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So You Had a Bad Day?
Everyone has them – those days where everything seems to go wrong.
Daniel Powter lamented his in his catchy 2006 chart-topping one-hit-wonder “Bad Day”.
Alexander had one in the classic children’s book published in 1972 by Judith Viorst, “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day”. My kids loved hearing about Alexander and knowing that they weren’t the only ones who suffered such indignities.
Sometimes the reasons for bad days are hard to pin down. You’re just in a bad mood. You feel off. Little things seem to conspire to add up to a day you’d rather leave in the past.
Other times bad days are caused by bad things that happen in our lives. There’s no escaping this; nobody skates through life untouched by loss, injury, illness and injustice of some kind. These bad days can stretch into bad weeks or months, and we can find ourselves desperately searching for something – anything! – to cast a ray of light into the darkness we’re trudging through at those times.
I buried my sister last weekend. She’d been ill all summer, and our hopes for recovery were dashed. Talk about a bad day! It’s one of the stretchy ones, too, that I know will take months to heal.
Yet there have been many rays of light in this journey.
Things directly related to my sister, such as finding an old letter from her mailed to me in our college days, or hearing one of her songs on YouTube (She was the fiddler in an Irish band, The Crossing); to receiving a lovely card or bouquet of flowers letting me know friends are keeping me in their prayers during this time; to an evening spent with my other sisters talking, laughing and crying about Jennifer; to holding my brother’s brand new baby, born on the day we held Jennifer’s funeral – what a full circle that made!
Things not related to her at all that nevertheless lift me up, such as a random smile given to me in the parking lot of Family Dollar this morning by a stranger, and seeing two beautiful labs sitting in the cab of a pick-up as if they had just driven in and were waiting for a friend inside the store; a sunbow (like a rainbow, but there’s no rain, and it’s kind of blocky instead of arched) in the evening sky; a late dandelion in the grass; a favorite song that comes on the radio at just the right time; a little piece of good news; an unexpected phone call from a far-away friend or family member just because they thought of me; looking forward to something special I know is coming in the future; an indulgence, such as ice cream or chocolate or an expensive coffee that didn’t come out of a plastic pod; the perfect sermon in church that just seems to be addressed right at me, giving me hope and comfort.
All these things keep me going, adding little pops of gladness to my days, and as a natural optimist, I know soon enough I’ll be generally content once again.
So yeah, I’ve had a bad day, and I know you have, too. And maybe the lady in the Family Dollar parking lot who smiled at me with no idea that she was gifting me with one of those little pops of gladness was having a bad day, too, and my return smile gladdened her in return.
You never know. So when you’re feeling blue, remember the Shirelle’s 1961 hit, “Mama Said”.
“Mama said there’d be days like this, there’d be days like this my mama said.”
I hear you, Mom. You weren’t wrong!
Sunbow by Island Jane from Pinterest -
See You in Berlin October 25!
Next weekend, on Saturday, October 25 from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m., I’ll be one of about 40 Christian authors in all genres participating in the 15th Annual Gospel Bookstore author event in Berlin! The Gospel Bookstore is offering 15% off all books by authors at the event purchased during the event, between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. I hope you can make it. There will be so many great authors to meet.
The Gospel Bookstore Bookstore is located at 4900 Oak Street in Berlin, inside the German Village Center on the top level. The authors will be in the large atrium there, waiting to meet and greet you all!
If you attended the book signing after the Books, Bakes & Buggies event, it’s in the same place again.
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Publishers Weekly Loves my new Book!
In the sweepstakes of reviews in the publishing world, getting a good review from Publishers Weekly is right up there with winning a nice 50/50 raffle! And to get three great reviews from this prestigious industry trend-setter is simply smashing.
Well, that’s what has happened to me! I’m so excited to announce that the folks at Publishers Weekly love my next Heart of the Amish release, “Plain Jane’s Secret Admirer!“
They gave terrific reviews to my first two books, “Ruth’s Ginger Snap Surprise” and “Mary’s Calico Hope“, and to have a third review from them is just breathtaking.
Why does this matter? Because everyone pays attention to what Publishers Weekly thinks about a book, from the media to librarians to literary agents to book sellers to publishers! Publishers Weekly is the gold standard of literary reviewers.
