Today Wednesday Wonders features Old Amarillo: Amish Journeys #1 by Sara Barnard.
About
the Book:
Upon returning from her Rumspringa in New York City, Katie
Knepp is certain of her need to remain Amish. However, the memories of her
newfound independence have left her thirsting for more adventure than can be
found on her family’s farm in Gasthof Village, Indiana. After praying for
guidance she remembers a conversation about a bee-keeping Mennonite settlement
in the wilds of west Texas and the tugging of her heartstrings almost makes the
decision for her. Leaving her parents proved hard enough, but leaving her twin
sister Annie and hopeful fiancé Peter Wagler made getting out of Indiana almost
impossible. Katie learns all too early in her journey that the trail to Texas
is a rough one, laced with barbed wire fences that stretch for miles, railroads
that attract would-be could-be bandits, and a drought so severe that even
turning back isn’t an option.
Excerpt:
(The author left an
excerpt in the comments section. I have edited the post to include it here.
Robyn Echols.)
Grinning, Katie pointed toward the stagecoach road. “There,
I think we’re safe.” The surge of adrenaline brought an almost audible thump to
her chest.
The click of a weapon at her ear though, brought a cold knot to her throat.
“Come on out here,”
hissed a voice from behind them. “Both of you step on out of that buggy.”
Katie obeyed, eyeing the bandit warily. Chunks of greasy black hair curled out from under his dirty hat. A bandana, which probably was blue at one time, hung limp over the bottom half of his face.
Turning his attention from Katie, he pointed the weapon at
Peter. “I said move it, dude.”
Peter stared hard at the stranger as he folded his tall body out of the buggy, his face tensed into a mishmash of planes which made him almost unrecognizable to Katie. As scarlet crept up Peter’s neck and into his face, she could almost see the prayers flying from the top of his head. Probably praying for patience, she figured.
About
the Author:
Sara Barnard is mother to four beautiful children, daughter
to a pair of awesome parents who have become two of her best friends over the
years, wife to a handsome Texan, student to her Master's of Arts in European
History classes, and friend to many. Oh, she writes some, too.
Sara began writing in the third grade, but became serious about becoming published after watching Eclipse with her friend, Rochelle. Rochelle mentioned that Ms. Meyer was a housewife with many children, so Sara decided that since she was back home while her husband was deployed, she would put pen to paper and see what happened. Wow. She started writing in 2009 and hasn't stopped since! This has led to her finding her publisher, 5 Prince Publishing, and her awesome Warrior Princess editor! Her debut novel, A Heart on Hold, was published in 2012 and quickly became a series. Books 2 and 3, A Heart Broken and A Heart at Home, were published in January 2013 and June 2013 respectively, with book 4, A Heart Forever Wild, forthcoming! Book 1, A Heart on Hold, made it to the top three finalists for the best of 2012 American Historical RONE award and became an Amazon bestseller! Book 2, A Heart Broken, appears to be following in the same path. On a different note, set to release in November is Sara's debut Amish romance novella, Rebekah's Quilt.
Sara writes for kids, too. She independently publishes a line of nonfiction children's books which includes The ABCs of Texas Plants, The ABCs of Oklahoma Plants, and The Big Bad Wolf Really Isn't so Big and Bad -- all of which have become bestsellers on Amazon in their respective categories. 5 Prince Kids also publishes some of Sara's fiction works. Chunky Sugars was published in January 2013 and Little Spoon released September 2013. Chunky Sugars just received a 5-star review as Reader's Favorite, as well! All of Sara's titles are available in both print and digital format, with audio books of each coming soon (if they're not already here!)
Sara began writing in the third grade, but became serious about becoming published after watching Eclipse with her friend, Rochelle. Rochelle mentioned that Ms. Meyer was a housewife with many children, so Sara decided that since she was back home while her husband was deployed, she would put pen to paper and see what happened. Wow. She started writing in 2009 and hasn't stopped since! This has led to her finding her publisher, 5 Prince Publishing, and her awesome Warrior Princess editor! Her debut novel, A Heart on Hold, was published in 2012 and quickly became a series. Books 2 and 3, A Heart Broken and A Heart at Home, were published in January 2013 and June 2013 respectively, with book 4, A Heart Forever Wild, forthcoming! Book 1, A Heart on Hold, made it to the top three finalists for the best of 2012 American Historical RONE award and became an Amazon bestseller! Book 2, A Heart Broken, appears to be following in the same path. On a different note, set to release in November is Sara's debut Amish romance novella, Rebekah's Quilt.
Sara writes for kids, too. She independently publishes a line of nonfiction children's books which includes The ABCs of Texas Plants, The ABCs of Oklahoma Plants, and The Big Bad Wolf Really Isn't so Big and Bad -- all of which have become bestsellers on Amazon in their respective categories. 5 Prince Kids also publishes some of Sara's fiction works. Chunky Sugars was published in January 2013 and Little Spoon released September 2013. Chunky Sugars just received a 5-star review as Reader's Favorite, as well! All of Sara's titles are available in both print and digital format, with audio books of each coming soon (if they're not already here!)
Author
Links:
Purchase
Links:
Amazon | Barnes
& Noble
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Robyn Echols Books features OLD AMARILLO: AMISH
JOURNEYS #1 by @TheSaraBarnard http://bit.ly/1l3CtfI
#WedWonders
Thank you for this beautiful feature, Robyn! Here's an excerpt of Old Amarillo!
ReplyDeleteGrinning, Katie pointed toward the stagecoach road. “There, I think we’re safe.” The surge of adrenaline brought an almost audible thump to her chest.
The click of a weapon at her ear though, brought a cold knot to her throat. “Come on out here,” hissed a voice from behind them. “Both of you step on out of that buggy.”
Katie obeyed, eyeing the bandit warily. Chunks of greasy black hair curled out from under his dirty hat. A bandana, which probably was blue at one time, hung limp over the bottom half of his face. Turning his attention from Katie, he pointed the weapon at Peter. “I said move it, dude.”
Peter stared hard at the stranger as he folded his tall body out of the buggy, his face tensed into a mishmash of planes which made him almost unrecognizable to Katie. As scarlet crept up Peter’s neck and into his face, she could almost see the prayers flying from the top of his head. Probably praying for patience, she figured.