Judy’s Scrapbook Pages

Dear friends,

I always look forward to spring and delight in seeing the first buds appear outdoors. It’s like an announcement that the season has arrived. Occasionally the daffodils and crocus get it wrong and the snow or ice will dump on them, but most of the time I can depend upon those lovely springtime flowers. We’ve had a long hard winter in Kansas and I’m ready for any sign of spring. Yesterday my daughter brought home a bouquet of tulips and Irish bells—the Irish bells smell lovely and it brightened my day to at least have a sign of spring indoors. And they were a flower I’d never before seen!

I’m sorry it has taken so long to get a newsletter off to you, but I hope you’ll forgive me for my tardiness. I’ve been hard at work writing and wanted to let you all know that A Bond Never Broken is now available in stores and online. It is the final book in the Daughters of Amana series. As most of you probably know, this is a stand-alone series. The thread that ties the stories together is the fact that they are all set in the Amana Colonies in Iowa. Otherwise, each book has new characters, is set in a different village, and during different years.

I have truly enjoyed writing this series and learning about the people of Amana. And if you’ve enjoyed the series, I’m pleased to tell you there will be more to come in the future. At the moment, I’m working on another co-authored series with Tracie Peterson. The series is titled Bridal Veil Island series and the first book is To Have and To Hold and will be available in August. These books are set on a fictitious island off the coast of Georgia—think St. Simons or Jekyll Island and you’ll be right in the area where we created our island.

The first book in the new Amana series will be coming your way after the second book releases in the Bridal Veil series, but I’ll keep you posted as progress continues. I’m truly excited that I’ll be able to take you into each of the seven Amana villages. I thought I’d share a picture I took on one of my visits to the General Store in High Amana. This isn’t a lamp shade though when you first see it, you might think so. Those are strips of cloth the women wrapped on this wooden spindle rather than rolling the strips into balls. They then crocheted the strips into rag rugs. And speaking of Amana, Lorna Seilstad and I will once again be at the General Store during Maifest so I hope some of you will come and see the Colonies for yourself. You won’t be sorry—there’s much to see and loads of good food, too.

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Upcoming Events: I will be speaking and signing at the following libraries during National Library Week: Tuesday, April 12th from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Colby, Kansas Pioneer Memorial Library For their monthly lunch program Tuesday, April 12th at 7:00 p.m. (Mountain) Goodland, Kansas Public Library Wednesday, April 13, 2011 at 7:00 p.m. Norton, Kansas Public Library

Maifest, Amana Colonies Signing at the General Store in Main Amana Saturday, April 30th, 10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m. Sunday, May 1st,  11:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.

LifeWay National Fiction Day Saturday, May 14th, 11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. LifeWay Store, Fairlawn Plaza, Topeka, KS with Lorna Seilstad

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Book Clubs

Do you belong to a readers’ book club or know someone who does? If you have a church or neighborhood book club and have chosen one of my novels to read and discuss, I would be happy to join you for a question and answer session via a telephone conference call. It’s easy to do if you meet in a home or location that has a conference phone where you can set the phone on speaker so everyone can hear. Or if you’re in the Topeka vicinity, I’d be glad to come and meet with you personally. If you are interested, please contact me via email at jamauthor@cox.net and tell me which book you will be reading with your group. I will be happy to set up a date where I can join your meeting by way of a conference call.

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