Amazon KIndle Best-Selling Author Karen Anna Vogel Guest Post

I’d like to thank everyone at Trestle Press and Suzanne Woods Fisher for encouraging me to write an Amish serial, something I didn’t think I could do. But as I was knitting one night, I thought of my knitting circle and how women bring up their problems, sometimes to people they hardly know. Then I thought of all the advice I’ve gotten from two elderly Amish women in Smicksburg, PA. Granny Weaver was born; she a combo of these two women. She starts the Amish Knitting Circle.

I wanted to show that the Amish have problems, just like anyone else, but they solve them very differently. Basically, they don’t sweep anything under the rug and deal with issues in community. So issues that women deal with such as poor body image, infertility, marital problems, illnesses, and more, are all talked about.  Some issues, like anxiety disorders, I had to get the advice of a professional to make sure I was being accurate.

In my full length novel, Knit Together: An Amish Close Knit Novel, Granny Weaver starts a knitting circle that is attended by both the Amish and English. Since I lived among the Amish in Upstate NY, and now have Amish friends nearby in PA, I wanted to show the cultural differences, but also how similar we are. I always tell people, “You don’t have to turn Amish to live a simple life, but we can learn a lot from them.”

Lately, my research for the two Christmas serials in Amish Knitting Circle has made the biggest impact on me. They do really focus on the real meaning of the season and just getting together and having fun. I’m kind of over the top with Christmas, and tend to get run down and sick. I discuss this journey of mine toward a simpler Christmas on my blog, Amish Crossings.

 I have an Amish author once month stop by to share what they’ve learned from the Amish.  Might want to see what Trestle Press author, Roger Rheinheimer (Amish Snow and Amish Forever) has to share about these awesome people. 

http://www.karenannavogel.blogspot.com/