About Anna's Healing: Anna’s Healing is the first book in a
brand-new collection from popular author Vannetta Chapman. These stories of
love and family and Amish community in Oklahoma tell of the miracles that can
happen when lives are lived in service to God and to one another.
When a tornado strikes the farms
surrounding Cody’s Creek, Anna Schwartz’s life is changed forever. She suffers
a spinal cord injury and suddenly finds herself learning to live as a
paraplegic.
Three people—Chloe Roberts, Jacob
Graber, and Ruth Schwartz—join forces to help Anna through her darkest days.
Chloe is an Englischer who writes for the local paper. Jacob has recently
arrived in town and stays on as a hired hand at her uncle’s. And Ruth is her
grandmother, a woman of deep faith and a compassionate spirit.
Then one morning Anna wakes and finds herself healed. How
did it happen? Why did it happen? And what is she to do now? Her life is again
turned upside down as the world’s attention is drawn to this young Amish girl
who has experienced the unexplainable.
I am so lucky to have Vannetta Chapman here to tell us about her latest book, Anna’s Healing. Vannetta is one of my all-time favorite authors. I recently shared my review on this wonderful book and you can read it here at this link. In this post you get to hear from Vannetta, herself!
Vannetta, would you give us a little idea of how
this story came to be?
My husband and I were talking about Christian fiction,
and we started throwing around ideas about a collection of stories that would
deal with the cornerstones of our faith. Certainly faith in Christ is THE cornerstone,
but what makes us as Christians different? One answer we came up with was that
we believe God does intervene in the lives of his people. We believe in
miracles.
Having lived in the Midwest growing up, I remember tornadoes similar to those that occur in your book and they were very frightening. The damage to life and property
is devastating. Have you experienced this personally or is your book
based mainly on research?
I did a lot of research for that portion of the book. I can
relate though. I lived in Cedar Hill, TX when my son was young. Later I found
out the area was called "tornado alley." One time we had a tornado
pass through and just skirt us. It was terrifying, pulling parts of roofs off.
The firemen went door to door to check on everyone. We were fortunate to only
have minor damage, but I'll never forget the sound or feel or fear of that
moment.
Vannetta, I have read all your books and they are all
wonderful, and I love the fact that they are all good Christian reads. Do
you ever feel the pressures to change your genres or writing style for the
purpose of higher book sales?
No, I really don't. I want to be responsive to what readers
like, and I certainly want to get my message of God's grace out to as many
people as possible ... but I don't worry too much about the "big picture."
God will take care of that!
What books would you say have most influenced your writing career and why?
I have always been a very adamant reader and have always
read several books a week. I still do. I suppose the person who influenced my
career the most was my grandmother. She wrote homemaking books that were used
in schools worldwide. I remember holding her book in my lap and thinking,
"Grandma wrote this."
I think it's wonderful that you have these special ties and memories!
How long does it generally take you to write one of your
books? Do you still find time to do things that you enjoy during the
writing process?
At this point I'm writing 4 books a year, which requires me
to be very structured and disciplined. I love what I do, so it's not a problem.
But I also enjoy spending time with my family and try to never say no to a
family outing. It's a balancing act for sure.
As a child, did you ever imagine yourself as a writer, or
when did you first realize this ambition?
Nope. I was a reader. I didn't think about writing until I
was a single mom in grad school. That was when the bug hit, but it was 10 years
later before my first book was published.
Thanks Vannetta for your thoughts. I really am happy that you were able to visit my blog today and share a little about yourself! And for giving away a copy of your book in this rafflecopter!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Author bio:
Vannetta
Chapman writes inspirational fiction full of grace. She has published over one
hundred articles in Christian family magazines, receiving more than two dozen
awards from Romance Writers of America chapter groups. She discovered her love
for the Amish while researching her grandfather’s birthplace of Albion,
Pennsylvania. Her novel, Falling to Pieces, was a 2012 ACFW Carol
Award finalist. A Promise for Miriam earned a spot on the June
2012 Christian Retailing Top Ten Fiction list. Chapman was a teacher for 15
years and currently writes full time. She lives in the Texas hill
country with her husband. For more information, visit her at www.VannettaChapman.com
You can connect with Vannetta at the following links:
You can connect with Vannetta at the following links:
Thanks so much for sharing! I'm excited about the release of AH, and would love for everyone to enter the Rafflectoper drawing.
ReplyDelete