As a child growing up in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, I eagerly awaited the appearance of thousands of peach and apple blossoms each springtime. In the fall, I could hardly wait for the scent and taste of freshly picked apples, which I would help my mother core and peel to make apple crisp or baked apples. Naturally, with my lifelong love of orchards and everything about them, I decided to feature one in this book. The fictitious Hostetler orchard is inspired by the well-known Kauffman Fruit Farm, owned and operated in Bird-in-Hand for six generations by the Kauffman family. (As a side note, Sentry peaches were developed in 1980 in Maryland, but for the sake of this story, I altered their advent by ten years.)
The path of my research led to fascinating discoveries. And thanks to the wonderful help of my fine consultants—Dale Birch, Amish and Mennonite friends (who wish to remain anonymous), linguist and translator Hank Hershberger, and the writings of Donald Kraybill—I was blessed with knowledge of Plain-community happenings during the early 1970s.
Rochelle Glöege has been my editor for nearly three decades now, and I am grateful to her beyond measure for many reasons! She continues to head up my excellent editorial team, which includes David Horton, Charlene Patterson, Jean Bloom, and Elisa Tally.
Bethany House Publishers’ talented fiction marketing team, with Michele Misiak, Raela Schoenherr, Karen Steele, and Anne Van Solkema, as well as Rachael Wing, Chris Dykstra, and Lindsay Schubert, gave this novel a resounding launch.
My husband, Dave, smoothed out my writing days with fun-filled moments of brainstorming and by making delicious lunches and snacks. My sister, Barbara, added her in-depth proofreading skills to the mix, along with encouragement and prayer. Our grown children—Julie, Janie, and Jonathan—and granddaughter, Ariel, buoyed me along with their thoughtfulness and support. My prayerful family, friends, and colleagues were also my constants during the hardest days—sincerest gratitude to every one of you!
As always, I think fondly of my faithful readers and reviewers and offer my heartfelt appreciation.
To the Creator of us all, I am continually thankful for divine prompting and direction, so evident to me during this story journey. Soli Deo Gloria!