Olivia Newport question markCharacters stomp around in my head long before they hit the printing press. I have two series in the works, Avenue of Dreams and Valley of Choice. Now that release dates are getting close, I’m getting more questions from people I’ve known a long time and new people I meet. Here are a few quick answers to common questions.

Can I pre-order?

Yes. Both books are available for pre-order from the publishers and the usual online sources for books. Check the links at the bottom of this page for The Pursuit of Lucy Banning and this page for Accidentally Amish.

When will the second book be out?

Charlotte Farrow is a maid in the Banning Household. Her story begins in The Pursuit of Lucy Banning (releasing May 2012) and comes to full form in her own book, which will be available January 2013. (The title is not quite final, but Charlotte’s name will be in it.)

Annie Friesen’s journey into the Amish, which begins in Accidentally Amish releasing October 2012, continues in a second book which will release in June 2013.

Both series have a third book coming as well.

Will it be an e-book?

Yes! Both series. And without any wait after the release date.

How do you have time to write all these books?

Books gestate at different rates, and I’m not really writing all these books at the same time. The Avenue of Dreams series dates back to 2009. I actually completed drafts of all three books before finding a publisher. So while I’m certainly working hard to make these historical stories the best they can be, an enormous portion of the work is complete. The Valley of Choice series is in a more active stage, with the second book at first draft stage and the third only in synopsis. I’ve always been pretty disciplined as a writer, and I still am. Little by little, each story gets done.

What made you write about this?

Here’s an explanation of how Avenue of Dreams happened And here’s a bit of my background that helped suck me into the project. Valley of Choice sprang up when I discovered I could trace a branch of my own family tree back to early Amish settlers. I’ve woven an historical story of that time into a contemporary story, tied together by themes of choices that characters make—and we all make—that change their lives. I’m sure I’ll be writing more about Accidentally Amish as the release date gets closer, so stayed tuned.

• What other questions do you have?