achieved. What do you think? What do you think is the attraction to Amish fiction? Do you crave simplicity in your own life? What’s something you could delete to make life simpler?

Let there be light!


Last week, I went to Lancaster County, PA for research on my book, FORSAKEN, an Amish/vampire story in the Plain Fear series. This is a picture from a tour we took of an Amish style house. The lamp is gas powered and sits on wheels. You can wheel it from room to room. So, why do the Amish go to all of this trouble to avoid electricity? They do not want any ties with the outside or Englisch world. Electricity requires wires and such. Gas does not. They use a lot of gas-powered things or even propane powered machines. It is definitely a different world that they live in, but I respect them for their faith and for their commitment to their beliefs. In our world, we like to make things easier. ‘Better’ we call it. But is our world really better? Is easier better? Not always.