Interview with Author, Samantha J. Bayarr

Interview with Amish fiction Author, Samantha J. Bayarr 

and Kindle/Nook Book Giveaway

Winner of giveaway will be able to choose one of the above: Jacob's Daughter, Little Wild Flower, book one, or The Quilter's Son (if you choose The Quilter's Son, it won't be available until July 2012)

I'm thrilled to feature an interview with Amish fiction author, Samantha J. Bayarr, today.  Samantha is also graciously offering a kindle or nook book of your choice from the three titles featured above.   Leave a comment on this post to enter the contest.  I will draw a winner on Friday, June 21, 2012.  For extra entries (up to 3), follow my blog, share on facebook or twitter, and leave a comment telling me how you shared to enter.   Thanks!  

What prompted you to write Amish fiction, Samantha?  Do you have any family in the Amish faith?  When I lived in Goshen, Indiana, for almost ten years, I came to enjoy mingling with the Amish.  I would often stop at their roadside stands where they sold bread, baked goods, and vegetables.  They were so kind and had a genuine "happiness" about them that intrigued me.   After my second year in Indiana, I joined a women's Bible study group where there were a couple of Mennonite women in the group.  As I got to know these women, their gentle spirits made me want to be a better person.  We cooked together (they introduced me to fried frog legs {tastes like chicken!!}) and canned vegetables for the winter, etc.  I learned a lot about their Amish ancestors and the culture in general.
One of the women even took me to her mother's home for lunch one afternoon (her mother drove a horse and buggy), and I was amazed at the humble nature of this group of people. I never did get the buggy ride I wanted though!   

When I wrote my first Amish series, Little Wild Flower, I wanted to write the story from the perspective of having an outsider become Amish.....and so my main character, Jane, is a hippie from the 1970's who falls in love with the Amish guy next door after her family moves to the country.

You deal with some heavy issues, such as child abuse, alcoholism, and others in your books, do you ever receive criticism for that?   By the way, I personally find it refreshing that you portray the Amish as "human", for that they are.   Also, I feel it brings needed attention to issues of great importance.   

In my series, Little Wild Flower, most of the story is based on part of my true-life story.   I was the daughter of an alcoholic mother who was very abusive.   She came to know Jesus later in life and we had a wonderful life full of forgiveness in her later years.  I wanted to incorporate those issues into the story to make it more "real" to the readers.  I wrote that story to reach out to others who may have had similar experiences to let them know that forgiveness can happen in their lives too.  

There has been some criticism for the story, where people claimed it was too far-fetched to believe.  However, the portion in "Unto Others" was a VERY watered-down version of just how brutal my childhood rally was.  I think that if those naysayers really knew what I actually went through as a child, they might wonder how I managed to survive at all.  But I would tell them it was by the grace of God

What is your favorite book of all time and why?  

Pride and Prejudice is my favorite book because it is a timeless classic.  The love story in that book can be compared to the Amish love stories I write because the sense of values and propriety was the same then as it is today for the Amish.

If you were going to become Amish, what would be most difficult for you to give up and why?

I would NOT be able to part with my phone!!!    I would miss my computer, and would not like losing it either, but if I could only choose one item, I would choose the phone.   My phone is my lifeline to the outside world.  As you know, most writers live a recluse life, and talking to others (or texting, as I prefer) is a way to remind us that the world is still out there!  Honestly, I could not part with the computer either because writing is my life.   If I couldn't have my computer, I would write in the dirt or on cave walls or wherever was available!!

Where did you go to school and how did your schooling compare to the one-room schools of the Amish?

I attended private school all my life.  It was strict "old-school" Catholic.   I would say it compared because we were treated very strictly in the classroom, and we were taught values and religion that the public school students didn't get.  The small classroom sizes also compared, and we would often combine several grade levels in most activities, such as art and religion classes. 

Samantha, thank you so much for sharing so honestly with us from your heart today.  Your interview has certainly touched my heart, as your books have also.   

Now don't forget to enter to win one of these great books of Samantha's, blog readers!