| Zondervan Blog

The Amish Country Tour concluded early this week, and below we've collected some tour memories from Amy Clipston, Vannetta Chapman, and Shelley Shepard Gray. Read on for a roundup of photos, giveaways, embarrassing moments, and one lethally good pie recipe.

Amy, Shelley and Vannetta at the Light Parade

Amy, Shelley & Vannetta after the Shipshewana Light Parade.
View more tour photos in Zondervan's album on Facebook.

On returning home, Shelley (author of Christmas in Sugarcreek) writes this:

It feels great to be home. It really does. But I have to admit that there is a part of me that wishes we were still back on the Amish Country Tour… There had been a sense that all of us were a part of something pretty special… [We met] so many readers! [And we] visited with a lot of Amish, spending hours talking with them about books and their culture…

Shelley also mentions some behind-the-scenes tour tidbits. During their last meal together, Shelley, Amy and Vannetta took turns sharing their picks for Funniest Moment, Best Moment, and Most Embarrassing Moment from the tour. You can read their picks in Shelley's blog post: read more of Shelley's post.

I'd be remiss not to share these two items from Vannetta Chapman (Falling to Pieces): first, an heirloom pie recipe that I'm afraid to try. It begins, "Fill unbaked pie shell a little more than half full with a mixture of brown and white sugar." Read the full "Brown sugar pie" recipe on Vannetta's blog.

Secondly, Vannetta is hosting a giveaway on her blog through this Sunday (Nov. 27, 2011). Learn more about Vannetta's giveaway.

Speaking of giveaways, Amy Clipston (Naomi's Gift) will host one on her Facebook page this weekend. But as of this writing, Amy is taking reader suggestions for what the giveaway will be. Options include an Amish doll, Amish peanut butter, a set of Amy's books, and more. Add your two cents when you find Amy on Facebook.

- Adam Forrest, Zondervan Internet Team

View photos from the Amish Country Tour

See Zondervan's photo album on Facebook

Connect with the authors on Facebook

Vannetta Chapman

Amy Clipston

Shelley Shepard Gray

Vannetta Chapman www.facebook.com/VannettaChapmanBooks
Amy Clipston www.facebook.com/AmyClipstonBooks
Shelley Shepard Gray www.facebook.com/ShelleyShepardGray

The latest books from Vannetta, Amy and Shelley

Falling to Pieces
Vannetta Chapman

Naomi's Gift
Amy Clipston

Learn More about Christmas in Sugarcreek

Christmas in Sugarcreek
Shelley Shepard Gray

Is Amish fiction about fleeing from reality? What should we expect if we meet an Amish person? What do the Amish think about us? Discover answers to these questions and more in this roundtable interview with three preeminent authors of Amish fiction: Amy Clipston (Naomi's Gift), Shelley Shepard Gray (Christmas in Sugarcreek), and Vannetta Chapman (Falling to Pieces). Pull up a chair — wooden or otherwise — and read on.

ZBLOG: Has your research on the Amish way of life changed how you view our broader American lifestyle?

VANNETTA: Yes, very much so. It's re-affirmed a lot of things that my husband and I practice (trading in a suburban lifestyle for a rural one), etc. It's also confirmed for me that Americans in general are looking for elements found in the Amish community, elements that existed in our grandparents' community — more intimate friendships, closer knit neighborhoods, slower pace lifestyles, etc. Those things are still available to everyone to some extent.

AMY: I'm more aware of how caught up in the day to day some Americans are, and I try to take a step back and appreciate the small moments with my family. Instead of just focusing on the daily grind of commuting to work, paying bills, and rushing off here and there, I do my best to spend quiet time talking to my children and listening to them every day, even if I can only squeeze a few minutes before they go to bed at night.

SHELLEY: I've definitely learned to appreciate each moment and day more fully. There's a time for everything, and from my research and friendships with the Amish, I've tried to stop being in such a rush and fretting about the future.

Vannetta Chapman

Amy Clipston

Shelley Shepard Gray

ZBLOG: What’s one thing about the Amish that would surprise most people?

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Amish Country Tour Round-Up: Photos, Giveaways, and Embarrassing Moments

View photos from the Amish Country Tour

Connect with the authors on Facebook

The latest books from Vannetta, Amy and Shelley

Into Amish Country! 3 Fiction Writers on Wisdom, Escape, and Food (Roundtable Interview)