Carrie Fancett Pagels Reviews "Stealing the Preacher" by Karen Witemeyer

Stealing the Preacher

by Karen Witemeyer

Bethany House, 2013

Reviewed by Carrie Fancett Pagels

5 stars~*****

Stealing the Preacher is a fabulous follow-up to Short-Straw Bride. It is, however, a stand-alone book--so no worries if you haven't read the first.  You'll enjoy it better if you read SSB first.

Crockett Archer is on a train, enroute to a his interview to be a preacher in a small town.  Is he ever shocked when robbers board the train looking for the "preacher" because they know a candidate is enroute.  Poor Crockett initially fails to realize they are looking for him!  He is soon to discover he is to be a "birthday present."

Silas Robbins is in sore need of salvation and his daughter has been in fervent prayer for someone to reach him. Witemeyer does a lovely job of showing Joanna’s faith as something that makes her beautiful.

Unfortunately Crockett experiences what many men in ministry do--pursuit by a female who will use anything within her wiles to get what she wants. In this case there could have been a catastrophic outcome from her manipulations.

Lovely book and a great plot. Thank you to Bethany for the ARC (disclosure--although I was given a free copy to read I was under no compulsion to give a positive review.) It was such a good read that I couldn't wait for the audiobook to come out--and that says a lot! I usually wait.

Bibliotherapy elements: Salvation, criminals, loss of a mother, isolation, pursuit by an ungodly person, and threat of loss of life.

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GIVEAWAY: A gently-used paper copy of this book. Answer the question to be entered in the contest, and don't forget to leave your email address as well. (Sorry, winner must live in USA for this contest.)

QUESTION: Have you ever prayed fervently for someone's salvation and then had God answer your prayers?

Audiobook Review of Karen Witemeyer's Short Straw Bride by Carrie Fancett Pagels

Short Straw Bride

Short Straw Bride
By Karen Witemeyer
(Bethany House, 2012)                           

5 stars*****

I listened to Short Straw Bride as an audible.com download.  A great listen!  

Karen Witemeyer's Short Straw Bride reflects themes of parental death, responsibility for family, and isolation from other as a means of protection.  Set in post-Civil War Texas, a young girl, Meredith Hayes, crosses the line onto Archer land. The young men, orphans, have as their family head Travis Archer, the oldest boy.

Travis blames himself for his father's death. His guilt and a commitment he made to his father imprisons him and his brothers on their land.

A decade later, Meredith overhears something that sends her back to the Archers.  All these years, she has harbored feelings for Travis.  An adult orphan now, her aunt and uncle are pushing her into an unsuitable marriage. 

I love the "Short Straw Bride" title and the theme in the book, which was very clever.  And Meredith has a physical issue that Karen well incorporates into the storyline.

I don't want to spoil the story, but I will say this book had it all--voice that was great for the characters (and a narrator for this audiobook who was very good), tight storyline, and great characterization and romance.  

Don't miss out on this!  And if you enjoy audiobooks, I highly recommend this latest release by Karen Witemeyer!


Karen Witemeyer's books can be purchased at Amazon, CBD, B & N, Lifeway and other Christian book stores. 



Giveaway:  Karen is giving away a signed copy of SSB this week and we are offering a choice of any of Karen's books, choice of format (international winners ebook only.)  

Guest Post by Rachel Wilder - Isolation

Writing in Isolation

by Rachel Wilder

It’s a well known fact that writing is a solitary occupation. Isolating even. But some of us are more isolated than others. Like Naomi, I’m pretty much alone in my area. She’s probably a little more isolated than I am though, geography-wise. I do have an ACFW chapter two hours away, but the price of gas makes it incredibly difficult to justify going to the meetings since I’m the only member who writes trade length historical romance.

I joined ACFW in January, 2007. It was such a thrill to be surrounded by so many other people who know what it’s like to argue with the people in your head. And lose. While the online companionship was awesome and I made friends right away, I still felt isolated because I had no other writers to talk to face-to-face. And no other writers who understood and shared my burning desire for European historical settings.

Enter Therese Stenzel in April, 2007. She announced the formation of a sub-group just for those of us who wrote about England and Europe. Sign me up! I was one of the very first members of His Writers (not to be confused with the Denver ACFW chapter of the same name). See, I have this undying obsession with Russian history. I own more non-fiction about Russia than any other subject, though Louisiana in the 1860’s is now running a close second.

Immediately I had a “home”. Every writer in the group understood my frustration with prairie settings and the West, and shared my desire to see setting no longer be a deterrent to making a sale. We all bonded immediately over our shared loves.

We’re not a big group. We don’t have a lot of “rules”. We have a lot of fun together. All online. It’s every writer’s dream for support. We laugh and cry together, brainstorm, ask stupid, crazy, ridiculous questions. Rely on each other’s expertise in a given setting or era, try to figure out the English title system and make contest entries bleed.

But above all else, we’re a band of sisters, of prayer warriors and shoulders to cry on. I’m almost on the other side of the darkest two years of my life, and I never would have survived without my HW sisters. Many of them know the ugly details of what I’ve been through and held me up as I dealt with it all.

We get together at the ACFW conference every year and it’s always a joy. We sit together in classes when we see a fellow member. We cheer over contract news. We celebrate every milestone, no matter how small and seemingly insignificant. When I finished my first novel last summer they were some of the first to know. Without their support and encouragement I would not be sitting here writing this blog post, or shopping my manuscript.