Here’s what they have to say:
Plain Jane’s Secret Admirer
Anne Blackburne. Barbour, $14.99 trade paper (256p) ISBN 979-8-89151-257-3
The sweet latest in Blackburne’s the Heart of the Amish series … stars an unassuming young baker with an unfortunate nickname. Jane Bontrager has been pining over Samuel Mast for years, unaware he’s behind her hated childhood nickname “Plain Jane,” a byproduct of his effort to hide his childhood crush on her. When Jane starts receiving letters and gifts from a secret admirer, the last person she suspects is Sam. His best friend encourages him to stop sending anonymous gifts, own up to his past behavior, and declare his feelings, but Sam’s reluctant, especially when he and Jane forge a tenuous bond after spending time together at her bakery. But when a second secret admirer starts pursuing Jane, the stakes rise and Sam worries he’s missed his chance to set the record straight. Blackburne’s central romance is enriched with plenty of small-town charm and comic relief, including a few mischievous cats (one of which is named Little Mouse). Series fans and newcomers alike will be charmed by this cheerful trip back to Ohio Amish country.
Can you see why I’m so pleased? And did you catch the mention of Little Mouse, from my last book, “Lizzie’s Little Mouse?” What fun! I hope you’ll read Jane’s story, and let me know what you think about her adventures with her kitty and her friends Sam Mast, Eliza King and Benuel Lapp as they try to figure out what has happened to a very important, and very missing kitty!
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The Latest Heart of the Amish Book
Hunting for a Husband
by Mindy Steele
Mindy Steele has penned another engaging entry in Barbour’s “Heart of the Amish” series in her July, 2025 release, “Hunting for a Husband.” I really enjoyed this book, and especially seeing the hero and heroine from Steele’s last book, “Courting an Amish Bishop”. Since I use the same story world in all my Heart of the Amish books, and enjoy showing my readers what their favorite characters are up to, I always like it when other authors do the same. It’s like visiting old friends!
The Story: Amish woman Leah Wicky and her family recently moved from Lancaster, Pennsylvania to Kentucky where they set up a deer farm full of valuable white tail deer. This generates a great deal of curiosity in the vicinity, as people are more accustomed to seeing cows and horses farmed than deer. Leah has recently been disappointed in love, as the man she thought was her future husband turned out to just be using her until he could figure out how to leave his Amish community and to live in the English world.
Her best friend and her sisters are happily married, and one of her brothers is close to becoming engaged. Love is all around her, and Leah longs for it for herself.
Joe Shelter, proprietor of Shelter Outdoors where he sells archery and other equipment and teaches archery, has been in a wheelchair since an accident in his teens. He doesn’t expect love to find him, but he longs for it all the same.
The local herbal healer, Stella, whom fans of Steele’s will recall from her book “Courting an Amish Bishop”, thinks Joe might walk again if he can find the courage to take a leap of faith.
When Joe and Leah unexpectedly find themselves in a position to help one another out of a difficult situation, a friendship begins to bloom. And each sees in the other all the good things they want in a spouse.
Will they have the courage to pursue their attraction?
When poachers attack the Wicky deer farm, injuring Leah, Joe is determined to protect her and find the guilty parties, whom he suspects may not be total strangers.
Read the book for all the thrilling twists and turns that lead Joe and Leah along the road of a forever love.
Filled with Swiss Amish sayings and words, and with Steele’s clever storytelling, this book is a must read for fans of Steele, the Heart of the Amish series, and Amish romance.
Fun Fact: Did you know that Mindy Steele lives in Kentucky’s Amish Country? She is good friends with a number of Swiss Amish families, and that’s where she gets her knowledge of their language and customs, which differ somewhat from other Amish groups.
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I’ll be Featured on Jennifer Beckstrand’s Ten-minute Book Club August 6!
We’ll be talking about my newest release from The Heart of the Amish, “Lizzie’s Little Mouse”. AND You COULD win a Copy of my Book!
Here are the Deets!
On August 6 at 7 p.m. MST, which is 5 p.m. Eastern time, Jennifer Beckstrand will interview me on her ten-minute book club, a Facebook group for sweet and inspirational romance readers, writers, and future fans. I’ll be giving away a copy of Lizzie’s Little Mouse to a reader chosen at random from anyone who comments or asks a question in the comment section. Follow this link to join the group before Wednesday night so you can be part of the fun and enter the giveaway!
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Enjoy a Second Chance at the Sunshine Inn is Coming in July!
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“Second Chance at the Sunshine Inn”, by Amy Clipston, offers the satisfaction of a rainy-day man/sunshiny woman mashup set on the sparkling North Carolina coast, combined with a deep look into complex familial relationships, touching on feelings involved in discovering an unexpected sibling, sibling rivalry, the unknown secrets of parental relationships and trust issues common to us all.
