Interview: Vannetta Chapman, author of Anna’s Healing

Welcome another teacher-turned-author to the blog, Vannetta Chapman! She's written a book called Anna's Healing and she's ready to share it with you! 

Read Vannetta's author interview below this message AND enter the book giveaway contest through filling out the Rafflecopter widget toward the end of this post, for your chance to WIN a copy of Anna's Healing.

Sounds exciting, doesn't it? Enjoy your time with Vannetta today! 

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Alexis: Anna’s Healing starts a new collection written by you. What is the name of that collection and why did you choose Anna’s Healing as the first story?

Vannetta: The collection is Plain & Simple Miracles. It’s a collection instead of a series, which means that the stories are all standalones, but they take place in the same community setting. I wanted Anna’s Healing to be first because we’re introducing the community through the eyes of a young girl who is visiting and unsure where she fits in. Also, there was an e-book only novella titled Brian’s Choice which actually came out before Anna’s Healing. 

Why did you choose to write about an Amish community in Oklahoma? Is it purely fictional or is your story based on real-life people? 

The community exists, but the place I call Cody’s Creek is actually called Chouteau. I wanted to write about a place closer to where I live. Since I’m in Texas and we only have one very small Amish community, Oklahoma seemed like a good choice. The story itself and the people are fictional.

Why did you choose to make family and love the theme of this new collection?

Some of the most important and influential relationships occur within our families. When Christ tells us to “love your neighbor as yourself,” I believe that starts with your family!

How much time did you spend writing Anna’s Healing? What was the most challenging part of the writing process?

I’m on a fast deadline for these books, so I believe I wrote it in four months. The most challenging part was figuring out where to take the story after Anna is healed.

Let’s talk about your three main characters (not including Anna): Chloe, Jacob and Ruth. Describe the strengths, quirks, flaws, and deepest desire.

Chloe is Englisch—she is standing on the outside looking in. She’s a reporter and she strikes up this unusual relationship with a young Amish woman. I like how I was able to provide an outsider’s perspective through Chloe.

Jacob is not your typical Amish male. He’s restless. He isn’t ready to settle down, and so he travels from one community to the next, helping with planting and harvesting. When he lands in Cody’s Creek, he has no idea that God has a completely different plan for his life. I loved the development of this character as he learns to put the needs of others before his own.

Ruth is a cornerstone of this story. She’s 89 years old and shrinking, but she’s a giant in the faith. It’s Ruth’s love and faithfulness that leads to Anna’s healing.

Let’s talk about your heroine Anna. When the reader first meets Anna, what is she doing? What does Anna love? What does she dislike? What is the reason for her sickness and what impact does her miracle healing have on her community?

We start this story with Anna trying to find her place in Cody’s Creek. She’s agreed to live with her aunt for a year because she can’t find a job (or a man) to suit her. Anna loves her family, but she feels like the black sheep. Then she’s injured during a tornado. Why Anna? Why now, when she’s in the prime of her life? Why is she healed, not immediately, but many months later? These are all questions we grapple with in the story.

What is the moral of the story?

That God’s grace is sufficient, regardless our circumstance.

As a woman who believes in God, do you think He still can heal people miraculously just like he did for your fictional character Anna? Why or why not?

Yes, I do. Like many believers, I don’t understand why God heals some and not others. We have people in our family with what is called a “dread disease.” Why us? Why now? These are all questions that believers struggle with. In the end, I can only trust and believe that God’s grace is sufficient.

What do you love the most about writing Amish fiction/romance?

I love their down-to-earth attitude. After meeting so many Amish folks, it’s a joy for me to write about their lifestyle.

As a writer, what is your go-to-food or beverage when you’re on deadline?

Coffee. Always coffee. And occasionally chocolate!

What’s next for you in your publishing dreams?

Joshua’s Mission (book 2 in this collection) releases January 1. I adore this story, which centers around Amish participation in missions, something few people know about.

Thank you for the interview, Vannetta! Please leave a question for my readers to answer that will qualify them to enter your book giveaway contest.

What is your go-to-food or beverage when you’re feeling pressured?

a Rafflecopter giveaway
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Author bio:

Vannetta Chapman writes inspirational fiction full of grace. She has published over 100 articles in Christian family magazine and received more than two dozen awards from Romance Writers of America chapter groups. She discovered her love for the Amish while researching her grandfather’s birthplace of Albion, Pennsylvania. Her novel, Falling to Pieces, was a 2012 ACFW Carol Award finalist. A Promise for Miriam earned a spot on the June 2012 Christian Retailing Top Ten Fiction list. Chapman was a teacher for 15 years and currently writes full time. She lives in the Texas hill country with her husband. For more information, visit her at www.VannettaChapman.com 

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Book blurb:

Anna’s Healing is the first book in a brand-new collection from popular author Vannetta Chapman. These stories of love and family and Amish community in Oklahoma tell of the miracles that can happen when lives are lived in service to God and to one another.

When a tornado strikes the farms surrounding Cody’s Creek, Anna Schwartz’s life is changed forever. She suffers a spinal cord injury and suddenly finds herself learning to live as a paraplegic.

Three people—Chloe Roberts, Jacob Graber, and Ruth Schwartz—join forces to help Anna through her darkest days. Chloe is an Englischer who writes for the local paper. Jacob has recently arrived in town and stays on as a hired hand at her uncle’s. And Ruth is her grandmother, a woman of deep faith and a compassionate spirit.

Then one morning Anna wakes and finds herself healed. How did it happen? Why did it happen? And what is she to do now? Her life is again turned upside down as the world’s attention is drawn to this young Amish girl who has experienced the unexplainable.

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Buy Vannetta's book:

Amazon - http://amzn.to/1RqDHwK
Barnes & Noble - http://bit.ly/1j95G95
Christianbook.com - http://bit.ly/1L1EakO

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Connect with Vannetta:
Website - http://vannettachapman.com
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/VannettaChapmanBooks
Instagram - https://instagram.com/vannettachapman/

Pinterest - http://pinterest.com/vannettachapman/

Twitter - https://twitter.com/VannettaChapman