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It’s Beginning to Look a Lot like Christmas!
And I hope your week so far is as lovely as mine!
Saturday I had a terrific book signing at Bookology Bookstore in downtown Cambridge, Ohio. The folks at Bookology always treat me so very well, and as my hometown bookstore, it is my hands-down favorite place to meet readers and sign my books.
The yummy cookies they always have don’t hurt!
I don’t know how many books we sold Saturday, but between people who came specifically to see me and all the lovely folks who were visiting downtown Cambridge for the holiday and happened into the bookstore and then bought one or more of my books, it was a pretty successful event.
And many of them bought other books as well — including me, lol.
My newest book, “Plain Jane’s Secret Admirer“, the next in my Willow Creek series, part of the Heart of the Amish series from Barbour Publishing, releases on January 1. But it’s out on Kindle all ready, and Barbour allowed us to do the early bird meet-and-greet at Bookology this weekend.
My author copies showed up Saturday as well, so watch for a video soon of me reading from my newest book.
This morning I thought I’d check on Amazon to see if “Plain Jane” was in the top 100 books in Amish fiction yet, and much to my wondering eyes, it appeared that the book is number three!!
You could have knocked me over with a sprig of holly!
Thanks to everyone who has purchased a copy in print or online; you’re the reason my book is doing so well this holiday season!
Watch for my next two books coming in March and May! My first Harlequin Love Inspired Amish romance, “Feuding with the Amish Farmer“, releases on March 31, and on May 1 it’s the next Willow Creek Heart of the Amish story, “Miriam’s Little Gentleman“!
I wish each and every one of you a very Merry Christmas. God bless you, every one!
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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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