Welcome Mat Wednesday: Alice J. Wisler

I’m so thrilled to introduce today’s guest poster–author and two-time Christy Award finalist Alice J. Wisler. And this is an especially fun day to feature Alice because it’s release day for her latest novel–Still Life in Shadows.

I think the whole idea of this book, as Alice explains in her post, is so intriguing! And I love her inspiration for the story. Like I mention in the video, I need to read this book ASAP. Bet you can’t guess what I’ll be doing while you’re reading Alice’s post…:)


Still Life in Shadows: A novel without a bonnet


The mystic of the simple lifestyle draws us in. The horse-drawn buggies present a picturesque scene with the back drop of gentle rolling hills. We are mesmerized by groups of people who dress alike, live quietly, and refrain from using the modern conveniences we’ve grown to depend on. In our hectic days, we secretly wonder if life would be better if we lived as the Amish. We dream.  

Yet as we idealize this culture and religion, do we bother to look at the other side—the thorny side of the Amish life?


More and more Amish are leaving their communities. The recent Amish: Out of Order series on National Geographic showed viewers another glimpse of the Old Order life that tourist traps selling apple butter and quilts don’t portray. There’s even an ex-Amish Facebook group where members share from their hearts the anguish of being disowned by their parents for venturing away from the rules of Ordnung.
 

“Out here in the world, you leave the Amish, you are on your own,” says Mose Gingerich, an ex-Amish man who left his home in Wisconsin for Columbia, Missouri.  

Now he helps youth leave their sheltered communities, calling himself an Ex-Amish Underground Railroad. He says the young men and women leave their Amish communities for a variety of reasons, some due to wanting more religious freedom, others wanting to further their education beyond the standard Amish eighth grade level.


Thanks to our connection via the Internet, Mose now knows that he was the inspiration for my recent novel Still Life in Shadows. Like Mose, my character, thirty-year-old Gideon Miller, helps Amish youth leave their communities in Indiana, Ohio and Pennsylvania to resettle in modern society. Gideon assists them in finding employment and offers them inexpensive places to live.


Although far from his community in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, my character is still plagued by his father’s harsh attitudes and past behavior. And even as Gideon tries to become more English, he struggles with God, mercy, and forgiveness in his new community in the North Carolina Smoky mountains. 

With the help of Kiki, a thirteen-year-old autistic girl, and her lovely older sister, Mari, Gideon is able to put to rest some of his demons and gradually embrace a loving God, but it takes a tragedy to bring him to his knees. He realizes that, despite what he’s been taught from birth, leaving the Amish doesn’t doom him to Hell. The free gift of God’s salvation is for all people, whether you wear a black hat and suspenders or a John Deere cap and a pair of worn Levi’s.


Alice J. Wisler grew up in Japan as a missionary kid, graduated from a Mennonite college, traveled extensively, and finally settled in North Carolina.  She’s the author of Rain Song (Christy Finalist 2009), How Sweet It Is (Christy Finalist 2010), Hatteras Girl, A Wedding Invitation and now, Still Life in Shadows.  Ever since the death of her son Daniel, she’s taught Writing the Heartache workshops and speaks at conferences on the value of writing through grief and loss. Visit her website: http://www.alicewisler.comand join her on her author page on Facebook where she’ll be giving away prizes: http://www.facebook.com/alice.j.wisler#!/pages/Alice-J-Wisler/333751835453

Be sure to check out Still Life in Shadows–available now! 
After leaving his Amish community with just a duffle bag, Gideon vows never to return.  He settles into life as a car mechanic in Twin Branches, North Carolina. Soon he’s known as the Getaway Savior, assisting dissatisfied Amish youth adjust to English life. But when his brother Moriah comes to visit, Gideon struggles with how to reach him. Told from the viewpoints of Gideon Miller and thirteen-year-old Kiki Yanagi, Still Life in Shadows is a story of finding a place to belong.

 
Readers, are you intrigued by the Amish lifestyle? Have you ever thought about what it’d be like to leave Amish culture?

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    Comments 30

    2. It would be so hard to live in a culture that doesn’t embrace technology, but I suppose if you’ve never known any differently, then it might not be. However, there is something appealing about leaving it all behind for awhile. In the end, though, I think I’d find all the rules a bit stifling!

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      1. Life without technology…it’d be a relief for a bit, but possibly very disturbing after awhile! I mean, how would I communicate with friends who live far away…say, in Arizona?!

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      1. I broke my own reading specific genre to read Wildflower from Winter and I’m so happy I did! 😉 I just read Wish You Were Here and (as Beth says) I think I might be going over to the “dark side” of fiction – contemporary! Who would have thought?

        If you’re going to break into the Amish genre this book looks amazing!

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    4. I’ve just read my first Amish book not long ago. I liked it. I think it’s a fascinating life style…less stress, simple pleasures. It also has its hardships too.

      The book sounds interesting.

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    5. We have quite a few Amish people who live about thirty miles west of us. It’s a very, very interesting lifestyle. I’ve often wondered what it would be like, but I’ve never had the desire to leave my air conditioned home to find out!

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    6. Congratulations on your release, Alice! To my knowledge, we don’t have many (if any) Amish communities in Texas. However, when I would visit my parents when lived in Kentucky, I became fascinated by their simple lifestyle. They live off the land in tight-knit communities who rely on one another. But I agree with Gabrielle, I like my A/C and techno gadgets too much to give it a whirl.

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    11. I’m fascinated by a lot of the different communities in this country: Amish, Irish Traveler, etc. I think each shares a common goal of insulating itself against the culture to maintain tradition, and I think that has to be increasingly hard in today’s society. I never knew much about the Amish until our book club read an Amish book a few months ago (my first) and I was really shocked at some of the things about their belief system I learned. Very different than what I expected!

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    12. I am intrigued by the Amish lifestyle and I love reading Amish fiction books. I really have no idea how hard it would be to walk away from your family and community and be shunned. That would be so difficult.

      We do have some Amish communities about 20 miles from where I live and I live about 40 miles from the Amish community of Shipshewana, Indiana. So even though I see them often, their lifestyle still fascinates me.

      I would love to win this book. It sounds like a good page turner.

      Blessings!
      Judy
      judyjohn2004(at)yahoo(dot)com

      Reply

    13. Just read a little about “Still Life In The Shadows” and would like the opportunity to be in the drawing for the book. Amish genre is my favorite and would like very much to have a chance to read this book. Please enter me. Thank you and God Bless.
      Pat Hines – pshines@frontiernet.net.

      Reply

    15. I love reading Amish fiction and have a deep appreciation for people who live a simple life. Since seeing Amish: Out of Order on the Nat’l Geographic channel my eyes have been opened to those who have left the Amish faith, and the numerous things they have had to sacrifice. I’m looking forward to reading this book. Thank you for offering this giveaway!
      Nancee
      quiltcat26[at]sbcglobal[dot]net

      Reply

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