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 

Green Beans Are Ready!

Today was another trip out to the "Home Place" for me (Robyn) and my boys as well as their cousins. My boys LOVE spending time with Grandma Shari in the garden and today was no exception. They were all so cute to give a hand in picking. We later enjoy ours steamed in the microwave and topped with butter and salt. Oh so yummy!
Take a peek at the green bean picking.

 

 

 Time in the garden is always rewarding!
 

Bountiful Harvest {Making applesauce at the Home Place}

Greetings from Robyn about the "Home Place" this warm July morning.

Growing up in the countryside by Kalona there is one sure event to take place each year; the harvesting of fresh fruits and vegetables. Last week my mom and dad (Tom the author and Shari his wife) had my boys overnight for a special treat for both me and my boys. When I went to pick them up Grandma Shari was in the process of "working up" some apples into delicious homemade applesauce. My boys had helped pick apples that morning and then Grandma got right to work. Noticing that she had hours of work on her hands I got right to work helping her.

Along with "working up" apples we worked up some memories too. As I carefully pressed the apples through the Victorio Strainer I began to reminisce of all the years I sat watching my mom and Grandma Ruby crank the apples through. When I was very little (ages 3-5) I sat opposite "helping" pull the waste from the end and guide it into the bowl thinking those mashed up seed and peels were so neat to touch and squish. As I grew older my job switched over to using a spatula to gently guide the hot applesauce to the opposite end of the pan as it poured down the spout. And then as I was a teenager my job became the cranker and masher which involves pushing scalding hot apples through the top dish while cranking to grind the seeds and peels through one end and creating smooth streams of hot applesauce out the main spout.

The best part of "working up" apples is the opportunity for women of all ages to sit and have conversation with each other which usually involves stories of the women in past generations doing the same. For instance, I think that every time since I was a little girl the story of my Great Grandma Kinsinger having a Victorio Strainer tip and pour scalding hot apples on her arm and burning her badly was topic of discussion when asking us to stand back while the apples were transported to the strainer.

And then, there are the memories of that big bowl (or two or three) of warm applesauce with heaping spoonful's of sugar on top, sometimes resulting in a tummy ache from over-indulgence. The hum of box fans ring clear in my memory too as the kitchen heats up quickly from the apples on the stove top in mid-July. As well as the sweet aroma of fresh warm applesauce that lingers through the entire farm house, always keeping your tummy hungry for more.

Take a peek at the process.

Starting with the beautiful blooms in the trees earlier this spring. We knew that there would be a bountiful harvest.

 

 

 

 

One of the 6 bags full of apples that the boys picked with Grandma Shari.

Apples soaking in the sink, waiting to be cut and stemmed then boiled.

Scalding hot and straining the extra liquid out just before being put into the Victorio Strainer.

And the process begins. . .

Even the "waste" is pretty to look at with the shades of green and brown and red. This also makes great compost for the garden!

And the bowls and bowls of applesauce waiting to cool then be mixed with sugar and poured into freezer bags for yummy applesauce all year round.

Why add sugar? Well, just ask my oldest son Alex! After offering him a bowl of freshly made sauce he turned it down saying it was too green and he wanted the jar of the unsweetened sauce from the grocery store. I asked him why? When this is so yummy? A couple of days later I told him he needed to try it one more time because I think that he is missing out! After adding in a "touch" more sugar he licked the bowl clean! He said "Mom, those apples must have just been a little too green and after sitting in the fridge for a couple of days the applesauce must have "ripened" up!" Haha! Pretty cute logic coming from an almost 6 year-old. The texture is what makes homemade sooooo good and the sugar helps balance the sour from the green apples.

I hope you enjoyed seeing the process we use to make homemade applesauce. Although I am sure Amish would not freeze their applesauce but can it instead. Which involves even more work and another process in addition to "working up" the apples.
Mom ended having up with 60 quarts of applesauce that remains stocked in the deep freeze for all of use to enjoy!

all photos in this post are:  ©RubyEllenPhotography 2013

Happy Fourth of July {Horses make the Parade}

As a girl growing up in a home with a dad (Tom) who loves horses you learn what to watch for in the parade. Today I took my own family to a fourth parade and captured the two horse teams in our parade. Pretty to look at, strong and bold. There is something so great about seeing horses in harness. Have a blessed and safe holiday!

 

A little girl after her Grandpa's own heart. . .

There is a special connection between a girl or a grandpa and their horses. I don't know whether or not it is a born-in-trait or something that's learned but at any rate it's unavoidable to recognize. I captured this special little horse-lovin'-granddaughter playing, playing, reading horses all day yesterday at Grandpa and Grandma's house (that has no lack of horses for that matter).

 

 

I really can't see how it could be any sweeter than this.
 

  all photos on this post are ©RubyEllenPhotography 2013

Under the Heavens {Character foreshadow in Photos}

Thirsting of what's to come? Looking for a way to take a peek into Lenny's world? Although the book is entirely fictional it was built upon actual interaction with Amish over the years and a love for horses that has been over a lifetime.

We acquired Amish clothing, found a few willing "models", booked a session for an evening, and hitched up Tom's team! As a photographer and the daughter of the author I found myself praying an extra prayer on the way out for just the perfect skies as a backdrop for this session. The good Lord did not disappoint!

  

Does this get you all ready for a good read? It should! As one of the lucky "editor's" of the first draft copy of this book I was more than inspired to capture what my imagination was vividly able to piece together from this beautifully written story of a young man and his experience on an Amish farm one summer.

Keep coming back to this blog for short stories, personal experiences with the Amish, a glimpse into my Dad's team and much more. This blog is designed for you to get to know my dad as more than an author of a stunning book series, get to meet him as a good friend!

-Robyn

All images are ©Ruby Ellen Photography 2013 please do not copy, download or distribute without permission. Thank you.