This week's guest blog post is by Author Rachel J. Good! I'm so excited to welcome her to my blog. For starters, she has a new release! Secondly, I have always wanted to go to a Mud Sale, but I had no idea what they were. Do they sell mud I've been wondering? I can already smell that delicious Amish food and hear the auctioneer calling right now from Rachel's beautiful description... It's also really wonderful to discover Rachel used to be a librarian! I just love libraries and I'm sure most of you will agree, librarians are AWESOME! Thank you so much for being brave and coming back to my humble blog a second time Rachel! She is offering a wonderful opportunity for a chance to win a copy of your choice of one of the books in the Sisters and Friends series OR the beautiful companion to the series, an Amish Quilt Coloring Book! (I just love coloring books!) To win, entrants must live in the continental U.S. and one random name will be chosen from those who leave a comment here on my blog over the next week or so. I hope you will sign up for Rachel's quarterly newsletter too, but it's not required. -- Lisa
Spring Weather and Mud Sales in Amish Country
As a former librarian, researching is often my favorite part of the process of writing books. The main danger for me is getting lost down a rabbit hole of information as I follow one trail, then another… each tantalizing fact pulling me farther and farther from my original goal. Often those off-the-path facts lead to fascinating nuggets for another story, but with 6 major deadlines looming, I need to concentrate on the books that need to be written.
Right now, I’m working on several books set in Lancaster County. So last weekend I went to the Gordonville Mud Sale to be sure I got the setting right for the Amish anthology coming out this spring. My hero works as an EMT at the firehouse where this mud sale is held, so I paced out all the places he needed to go, and I even got to see the ambulance pull out for a small emergency (glad it was an easily fixed problem).
I’m not sure if Amish communities in other parts of the country have mud sales, but the Lancaster area has one every weekend in March and early April. If you’ve never been to a mud sale, you might be wondering what they do there. And no, they don’t sell mud.
They do sell many other things, though. Food, antiques, crafts, quilts, household and farm equipment, horses, and – yes, lots of buggies. Auctions are going on inside and out all day long, and the air is perfumed with grilling chicken and other delicious treats. Amish women cook and serve various meals and snacks during the day, And you’re surrounded by auctioneer calls of “Going...Going...Sold!”
So how did they get the name “mud sales”? If you look closely at the buggies, you might spot the squishy mud in the fields beyond the them. People wear boots to these sales because in Central PA, if it’s not snowy this time of year, the ground is soggy from all the melting snow and ice. Hence, the name, mud sale.
Most mud sales raise funds for the local firehouses and ambulance services. The Amish believe in helping their communities, so many men volunteer at the firehouse after their long workdays. Although they take the training to become firefighters or EMTs, they do not get certified because it goes against their beliefs. But they do all the same work.
Following the mud sale, two friends and I went for delicious Amish pretzels, and then stopped by an Amish friend’s house to bring some pretzels for her little girls, who devoured them. And again, I was busy researching. Although I’d never put these Amish friends in a book, because I respect their privacy, I’m doing a different kind of research. I’m observing their customs and immersing myself in what it’s like to be Amish, getting a sense of daily routines and lifestyle. The more time I spend in Amish country, the more authentic I can make my books.
A lot of my early research found its way into the Sisters & Friends series. Seeing the PA Amish barns and farms helped me select just the right place to set the books. Book 1, CHANGE OF HEART, revolves around a younger sister, Emma, who goes wild during Rumpschpringa. In Book 2, my latest release, BURIED SECRETS, Emma has a fear of riding in buggies. Her neighbor Sam is willing to help her overcome her fears, but perhaps that isn’t a wise choice given Emma’s past. She’s struggling with amnesia, but as her memory returns, Emma realizes she and Sam can never have a future, even though she’s fallen in love with him. But Emma is unprepared for the changes God’s mercy and forgiveness bring into her life.
For books in a new series I’ll be writing this summer, I’ve picked a different location – St. Mary’s County in MD. I’ve done some preliminary research, but I need to return for a more in-depth look. If you’d like to learn more about my wanderings in Amish Country, feel free to sign up for my newsletter.
Author Bio
Inspirational author Rachel J. Good writes life-changing, heart-tugging novels of faith, hope, and forgiveness. She is the author of several Amish series in print or forthcoming – Sisters & Friends series, Love & Promises series, and two books in the Hearts of Amish Country series – as well as the Amish Quilts Coloring Books and the contemporary novella, Angels Unaware, part of the Hope Chapel series. Rachel also juggles freelance editing and illustration careers. She loves reading (of course!), traveling, and spending time with her five children and three grandchildren. Visit her at her website, Facebook, author page, Twitter, Pinterest, and Goodreads. You also can sign up for her quarterly newsletter here.
Here are links to connect with Rachel--:
www.racheljgood.com
https://www.facebook.com/racheljgoodnovels/
https://www.facebook.com/people/Rachel-J-Good/100009699285059
https://twitter.com/RachelJGood1
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14661177.Rachel_J_Good
https://www.pinterest.com/racheljgood1/
If you’d like to sign up for Rachel's newsletter, you can do it here:
The buy links for Buried Secrets:
https://www.amazon.com/Buried-Secrets-Sisters-Friends-Rachel-ebook/dp/B01HX2U3SQ/