Showing results by author "Amy Lillard" in All Categories

Independent-minded Leah Gingerich has always been outspoken. And even though she is now a progressive Mennonite, she's rediscovering the joys of family traditions back in her Amish hometown. Yet she can't help but clash with her handsome new Amish neighbor, Jamie Stoltzfus. He's too hard-headed and old-line to see that his traumatized young nephew, Peter, needs faith and help - or that a woman who stands up to him may be what he needs to heal.

Fifteen years. That’s how long it’s been since Hannah McLean set foot in the Amish community where she was raised. Through it all, her heart has never forgotten Pontotoc - or Aaron Zook, her first love. Now widowed and left with little more than her hurting teenager and her prayers, she returns home, even knowing she and her son may be turned away. When Aaron learns Hannah has returned, he nearly falls to his knees.

As Sugar Springs gears up for its all-class high-school reunion, Mississippi bookstore owner Arlo Stanley prepares to launch her largest event: a book signing with the town's legendary alum and best-selling author Wally Harrison. That's when Wally is discovered dead outside of Arlo's front door, and her best friend is questioned for the crime. When the elderly ladies of Arlo's Friday Night Book Club start to investigate, Arlo has no choice but to follow behind to keep them out of trouble.

It was only a few months ago that the ladies of Arlo's Friday Night Book Club - Fern, Camille, and Helen - solved the murder of the renowned author Wally Harrison. So when they select Wally's best seller, Missing Girl, for their next discussion, Arlo is hopeful it will be the end of their mystery hunt. But since their recent success as sleuths, the crew officially sees themselves as a women's mystery club, and they're convinced Missing Girl was inspired by a 50-year-old cold case.

Tillie Gingerich is so in love with Melvin Yoder that she agrees to leave her conservative Amish home to live with him in the English world. But when the struggle to make ends meet leads to conflict and reveals troubling weaknesses in their relationship, Tillie returns to Pontotoc - pregnant and unmarried. Her loving family accepts her, but to convince the rest of the community, they must turn to the bishop. Distraught, Tillie runs away on Christmas Eve - only to get as far as an isolated house on the edge of town.

Five tumultuous years have changed Titus Lambert in every way. Back then, Titus was preparing to marry his longtime sweetheart, Mandy Yoder. Then came the unthinkable - a tragic car wreck that left Titus serving time for vehicular manslaughter. Titus isn't sure he belongs in this peaceful place anymore, but he must make amends. When he goes to visit the Kings, whose son, Alvin, died that terrible night, he's shocked to see that their farm has fallen into disrepair.

Lorie Kauffman is grief stricken when her father passes away unexpectedly. But her heartache quickly turns to bewilderment when she discovers that he had been leading two lives - one of simplicity and hard work in Wells Landing and one fraught with painful ordeals in Tulsa. As she starts digging into her family's past, Lorie finds that she's no longer certain where she belongs. Lorie knows that if she leaves Wells Landing, she may never be able to return.

Emily Ebersol is the bishop's daughter, and everyone - including Emily - assumes that she'll marry a faithful Amish man and live out her days within the community. But her childhood sweetheart, Luke Lambright, fell in love with racing cars during his rumspringa and decided to leave Wells Landing. Emily prays for his return, but as the months go by, she begins spending time with another young man - a man who may not be as exciting as Luke, but perhaps he's exactly what she needs.

Everyone in Wells Landing has long expected Sadie Kauffman and Chris Flaud to marry, despite Sadie's telling them differently. While she loves Chris, she sees him more as a friend than a husband. Yet at 22, Sadie, the plainest girl in her group, is also the only one who is still single. Perhaps it's time to be practical and marry Chris, though he still has not asked. But when Sadie meets a kind, handsome Mennonite, it seems that her prayers have been answered....

At the age of forty-three, Amy Lee Lillard learned she was autistic. She learned she was part of a community of unseen women who fell through the gaps due to medical bias and social stereotypes. A Grotesque Animal explores the making, unmaking, and making again of a woman with an undiagnosed disorder. How did a working-­class background and a deep-rooted Midwest culture of silence lead to hiding in plain sight for decades? How did sexuality and anger hide the roots of trauma among the women in her family?

With a speculative and surreal style, Amy Lee Lillard’s prize-winning collection explores a living museum of women from across time; a life app that forces women to comply with beauty standards; a future internment camp with a literal race for survival; and a band of middle-aged Riot Grrrls, taking vengeance with a new power. With humor, rage, and a razor-sharp eye for detail, Exile in Guyville renders the invisible as seen, and the powerless as empowered.

Hattie Schrock's lively optimism makes her the Widows Club's most outgoing member. The circle has helped her through widowhood—and in building a thriving popcorn shop with her cousin. So when Elsie bets Hattie that she can't help Paradise Valley's most cantankerous man learn to be happier, Hattie tackles the challenge head-on. But what can she do when she finds Christian Beachy is far more complicated—and appealing—than she thought?

The unusual death of local herb farmer Ginger Reed is the talk of Yoder. Naturally, Sissy is intrigued. The official report classifies Ginger's demise as an accident, concluding that she ran herself over with a tractor. But Sissy's cousin, Naomi, a friend and longtime employee of Ginger's, insists that's impossible. When she asks for Sissy's help in unearthing the truth, Sissy's on the case—accompanied as ever by her loyal Yorkie companion, Duke.