What was free-spirited Alana thinking when she took it into her head to leave half of her inn to her beloved goddaughter and niece, Everleigh, a traveling NICU nurse; and half to her grumpy, Johnny-come-lately bad-boy handyman Cade?
Both Cade and Everleigh loved Alana – this can’t be denied. But each has ideas of what to do with their windfall; ideas that absolutely do not mesh up.
Their mutual attraction complicates the situation, but both are stubborn and proud, and maybe afraid to take a chance at exposing the vulnerable underbelly of their feelings.
And each has ghosts to exercise. Will they be able to help one another during this pivitol period in their lives? Or will they allow misunderstandings and hurts to push them apart?
You can trust Amy Clipston to bring everything together in a satisfactory way that will leave you sighing with happiness, and looking up what else you might read by this best-selling author of sweet, Christian and Amish romance.
Releasing from Harper Collins on July 8, and available now for pre-order wherever you purchase Christian fiction.
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An Answered Prayer
I pray a lot. Sometimes my prayers are answered in the way I hope they’ll be, but often they are not. But still I pray, talking to God as if he were a friend of mine, conversationally.
Know that old Garth Brooks song, “Thank God for Unanswered Prayers”? Well, I could give you some examples of times where I later realized that something I desperately wanted, and didn’t get, turned out for the best.
There are other examples where I prayed so very hard for something, and was denied. Why? Only god knows.
I don’t generally pray for frivolous things. When I reach out with a request, it’s generally something pretty important to me or someone else. But we have to realize that we are all God’s children, and sometimes prayer requests may come at cross-purposes.
If you’re praying to get that new job or promotion, it’s likely that someone else is, too. You can’t all get it, so only one person will feel that her prayers were answered. But what if they all are?
Sometimes the answer is no. It’s hard to accept, but there’s no choice, so on I go.
Harder to accept are ‘no’s’ that seem to make no sense. You pray for a child, or any loved one, to overcome an illness, and they die anyway.
Or you pray to find a job so you can feed and house your family, and no job suddenly appears to bail you out. Why? Only God knows.
But today I heard wonderful news – a young man who was told yesterday that he had metastatic pancreatic cancer – a terrible diagnosis – learned today that the diagnosis was wrong! He does have tumors in his body, but they are isolated, not metastatic, and not originating in the pancreas.
I prayed hard for this young man, in his 20s, newly married, to get a miracle, and I know a lot of other people were also praying for him. And he got that miracle!
Now he has a good chance to see old age.
Does this mean that God loves him more than the ones who don’t get a miracle? I don’t believe so. Does this mean that more people prayed for him and that’s why he got his miracle? I don’t believe so. For some reason, it isn’t this young man’s time yet.
So at a time when there’s a lot of hard news – and when are we ever in a time when there isn’t, really? – this is good news that I wanted to share.
I don’t know this young man. You probably don’t either. But you can feel a little bit better today knowing that out there somewhere in America is a young husband who learned today that he won’t be leaving his wife in the next couple of months.
Thank God!
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Book Review: Caring for the Amish Family
I give this book five stars. I really enjoyed it. No foolish misunderstandings. No cringworthy moments. Just good writing and good reading!
Caring for the Amish Family
By Amy ClipstonI loved this Older Adult Hero/Heroine Romance from Amy Clipston!
Regina Weaver is in danger of losing her house, but she doesn’t want anyone to know. She hasn’t even told her twins.
Everett Zook has a secret, too, about his daughter-in-law’s whereabouts. He has promised his son to keep the secret, against his better judgement.
Regina and Everett were attracted to one another as teens, but never knew the feelings were mutual. Each married happily and each was widowed. Both are doing well, though in truth, both are lonely for that special connection they lost with the deaths of their spouses. An adorable baby and a suave farm cat add to the appeal of this engaging love story.
Can Regina and Everett help solve each other’s problems even as love blooms anew? Well, it IS a love story. Just saying!
I received a free copy of this book for the purpose of reviewing it, but my stated opinions are true and honest.
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Celebrate Lit Tour Continues:
Here’s an interview I gave Gina of the blog, “Stories by Gina” You can go to her blog page and click to enter to win a print copy of “Lizzie’s Little Mouse” and an Amazon.com gift card. She’s also doing a fun Mother’s Day scavenger hunt with a number of other Christian authors! Have fun, and Happy Mother’s Day to everyone!
Interview with Anne
When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
I’ve written poems and stories since I was a child. But I first determined to become a published book author in my late 20s. It took me 35 years, but I finally achieved that goal. Never give up on your dreams!
