Let welcome to our latest and newest member to our list of authors. Let
welcome Wanda Brunstetter to Nighttime Reading Center. She here on to spread her lastest book "
Letters of Wisdom" and also for a Chat. I am a member of
Wanda's Clippity Clop Club.
I have a chance to read her book "
Letters of Trust". I have read it and read "
Letters of Comfort" as well.
Reviews are coming for these two books.
Let read her Bio and then go to her interview.
#Interviews, #Interviewsaroundtheglobe,
#NRC,
Friendship Letters Series --- Doretta Schwartz has
always enjoyed writing letters and feels her letters can be a bit of a
ministry to her friends. In this series, exchanging letters that contain
open and honest feelings and struggles helps Doretta and two of her
best friends through the darkest challenges of their lives.
Find out in the third book of The Friendship Letters series by New York Times Bestselling Author Wanda E. Brunstetter.
Letters and Prayers Between Friends Become a Balm for Healing
Irma Miller thought having a family
of her own would bring her joy and a sense of accomplishment, but she
struggles with memories of the abuse she suffered as a child at the hand
of her stepfather. When she becomes physically and emotionally abusive
to her own children, she reaches out to her friend Doretta for prayer
and wisdom. But Irma may find herself at an even darker emotional place
before she will admit she needs professional help to heal the past
traumas. Will Doretta's letters of wisdom help Irma and her family, or
will too much be broken to ever be repaired?
New York Times
bestselling and award-winning author, Wanda E. Brunstetter is one of the
founders of the Amish fiction genre. She has written close to 90 books
translated in four languages. With over 10 million copies sold, Wanda's
stories consistently earn spots on the nations most prestigious
bestseller lists and have received numerous awards.
Wanda’s
ancestors were part of the Anabaptist faith, and her novels are based on
personal research intended to accurately portray the Amish way of life.
Her books are well-read and trusted by many Amish, who credit her for
giving readers a deeper understanding of the people and their customs.
When
Wanda visits her Amish friends, she finds herself drawn to their
peaceful lifestyle, sincerity, and close family ties. Wanda enjoys
photography, ventriloquism, gardening, bird-watching, beachcombing, and
spending time with her family. She and her husband, Richard, have been
blessed with two grown children, six grandchildren, and two
great-grandchildren.
To learn more about Wanda, visit her website at www.wandabrunstetter.com.
Does Wanda have a favorite time of day or location to write where she feels the most productive?
I
pretty much write any time of the day and often write 5 days a week 8
hours or more per day. I enjoy writing outdoors when possible and when I
can’t, then I write from my office where there’s a window to look out
of.
Are you coming to PA any time soon?
We
do have plans to return to Pennsylvania in early August. In addition to
visiting with my husband’s family who live there, I will most likely be
doing several book signings. My signing schedule will be posted on my
website as the time gets closer.
Does Wanda cook a lot of authentic Amish recipes for her family?
I do cook recipes from my Amish friends whenever possible, and one of my favorite recipes is Amish Haystack.
Has Wanda ever gone to the Sight and Sound show in Strasburg?
Yes, we have been to Sight and Sound several times over the years
Are
there any subjects you won't discuss in a story line? Is there a
subject you want to discuss but have not come up with a story for it?
My
head is always swimming with story ideas but there are probably some
topics I won’t choose to write about. I always want my stories to bring
glory to God, and if a certain subject matter doesn’t, then I would not
choose to write about it.
Thank you for Letters of Wisdom. Will you write any more books on this subject in the near future?
I don’t have any plans at this point to write more on the topic of abuse, but I probably would if God showed me that I should.
What is Wanda's favorite recipe from all her cookbooks?
Haystack
is one of my favorite recipes. It’s fun and easy to make, and also
delicious! We've eaten it many times at our Amish friends' homes.
Was
it difficult to come up with the story in Letters of Wisdom? The
emotions and events hit spot on. It was sometimes hard to read the book
because of the memories it brought up.
Coming
up with the storyline was easy since both my husband and I suffered
some forms of abuse when we were children. I had also been asked by
several people to write something on the topic of abuse.
