Cindy Woodsmall and her daughter in law, Erin Woodsmall, have been working together for ten years, but more recently have co-written five books. A Christmas Haven is the second in their Amish Christmas Romance collection and another addition for lovers of stories set during the Christmas season. The premise of A Christmas Haven is intriguing with the heroine an devout Amish woman who loves planning parties and festive celebrations. Possibly not a great fit, but read on for what Cindy and Erin have to say about that!

Thanks to Waterbrook Multnomah, we are giving away a copy of A Christmas Haven and you can enter via the Rafflecopter form below. Enjoy meeting Ivy Zook!

For fans of holiday romances and Amish life comes a new Christmas tale of surprising expectations and discovering miracles.

Old Order Amish Ivy Zook is wrestling with her need to shed her community’s ways so she can grow the business of her dreams: planning parties. As long as she’s stuck living without modernization, she can barely get her business on its feet. But if she leaves too soon, she’d cause trouble for her sister, Holly, who is planning her wedding to Joshua Smucker. All of their plans become twice as complicated when an old car crashes into the storefront of Greene’s Pharmacy, carrying a Swartzentruber (ultra-conservative sect) Amish man, Arlan, and his very ill sister.

The Zooks take in Arlan and Madga, tending to the woman’s illness and Arlan begins helping around the family farm. Ivy and Arlan are on different tracks, one wanting to leave her community and the other to return to his. But both young people are trying to discover what God has in store for their futures and what miracles might lie around the corner this Christmas season.

Ivy Zook

Physical Stats

Height: Ivy is five feet four inches

Hair colour & style: Her hair is light brown, pinned back in the Old Order Amish style. Her head is usually adorned with a prayer Kapp, a situation she hopes to soon change.

Eye colour: Blue

Dress sense: She’s Old Order Amish, so she wears a cape dress and apron—she doesn’t get much choice in the matter!

Resembles…

I picture Ivy similar to Anna Kendrick, both in appearance and fun energy.

Can’t live without…

The ability to express herself creatively, like in her party planning business and her special Christmas decorating she does for Greene’s Pharmacy each year.

Strengths

Ivy is a true friend and loves fiercely. She supported her sister Holly in the first book, The Christmas Remedy. Her dad died many years ago, and her mom has been a tower of strength since. Ivy loves and admires all of who her mother is, but she knows she has to be true to herself. She’s at a crossroads when the novella begins with several difficult choices to make.

Vulnerabilities

Blind spots. Ivy has thought long and hard about her decisions, and in so many areas, she’s completely right, but she isn’t seeing everything. When two desperate young people have to take refuge in her home, she slowly begins to see beyond her blind spots. Will she see all she needs to before permanent damage is done in the hearts of people she loves?

Passions

Creativity and the freedom to pursue what drives her! Ivy loves the beauty she sees in the world and is passionate about celebrating life through parties and planning parties. She also cleans homes with her Mamm, and even then she’s beautifying so others can enjoy and celebrate the simple pleasure in life.

What book or movie would they recommend?

Ivy would recommend Daring Greatly by Brene Brown. One of many amazing quotes Ivy loves from the book is, “Connection is why we’re here; it is what gives purpose and meaning to our lives.”

Your inspiration for the character

Ivy’s older sister Holly is intense about her need to save everyone she can through medicine, and we imagined Ivy would be a good balance for Holly. Ivy is more relaxed, fun loving, and creative. But how would someone like Ivy fare if she remained living among the Old Order Amish? What challenges would face this young woman who enjoyed indulging in simple things that the Englisch take for granted—like festive parties, flamboyant decorations, and modern music? How much would Ivy be willing to give up in order to pursue her dreams?

Background to the story

In The Christmas Remedy (2018), we get to know the people who work in a small independent pharmacy that works mostly with the Amish. We see Holly Zook, a young woman who is passionate about bringing modern medicine to her Old Order Amish community. Ivy helped her sister in that journey, but in A Christmas Haven, we learn what Ivy wants out of life.

Thanks Cindy and Erin!

CINDY WOODSMALL is a New York Times and CBA best-selling author of twenty-five works of fiction and one nonfiction book. Coverage of Cindy’s writing has been featured on ABC Nightline and the front page of the Wall Street Journal. She lives in the foothills of the North Georgia Mountains with her husband, just a short distance from two of her three sons and her six grandchildren.

ERIN WOODSMALL is a writer, musician, wife, and mom of four. She has edited, brainstormed, and researched books with Cindy for almost a decade. More recently she and Cindy have co-authored five books.

Relz Reviewz Extras
All Things Woodsmall @ Relz Reviewz
Visit Cindy’s website and blog
Buy at Amazon: A Christmas Haven or Koorong

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