What Inspires you?

| Amy

I have to say that I am inspired by many things. Music, the sky, and pictures. I love pictures. Here’s a few pics off my inspiration board. Enjoy!

amish (4)

If you’ve ever been on my blog you’ve seen this image before, but it still one of my favorites.

Azalea

Magical. It seems to me that this forest holds more than meets the eye.

cowboy[69]Do I really need to say anything about this picture? I didn’t think so. ;)

van gogh

Actually anything by Van Gogh inspires me.

booksigning4

Great friends!

(Left to right–Jennifer Beckstrand, Vannetta Chapman, Kelly Irvin, Mary Ellis, Beth Wiseman, Amy Clipston, Moi, Shelley Shepard Gray, Kelly Long, and Amanda Flower)

What inspires you?

Conversations

| Amy

I was in a store this past week and overheard a conversation that made me stop and take stock of my life, my attitude, and my perspective. From what I overheard there were two ladies who hadn’t seen each other in a while. The first woman complimented the second’s new hair style. That’s normal right? But Second’s response was the turn that floored me. She thanked First then said, in the most upbeat and positive voice, “It’s been quite a year. After a double mastectomy and chemo, I decided to go natural.”

iknowHer words alone were enough to take my breath  away. But the way she said it. With confidence and style. Like breast cancer had been just a small speed bump in her life that made her change her mind about how she styled her hair.

She didn’t talk about how the chemo made her sick or the months that she had been bald. She didn’t talk about the pain of surgery, how it felt to have a part of her removed, or having to buy new clothes or a bra that would fit her prosthesis.

I was touched by her attitude of positive. Of seeing her new her hair-do as the part of her experience that she wanted to focus on. I walked away wanting to be more like her.

Having been diagnosed with RA, I make changes everyday. I have clothes I can’t wear because they make me hurt, or they’re too small after so many rounds of Prednisone. I own shoes that I can’t wear due to the changes in my feet. I spend most of the year cuddled up to a heating pad and everyday I’m confronted with a new task that I can no longer accomplish.

When people I know see me out, they ask me why I’m not working any longer. I tell them that I have RA and I couldn’t stand to be on my feet so much any more. Then there are explanations and the conversation never ends up like the one I overheard. That makes me sad.

So I have made a decision: From here on out, I will say that I quit work to write. I  will focus more on the positive and what I still have to  give. The things I can do instead of the things that I can’t. Then maybe someone who needs the inspiration will overhear the conversation and find their own way to the positives they need in their life. And hopefully I can pay back  to someone else what Second gave me  that day.

On Regrets

| Amy

The hardest thing about the road not taken is that you never know where it might have led.― Lisa Wingate

At the ACFW this past September, I attended a class about marketing. Or course branding was discussed which in turn led to themes in an author’s writing. One of the instructors of the class said simply that each writer, whether they realize it or not, has an underlying theme to their work which outlines their greatest fear. Hmmm…

It took me a while, I really had to think about it. After all, my books are romance novels. What could be the underlying theme in them all? Love conquerors all? Well, yeah, but that’s not my fear. I know the power of love. Most of us believe that to be true.

Second chances. Of course. In Saving Gideon, Avery and Gideon both get a second chance at love. Perfect, right?

Then my father passed away and the truth became apparent. My greatest fear is regret. Unfortunately the regrets I have with my dad  are hopes that somehow things could have been different. But he and I both knew, they were as good between us as they could be. They were not regrets of things undone, but the regret that comes when the vase is broken. It can be glued back together and it works okay, but the cracks are still there all the same.

So am I going to tell you to let the ones you love know how you feel about them? No, even though you should. This post isn’t about that. It’s a vent of sorts, an expression of the feelings I have, but that no longer have a place in my life. Regrets that have to become a part of the “past” column, the “nothing more I can do about this” side of  the paper.

Once upon a time, I had hopes that things could go back to how they were before. Now he’s gone, taking with him any chance for change.  So instead of regrets, I’m going to focus on the positive, the good times we shared, both before and after the regrets came. And be thankful that I had my father (with and without regrets) for the time that I did.

I love you, Daddy. And I always will.

Official Cover

| Amy

Of Katie’s Choice!

I know you may have seen it before, but never quite like this. (Okay, I’m being dramatic, but we did make a few changes. Maybe I should post them side by side and let you see the differences like those puzzles in the Highlights magazine. LOL)

My New Friend

| Amy

What a great weekend I’ve had! I’ve got a new friend. Her name is Sarah and she lives in Inola. She bakes, sews, and works outside her home. I met her at the flea market when we went ‘junking’ this past Saturday.

Sarah is Amish.

Why am I so excited? Because I’ve tried to talk to other Amish women and get to know them better, but they can be understandably guarded. The outside English world can be very judgmental. These women who go out of the community to make money for their families are brave and must protect their image and beliefs. But with Sarah, something clicked. We chatted about books and Amish authors, recipes and her bakery. I could have stood there and talked to her all day long.

We’ve already made plans to return next weekend to see if she’s there. I’m going to take her a copy of Saving Gideon and try to talk to her some more. All I can say right now is thank you, God, for that impulsive decision to ‘run down to the flea market’ and see what was going on. I had a great time with my family, found a couple of Christmas presents, and made a great new friend. Happy weekend!

Charmed, I’m sure.

| Amy

Seven weeks in and I’m still not sure about the the TLC show Breaking Amish. I have to admit that it’s not about all the wonderful things that I admire in the Amish. It’s not…charming. I’ll go one further and admit that most Amish fiction is heavy on the charm. But that’s what I love about writing it and reading it. The Amish offer me a real escape from my own reality. A place filled with God fearing  neighbor-loving people who are taking life at their own pace.

But what about shows like Breaking Amish? I find it like a train wreck, I know I shouldn’t stare, but I can’t take my eyes off of it. Even if it lacks the charm of my fiction of choice.

Have you watched the show? Do you love it? Hate it? Or like me, does it male you want to dig  out your copy of The Shunning to watch again?