Was
it difficult to come up with the story in Letters of Wisdom? The
emotions and events hit spot on. It was sometimes hard to read the book
because of the memories it brought up.
Coming
up with the storyline was easy since both my husband and I suffered
some forms of abuse when we were children. I had also been asked by
several people to write something on the topic of abuse.
Do you ever wish you lived in Lancaster County among the Amish?
We
have some Amish friends who live in Lancaster County and other places
in Pennsylvania, and it’s a great place to go. However, we have even
more friends who live in Indiana, which I think would be great place to
live.
Do you think there is less or more shunning than there was years ago?
I
think severe shunning still occurs in some communities like the
Swartzentrubers, but it’s my understanding from talking to friends who
left the Amish faith after joining the church, that their family did not
shun them for a very long period of time.
Do you have penpals that you write to regularly?
I
don’t have penpals, as such, but I do have close friendships with many
Amish families. We either write or call each other regularly and try to
visit in person as often as we can.
What is the message you hope your readers take away from Letters of Wisdom?I
hope my readers will realize that if they, or someone they know has
been abused, it’s good to talk about it and seek professional help as
needed. Forgiveness is a big part of healing from abuse and God’s Word
has a lot to say about forgiveness. So turning to the Bible for help and healing is also very important.
Your
Amish Friends Outdoor Cookbook released yesterday, May 1! Does your
family enjoy grilling and outdoor cooking? What is your favorite outdoor
cooking recipe?
Yes,
my husband loves to grill outdoors and he received a new grill for his
birthday in March and he’s eager to try it out. He cooks with Bison meat
a lot and I love bison burgers with all the trimmings.
Do you often collect recipes from your Amish friends?
Yes,
I have received many recipes from Amish friends and often pick up new
ones whenever we eat at one of our Amish friend’s homes.
Has
Wanda ever considered or thought about making one of her book series
into a movie or movie series? And if so which series would she like to
see done?"
It
would be nice to have one of my books or a series made into a movie,
but unfortunately, I don’t have the ability to make it happen. I have
been blessed, however, to have two of my books made into musical plays,
and another one is in the works, which will debut in the spring of 2025.
Are
there any plans for more of Wanda's books to be made into musicals at
The Blue Gate Theatre? I'd love to see The Prayer Jar series as a
musical!)
"Yes,
the musical I mentioned in the previous question is currently being
written and will be based on a book I'm co-authoring with Martha Bolton,
who is also writing the script for the play."
I
recently heard that Wanda's husband was a pastor and has retired from
this ministry. What did Wanda enjoy most about being a pastor's wife? As
a pastor's wife, did the ladies in their congregation know Wanda was a well-known author and read her books? Did she ever have book clubs with them and discuss her books?
"While
my husband was in the ministry, I enjoyed being able to minister to
others in need of counseling or some kind of help. When Richard took his
first church, I was not a well-known author but during his second
assignment, most everyone in the church knew about
my books. Although we did not have a book club, the church did have a
library, so I made sure to put each of my new releases on the library
shelves."
How long will you continue writing?
"As long as God keeps giving me the ideas and the strength to write, I will keep authoring novels."
I would like to know if Wanda would ever consider coming to a small town in AR? How does someone go about getting her to come?
"I
did a few book signings in AR several years ago but have not been back
since. All of my signings and speaking requests are done through my
publisher."
From
what I can find out, there are over 35 Amish communities in Michigan
with 86 church districts. Has Wanda ever visited any in Michigan?
"I
have done a few book signings in Michigan, but have never visited any
of the Amish settlements in that state. I do have an Amish friend who
married an Amish man from Clare, Michigan, however.
When your kids were growing up, did you have family dinners together every night?
"Yes, we always ate together."
Have you ever gone to TN or near the Smokies for book signings?
"Yes, I have been to Tennessee a few times for book signings and research."
Is there a season of the year you tend to get more written than other seasons?
"I am busy writing during all four seasons."
Thank
you for Live Chat Wanda. I hope to see you around here. I hope you stop
by once in awhile.Thank to the Admin and though Questions from the
members of
Wanda Cippity Clap Club for these and allowing us to use the Questions into a blog post (Interview post).
