| 1.What can you tell us about your new book?
The Missing is the second book in the SEASONS OF GRACE series—a series I’m very
passionate about and eager to share with readers. It is the continuing story of an Amish family’s effort to locate their mother and wife, Lettie Byler, who is searching for a child she gave up for adoption more than two decades ago. 2.How did you come up with the initial idea for this series?
I found myself wondering what it would be like to have a past mistake you can’t let go of, and what would happen if an Amish women decided to go back and right that wrong if she could. Wouldn’t most of us, if we could, return to some reckless point in our lives and make wiser choices? Grace Byler’s mother, Lettie, is on just such a journey to Ohio Amish country, trying to revisit and redeem a secret from her past. 3.What is the significance of the series title, SEASONS OF GRACE?
“Grace” refers both to the main character of the series, Grace Byler, and to her Christ-like response to her mother’s struggles and painful choices. Lettie Byler’s sobering story has been simmering in my heart for two years or more. Our own three children, now grown, are adopted, so this story is particularly dear to me. I hope The Missing and its cast of characters will endear themselves to readers as well. 4.What would you say readers are sure to “get” in a Beverly Lewis novel? What do you
aim to deliver?
Readers frequently tell me that my writing is very “intimate—they feel as if the story is written just for them.” I love to write in what is called a “close third-person point of view,” which puts me right in the shoes (and behind the eyes) of my characters. This series is no exception, and again delivers this "intimate “author voice.” Readers will also vicariously experience a present-day Old Order Amish family’s life, as they live out the Sermon on the Mount in spite of increasing odds...and a secret that threatens to destroy all they’ve ever believed and known. 5.What is the setting of your book? Are any real streets, towns, or landmarks used? If so,
what are they and why did you choose them?
The series is set in the village of Bird-in-Hand in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, not far from my childhood home. Beechdale Road, where the Byler family lives, is a real place, as is Mill Creek, the one-room schoolhouse on Gibbons Road, the Bird-in-Hand Restaurant and Smorgasbord, Family Inn, Farmers Market, etc. While growing up in Lancaster County, I visited this lovely, idyllic area many times, as my mother’s cousins live one street away from Beechdale Road. I fell in love with the area when I was in grade school and have set two other novels (The Postcard and The Crossroad) in this area, as well. 6.Who or what is “missing”in the book The Missing?
While Lettie Byler is missing from home, her husband and grown children are missing her terribly and struggling to go on with their lives. But Grace cannot let her go so easily, wanting to believe the best about her mother. The child Lettie gave up in secret many years ago is also missing, as is the midwife, it seems, who delivered the baby. Will Lettie find what she seeks so desperately? And the healing she yearns for? 7.One of the book’s interesting subplots deals with Heather, an “Englisher” who has come to Amish country to find answers for a grave medical prognosis. Did you have to do any special research to write Heather’s story?
Absolutely, and I enjoyed it immensely. I’ve interviewed certified naturopaths and visited a wellness lodge similar to the one mentioned in this book. I have also conducted extensive interviews with several cancer patients who have been greatly helped by their alternative approach to cancer treatment, in lieu ofconventional medicine. 8.Do Amish people ever read your books?
Oh,yes. I receive many letters (and even some emails, if you can believe it) from Amish women (and a few men) who read and enjoy my books. Many of them offer an open-door invitation to visit them, especially the more progressive Amish in Ohio and Indiana...and some in Wisconsin and Virginia, as well. 9.What are you working on next?
I am writing the third and final book in the SEASONS OF GRACE series, titled The Telling. It goes on sale April 6, 2010.
10.How can readers meet you?
I tour different parts of the country with the release of each new book. For example, I will be visiting parts of Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Alabama in September to meet readers and sign copies of The Missing. Visit beverlylewis.com for specific locations and dates, and to sign up for my newsletter.
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