New York Times bestselling author Wanda Brunstetter, whose latest novel, “The Half-Stitched Amish Quilting Club,” debuts as a musical in August, will participate in an authentic Amish lunch on April 25, as well as meet readers at the Amish Country Spring Quilt Show, April 26-28.
“If you live in or near Arthur, Ill., here is your chance to enjoy a wonderful Amish meal,” said Brunstetter, an early founder of the Amish fiction genre and author of nearly 50 books related to the Amish. “ I know the Amish woman personally, and believe me, you won’t be disappointed. I’ll be there, too, and will sign books either before or after the meal.”
To participate in the Amish lunch and signing on April 25, sign up by April 18 by calling Stella Tours at (866) 543-2734.
Novelists find inspiration in myriad places, from their own lives to a snippet overheard at the grocery store. In “The Half-Stitched Amish Quilting Club” (Barbour Publishing, trade paperback, April 2012), Brunstetter pieced together the book after producers at the Blue Gate Theater, a Shipshewana, Ind., venue specializing in family-friendly entertainment, requested a story to turn into a play.
“It was a very different way of writing a book,” Brunstetter said. “The Blue Gate Theater company had looked at my books and was interested in turning one into a musical. They wanted a story, though, that was uniquely different.”
In The Half-Stitched Amish Quilting Club, Amish widow Emma Yoder, not wanting to be a financial burden to her children, decides to offer quilting classes to “Englishers.” Six vastly different people join her in her home for her quilting — and life — lessons.
“Usually the Amish in my stories only interact with a couple of Englishers throughout the story, but this one is different because there are many English characters,” said Brunstetter, who published her first Amish book in 1997. “As I got into this story, it was so rewarding creating these characters. I loved it.”
“Half-Stitched: The Musical” premieres Aug. 24 in Shipshewana, Ind., the setting for the novel, as well as an Amish community. The musical runs through Dec. 8.
Barbour Publishing, Inc., is hosting The Half-Stitched Amish Quilting Club Contest through June 21. The winner will receive a weekend getaway for two to Shipshewana, accommodations, dinner, tickets to the musical premiere and lunch with Brunstetter. For more information and to enter the contest, go to www.amishquiltingclub.com.
For more information about Wanda Brunstetter, find her Wanda E. Brunstetter Facebook fan page, and at www.WandaBrunstetter.com.