Holmes County's largest book signing joins authors and readers
Serena Miller was one of dozens of authors eager to meet readers and autograph books at the Gospel Book Store’s second annual signing event on Saturday, Nov. 12., the largest of its kind in Holmes County. Miller’s first published book, Love Finds You in Sugarcreek, Ohio, placed second in the Inspirational Reader’s Choice Awards, prompting Simon and Schuster to contract Miller to write three more books of Amish fiction for their Howard Publishing division. All three, said Miller, who lives on a small farm near Portsmouth, will be set in Holmes County.
“Amish fiction is the fastest growing genre in the United States,” said Miller, who spent a significant amount of time with a local Amish family researching Love Finds You, intent on ensuring an authentic portrayal of Amish culture.
“They found out what I was doing and invited me to ask all the questions I wanted,” said Miller. “They wanted to make sure it was accurate.”
Miller’s goal with her next three books is to inspire readers while educating them about the differences in the various Amish sects. The first, An Uncommon Grace, to be released in April 2012, focuses on the Swartzentruber Amish.
As a mother of three boys and a minister’s wife, Miller said she has cooked a lot of casseroles and is now enjoying life as a writer.
Miller wasn’t the only author present who spent life, pre-writing, in the kitchen. Berlin’s Paul Stutzman put in many years of restaurant management before writing Hiking Through, about grieving the loss of his wife to breast cancer while trekking the Appalachian Trail. Stutzman’s second book, Biking Through, chronicles his 5,000-mile cycling excursion from Washington state to the Florida Keys. Both books have been picked up by Revell Books, a division of Baker Publishing Group and Stutzman is now working on his first piece of fiction. The author signing, he said, was an opportunity for him to do what he loves most--meeting people and hearing their stories.
The signing event was organized by Gospel Book Store owner Eli Hochstetler.
“It was fantastic,” said Hochstetler. “We had 33 authors and wall to wall people all day long.”
Next year’s event has been scheduled for Nov. 10, 2012 and will feature as many as 50 authors. Hochstetler said it’s a wonderful opportunity to gift friends and loved ones with reading material from right here in Holmes County.
“We have a unique culture, not matched by any place else in the world,” said Hochstetler. “With these kinds of books, we can keep our culture going.”
Leroy Beachy, author of Unser Leit, or Our People, has spent more than 20 years lovingly creating a work about his culture. His two-volume set shares the origins of the Amish from 17th century Switzerland to today in a pleasant-to-read and easy-to-navigate format, thanks to Beachy’s dedication to researching and writing the stories as well as creating the layout and design of the book.
“I don’t call it the history of the Amish, because it’s in story form,” said Beachy, who began the project out of curiosity. “None of us Amish knew who we were. None of our people knew where we came from.”
Beachy spent 11 months creating hundreds of beautiful pen, ink and watercolor illustrations to bring Unser Leit to life. Art, he said, came about long before he began elementary school. At 16, Beachy requested information on an art correspondence course without his parents’ knowledge, believing they’d never approve. What he got was a story he’d remember forever.
“I earned 25 cents a week and would use it to send out 25 penny postcards,” said Beachy. “I saw an ad for Art Instruction, Inc. in Minneapolis, Minn. and sent in a penny postcard.”
One day, while he and his dad were loading manure onto a spreader, Beachy was shocked to see a large black Cadillac bumping down the lane with “Art Instruction, Inc. of Minneapolis, MN,” painted on the side.
“I knew I’d had it,” he remembered. But instead of turning the salesman away, Beachy’s father invited him in.
“My dad bought that course for $212,” said Beachy. “It was one of the biggest surprises in my lifetime.”
For more information about these or any of the 33 authors featured at Holmes County’s largest book signing, contact the Gospel Book Store at 330-893-2523.
“Amish fiction is the fastest growing genre in the United States,” said Miller, who spent a significant amount of time with a local Amish family researching Love Finds You, intent on ensuring an authentic portrayal of Amish culture.
“They found out what I was doing and invited me to ask all the questions I wanted,” said Miller. “They wanted to make sure it was accurate.”
Miller’s goal with her next three books is to inspire readers while educating them about the differences in the various Amish sects. The first, An Uncommon Grace, to be released in April 2012, focuses on the Swartzentruber Amish.
As a mother of three boys and a minister’s wife, Miller said she has cooked a lot of casseroles and is now enjoying life as a writer.
Miller wasn’t the only author present who spent life, pre-writing, in the kitchen. Berlin’s Paul Stutzman put in many years of restaurant management before writing Hiking Through, about grieving the loss of his wife to breast cancer while trekking the Appalachian Trail. Stutzman’s second book, Biking Through, chronicles his 5,000-mile cycling excursion from Washington state to the Florida Keys. Both books have been picked up by Revell Books, a division of Baker Publishing Group and Stutzman is now working on his first piece of fiction. The author signing, he said, was an opportunity for him to do what he loves most--meeting people and hearing their stories.
The signing event was organized by Gospel Book Store owner Eli Hochstetler.
“It was fantastic,” said Hochstetler. “We had 33 authors and wall to wall people all day long.”
Next year’s event has been scheduled for Nov. 10, 2012 and will feature as many as 50 authors. Hochstetler said it’s a wonderful opportunity to gift friends and loved ones with reading material from right here in Holmes County.
“We have a unique culture, not matched by any place else in the world,” said Hochstetler. “With these kinds of books, we can keep our culture going.”
Leroy Beachy, author of Unser Leit, or Our People, has spent more than 20 years lovingly creating a work about his culture. His two-volume set shares the origins of the Amish from 17th century Switzerland to today in a pleasant-to-read and easy-to-navigate format, thanks to Beachy’s dedication to researching and writing the stories as well as creating the layout and design of the book.
“I don’t call it the history of the Amish, because it’s in story form,” said Beachy, who began the project out of curiosity. “None of us Amish knew who we were. None of our people knew where we came from.”
Beachy spent 11 months creating hundreds of beautiful pen, ink and watercolor illustrations to bring Unser Leit to life. Art, he said, came about long before he began elementary school. At 16, Beachy requested information on an art correspondence course without his parents’ knowledge, believing they’d never approve. What he got was a story he’d remember forever.
“I earned 25 cents a week and would use it to send out 25 penny postcards,” said Beachy. “I saw an ad for Art Instruction, Inc. in Minneapolis, Minn. and sent in a penny postcard.”
One day, while he and his dad were loading manure onto a spreader, Beachy was shocked to see a large black Cadillac bumping down the lane with “Art Instruction, Inc. of Minneapolis, MN,” painted on the side.
“I knew I’d had it,” he remembered. But instead of turning the salesman away, Beachy’s father invited him in.
“My dad bought that course for $212,” said Beachy. “It was one of the biggest surprises in my lifetime.”
For more information about these or any of the 33 authors featured at Holmes County’s largest book signing, contact the Gospel Book Store at 330-893-2523.
Published: November 17, 2011