How long does it take you to write a book?
It varies, but it’s getting quicker as I gain experience. I’d estimate I can have a first draft of a book done in 1-3 months, depending on the length of the book, and what else I have going on in my life. Then there are edits, revisions, etc. before a final draft is complete. I’ll often be working on my next book while working on edits from my editor on the previous one.
What is your real-life work schedule like?
I’m the managing editor of two weekly newspapers in SE Ohio, so I have a full-time day job. I also enjoy directing and acting in community theater productions, often musicals. My personal writing largely takes place evenings and weekends. When I’m working on a manuscript, I’m very disciplined, sitting down to write a targeted number of words each evening. This is usually between 1000 and 2000 words.
Have you ever experienced writer’s block, and how do you handle it?
Not really. Possibly because of my newspaper training, I can write about anything anytime. There’s no telling your editor at the paper, ‘sorry, I just couldn’t get into that story. I’ll try again tomorrow.’ You won’t need to because you’ll be looking for a new job tomorrow. Lol.
I do sometimes need a break from writing between projects to recharge. If time permits, I may rest my writing chops for between a week to a month. But when I’m in the middle of a project, if I’m not feeling it, I just keep going. If I don’t like what I wrote later, I can delete it. If I didn’t write anything, I’m nowhere. My advice? Write. And when you’re writing, don’t edit. Finish the scene or chapter, then go back and see if you like what you’ve done.
How many books have you written? Where can readers find out more? Do you have any projects coming up?
I combined three questions here. “Lizzie’s Little Mouse” is the third book I’ve written for The Heart of the Amish series from Barbour. The others, in case you missed them, are “Ruth’s Ginger Snap Surprise” and “Mary’s Calico Hope”. I wrote a novella called “Lucy’s Christmas Sunbeam” which was included in a collection called “A Lancaster Amish Christmas” that came out this past September. I’m currently working on my fourth Heart of the Amish book, “Plain Jane’s Secret Admirer”, which comes out next January! Readers can find me on Facebook at Anne Blackburne. My website is AnneBlackburne.com. Feel free to reach out to me through Facebook messenger if you’d like to receive my monthly newsletter!
BONUS QUESTION! What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
My children are all grown, so when I’m not working at the paper or on a book, my time is my own. I love spending it with friends and family, and I enjoy many different pursuits, including participating in community theater, reading all sorts of books, kayaking, swimming and yoga, singing in my church choir and enjoying coffee and donuts after church with friends, watching movies with my kids in the evening, and traveling. You’ve got to experience life to write about it.
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What did Celebrate Lit bloggers have to say about Lizzie’s story this week?
The Celebrate Lit tour for my new Heart of the Amish release, “Lizzie’s Little Mouse,” continues with several blog posts in the last couple of days. I’m a little behind, because I’m enjoying a few rainy days up on Kelley’s Island, in Lake Erie, working on my next book, “Plain Jane’s Secret Admirer”.
First on May 1, Debbie Curto from Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations said,
“I think this book would appeal to readers of mysteries even if they aren’t readers of Amish literature.”
Also on May 1, Carla from Carla’s Book Crush blogged about Lizzie’s story! Here’s what she has to say:
“This is definitely for readers who prefer a cozy, sweet read that’s well-paced but not overly emotional or suspenseful. Even though it’s Amish fiction, I think people who don’t typically read Amish fiction could still enjoy this…”
On May 2, two more Christian bloggers offered their opinions, along with chances for readers to win prizes.
First, Life on Chickadee Lane had lovely things to say about Lizzie’s story.
Don’t forget to click through for another chance to win prizes!
Also on May 2, Vickie Sluiter had some nice things to say about Lizzie’s story. Here’s an example that made me feel great!
“Lizzie’s Little Mouse is different than is typical for an Amish story, as it really is a cozy mystery. I enjoyed that aspect of it. While Blackburn kept me guessing, it wasn’t a nerve-wracking edge of the seat book.
Well developed characters make this story enjoyable. Lizzie is trying to make her dream come true. John is trying to help during all the mysterious trouble, without getting his heart involved. But can he? Will they remain friends, or ruin a life-long friendship? The secondary characters are equally as good and I would love to go have coffee and pastries with them all.”
So would I, Vicky!
Remember to visit all the blog posts through May 13 for a greater chance to win that Amazon gift card and a free print copy of my book!
See you soon with more from Celebrate Lit!
Anne Blackburne
Amish Stories