Friday, September 19, 2014

An Interview with Vannetta Chapman and a Giveaway of her latest book HIDDEN!

I am so very, very lucky to have a wonderful author, whose books I absolutely love to read, as my featured guest today on my blog.  

Vannetta Chapman, author of many wonderful Amish books, including cozy mysteries, has shared some of her personal thoughts with you.  I hope you will enjoy learning more about this amazing author, just as I have!  Thanks Vannetta, for being my special guest today.

Vannetta, please tell us about when you first realized you wanted to be a writer:
It was while I was finishing my graduate work for a MA in English. We had a lot of reading to do and even more writing. I found I enjoyed it immensely, but that I wanted to write things of a less academic nature. That was 15 years ago, and it’s been an incredibly fun journey.

We are anxious to hear about Hidden, please share a little bit about this book and how it came to be written:
Hidden is the story of Dana Jacobs—who SEEMS to have it all together, but in fact is held back in her personal and spiritual life by events in her past. Faith is something she stopped having as a small child. Now Ben Marshall is in her life—a steady, calming, faithful presence, and she doesn't know what to do with him. When they become deeply involved in a case that threatens both their town and their lives, Dana must decide if she’s going to let her past define her. She must decide whether she’s going to live in fear, or live by faith. It’s a fun, suspenseful story that focuses on God’s grace and love for us.

What are your feelings about writers supporting one another:
Certainly there have been a lot of writers who have supported and encouraged me. In return, I try to do that for new writers as well as other established writers. We are in competition with one another, but in another sense we’re a community of writers who have the same goal—to tell a good story and in the process, for Christian writers, to glorify Christ.

What is the most satisfying part of writing in your life?
Meeting readers. I love reading myself, so I love to talk to readers about what kind of stories they enjoy and what they’d like to read about next. In effect, we’re a big book club for one another.

What is your favorite genre when you are the “reader” and not the writer.
Probably suspense. I like and read all genres, but I do grow frustrated if a story moves too slowly.

Which of your books brought the most satisfaction?
Oh, that’s a hard question. It seems I have a personal tie to each of my stories. For instance, A Perfect Square (book 2 in my Shipshewana series), helped me work through my father-in-law’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis. For each book I've written, I could tell you a story like that. They’re all personal to me and have really all brought a great deal of satisfaction.

What other writers have had the most impact/influence in your writing?
I grew up reading Janette Oake and L.M. Montgomery. Those stories did have a huge impact on me. I can still REMEMBER them—scenes will pop up in my mind though it’s been 35 years in some cases. And what always stands out most, for me, is the relationships within the books.

How do you spend your “me” time?  What do you like to do when you are not writing?
I have a lot of hobbies! I quilt and crochet, garden, hike, and travel when I can. We have 2 cats and a new dog that is a 3 year old lab—so we spend a lot of time walking her.

If you were an Amish youth in Rumspringa-how would you want to try to “spread your wings” or would you?
This will make me sound like a nerd, but I would want to go to school! I’d want to read more and learn more, even though I understand their reasons for ending their formal education after the 8th grade. This was really the catalyst for Annie in my book, A Simple Amish Christmas. She loved being Amish but she had a thirst for knowledge. I’d probably spend my rumspringa in college!

About the author:

The first thing you need to know about me is that I write Fiction full of GRACE.  Every plot is different. The characters change. Some of my books are mysteries, others are novellas, and some are romances. But they all are stories of light, hope, and truth. Stories that at least for a moment touch the deepest places in our heart.Tales that whisper hope. That speak of family and community. That remind us of God and His love.  What do I write? If I had to reduce it to four words, I suppose I’d say I write Fiction full of GRACE.


Vannetta is offering a giveaway of her new book HIDDEN in either a print or ebook version.  Here is the question she has for you to answer in your comment.


"HIDDEN takes place in Taos, New Mexico, where my husband and I went for our honeymoon. What is one of your favorite vacation spots?"

Be sure to add your email address to the your comment so that you can be contacted if you are the winner!  This giveaway ends Sept. 27, 2014.  

16 comments:

  1. Hi Vannetta, Enjoyed your interview. Hidden looks like an interesting story and would love to read it !
    I love to visit Garden City, S.C. It is more laid back than Myrtle Beach and seems like older population are majority of visitors and has a great beach.
    thank you
    mcnuttjem0@gmail.com

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  2. i love your books and am thrilled i might win one ,Thanks
    Shirley Blanchard jcisforme@aol.com

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  3. I would love to go back to Victor, CO
    kfowler4827@gmail.com

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  4. Anywhere with my family! With 2 pastors, a music minister and a deacon, it's hard to get us all together for a weekend, much less a vacation!

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  5. I can't wait to read Hidden. Winning a copy of it would be great!

    I really enjoyed when we vacationed in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Visiting Mount Rushmore, Badlands, and the caverns was a lot of fun! I'd love to go back again some day.

    Blessings!
    Judy B
    judyjohn2004(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  6. I love going to the outerbanks and exploring the lighthouses and museums
    centraleast2 at gmail dot com

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  7. I cannot wait to read Hidden. Another great book, written by a great author. Patti Bond ptrc_bnd@yahoo.com

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  8. Hi V! Great interview about a great book....I would love it! A great vacation spot for hubby and me as well as Britney and her family is Dollywood. We love the state of Tennessee and the beauty that surrounds us plus the fun things to do......a real winner!!

    mauback55 at gmail dot com

    Thank you for the giveaway!

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  9. My favorite spot is (still) the mountains of western VA, where I grew up.

    Looking forward to Hidden!

    patucker54 at aol dot com

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  10. Alburque NM, is one of my very favorite spots. So many happy memories from a vacation there with my husband and daughter, We all want to go back!

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  11. Forgot my name and email here it is Pamela Hargraves flintloudon@aol.com

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  12. My favorite vacation spot is Pigeon Forge TN.I love it there.I love Vannetta's books.

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  13. So enjoyed a drive though the Rocky Mountains, so pretty! & I do love a good mystery :)
    dkstevensne at outlook .com

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  14. Lovely interview. Looking forward to reading Hidden.
    cluedn {at} embarqmail {dot} com

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  15. The Oregon Coast especially Newport as we live in Pendleton which is hot and dry sharonemmons_9@hotmail.com

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  16. One of my favorite vacation spots....on the beaches of the island of Guam. Love that I used to call it home!

    n.snaer (at) gmail(dot)com

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