When the Soul Mends

Sisters of the Quilt Book 3

Cindy Woodsmall

Publisher’s Summary: After receiving a desperate and confusing call from her sister, Hannah Lapp reluctantly returns to the Old Order Amish community of her Pennsylvania childhood.

Having left Owl’s Perch more than two years earlier, she finally has settled into a satisfying role in the Englischer world. Hannah has found love and a new family with the wealthy Martin Palmer and the children she is helping him raise; and her life-long dream of being part of the medical community is being realized. But almost immediately after her arrival, the disapproval of those who ostracized her, including her headstrong father, reopens old wounds.

As Hannah is thrown together with former fiance Paul Waddell to work for her sister Sarah’s mental health, hidden truths surface about the events during Hannah’s absence, and she faces an agonizing decision. Will she choose the Englischer world and the man who restored her hope, or will she heed the call to return to the Plain life–and perhaps to her first love?

When the Soul Mends is the final book in this series (called “Sisters of the Quilt,” which is something of a misnomer, since quilts play only a very small role in the story), and the one I liked best. The basis of the book is that Sarah, who has only a precarious hold on sanity, gets a hold of Hannah and begs her to come home. As Hannah reconnects with those who turned their backs on her, many secrets come to the surface. SPOILER ALERT: By far the most important secret revealed is that Paul had tried to contact Hannah, as she had tried to contact him, and their attempts had been purposely sabotaged by a jealous girl. This places Hannah in the dilemma of having to chose between Martin and Paul. END SPOILER.

I was pleased by the ending. Yes, parts of it seemed to come out of nowhere (at least it did on the first reading–on the second I was looking for the clues, and they were there), but it fit the characters far better than some of the previous scenarios. And while the epilogue seems a bit “Quick! Make sure everybody ends up happy!”, so what? I like happy endings. I far prefer them over “realistic” endings. If I want realism, I’ll go read a newspaper and get myself royally depressed.

SPOILER ALERT: I was especially glad that Hannah goes back to her Plain ways. One of the big hangups of When the Morning Comes (Book 2) was how quickly Hannah seemed to throw off her Amish upbringing and embraced the Englischer world. Turns out she hadn’t really left those ways behind, that she wanted to return to a simpler life, and that the Englisher world, and more importantly, Martin’s world, made her very uncomfortable. END SPOILER.

Over all, When the Soul Mends is a pretty good read, a nice break from the madness of my quilting business and the holidays. I probably won’t keep it (my bookshelf space is so limited I have to be brutal with what I keep), but I did reread parts of it (especially the last seven or eight chapters) for enjoyment, because I’m a sucker for a good romantic ending.

Should writers blog?

Back in 2005, when I first started up this blog, I had a relatively regular schedule for posts. However, as the Punkin got older and more demanding, and as I branched off into the world of quilting/sewing, my posts appeared less and less often. I’d look at the site guiltily every day, but be unable to sit down long enough to post on something interesting.

Added to my problem was this: To have a successful blog requires not only good content, but also good comments on other people’s blogs. I used to spend hours reading other blogs, then even more time commenting on what I read. You know, that whole interaction/traffic thing. So by the time I was done my nightly surfing, my eyes were crossing, my yawns were splitting my head, and all I could think of was bed (I get little enough sleep as it is–my doctor has actually ordered me to get more). Worst of all, my own writing was sitting there untouched.

I eventually took a sabbatical from all blogging, writing and reading, in order to focus on finishing my first novel. That finished, I tried to get back into blogging, and instead got side-swiped by NaNoWriMo. Then sewing projects one right after the other. Until recently, working my way back into the thick of the blogsphere has been near impossible.

I now have two blogs that I attempt to post to on a semi-regular schedule, without much success. This one gets new posts only when I’ve a book review to post. Hitting the Blocks gets new content only when I finish a project. And I’ve got the insane idea of adding a third to chronicle my attempts at homeschooling. I’d love to get my blogs up to the level they were that first year, but somehow I just don’t see that happening. But when to add all this content? The small amounts of time I do have for writing (usually from about 11pm to 1am), I now hoard for working on my books.

So I ask again–should writers blog? Yes, it can be a wonderful place to trade thoughts, receive criticism and support, and find new ideas. But it can also be a terrible time-suck. In the time it’s taken me to write this one post, I could have gotten two or three pages of my book(s) written (possibly more, since it’s still early and I’m relatively coherent).

