Posts Tagged ‘Something New’

Just this week, I received my copy of Dianne Christner’s new book, Something Blue, in the mail. The official launch date is August 1, so I always feel a guilty pleasure about reading a book that is not available yet to the rest of the world. I have to thank Dianne for affording me this lovely luxury!

Something Blue follows the story of Megan Weaver, the third member of the “Three Bean Salad” who we were introduced to with her friends Katy Yoder and Lil Landis in Something Old and Something New, the first two books in the Plain City Bridesmaids series.

These stories are lovely romances that invite readers into a world of faith and family and a view of falling in love “the Mennonite way.” Set here in Plain City, the books feature many landmarks recognizable to anyone who has journeyed our highways and back roads (Something Blue even includes the July Fourth parade downtown!). The books also bring to life many characters that Plain City residents will find familiar, even if they were not raised in the Mennonite church.

The stories’ appeal, however, beyond the setting and the interesting lead ladies, lies in the common struggles each young woman faces to find love and happiness–battles that all of us encounter regardless of our faith or background.

Megan Weaver’s struggle is presented in the choice she must make between two men in her life–the new interim pastor of Big Darby Conservative Mennonite Church, Micah Zimmerman, who she has an unsettling past with, or the non-Mennonite missionary pilot, Chance Campbell, who acts as her temporary boss at Char Air, the charity airlines she works for. With Micah, Megan will stay within the bounds of her Mennonite family and church. With Chance, she will fly off on new adventures well beyond the Mennonite world.

I think it is telling that Dianne chooses the names she does for the two men: Micah means “one who is like God,” while Chance definitely is a big chance, a leap into the unknown.

I am happy to now know the stories of all three of Dianne’s Plain City bridesmaids. I can’t wait to see where Dianne’s writing will go from here. Will she stay in Plain City, Ohio, following the characters we have grown to love? Or will she lead us on other magical journeys to places a bit farther from home?

In any case, I’ll be waiting for her next book–no matter where it takes me.

You can read the review I wrote about the second book in the series, Something New HERE.

And “Like” Dianne and The Plain City Bridesmaids series on Facebook HERE.

Dianne Christner, author of the Plain City Bridesmaids series that is set here in Plain City, will be stopping in Plain City to promote the series’ first two books, Something Old and Something New. She will be available to sign books from 5 pm to 7:30 pm on Saturday, April 21, at Der Dutchman Restaurant and Carlisle Gifts.

The third book in the series, Something Blue, will be available in August.

You can read the blog postings I did previously about Something Old and Something New.

I have to thank Dianne who kindly sent me an advance copy of Something New for my reading delight after I reviewed the first book in the series here on this blog and we emailed back and forth. With the book was a very nice note from Shalyn Sattler, a representative from the publisher, Barbour Publishing. The letter said, “You are receiving this gift in appreciation for something you’ve done to enrich Dianne’s life, whether it was kindness, inspiration or simply the pleasure of knowing you.”

What a lovely thing to say!

I hope to stop by on Saturday to meet Dianne in person and have her sign the copy of the book she had sent to me. If you don’t have the first two books in the series, please visit Dianne on the twenty-first and purchase copies for her to autograph. Then prepare to slip into stories featuring people and situations that you’ll find very familiar from living in our little village. You’ll keep turning the pages as the characters become friends, weaving their way through places in Plain City that you’ll recognize as home.

Dianne Christner is back with the second book in her Christian romance fiction series, Plain City Bridesmaids. Following the first book, Something Old, the second book is Something New.

As I mentioned in my first posting about this series, the books are set right here in Plain City and feature the tag line, “Fall in Love the Mennonite Way.”

Something New will be released on February 1 and you can pre-order your copy now on Dianne’s web site HERE.

The synopsis for Something New introduces many pitfalls on the journey to find love: Lil Landis envisions a life outside her Conservative Mennonite home. But when she pursues a culinary career, problems on the family farm beckon her home. Veterinary student, Fletch Stauffer has goals of his own which take him undercover at the Landis farm, where falling for spunky Lil will jeopardize his plans.

I actually had a chance to read an advance copy of Something New and I was pleasantly surprised to find the characters contemplating a visit to Plain City Druggist (yes, the drugstore is featured in the book!). Lil’s mom is told, “Over at Plain City Druggist, they sell some herbs that pep folks up.” We certainly do!

Beyond the pharmacy, Dianne also features a ton of local landmarks in the book, including Darby Creek, the Shekinah Festival, RANCO, Dublin Methodist Hospital, and Rosedale Bible College. It was exciting to be reading and suddenly recognize a location or a place. The Ohio State University and a couple of trips to Columbus also feature into the plot.

Besides being a romance and a sketch of life in Plain City, Ohio, Something New also looks at the premise of factory farms and many animal issues with a fictional farm animal sanctuary located in the Plain City of the book. One of the main characters (and Lil’s romantic interest), Fletch Stauffer, is an OSU vet student who loves animals and works tirelessly with the farmers in the novel on their behalf. As most of you know, I am a huge animal lover and this was a thoughtful story line that I found to be educational without being preachy.

Dianne got not only the flavor of Plain City correct, but the Mennonite characters, as well. Many of the people in Something New reminded me of customers and friends and even one or two of our employees (who often wishfully daydream about trading in their skirts for contemporary blue jeans). I loved the characters of Lil and Fletch, both of whom seemed realistic and like people you might meet on the streets of Plain City.

I want to thank Dianne for not only mentioning Plain City Druggist in Something New, but for allowing me to read it before it was even published. I found myself pulled in to the story and finished the book in just two days. I can’t wait to read the third installment.

The third book in the series, Something Blue, will be available in August 2012. You can read the intriguing synopsis HERE.

Even if you aren’t from Plain City, the Plain City Bridesmaids books will make you wish you were.

And if you are lucky enough to call Plain City home (like me), you’ll be happy to see our little village so lovingly portrayed. Plain City becomes almost a character itself in this series.

Dianne, who was raised Mennonite, draws on her memories to make the characters and scenes in her books vividly accurate. Her husband was raised on a farm in Plain City and attended a Conservative Mennonite church in the area. Dianne also writes about her former Mennonite life on her blog, which you can find HERE.

Check out Dianne’s Facebook page for Plain City Bridesmaids, too, HERE. Dianne features lots of neat contests and giveaways on her Facebook page.

Dianne will also be in Plain City in April on a book tour. I’ll let you know more details on her time in the area as April approaches.