First and Last

This is fun for me. At about the same time I finish the last part of "An Amish Home", I get to re-visit the first chapter of my first story, "An Amish Journey".

"Rest on Grace" is the conclusion of "An Amish Home". Over the course of writing this, the story seemed to find its own direction. Everything kept coming back to the little girl, Ruth. We each have our own story of faith. This story was no different in that respect. The father, Allan, had his faith tested repeatedly and each time it became more difficult. I wish I had half the conviction that my main character does.

In Volume 8 –Rest on Grace, a life hangs in the balance. After the events of Volume Seven: The Fall, Allan Howarth faces the greatest test of his faith since coming to Karsten Field. In the end, it will all rest on grace and this Amish home will never be the same.

If you use Kindle, please have a look - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CBJCUII

It is also on Nook and Kobo.

While you are over on Amazon, please look at Volume 1 of "An Amish Journey". My publisher recently made it available on audiobook. Hearing it read gives the story a whole new life. I found a kind of energy that I don't get from re-reading what I have already written.

The audiobook can be found here - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00C9DWJIM

Thanks for reading! Please visit me on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/LaughingGeorge

Find It Here

"What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?

And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.

And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost."  - Luke 15:4-6

And that is my sole inspiration for An Amish Home - Volume 3: The Lost Sheep. I started these stories, not quite knowing which way I was being guided. I do often rely on Divine Intervention in my writing and sometimes do not discover the story I am telling until it is told.

An Amish Home, as it turns out, is the first part of the story of Ruth, Allan Howarth's youngest daughter. In this series, she is five years old. That alone provides a real challenge for me. Trust me, I know plenty behaviors of a five year old girl. The challenge is seeing the world through her eyes. I have to tell the story through that unique viewpoint, but still be relatable. I have to share her thoughts and feelings without making her too old, too mature. I hope I have captured some of her sense of wonder for you.

What I have done in The Lost Sheep is expanded the story of Ruth. First, there is a brief retelling of the first two stories through her eyes. Then the precious little sheep literally gets lost.

I also introduce Ruth's special friend. I believe children are blessed with a sight (and foresight) that we sometimes lose as adults. She has been given a gift, which will be explored as the series continues.

As always, please come to my Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/LaughingGeorge). Please post on my wall and share your thoughts and feelings - about my stories, or whatever is on your mind. I am happy to share prayer requests amidst posts of me rambling about my stories.

Here is the link for An Amish Home - Volume 3: The Lost Sheep  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009LSSI7O 

 If you notice on the left of my blog posts, an author friend of mine helped make those nice spinning things where you can get all of my stories. Please click on them too!

Don't Get Lost

That is important to me. It really is.

When you have a child, that is something you think about a lot. As a parent, we have to plan, prepare and teach our children everything we can to protect them. Sometimes, that is all we can do and sometimes that is not enough.

I have probably always known this, but becoming a father has reinforced it. There is one thing more, and it should be the first thing. Trust God.

I could put bars on the windows and my daughter on one of those child leashes, but the main thing is to believe God will be all the protection I need. In my writing, I refer to His plan. I could hire armed guards, but if that is not His plan, then it would not matter.

That brings me to the latest story in my series “An Amish Home”. This story is called “The Lost Sheep” and, by now, you probably can guess the premise. I thought when I wrote the first two “Amish Home” stories that they were not connected. Maybe they would be some nice stand-alone short stories. What I realize now is that they are Ruth’s stories.

Ruth is the five-year-old daughter of Allan and Mary Howarth, the main characters of “Set Free: An Amish Journey”. In my new story, we get to look back at the first two stories and see the events through her eyes. That will bring us up to the point of “The Lost Sheep”. It is going to be a little scary for me to write that part of the story. We don’t want to think about something bad happening to our children, but sometimes we can’t help it. 

As a storyteller, I have the opportunity to deal with thoughts and feelings through my characters. I can explore those ideas and find peace in imagining what God has in store for me. Instead of wasting time thinking about the negative, I can devote myself to the positive.

With God as my shield, I am a happy man.

Now, if you haven’t already, I invite you to come meet young Ruth –

An Amish Home – Volume 1 - The Flood - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008OAFO04

An Amish Home – Volume 2 – Attainable - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0091N9IOG

An Amish Home – Volume 3 – The Lost Sheep is coming soon

Also, I would love to hear from readers on my Facebook page –

www.facebook.com/LaughingGeorge