Suzanne Woods Fisher is an author I look for with great anticipation. I have found her stories to not only be engaging to read, but challenging to me spiritually. There is always the interesting storyline that I am immersed in, but beneath the story there is also a lesson my heart needs to hear. I also appreciate the immense context and detail she provides in her stories. Stitches in Time the sequel to Mending Fences, read that review here, was no exception to my other fantastic experiences with Fisher.

The story of the Stoney Ridge community continues as we follow Mollie (and Sam Schrock) on their journey and move on with Luke Schrock, and his new wife Izzy, who we came to love in Mending Fences. I was particularly drawn to this series because it dealt with drug addiction and is not a historical Amish Fiction, but instead a contemporary story. In Stirches in Time an additional social issue that is discussed and tackled head on is foster care. I find it refreshing, engaging and also more applicable to me when the Amish community I have grown to love is explored in a contemporary setting and current, real-life issues are explored.

I just adore the strong willed, confident character Mollie and felt immediately invested in her. I was engaged from page one of the story, I mean the drawing of lots for the lifetime commitment of deacon in the first few pages…. I was hooked!

An additional aspect of Fishers writing that you won’t find just anywhere is that the story is both complex and simple. The complexity comes from the tales of the characters that are woven even before this story begins. You see many of the characters in this book are introduced to us in other Fisher series and stories. You don’t have to have read them all, that’s he simplicity of it, you can pick up right here with Mollie, Sam, Izzy, and Luke where their story is now. But, if you know their back stories or those of the other characters you can appreciate the complexity all the more, and as you close the last pages with all the lessons learned and new life changes in place you know the characters well and are deeply invested in their lives. This is a fabulously written story, and I just love when minor characters from other books and series become major ones and the majors players from other stories hold supporting roles in the new ones. It’s so much like real life!

I also appreciated Fisher exploring Sam Schrock’s need to break free of the reputation of his family and the “long memories” of the Amish. I think we can all relate to the feeling of being judged by those that have come before us or walking in someone else’s shadow. Seeing these characters pave their own way, tackle huge real-life issues, and find love and acceptance along the way is EXACTLY why I love books by Suzanne Woods Fisher. I hope you’ll grab a copy and consider sharing it with a friend.

Thanks to Celebrate Lit Bloggers for my copy of the story, all opinions shared here are mine. Don’t miss store great giveaway and thoughts from the author below!

About the Book

Book: Stitches in Time

Author: Suzanne Woods Fisher

Genre: Contemporary Amish fiction

Release Date: October 1, 2019

Detachment had worked well as a life strategy for horse trainer Sam Schrock. Until he met Mollie Graber . . .

New to Stoney Ridge, schoolteacher Mollie has come to town for a fresh start. Aware of how fleeting and fragile life is, she wants to live it boldly and bravely. When Luke Schrock, new to his role as deacon, asks the church to take in foster girls from a group home, she’s the first to raise her hand. The power of love, she believes, can pick up the dropped stitches in a child’s heart and knit them back together.

Mollie envisions sleepovers and pillow fights. What the 11-year-old twins bring to her home is anything but. Visits from the sheriff at midnight. Phone calls from the school truancy officer. And then the most humiliating moment of all: the girls accuse Mollie of drug addiction.

There’s only one thing that breaks through the girls’ hard shell–an interest in horses. Reluctantly and skeptically, Sam Schrock gets drawn into Mollie’s chaotic life. What he didn’t expect was for love to knit together the dropped stitches in his own heart . . . just in time.

Suzanne Woods Fisher invites you back to the little Amish church of Stoney Ridge for a touching story of the power of love.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Carol-award winner Suzanne Woods Fisher writes untold stories about inspiring people. With over one million copies of her books sold worldwide, she is the bestselling author of fiction and non-fiction, ranging from Amish Peace: Simple Wisdom for a Complicated World to the historical novel Anna’s Crossing.

More from Suzanne

Have you ever felt the tug to become a foster parent?

On any given day, there are nearly 438,000 children in foster care in the United States. Most states have a critical need for more foster parents, and the number of children placed in foster care increases yearly.

There are plenty of assumptions about having foster children, but most are incorrect. The media has a tendency to focus on the negative, but from all the research I conducted to write this book, for every bad news story, there were two good ones. Good stories just don’t make the news.

Below are some of the most common assumptions about foster care, with corrected information that is applicable across the United States (but keep in mind that each state has their own requirements).

Myth: Kids in foster care are bad or troubled.

Truth: Children in foster care are good kids taken out of a troubled situation. They need a caring foster parent who is patient and understanding. When given the opportunity, most of these children begin to thrive.

Myth: To be a foster parent, you need to be married and own a home and be a college graduate.

Truth: You don’t need to be married or to own a home or even be a college graduate. That means if you’re single or renting, you can be a foster parent.

Myth: I can’t afford to be a foster parent.

Truth: There are monthly reimbursement rates for children in foster care based on the level of care you provide. Medical and dental care is paid through state Medicaid programs.

Myth: Most kids in foster care are teenagers.

Truth: The average age of a child entering foster care is seven years old.

Myth: Most kids are in foster care because their parents have abused drugs.

Truth: Now, this one is not a myth. It’s true. There are fifteen categories that can be responsible for a child’s removal from a home. Drug abuse from a parent has had the largest percentage increase.

Myth: Fostering could require a commitment until the child turns eighteen.

Truth: Generally, children remain in state care for less than two years. Only six percent spend five or more years in foster care.

Myth: It’s too hard to give a child up to his biological family.

Truth: Most children are in foster care for a short time, returning to their biological families. Reuniting a child to his family is the ideal situation. Foster families provide a safe haven for a child. Healthy grieving is to be expected, but it’s for the right reasons. It’s healthy.

Myth: You can’t adopt foster children.

Truth: In 2016, more than 65,000 children—whose mothers and fathers parental rights were legally terminated—waiting to be adopted. Also in 2016, more than 20,000 children “aged out” of foster care without permanent families. Research has shown that those who leave care without being linked to a “forever family” have a higher likelihood than the general youth population to experience homelessness, unemployment, and incarceration as adults.

Is there room in your heart and family for a child in need? There are many ways to get involved, some that do not even require foster care. One recommendation: volunteer with The National CASA Association (Court Appointed Special Advocates) for Children. You can find out more information here: www.casaforchildren.org.

Or consider small ways to connect to children in need—after school tutoring at your public library. Volunteering at a community center. Buy Christmas gifts for a family in need through an Adopt-a-Family program with a local church. Support a family who does provide foster care with respites—babysitting or meals. There’s many ways to get involved to care for children in need. And every little bit makes a difference.