Thanks so much for allowing me to share my space with you. Although I now do most of my writing on a laptop, a view of it and my toes would be pretty dull. My desk has more character. We bought this computer desk and chair at an Amish furniture shop. The keyboard is on a handy sliding tray, which can be hidden by a false drawer front that flips up. It matches the real drawer to the right, and it’s a nice example of Amish practicality and ingenuity.
You see lots of symbols of my three books. My first two were Across the Wide River and The Light Across the River. They are YA novels about the Reverend John Rankin family and their Underground Railroad station in Ripley, Ohio. You can see an IKEA lantern with a battery-operated tea light, reminiscent of the signal light the Rankins used to beckon slaves to freedom. There’s a photo of Rankin House, too. Both books are on my desk because I’m getting ready for an event at my church where I will sign copies of them and my newest book, The Bargain, Amish/historical fiction set in the 70s. (By the way, The Bargain is on tour as we speak, and I’m giving away a Kindle to celebrate!) There’s a church bulletin to remind me of the details of the event, right next to a copy of The Amish in Their Own Words. The faceless Amish doll came from a craft sale years ago. Lastly, I made the little penguin out of pipe cleaners. He’s a good companion, very quiet.
I clip a lot of stuff from newspapers to pin on my bulletin board (Pinterest, old school), including articles or photos that tie in with my books. There’s an article about lost photos of the 70s, a decade I remember well. I like bird photos because I watch birds. The Amish paper dolls are from when I worked in a Latchkey program. The calendar and a couple of receipts prove I am organized. My pink piglet flash drive is visible, plus doodles my daughter and I made of Betsie and Michael, main characters in The Bargain. And I think you can see I’ve always loved horses and days gone by.
I’d love to give away a copy of The Bargain. But first, turnabout is fair play: readers, where do you write? Share with me below!
Stephanie Reed lives on the outskirts of Plain City, Ohio, site of a once-thriving Amish community. She gleans ideas for her novels from signs glimpsed along the byways of Ohio, as she did for her previous books, Across the Wide River and The Light Across the River. Connect with Stephanie on her website or via Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.
More about The Bargain: It’s 1971, and Betsie Troyer’s peaceful and predictable life is about to become anything but. When their parents flee the Amish, nineteen-year-old Betsie and her seventeen-year-old sister Sadie are distraught. Under the dubious guidance of a doting aunt, the girls struggle to keep the secret, praying their parents will return before anyone learns the truth—a truth that may end all hopes of Betsie’s marriage to Charley Yoder.
Enter to win a copy of The Bargain!
Stephanie is giving one lucky blog reader a copy of The Bargain! Enter using the widget below. Only those in the U.S. are eligible to win. If you want more chances to win her book and a Kindle, check out this page.
