Interview with Vannetta Chapman,

Author of Sarah's Orphans

 

Welcome to my blog, Vannetta. I appreciate you taking the time to answer a few questions regarding Sarah's Orphans.

1.  Vannetta, I'd like to know what prompted you to use the bipolar disorder and the resulting abuse in this novel. I haven't seen any reference to it in other Amish fiction.
One of my goals in writing Amish fiction is to show Plain people are “normal” folks who share the same problems we all deal with. Many of us tend to look at their life as being perfect, but of course it’s not. I didn’t want to make that the main focus of the story. I did want to address it compassionately. Sarah has a lot to deal with, especially since she is recovering from an eating disorder. Hopefully this will help us all to relate to Sarah, because her life is certainly far from perfect.

 
2.  I'm also curious as to why the mother left her children, even though the abusive husband/father was deceased.
I felt that Sarah’s mother was overwhelmed. She’d also convinced herself that the children would be better off without her. The years of abuse and anxiety had crushed her spirit and she needed to go somewhere to heal. Since she doesn’t know how to ask for that, she simply leaves. By the end of the novel, we know that she is seeing a doctor and seeking help for her depression--but again, life isn’t perfect, and she’s still struggling.

 
3.  Sarah has her hands full with her own siblings. What inspired you to add two more children of Hispanic culture, and where are their parents?
Sarah does have her hands full, which I think many of us can relate to. Most of us have plenty to deal with--emotionally, financially, even physically. Yet Sarah sees these children in need and she understands what it feels like to be abandoned, what it feels like to be motherless. Her heart leads her into the journey that is Sarah’s Orphans.

As far as Mateo’s and Mia’s mother, she’s dealing with alcohol addiction. Part of the reason I wrote this story is to show there are children in need all around us. You might not adopt them--you might simply offer a kind word, or a ride to church, or an offer of financial help for school supplies or summer camp. We’re a community of believers, and we can do a lot to alleviate the suffering in our communities. Mateo and Mia bring joy into Sarah’s household. They are the reason that Sarah opens her heart to love and to a joyful future.


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Bio

Vannetta Chapman writes inspirational fiction full of grace, including romantic suspense and Amish romance novels. She is the author of seventeen novels, including the Pebble Creek Amish series, The Shipshewana Amish Mystery series and Anna’s Healing, a 2016 Christy Award finalist. Vannetta is a Carol award winner and also received more than two dozen awards from Romance Writers of America chapter groups.  She was a teacher for 15 years and currently resides in the Texas hill country. For more information, visit her at www.VannettaChapman.com.

Back cover copy


Orphaned…But Never Abandoned by God

Sarah Yoder belongs to a Plain community in Oklahoma, but her days are far from simple. Life suddenly gets complicated when a series of tragic events unfold, leaving her in charge of the household.

Alone with her younger siblings, Sarah is exhausted but finally at peace. Then she nearly runs over a small Hispanic boy with her buggy…and somehow finds herself sheltering two more orphans.

Paul Byler moved to Cody’s Creek to help his brother in a time of need. But now that Joseph has recovered from his heart attack, Paul’s ready for a quiet place of his own. The only problem? His new property lands him next door to the orphaned Yoder family—and a calling from God he can’t seem to ignore.

A story of extraordinary grace and love in the face of desperate need, Sarah’s Orphans is the third standalone novel in the Plain and Simple Miracles collection by Vannetta Chapman. 

Thank you so much for taking the time to enlighten me and my readers. I value your information. It adds to the interpretation of the topics in Sarah's Orphans, a beautiful story of grace, compassion, love and community.