Kelly Long – författare

All she wants is for her husband to fall in love with her. While Lilly Lapp has loved handsome, headstrong Jacob for years, she wouldn't compete with Sarah King, the woman Jacob was determined to marry. But when Sarah marries another, Jacob spontaneously agrees to wed Lilly.Lilly divides her time between teaching the local Amish children and caring for her widowed mother who suffers from depression. Lilly's faith comforts her, but her heart still longs to be the sole object of Jacob's affection.As the days slip by, Lilly decides that hoping is too risky and vows to protect her heart. But God is subtly as work, and as winter turns to spring, their hearts awaken.The furthest thing from Lilly's mind is her Amish wedding quilt, a traditional gift for new brides. And the person she'd least suspect is the one making it. Like stray pieces of fabric quilted into a new design, Jacob and Lilly's marriage begins to bind them together in ways neither expected. Sweet and thoughtful contemporary Amish romancePart of the Patch of Heaven novels—Book 1: Sarah’s Garden; Book 2: Lilly’s Wedding Quilt; Book 3: Threads of GraceBook length: 85,000 wordsIncludes discussion questions for book clubs

From bestselling authors of Amish Fiction come three heartfelt stories about love, life and hope.Bundles of Blessing by Amy ClipstonLost in grief after the death of her husband, Kristina Byler gave up remarrying and found comfort and purpose in becoming a midwife. She is surprised when Aidan Smoker—her ex-boyfriend and the man she was sure she’d one day marry—moves back to the community after living in Ohio for the past eight years. They’re both certain there’s too much pain in their shared past for them to have a future, plus Rosetta has been showing Aidan a lot of interest, leading Kristina to believe Aidan has found a new love. As Kristina helps other women bring children into the world, she questions if a family of her own is even possible after all. Will God give her another chance at love?A Midwife for Susie by Shelley Shepard GrayHaunted by secret guilt after a tragic accident, Joanna Zimmerman is sure she’s left midwifery behind her. She keeps to herself, certain this is for the best. Her childhood friend Dwight Eicher knows that Joanna hasn’t been herself lately, but every time he’s tried to talk to her about what’s wrong, she’s avoided his questions. When his sister, Susie, becomes pregnant, Joanna must decide if she can find the courage to return to the job she once felt so called to. Meanwhile, both Dwight and Joanna face romantic feelings that have the potential to change their friendship forever.Christmas Cradles by Kelly Long (Also in An Amish Christmas)When Anna Stolis takes over for her aunt, the local midwife, Christmas night heats up with multiple deliveries, three strangers' quilts, and unexpected help from the handsome and brooding Asa Lapp. Miracles abound this holiday season, and the chance for a new love might even be on the horizon.Stand-alone novella collection featuring three short storiesHeartwarming, contemporary Amish romancesIncludes discussion questions for book clubs or personal useLook for additional inspirational Amish Fiction from Amy Clipston, Shelley Shepard Gray, and Kelly Long.

Sarah King is in love, and it could cost her everything. Tucked into the majesty of Pennsylvania's Allegheny Mountains is a garden Sarah King has been nurturing for years. She never feels more alive than when she is alone with her thoughts and her Creator among the delicate rows of plants. But then duty calls her away from her beloved garden and into a world she knows little about.Grant Williams, a handsome young veterinarian, has left the city to open a rural practice among the Amish. Within minutes of meeting shy but feisty Sarah King, he is captivated by her.As their feelings grow for one another, Sarah insists they can never be together. Marrying Grant would mean being uprooted from her home, her family, and her community. Throughout the cold Pennsylvania winter, with her garden tucked away until spring, Sarah begins crafting a quilt that illustrates her pain. Can anything lasting blossom from a love that's forbidden? "Kelly Long has hit out of the park, Sarah's Garden is rich with Amish detail and an endearing romance. I highly recommend!" --Beth Wiseman, author of the Amish Journey series Sweet and thoughtful contemporary Amish romancePart of the Patch of Heaven novels—Book 1: Sarah’s Garden; Book 2: Lilly’s Wedding Quilt; Book 3: Threads of GraceBook length: 85,000 wordsIncludes discussion questions for book clubs