That being said, I’m off to work on a skirt. And then to write. Hopefully.

Cindy Woodsmall

Synopsis (from publisher):

Her relationship with former fiancé Paul Waddell in tatters, Hannah Lapp has fled her home in hopes of finding refuge with another Amish outcast, her shunned Aunt Zabeth in Ohio. Hampered by limited education and hiding her true identity, Hannah struggles to understand the confusing world of the Englischers and embrace unfamiliar freedoms, but a deepening friendship with the handsome Martin Palmer renews her courage to face the future.

Meanwhile, Hannah’s absence and the distressing events that led to her disappearance create turmoil among her loved ones in Owl’s Perch, Pennsylvania. Her father stubbornly refuses to search for her or to acknowledge increasing signs of instability in daughter Sarah, who suffers secret guilt over her sister’s ruined reputation. Fiancé Paul Waddell is wracked with regret over his betrayal of Hannah’s trust and is concerned with her whereabouts. He befriends Hannah’s remaining allies—brother Luke, best friend Mary, and loyal Matthew Esh—trying to convince them to help search for his love.

First off let me apologize for not putting up as thorough a review as I usually do. This has been an absolutely mad month with NaNoWriMo, and my brain is likely to be pudding for a few weeks yet.

That being said, this is a pretty good book. I read it in a single evening while on a mini-vacation (very mini–one night) in Colonial Williamsburg) because I was interested enough to not want to put it down. The sections that take place in Owl’s Perch drag a bit, especially those with Matthew and Elle, and Sarah’s instability does not ring especially true. Faye is another stock character, but other than those small items the plot moves fairly quickly and the characters are well-drawn.

The only other thing that bothered me about the story was the ease with which Hannah adapted to an Englischer lifestyle. In the course of 2 1/2 years she tosses 18 years of habit and training out the window to do such things as learn to drive a car, wear her hair down, sing with a band, and kiss a man in public. Highly unlikely, but as I am used to reading fantasy it didn’t pull me out of the story all that much.

I was also a bit annoyed that the book ended on a semi-cliff hanger. I don’t like loose ends, and I really don’t like having to wait months (or, heaven forbid, years–Robert Jordan is still on my bad people list because of that, though he’s approaching decades) to find out what happens in the next book.

Other than these nit-picky details, I enjoyed the book. I’ll pass it on to my mother, and then probably to some of the ladies of my bible study group, who I’ve discovered have similar tastes in books (this came out totally by accident, and by the end of the lesson we’d started swapping books and authors).

You know, I need to come up with a rating system if I am going to continue this reviewing business. Stars are so over-done, as are thumbs up/thumbs down and school grades. I need something…something wild. But my brain is too fried to come up with anything right now. Any suggestions?

I know! A contest! I have a free copy (not my used copy either) of When the Morning Comes that I will send to whomever gives me the best rating system. How does that sound?

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Well, a few weeks ago, my Muse came knocking for the first time in months. So I did my normal write until all hours of the night, every night routine. Except now I’ve got a toddler who likes to go to bed at 8:30. Great–the rest of the evening is free for writing. However, the Punkin likes to get up at 7-7:30 in the morning. Not so good when Mama only collapsed onto her pillow at 3 a.m. And sometimes the Punkin comes wandering in at 0 dark thirty (i.e., 5:30) wanting a diaper change. Double plus un-good.

So, I decided to be a (somewhat) good girl and write from 10-12, then try to be asleep by 1 a.m. And that worked really well. I was flying along, getting tons of stuff accomplished on my massive rewriting campaign. I was rather surprised–gee, maybe this every day business had something to it after all.

But then I missed a day, and then another. I was too tired, or too busy, or just not in the mood. My muse doesn’t like being ignored, and so she’s gone off now. And I’m left wondering if I had spent just a few pages every day with her, maybe she’d still be here.

Between attempting to keep three blogs going, a quilt designing business, writing, raising a kid, keeping a husband, dancing, church, extended family, something of a social life, etc., I just don’t have large chunks of time anymore. And I’ve always been a large-chunk-of-time person, whether it’s for writing, or designing, or sewing. As the song says, “With me it’s all or nuttin’.” Nor can I keep up this 4-5 interrupted hours of sleep a night. Yup, the old grey mare, she ain’t what she used to be.

