Whispering to Horses

An old fence separates a modern community from their Amish neighbors, until a little boy opens the gate and breaks down barriers between them. Main characters, Matt and Eli, find friendship, hope, and a future through a mutual need, which creates an opportunity for them to learn to understand each other. Eli and his little sisters will touch your heart by Whispering to Horses.

My newest book is due to be released on November 2nd.

This short novel is about a man who doesn't like his Amish neighbors, that is, until he actually gets to know them.

Whispering to Horses is available for pre-order on Amazon by clicking the link below.

Amazon Link



Blogger Lue Shetler added this review below:

Being formerly Amish, there are certain things I look for in an Amish novel. In Whispering to Horses, Thomas Nye held my attention and did a wonderful job of bringing out the authenticity of farm life for an Amish family. An interesting and quick read about a young man, Matt, who comes back to his roots in Amish country and learns particular life lessons from a very mature youngster, Eli. The bond they form is heartwarming, sincere, and leaves one hoping these two will remain in each other’s lives for a very long time. There are interesting twists regarding Eli and his mother. I look forward to reading more about Eli’s mother, and how she finds peace and an end to the conflict she wrestles with deep within. Oh, and for you romantic types, there is a touch of romance. (wink, wink)
Lue Shetler, blogger, writer, formerly Amish.  lookinginmyrearviewmirror.com

Horse Drawn Communities

Who would have ever thought, that in 2015 we would still have hundreds of horse drawn communities in the USA?

People often ask, "Why is everyone so fascinated with the Amish?" or "Why are there so many Amish novels?"

All you need to do is actually spend a little time visiting in one of these communities and you will have those questions answered.

First of all: In order to function and survive as a horse drawn community, there must be a very close knit group of extremely devoted people. Otherwise it would fall apart at the first streak of bad weather.

 Next: Horses are not that easy to use as your main source of transportation. Unless you have a lot of experience and patience it will end in disaster.

Another thing: The community must be living within close proximity with each other. You can only trot so many miles in one day.

My theory on why Amish are so successful surviving in this lifestyle:

Our Amish American's are not people who reverted back to old ways, they are a group that were living this way in the 1800's and just haven't changed much.

There is something special about this lifestyle. There are plenty of plain groups that have left "horse-power" behind, and many of those groups have kept old-fashioned values.

Nonetheless, horse drawn communities have a closeness and simpleness that can't be duplicated.

 There is something wonderful and intriguing about Amish life. Use of the horse seems to be central to keeping life slower paced, and somehow maintaining an old-fashioned existence.

My blogs give a glimpse into this world, however, if you really want to "feel" it you need to see it first hand.

I hope my novels are the next best thing to being there. Give Under the Heavens a try!

Amish Book Cover

You shouldn't judge a book by its cover... but, an interesting cover does stir a reader's appetite.

 There are several key ingredients to producing an eye catching cover for an Amish novel.

          First of all, you need a lovely actress and a fantastic photographer. It's helpful if you happen to have one of each as daughters. My oldest of four daughters, Robyn, has a photography business, and my youngest daughter, Natalie, agreed to stand in as my actress.

         It is also a good idea to include a horse or two if possible. That wasn't a problem, my own Percheron Draft horses also make lovely cover models. Karm and Coke were raised on an Amish farm and provided inspiration for the Amish Horses Book Series in the first place.

 When Natalie was a little girl she used to sit in my horse barn and read to me as I groomed horses. She graduated from the University of Iowa as a history major and is now a high school teacher.

Robyn, our photographer daughter, was born with artistic flair. She had already read Catbird Singing before the day of this photo shoot. I believe that knowledge of the story and characters helped her understand what we were looking for.

My daughters both grew up around draft horses and were raised in a community saturated with Amish culture.

Karm and Coke seem to enjoy being the center of attention.

  We discussed a few ideas for our cover photo and let my daughters and horses go to work. All of the ingredients came together in a perfect moment, capturing a scene from Catbird Singing, almost as though the characters had come to life. (horses are some of the main characters in the Amish Horses Series)

There were so many good pictures, but one of them stood out as the most special and it became the cover you see below.

In Catbird Singing, a certain Amish girl talks affectionately to horses and uses that as a way to communicate to main character, Lenny.

Check out my daughter's photography website

Ruby Ellen Photography

Robyn

Did the cover photo stir your appetite to read an Amish novel?

Click on this link to order your own copy: Amish Horses Book Series