A Love Made New (An Amish of Birch Creek Novel Book 3)

Abigail Schrock knows God can make all things new, but does that include her broken heart?

It seems as if everyone is falling in love in Birch Creek, including Abigail Schrock. But when heartbreak descends on her already fragile world, she can’t help but feel that if she’d only been a little prettier, she could be on her way down the aisle. To make matters worse, Abigail’s two sisters have found love, and all Abigail can seem to find is the chocolate she has stashed away in the pantry.

Asa Bontrager has never had trouble with the ladies in his Amish community—his good looks have always gotten him far. Which is why he’s baffled by the call he’s received from God to pursue Abigail, a woman who seems determined to turn him away.

Can Abigail find the peace and joy she so desperately desires? Will she allow herself to stop running and melt into the embrace of unforeseen comfort? If she does, she may discover a love powerful enough to restore her hope in a promising future.

From the Publisher

Q&A with Author Kathleen Fuller

Readers love your believable, realistic characters and the real-life challenges they face. How do you create characters who seem like real people?

I’ve always been a people person and a people watcher, and I think those observational skills have been key in developing realistic characters. My stories play out like movies in my head, and I actually hear the characters speaking the dialogue before I write it. That probably sounds weird to everyone but writers! I also have a life-long interest in psychology and how people think and feel and react, and that helps a lot when I’m creating a character. I’m always reading and researching about psychology, and I would be doing that even if I wasn’t a writer—I actually majored in psychology for a while in college and received a minor in it. But ultimately it has to do with me being interested in people, and I translate that to my writing.

Many of your Amish stories and novels deal with love stories of characters at all ages and stages in life. Why is it important to you to write about characters with unconventional love stories?

There are many reasons I do that, but probably the biggest driving force is that my own love story with my husband was unconventional: we met at ballroom dancing lessons! It might sound corny, but it was love at first sight for me, so when I write characters that get that “bolt of lightning” feeling when they meet their future love interest, I’m writing from a real perspective. We’ve been married for almost twenty-seven years (as of this writing) and we’re still going strong. It’s also fun as a writer to come up with novel situations for characters, even if the romance aspect of the book is predictable in that the characters are always going to get together, at least in my books. It’s not so much the end result as it is the journey to get there.

Your works also deal with characters who struggle with mental health, chronic illness, and other challenges. How do you convey these challenges realistically, yet in a way that leaves readers feeling hopeful?

I’m a born optimist. My faith is also very important to me, and I find hope in that. Since these are key aspects of myself, it’s easy to transfer that optimism and faith to my characters. We’re surrounded by so much pessimism in our world. Some call it realism, some also say that optimism is foolish because you have to ignore reality to be optimistic. I disagree with both, and I want that reflected in my stories. We’ve all known people who have faced incredible odds and challenges and have come out on the other side stronger than ever. A lot of times that has to do with attitude and faith. My hope is that people see that in my books and translate it to their own lives. Sometimes it’s difficult being an eternal optimist, and there are times when I struggle with my faith. But I wouldn’t give up either of those parts of my character and life—they get me through the world, just like they get my characters through their stories.

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01864DUJ4
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Thomas Nelson
Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 13, 2016
Edition ‏ : ‎ Reprint
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 4.2 MB
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 314 pages
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0718033316
Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Book 3 of 3 ‏ : ‎ Amish of Birch Creek
Best Sellers Rank: #655,394 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store) #387 in Add Audiobook for $3.99 or Less #1,318 in Amish & Mennonite Fiction (Books) #1,343 in Amish Romance
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