A Season of Change treats readers to a story where two very different lifestyles intersect
An interview with Lynette Sowell,
Author of A Season of
Change
“I believe there aren’t any circumstances God
can’t use and work something beautiful from. Whatever the pain, loss or unseen
curveball that comes our way in life, it doesn’t limit God.” This belief that
God often works in unexpected ways is one of the main themes author Lynette
Sowell explores in her new book, A Season of Change (Abingdon Press/May 20,
2014/ISBN 978-1426753558/ $14.99).
In the first novel in Sowell’s new
Seasons in Pinecraft series, readers are introduced to retired circus
performer Natalie Bennett as she searches for the dream of her heart: a family
of her own. When she meets Amish widower Jacob Miller at a Sarasota hospital,
she is drawn to his family and their simple ways.
Q: It isn’t often that we see an Amish story that
also involves circus performers. Tell us how these two worlds collide in A Season of Change.
One thing I discovered
when looking at Sarasota outside of Pinecraft was that it’s the winter home of
Ringling Brothers Circus. It’s also home to the Ringling Museum of Art, a
Circus museum, which used to be part of the estate of John Ringling. I also
discovered Sarasota has a circus school, which I was able to visit for a Sunday
afternoon performance under their big top. My heroine, Natalie, a “retired”
circus performer who now teaches at a circus school, lost her mother to cancer.
The story opens right before Christmas, and she received a box of her late
mother’s things and learns her mother was once Amish — something Natalie never
knew. While volunteering at a hospital in the children’s ward on Christmas day,
Natalie meets the Miller family, visiting young Rebecca Miller, who’s
recovering from severe injuries after being struck by a car.
Q: What kind of research was involved to create
believable characters with such unique backgrounds?
Sometimes the best
thing we writers can do is to put ourselves in someone’s shoes, or at least try
to find a common emotion or feeling we’ve experienced, and let our characters
take it from there. I’ve grieved over losses, like my Amish hero, Jacob Miller,
has. Although I’ve never lost a spouse, I’ve had friends who have. In fact,
Jacob Miller was the first character who came onto my imagination’s stage for
this book. So I knew I had to somehow get into the mind of a grieving Amish
man, about 29-30 years old, and tell his story. I also had to deal with his
outer journey — what does a man his age do for a living? Not all Amish work on
farms now, but many work skilled trades, so I chose that for him.
Q: One of the
main themes in A Season of Change is
that God can work in our lives in unexpected ways. How have you seen this truth
at work in your own life?
Wow, I could write a book about this one, but I’m not a nonfiction
writer! Looking back, especially during difficult circumstances such as my
husband’s cancer diagnosis in 2013, I can see how God warned us a year ahead of
time, how He nudged my husband into a new career and job with health coverage
to provide for his care. He’s given us encouragement through friends, with
their prayers, support and words of comfort when they were sorely needed.
Q: What drew you to write about the Amish, and
how is this story different from other Amish fiction books?
This book series is
what people call a “happy accident.” I was asked by an editor to search out
Texas as a possible setting for Amish fiction, but I was coming up with
nothing. And then, I saw a picture of a Plain woman sitting on a three-wheeled
bicycle outside the Pinecraft post office with an article captioned “The
bicycle Amish.” That’s when the light bulb came on for me, and I knew I’d found
something different. I think fiction trends can be a good thing, but I won’t
follow a trend unless there is something I come across that grabs me and won’t
let me go. Pinecraft did, and it won’t let me go. It’s become a very dear place
to me.
Q: Most people
are familiar with the Amish in Pennsylvania and Ohio, but probably not as
familiar with the Amish population in Pinecraft, Florida, the setting of your
book. Can you tell us more about Pinecraft?
Pinecraft is a winter
vacation spot for the Amish and Mennonites from places like Pennsylvania and
Ohio, as well as Indiana. The “village” is smack-dab in the middle of the city
of Sarasota, Florida, and has a handful of year-round residents. From November
through March, however, the neighborhood swells to a population of thousands.
No horses and buggies — people walk or ride bicycles to get around the
community. (I usually rent a bicycle for a few days while I’m there.) To get
around the city or to the beach, the Plain people who don’t drive hire drivers,
hitch rides with family members who do drive or take the city bus.
Q: What is the message you want to convey through
A Season of Change?
I believe there aren’t
any circumstances God can’t use and work something beautiful from. Whatever the
pain, loss or unseen curveball that comes our way in life, it doesn’t limit
God. I know that’s something often easier said than understood, especially when
we’re in the middle of enduring that storm, whether it’s a time of uncertainty,
disappointment or loss.
Q: Did you learn anything surprising while
writing A Season of Change?
I think the biggest
thing I learned was how easy it is to have misconceptions about certain groups
of people. I attended college for two years in Pennsylvania, not far from
Lancaster County. The college (Messiah College) is affiliated with the Brethren
in Christ Church, so it has Anabaptist roots. Just like in mainstream
Christianity, there are many facets to the Plain people, from
ultra-conservative to what some might consider more liberal. (For example, on
my first trip to Pinecraft, I met an Amish woman who owns a laptop. She uses it
for her work, and her bishop has approved it.)
Q: A Season
of Change is the first in a series. Is there a common theme or thread that
runs throughout the series?
The series title is Seasons in Pinecraft. I have three
strong female characters who are going through seasons in their lives. All
three have had dreams for their lives. Book one’s dream is perhaps what seems
like an impossible dream for Natalie — finding a family and that belonging her
heart craves. In book two, Betsy’s dream is to run her own bakery. In book
three, Rochelle’s dream is one she’d set aside for the sake of other people and
realizing her dream hasn’t died after all.
Q: Tell us a little about your process for
writing a novel. Do you know at the beginning how it will end?
Sometimes I do. I have a general idea of what the
end will be, but part of the fun (and sometimes hair-pulling) is discovering
how it all will come together. I usually have what I call “high points” of the
novel. Those can be good or bad things for the hero and/or heroine, but I know
I need to reach those points in the course of the story.
Readers can keep
up with Lynette Sowell via her Facebook
fan page (Lynette
Sowell, Author) or by following
her on Twitter (@LynetteSowell).
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