Publisher: Harvest House Publishers
Cover blurb: How long will true love wait? Meghan Yost is bright, talented, and eager to prove to her father, the bishop, that at nineteen she’s mature enough to teach in an Amish school all by herself. But just as she gains confidence and assurance, a troubled student challenges her authority and an enthusiastic suitor in the headstrong Jacob Schultz challenges her patience. How can Meghan outgrow her nickname of “little goose” if she can’t prove herself to be a capable adult who can stand on her own two feet? When a series of apparent hate crimes sweep through the district, the sheriff calls in the FBI, and Special Agent Thomas Mast arrives in Wayne County carrying a secret he’s hidden for years. Will he come to terms with the past and regain his relationship with God (before his career hardened his heart)? (With more on her plate than one girl can handle, Meghan sets out to help with the investigation.) Thomas works closely with the bishop, who hopes the criminals will be arrested before Meghan finds herself in love with the most inappropriate of suitors—an Englischer…An engaging story of one girl’s quest for independence and true love as social prejudice tests a community’s faith in a simpler world.
1) How did this story come to you?
As a former schoolteacher, I still have nightmares regarding facing six classes of middle-school teenagers during my first year. My heroine experiences similar jitters. Regarding hate crimes against the Amish, I ran into (and interviewed) a county sheriff’s department deputy who sparked that part of the story.
2) Tell us about the journey to getting this book published.
We don’t really have kind of time, do we? I can only say I never gave up despite my fair share of rejections. Keep your dreams in your heart and pray for direction is the best advice I could give. Keep knocking on doors until one opens, even if it’s only a crack.
3) Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.
I’m obsessed with Niagara Falls; I’m obsessed with popcorn (I eat it every day) and I make an incredibly good lobster bisque (soup). Can you tell I just returned from a research trip to Maine?
4) What are you working on now and what's next for you?
My next release in Feb 2012 will be An Amish Family Reunion. It will be book four of the best-selling Miller Family Series. For those who enjoyed the series, we pick up the story 12 years after A Widow’s Hope and 4 years after The Way to a Man’s Heart. Right now I’m working on Living in Harmony, set in Maine.
5) Parting comments?
Any readers who’d like my recipe for lobster bisque can send me an email: maryeellis@yahoo.com
6) Where can fans find you on the internet? I hope they’ll stop my blog:
http://www.maryeellis.wordpress.com/
https://www.facebook.com/#%21/pages/Mary-Ellis/126995058236
