Serenity Sunday

Finding Friends Across the Pond

Going through some photos the other day, I realized that I never posted about this cute little Christian bookstore my family and I visited during our 2017 summer vacation to Europe.  We spotted it on our first day in Edinburg, Scotland, when we were walking from our hotel to Edinburg Castle. 

It’s always such a fun treat for me when I run across a Christian bookstore, whether in or outside the United States, because it gives me the opportunity to introduce myself, say hello, and thank the staff for helping to get my books into the hands of readers. When we saw the small sign for the Free Church of Scotland Christian Book Shop, we made an instant detour.

Alas, the place was closed. Disappointed, I asked my hubby to snap a picture of me in front of the beautiful old building, which was built in 1860, and then we continued on our way.

On To the Castle

At least the castle was open–and really cool, as you can see from these pics.

If At First You Don’t Succeed

The next day, we happened to be headed in the same general direction and decided to try again with the bookstore. This time, we were in luck. Though small, the place held a nice selection of inspirational nonfiction and children’s books, and the lovely lady in charge was quite friendly and helpful.

Their fiction section was tiny, just one short shelf, down low, but I posed in front of it anyway.J As I stood there next to books by authors like Francine Rivers and Stormie O’Martian, it struck me how fun it was to be all the way across the Atlantic yet still be flanked by the same great Christian authors that can be found in our own bookstores here at home. The world is big—but it’s moments like these that make it feel just a little bit smaller.

Mindy with Francine Rivers, in 2007

Mindy with Stormie O'Martian, in 2005

If you enjoyed this post, you might want to check out these two as well, about some fun literary discoveries my family and I made during this same trip.

Serenity Sunday

5 Random (But Fascinating) Facts I Learned While Researching The Amish Quilter

Back when I was a student, I hated doing research, but years later, once I became a novelist, I found that researching was one of my favorite parts of the job. In fact, sometimes I get so immersed in it that I have to force myself to stop researching and start writing instead!

Much of what I learn along the way never makes it into my books, of course, but it’s all helpful in one way or another.  And I especially enjoy it when I run across some fascinating fact that I never knew before. I try to keep a running list of such things as I go, and it struck me the other day that it might be fun to share one such list with you.

Thus, here are five random facts I picked up while researching The Amish Quilter…

1. Women who eat dairy and animal products are about five times more likely to have twins than those who don't.  (Google it if you don't believe me, and you'll see the research!)

2. If lightening strikes a barn, the bolt can travel down the rod and spread out from the footer, striking a horse through its shoes. (Side note: I shared this fact with a friend, who replied that he actually lost a horse this way. So sad!)

3. In the 1980’s, Hmong refugees who’d settled in the Lancaster County area began working with Amish women to make quilts, and they were so good and so fast at needlework that eventually they did most of the appliquéing while the Amish women handled just the quilting. Thus, quilts bought in the Lancaster County area in the 1980s that were assumed to be “Amish made” were very likely made jointly by Amish and Hmong women. 

4. Baumkuchen is a really cool European dessert that’s made from cake batter poured, one layer at a time, onto a spit rotating near an open flame. Once a layer has browned, another layer is added, over and over again, until the cake has something like 20 layers. It takes hours to make, but it sure looks good! 

5. In the nineteen century, Russian Mennonites tended to use the same first names over and over, so much so that in an 1860-1875 list of 1,328 Russian Mennonites, there were only 54 different first names!

That’s it for me. Did you know any of these facts already? I sure didn’t!

Serenity Sunday

Free Downloadable Bookmarks

Judging by all the feedback I get here and on my Facebook page, chances are you're a real bookmark lover! Paper, metal, fabric—whatever works, you use it to mark your place in a book. That's why today is all about bookmarks, including some free ones for you to print and use.

Pennsylvania Dutch Design

First is this page of lovely PA Dutch-art inspired designs, in honor of my Amish fiction and nonfiction.

To make your own, simply print this image on your home printer then cut into strips. (Depending on your computer, printing an image may be as simple as right clicking on it and selecting "print." Or, once you have clicked on the image, you should be able to find a "print" option by on your Internet browser's navigation. If neither of those methods work, you may need to download the image first and then open and print it.)

For more durable bookmarks, consider printing on heavier cardstock.

Color Your Own

The same printing method should work for these color-your-own bookmarks as well. One tip: Color in the design before cutting into strips. Most markers, crayons, or colored pencils should be fine—though don’t use pastels or any other coloring medium that might rub off onto the pages of your book.

Check These Out

You may recall a post I did a while back featuring 15 Fun Bookmarks for Book Lovers. Well, here are a few more cute ones I've run across since then.

Dandelion Bookmark
I love this one because I never even knew dandelions were weeds until I was in my forties—and even then I didn’t believe it! J

Feather Bookmarks








Flower Tendril Bookmarks









Inspirational Magnetic Bookmarks

Artisan Magnetic Bookmarks






Knock Knock Bookmark Pad









This Is a Book Bookmark Pad









Does This Book Make Me Look Smart Bookmark Pad









Amazon.com Bookmark
Look how cute, you can even give someone an amazon gift card—that comes as a bookmark!

Order Pre-printed bookmarks for Free

Finally, don’t forget, you can always submit a request for free bookmarks and other goodies through my website!