Amish Wisdom Spotlight: Her Brother's Keeper

Amish stories have stepped into a genre all their own, but with so many authors writing about the Plain People, I think that the challenge is to choose a topic that hasn’t been done before, or that has only been lightly touched upon. Her Brother’s Keeper is the first novel in my Amish Secrets series. Each one of the books will involve a secret. This series also delves into some deeper subject matter than some of my other books, but you can also expect to find some humor sprinkled in so the reader enjoys a good sense of balance.

Charlotte, my main character, is grieving the loss of her brother who committed suicide while living among the Amish. When Charlotte can’t get any answers from the community, she pretends to be one of them—a distant relative—and visits Lancaster County donning the appropriate Amish clothes and prayer covering. This is where much of the humor comes in as Charlotte tries to fake her way into her new family with a barrage of lies.

But suicide and mental health are serious issues, and the story is presented with that in mind. What could drive a person to take his or her life, and could anything have been done to prevent such a tragedy?

While writing Her Brother’s Keeper, I strived to tell a tale that is both entertaining and thought provoking. I always pray that my books might land in the hands of someone who can benefit from the story. If the book helps save a life, or brings even one person closer to God, then I’ve done my job for Him.

Her Brother’s Keeper is about the powerful bonds of family and how sometimes we find family where we least expect it. God always has a plan far greater than our own.

This book is also fun and romantic, especially as Charlotte tries to navigate unchartered waters while living with her new Amish family. As she begins to shake things up for all of them, pieces of the puzzle start coming together.

I hope readers will find Her Brother’s Keeper to be an entertaining story that inspires thoughtful discussions and that they fall in love with the characters of the Amish Secrets series as much as I have.