All she wants is for her husband to fall in love with her. While Lilly Lapp has loved handsome, headstrong Jacob for years, she wouldn't compete with Sarah King, the woman Jacob was determined to marry. But when Sarah marries another, Jacob spontaneously agrees to wed Lilly.Lilly divides her time between teaching the local Amish children and caring for her widowed mother who suffers from depression. Lilly's faith comforts her, but her heart still longs to be the sole object of Jacob's affection.As the days slip by, Lilly decides that hoping is too risky and vows to protect her heart. But God is subtly as work, and as winter turns to spring, their hearts awaken.The furthest thing from Lilly's mind is her Amish wedding quilt, a traditional gift for new brides. And the person she'd least suspect is the one making it. Like stray pieces of fabric quilted into a new design, Jacob and Lilly's marriage begins to bind them together in ways neither expected. Sweet and thoughtful contemporary Amish romancePart of the Patch of Heaven novels—Book 1: Sarah’s Garden; Book 2: Lilly’s Wedding Quilt; Book 3: Threads of GraceBook length: 85,000 wordsIncludes discussion questions for book clubs

Grace’s beauty almost cost her everything. This new start is all she has left. When Grace Beiler was only a girl, she was married off to an older Amish man in order to save her family’s farm. Years later, she finds herself newly widowed and a mother to a young son. She has finally fled her sad past and plans to settle into a quiet life in Pennsylvania.As soon as she arrives, she captures the attention of Seth Wyse, the most eligible bachelor in Pine Creek. Seth is candid about his feelings for her, and for her son Abel, but Grace is determined to protect her heart. Her determination falters when her brother-in-law reveals the troubling contents of her late husband’s will.Seth offers Grace his hand in marriage, and thus a means of escape. But despite his having saved her from another loveless marriage, Grace is slow to trust her new husband. And as the months wear on, Seth wonders if he has made a mistake. But God is quietly at work in their hearts, and Seth and Grace soon discover that threads of grace bind them together in a tapestry rich in hope and love. Sweet and thoughtful contemporary Amish romancePart of the Patch of Heaven novels—Book 1: Sarah’s Garden; Book 2: Lilly’s Wedding Quilt; Book 3: Threads of GraceBook length: 85,000 wordsIncludes discussion questions for book clubs

The Amish Kitchen is the Heart of the Home—and the Ideal Setting for Stories of Love and Hope.Fall in Paradise, Pennsylvania, always brings a brisk change in the weather. This season also ushers in unexpected visitors, new love, and renewed hope for three women.Fern has a green thumb for growing healing herbs, but longs for love to bloom in her life. Then the next-door neighbor’s oldest son, Abram, comes running into Fern’s kitchen seeking help for his little sister. The crisis soon leads to a promise of romance—until mistrust threatens to end the growing attraction.Nearby, Hannah runs her parents’ bed and breakfast, Paradise Inn—but her life feels nothing like Paradise. She longs for a man of integrity to enter her life, but never expected him to knock on the front door looking for a room. Will she be able trust Stephen with her future once she discovers his mysterious past?When a storm blows a tree onto Eve’s farmhouse, she has little choice but to temporarily move her family into her parents’ home. Outside of cooking together in the kitchen, Eve and her mother can’t agree on anything. But this may be just the recipe for hope in healing old wounds.Three Amish stories—each celebrating love, family, and faith—all taking place in a tight-knit community where the kitchen truly is the heart of the home.