Just because you live in an area where there are no writers to fellowship with doesn’t mean you have to remain isolated. Online friendships are real. The group has grown and changed in the five years since it began. We’ve gained members and lost members. But above all, we’re a group of sisters. Naomi and I aren’t the only members geographically isolated. That’s part of what makes our group so wonderful. We get it, on so many levels, how hard it sometimes is to be a writer.


Rachel Wilder - A born and bred Southern belle and lifelong resident of Louisiana, Rachel writes historical romance set in the 18th and 19th centuries. Her love of historic fashion and needlework covers these eras.  You can visit Rachel at www.rachelwilder.net

Review of Falling to Pieces by Vannetta Chapman

Falling to Pieces A Shipshewanna Amish Mystery Series
by Vannetta Chapman
Zondervan (2011)


Five Stars *****

Review by Carrie Fancett Pagels

Callie is a young widow who comes to Shippshewanna after her beloved aunt dies. Auntie owned a quilt shop and several Amish women are reliant upon her to sell their quilts. One of the women has a significant need for the funds as she has a child with a rare illness.  Callie is a spunky woman from a big city in Texas suddenly in small town Indiana. A real fish out of water.  But as the story progresses one senses she was a goldfish swimming in the ocean who needed to be in a tank, required the cozy closeness that provided. Lovely job of dropping that into the story over time.  The Amish quilters are lovely women, each with distinct voices that are also unlike most other Amish stories I have heard.

Callie hasn’t gotten over the loss of her husband, in fact doesn’t even share this with her new friends until very late in the book.  She is an endearing character despite her prickly behavior, which furthers the story line, especially when she becomes the prime suspect in a murder. This is not a romance but there are a couple of romantic possibilities. By the end of the story we have a real possibility for a boyfriend in the next book, which I am looking forward to reading/listening to!

This was a great Christmas season listen because it a) has an easy tempo b) has an excellent narrator (amazingly she sounds almost exactly like the real Vannetta Chapman!) c) it’s like having a girlfriend in your room with you telling you the story d) while it is a suspense/mystery it has a cozy feel and is not knuckle whitening – I mean who needs that this time of year? It has a soothing quality to it despite the suspense and the murder mystery. It may be one of the first women’s fiction reads I’ve read in a long time, but Vannetta’s book almost defies genres.

I plan to listen to this book again sometime as I really liked it and it has the qualities of a repeat listen - great voice, characterization, and pleasing story line.

Bibliotherapy: Loneliness, estrangement, grieving, child with a rare disease, and friendships.

Formats: I listened through http://audible.com and it is available in paperback, ebook (e.g., Kindle), and audio.

Giveaway: Leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of one of Vannetta’s books this week.

Interview with Vannetta Chapman

Interview by Carrie Fancett Pagels

Vannetta Chapman of Texas is the author of Falling toPieces (Zondervan) and 

A SimpleAmish Christmas (Abingdon Press).

I met Vannetta through ACFW and have enjoyed the time I have spent talking with her at conferences, particularly this year’s meeting in St. Louis, Missouri. Vannetta is represented by Mary Sue Seymour. 

Vannetta, welcome to Overcoming Through Time – With God’s Help!

Would you share either the most difficult thing in your life you have had to overcome, with God’s help, or the most tragic situation or circumstance one of your character’s has had to get past? 

Callie Harper finds herself completely alone when she inherits her aunt's shop in Shipshewana, Indiana. Like many young women today, Callie is successful professionally, but her circle of friends (and family) has grown smaller each year. So her difficulty lies in her isolation.

I've certainly experienced this isolation before, and it's a hard thing to go through, but God puts people in our lives for just such times. And God puts Callie in Shipshewana where she meets three women—three  AMISH women--who become her friends. They are friends that she is going to need because it won't be long before she becomes the prime suspect in a murder.

What is your favorite bible verse and why?

Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you ..."

This verse has always encouraged me. It assures me that no matter how dark or depressing the present looks, no matter how much I've managed to bungle things up, God is in control, and HIS plans for me are good.

Disability friendliness:

Yes, it is in audio format (download) and it will be released in January (I believe) in large print as well.

What has been the most important thing you hope your readers will get from your books and why?

Hope and grace. Life can be difficult and hard at time, and we all need to be reminded of the message of God's hope and his grace for us. You know, this isn't just something the preacher tells us on Sunday and then we go back to struggling on Monday ... it's as real as the bread in the breadbox, and there have been times when I had very little of that. But God's hope for us is unlimited and his grace never ends. It's sufficient.

As you researched your books, did you learn anything that particularly touched your heart?

Yes. I learned that the Amish folk are common, friendly people and that they live out their faith and their belief in Jesus to the best of their ability. It was very encouraging for me.

In this latest work, do you have any topics useful for bibliotherapy, or therapeutic influence through reading about a disorder or situation?

There is a handicapped child you will come to know in this story ... and although his disease is somewhat rare, especially in our culture, I think it's the way we deal with disability that is important. The Amish very much embrace disabilities and illness and God's will and not as something to be mourned or questioned. Their faith is quite childlike and I am learning a lot from them.

Thank you Vannetta for agreeing to answer these questions.  Have a blessed day and keep on writing!!

Thank you!

GIVEAWAY:  We have this interview and two reviews up this week and will be doing a giveaway of a book on Saturday. Leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of one of Vannetta’s books in your choice of format (and an email address so we can reach you!)