A Story of Hope and Renewal as Two World Collide at Christmastime!
Jaime and C. J. Fitzpatrick began their married life as most couples do–in love and looking forward to a bright future together. But four years later they’ve drifted apart and are almost ready to call it quits.
Mattie Riehl was hoping to give her husband Sol the Christmas gift they have both longed for–news that a baby was on the way. But as usual, she is disappointed. The holidays bring an acute awareness to Mattie that her dream of a big family isn’t likely to become a reality.
Then a winter storm raging outside blows the Fitzpatricks into the Riehl home–and into a much slower pace of life. Can these two couples from different worlds help each other understand the true meaning of love this Christmas?
With her trademark plot twists and attention to detail, Suzanne Woods Fisher offers readers a beautiful Christmas story of love, forgiveness, and what truly matters in life.
Suzanne’s interest in the Amish began with her grandfather, W.D. Benedict, who was raised Plain. She has many, many Plain relatives living in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, and travels back to Pennsylvania, as well as to Ohio, a couple of times each year for research.
Suzanne has a great admiration for the Plain people and believes they provide wonderful examples to the world. In both her fiction and non-fiction books, she has an underlying theme: You don’t have to “go Amish” to incorporate many of their principles–simplicity, living with less, appreciating nature, forgiving others more readily– into your life.
When Suzanne isn’t writing or bragging to her friends about her first new grandbaby (!), she is raising puppies for Guide Dogs for the Blind. To Suzanne’s way of thinking, you just can’t take life too seriously when a puppy is tearing through your house with someone’s underwear in its mouth.
Suzanne can be found on-line at: www.suzannewoodsfisher.com.
GIVEAWAY: It’s Christmas in September!
To celebrate the release of her first Christmas book, Suzanne Woods Fisher has teamed up with her publisher, Revell, to bring you the “Christmas in September” iPad Giveaway! The winner will be announced on 9/27 at the A Lancaster County Christmas Facebook Party! Details below. Tell your friends and join in the fun (9/7-9/27).
Oh and be sure to follow the blog tour here – many of the bloggers have copies of the book to giveaway!
Suzanne and Revell will be presenting one merry winner with a Christmas Prize Pack (valued at over $600):
- A Brand New iPad 2 with Wi-Fi
- $25 gift certificate to iTunes
- A copy of A Lancaster County Christmas
To enter, click one of the icons below. But, hurry the giveaway ends on 9/26.
But, wait! There’s more! The winner will be announced at the A Lancaster County Christmas Facebook Party on 9/27 at Suzanne’s author page. During the party she’ll be revealing something *BIG* – you won’t want to miss it. She’ll also be hosting a book chat, trivia contest and giving away a few early Christmas presents! Hope to see you there.
Endorsement:
“Fisher weaves a touching story of hope and renewal when two worlds collide at Christmastime.” –Mary Ann Kinsinger, A Joyful Chaos blog
My Review:
Sol and Mattie Riehl are hoping to hear the good news of a new arrival to the family, while Jaime and C.J. Fitzpatrick were leaving town to meet her long-absent father for a Christmas cruise, and who had a surprise for Jaime.
Jaime and Mattie, with her precocious six-and-a-half-year-old son, Danny, became acquainted at the doctor’s office. As Jaime is leaving the doctor’s office, the doctor asks if she could return Danny’s whistle before Christmas. Before leaving to her father’s for a Christmas cruise, Jaime, C.J., and Tucker, their dog, make the trip out to the Amish farm.
Shortly after their arrival at the Amish farm, Suzanne Woods Fisher, in her book, A Lancaster County Christmas, takes us on a humorous, dangerous, life-changing, and heart-warming trip. Not one, but two back-to-back major winter blizzards hustle the Fitzpatricks into the Riehl’s home on Christmas eve for an unknown time frame. For those who haven’t lived through a blizzard, Suzanne is very accurate in her appraisal of the weather!
Suzanne, in her typical, heart-warming writing style, spins a story that will resonate in your own life, as each of the characters must come to terms with their own personal disappointments and failures that will change the lives of all involved at the Riehl’s home. The camaraderie between Danny and Jaime brings out a side of Jaime that even she didn’t know she had.
I truly enjoyed the story on many levels–the humorous, dangerous, life-changing, and heartwarming–which you will experience as you read the story. I do believe it’s a Christmas story that could change your life, also! Definitely a Divine encounter.
This book was provided by Amy Lathrop of Litfuse publicity Group in exchange for my review and presentation of the giveaway. No monetary compensation was exchanged.
Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who was born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.” … When they had heard the king, they departed and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them till it came and stood over where the young Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
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