The year is 1777. America is in turmoil.  And Amish life is far different than today.Pennsylvania in the late 18th century, once called William Penn’s Woods, was an assortment of different faiths living together for the first time in American history. Included in this tapestry was a small and struggling population called Amish. Surrounding this peaceful people were unavoidable threats: both Patriots and the British were pillaging land and goods for the sake of the war, young Amishmen were leaving the faith to take up arms and defend freedom. A simple walk in the untamed forests could result in death, if not from bullet or arrow, then from an encounter with a wild animal. Amid this time of tumult, Adam Wyse is fighting a personal battle. To possibly join the war efforts and leave his faith, which would mean walking away from the only woman he’s ever loved: Lena Yoder. But for that love he’s made a promise that may keep them apart permanently.When Adam withdraws from Lena, she’s forced to turn to his brother, Isaac, for support. Must Lena deny her heart’s desire to save Adam’s soul? And will life in this feral and primitive New World be more than this peace-keeping people can withstand?“There is a beautiful love story that unfolds within the pages . . . I was vested in the lives of these characters from the first page.” —BETH WISEMAN, best-selling author of The Wonder of Your Love and Plain Proposal

The Amish Kitchen is the Heart of the Home – and the Ideal Setting for Stories of Love and Hope.Fall in Paradise, Pennsylvania, always brings a brisk change in the weather. This season also ushers in unexpected visitors, new love, and renewed hope for three women.Fern has a green thumb for growing healing herbs, but longs for love to bloom in her life. Then the next-door neighbor’s oldest son, Abram, comes running into Fern’s kitchen seeking help for his little sister. The crisis soon leads to a promise of romance—until mistrust threatens to end the growing attraction.Nearby, Hannah runs her parents’ bed and breakfast, Paradise Inn—but her life feels nothing like Paradise. She longs for a man of integrity to enter her life, but never expected him to knock on the front door looking for a room. Will she be able trust Stephen with her future once she discovers his mysterious past?When a storm blows a tree onto Eve’s farmhouse, she has little choice but to temporarily move her family into her parents’ home. Outside of cooking together in the kitchen, Eve and her mother can’t agree on anything. But this may be just the recipe for hope in healing old wounds.Three Amish stories—each celebrating love, family, and faith—all taking place in a tight-knit community where the kitchen truly is the heart of the home.Also Includes Reading Group Guide and 45 Old Order Amish Recipes“Fans of Amish fiction will find triple the enjoyment here thanks to this gathering of novellas in one book.” —Publishers Weekly for An Amish Wedding

Three Stories That Share the Adventures of First Love and Second Chances.A Perfect Secret—Rose Bender’s betrothed, Luke Lantz, is safe and dependable, maybe a little too much so. Or so she thinks until she sees him in the woods one night and discovers a secret he’s been keeping. Now his secret haunts her. She wasn’t sure about marrying a man she knew too well. But should she marry a man she doesn’t understand at all?Christmas Cradles—When Anna Stolis takes over for her aunt, the local midwife, Christmas night heats up with multiple deliveries, three strangers’ quilts, and unexpected help from the handsome and brooding Asa Lapp.A Marriage of the Heart—Since her mother’s death, Abigail Kauffman has lived alone with her father. She longs to escape the emptiness of the farmhouse that has never felt like home. Joseph Lambert is a newcomer in their close-knit community. Only after suddenly marrying do they begin to understand the tender truths of life-long love.

Romance is in the air, old-fashioned courtship is alive and well, and love is an eternal promise.Healing Hearts by Beth WisemanHe left to find himself. She found her way without him. Now Levina and Naaman Lapp are together again, feeling miles apart. Although coming home was the right thing to do, Naaman must regain the trust and respect of his wife who, in his absence, has learned to trust God like never before. Could it be that their prior years together have simply been a preface to a greater love than they have ever known?A Marriage of the Heart by Kelly LongAbigail Kauffman is looking for a way out; Joseph Lambert is seeking a way in. Since her mother's death, Abby has lived alone with her father and longs to escape the emptiness of the farmhouse that has never felt like home. Joseph Lambert is a newcomer in their close-knit community. Only after they find themselves suddenly married to each other do they begin to understand the tender truths of life-long love.What the Heart Sees by Kathleen FullerWhen Ellie Chupp loses her sight in an accident--and then her boyfriend shortly after that--she believes love will never be in her future. But Christopher Miller has returned home, five years after fleeing from the tragedy that broke his heart. When Ellie and Chris meet again, sparks fly. Could true love be a matter of seeing with new eyes?