Karen Anna Vogel "The Amish Knitting Circle" Volume 1

My husband said I had to do this one, he knows how much I enjoy these types of stories. Up to this point the only types of Amish stories I have been able to find were full length novels. When he told me this is a brand new short story series, I was very happy to read it. I had not heard of this author before, but she instantly won me over with her definitions in the beginning and her recipe at the end; I just loved the little touches she added.

The story in between is the best part though. Karen Anna Vogel has me hooked on her knitting circle of Amish characters. She has put a reality to this fiction that makes her characters believable, tangible, and engrossing. The story seemed to be just the right size and I enjoyed that, a nice jolt of what I enjoy to read, Amish fiction, but in a new age style, a digital short story, who would have thought? I can hardly wait for the next one; I am anxious to see what develops with each of her characters. This promises to be a great new series!

This is the first installment in the series so here is the synopsis and a little bit about Karen Anna Vogel:

“Granny Weaver is praying for five women in her Old Order Amish community in Smicksburg, PA., but nothing seems to be happening. Spinning wool one day she ponders the fact that fibers wrapped around each other make a yarn that’s hard to break.  Maybe the women she sees unraveling need to be spun together so they don’t break.

So Granny starts a knitting circle to make items for tornado victims in Joplin, MO. She invites Maryann who looks too tired and needs a break from her eight children.  Ella seems mighty down since a doctor told her she can’t have children. Emma feels she’ll never get married because of her weight. Ruth has been depressed since the day she got married and won’t tell anyone why. Elizabeth never married to take care of her handicapped father, but others suspects she has a broken heart over a broken courtship.

Over the course of a year these women open up at the knitting circle. Their hearts are encouraged, being knit together in love as they face trials and troubles…together.”

About Karen Anna Vogel:

A trusted English friend among Amish in Western PA and Western NY, my four grown children call me an ‘Amish Addict.’ My husband of thirty years shares my addiction. Our Old Order Amish friends have taken us back to a time when life was slower. Slow enough to enjoy our faith, family and friends. Slow enough to make me relax and join a knitting circle and learn to spin wool. Wanting to share what I’ve learned from these gentle people led me to write Amish fiction. I’m represented by Joyce Hart of Hartline Literary Agency and blog under Amish Crossings: http://karenannavogel.blogspot.com/   Member of Pittsburgh East Scribes and ACFW.”

Check out the newest releases from Trestle Press: April Pohren ”Welcome to the Land of Insanity” , Angelique LaFontaine & Eddie Frantom ”Thirty -1: Salvation”, B.R. Stateham ”Insatiable” from the “Drunk on the Moon” series by Paul D. Brazill, David Hoof ”Sharpshooter”, Karen Anna Vogel “The Amish Knitting Circle”, Lisa Taylor “Shana Black: The Invention” , Mark Cooper “Infection” ,Mark Cooper “How I met Your Mother: First Date”, De Miller “12 Steps” volume 2 of the “One” series by Mark Miller, Sam Lang “Reprisal: Shadow Boxing” volume 3, Michelle Vasquez “’Til Death Do Us Part”, Darren Sant ”Community Spirit” volume 2 of “The Tales of the Longcroft Estates”, J.E. Seymour “Pale Horse”, Tom Sumner “All I wanted was a Haircut #5”, Jeffrey Martin & Giovanni Gelati from The Author’s Lab/Collaboration series “Forsaken”, CQ Scafidi “Time Couriers” (Barnes & Noble’s Nook version), Darren Sant “Flashes of Revenge”,S.L. Schmidtz “Mina’s Daughter…The Harker Chronicles: The Wolf Vol.1”, Chantal Boudreau “Weird,Wicked & Wonderful: Technopathy ,Volume 2”, Werner Lind & Giovanni Gelati from The Author’s Lab/Collaboration series “Mrs. G’s Vampires”