How does your faith impact how you approach storytelling?
My belief in the goodness and mercy of God has been ingrained in me since childhood. Growing up in a rural community our lives revolved around hard work, prayer, church, and family. I try to evoke that feeling of connection and contentment I knew as a child in my storytelling.
You were a nurse for 40 years before you switched careers and became an author. What led to you changing directions like that? (Does your medical experience ever make its way into your stories?)
Oh, my goodness, my medical background makes its way into every story I write. I love teaching people things by exposing them to it in my books.
I changed directions from nursing to writing more gradually than it actually sounds. I was writing for a number of years before I left the profession.
It was actually the death of my husband that caused me to rethink where I wanted to focus my energies. One of the last things he said to me was, “Do what makes you happy.” Nursing had provided me with a great living and I loved it, most of the time. But writing gave me the freedom to concentrate on my family, my daughter and my grandchildren as well as my aging parents. It was the right move, but I do miss those babies.
What’s your favorite thing about writing inspirational Amish romances?
One of my favorite things about the Amish genre is the fact that I get to do all kinds of research. I’ve been to different Amish communities and explored the usual and the unusual ways that they make a living outside of farming. Any excuse to look something up, take a road trip, or immerse myself in a different way of life is what makes me happy.
Visit Patricia Davids’ author page:
https://www.familyfiction.com/authors/patricia-davids
The Wish
The Amish Of Cedar Grove #1
Patricia Davids
HQN
Second chances come at the most unexpected times…
Widow Laura Beth Yoder longs for a family of her own. So much so that she’s preparing to leave the sleepy Amish town she calls home to find love. But a terrible storm washes out the creek, forcing her to wade in and save the life of an Englisch man and his adorable infant son. As they recover at the farm, the baby brings sunshine and joy, while the handsome outsider is filled with shadows—and secrets.
Joshua King owes his life and his son’s to Laura Beth. Still, lingering at her farm is out of the question. He must fulfill a promise he made to his estranged wife on her deathbed: to deliver their son to his Amish in-laws. With his dark past, Joshua has no other choice. But his plans never took this sweet and surprising Amish widow into account. She just might be his second chance at happiness—and love.