The question I’m coming up against is this: do I really want to be a writer? For that matter, do I want my quilt business to take off? If so, I need to become quite a bit more disciplined, to take what time I can when I can instead of waiting for those nonexistent large chunks of time (and not squander my little chunks playing Mah Jong, Free Cell, or Minesweeper. Or getting lost in Wikipedia.). And it needs to be every day.

Instead I’ve spent the last 5 days painting a mural in my daughter’s bedroom (at my folks’ place in West Virginia). My parents named each of their rooms for one of the places we’ve lived. The Punkin’s room is the Northwest room. The big mountain you can barely see up at the top of the picture is supposed to be Mount Rainier, in Washington state.

I’m rather proud of how it’s turning out, considering this is my first mural ever. This isn’t the finished product–the dogwood’s already been painted over since it just didn’t fit in with the rest of the picture.

Needless to say, I’ve not gotten much else done this week. The Punkin especially is quite sick of “Mama painting.” I’m really hoping to have it done tomorrow (though I’ve been hoping that for the past 4 days)

I do promise to have that review up by the end of the month. Maybe even next week, Lord willing and the crik don’t rise.

Then the Punkin got sick. Then the blogger got sick. Then the Punkin got sick again.

And then–oh, the horror, the horror–she got sucked into her sewing machine. Deeply mired, up to her eyebrows, and enjoying every minute of it. She started designing quilts, quilts, and more quilts. Received a wonderful, very addicting design program as a gift. Spends until 2 A.M. making pretty quilts instead of getting her poor, trapped characters out of her head. Bad, bad writer.

Now she’s gone and started up yet another website to try to sell some of her quilt designs. Don’t even mention the other poor languishing website. Someday…

June was recital month. Much stressing and rehearsing (the ballet was okay, the Irish kept slipping out of her wee over-stuffed head, and the Punkin refused to do her dance…until the first time she went out on the stage. Little diva.), cleaning and entertaining (since this was also the Punkin’s first recital, both sets of grandparents came into town). But it all turned out okay; the blogger is still relatively sane and healthy.

And two baby quilts had to be finished by July 1st.

No, no partridge in a pear tree.

Phew. I got tired just recounting all that.

But the point of this post is, I’m back. Hopefully. Certainly going to try my darnedest. Have a couple of book reviews coming up, and a few other odds and ends rolling around in the few empty spaces left in my head.

TTFN!

It was so nice, those few heady months that I could actually say, “This book is done.” Now it’s just one more project I’m trying to juggle. Again.

I could go work on my other WIP for a while. Actually, I somewhat promised myself I’d finish it this year (I’ve got it stuck in my head that my fantasy is much more likely to snag an agent than my little historical romance.). But it’s such a totally different genre/mindset that I’m afraid I won’t get back to my poor Yankee for eons if I switch gears.

Then there’s my small home business, American Punkin (clothes and screenprinting), which is starting up again. Another pull on my attention.

And now there’s a new baby quilt to make, so the sewing machine is also whispering to me.

Anyone have a cloning machine I borrow for a few weeks? I’ve just too many projects for one little mind to handle.

Before that I was being a bad blogger, but a very good writer, and spending my evening time on the laptap tip-typing away. Which is where I’m going to be in another 45 minutes (hopefully).

Right now I’m waiting for two more silk-screens to dry, dyeing a whole slew of baby clothes bright green, and doing the laundry. Multi-tasking is my life. Tho’ last night I lay down next to the Punkin to get her to sleep at 8:30 pm, and finally woke up and went to my own bed around 4 am and didn’t get up again until 7:30. Sleepy-bye night-night, Nessili.

For those of you who get US News and World Report, what did you think on the article on publishing? Especially the section on PODs. I’ve just scanned it, but the writers of the article certainly seem to like the idea of Print on Demand. They even mention Lulu and CafePress.

I hope to get back to semi-regular blogging this week, but I’m not sure if the weekends are going to throw me off again–I have Irish dance performances on the 11th, 18th, 19th, April 1st, and possible 8th. Busy ol’ me.

Happy Birthday to my dear Hubby the Mighty Bargain Hunter!

*My compliments to Maxwell Smart.

I said I would make the quilt for our bell choir director. I got a bit carried away. The final product was a 6 foot by 7 foot bell-shaped quilt.

And that’s why I haven’t posted all week.

Next week I’ll either have to post more often, or find other excuses (ah, Procrastination, thy name is Nessili.)