Spotlight & Giveaway: Pine Creek Courtship by Amity Hope

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Amity Hope to HJ!

Hi Amity and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, Pine Creek Courtship!

 
I’m so excited that you’ve decided to spend some time getting to know Emma and Levi!
 

Please summarize the book a la Twitter style for the readers here:

Levi Bontrager has loved his friend Emma Ziegler for as long as he can remember. After accidentally spreading a rumor about her years ago, their friendship has never been the same. When he overhears Emma’s aunt tell her that she’s found Emma a husband, he steps in, claiming that Emma is not free to wed anyone else because she’s courting him. Reluctant to marry a man she could never love, Emma goes along with Levi’s scheme. Levi knows that this might be his one chance to win back Emma’s trust. And if he’s lucky, he just might win her love.
 
 

Please share the opening lines of this book:

As the buggy’s wheels rattled over the gravel road, Levi’s mind skimmed over the past hour. It had been a torturous one, one he knew he would never forget. He had angled himself so that he could see Emma Ziegler from across her father’s grave site. As the funeral had progressed, he’d wanted nothing more than to hurry to her side, to support her.
He couldn’t do that.

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

• The Amish community of Pine Creek is loosely based on an Amish community near my home in Northern Minnesota.
• I’m not a spectacular cook, but felt compelled to try out a few Amish recipes while writing this book (haystacks were a hit with my boys).
• Amish communities typically hold weddings only twice a year. Once in the spring before planting, and once in the fall after harvest.
• The Amish are private people and courting is not something that is flaunted, so it was easy for Levi to convince Emma’s aunt they’d begun courting already. Though that was an adventure that had yet to commence.
• Pine Creek Courtship is interspersed with Pennsylvania Dietsch, a variant of low German that Amish communities use. Another fun fact, most Amish are bilingual, with children speaking Pennsylvania Dietsch at home and not learning English until they start school.

What first attracts your Hero to the Heroine and vice versa?

Levi has been in love with Emma for as long as he can remember. Yet it isn’t until they start courting that he realizes the spunky girl from his youth has turned into a strong, independent woman. The sort of woman any man would be fortunate to spend his life with.

Even though Emma has known Levi since childhood, it isn’t until he steps in—saving her from a dreadful fate—that she realizes the boy from her youth has turned into a man she can count on. Maybe even give her heart to.
 

Using just 5 words, how would you describe Hero and Heroine’s love affair?

Sweet, complicated, wholesome, slow-burning.
 

The First Kiss…

The magnetism she’d felt before was intensified by his touch. Without thought, she pressed up on her toes, and her mouth met his. What could have been little more than lips brushing against lips turned into something more powerful when one hand drifted to the small of her back, the other to the nape of her neck, holding her in place.
With nowhere to go—and no desire to go anywhere—she gave in to the feelings she’d been fighting for weeks. Maybe longer.

Without revealing too much, what is your favorite scene in the book?

Early in the story, Levi wants to tell Emma how he feels, but he’s afraid to ruin their friendship. They are, after all, only supposed to be courting for convenience. But the following scene gives a glimpse into his longstanding feelings for Emma.

Emma giggled and said, “Do you remember the time—”
“Jah,” Levi said, cutting her off with a smirk.
“You don’t know what I was going to say,” Emma argued with a laugh.
“Of course I do,” Levi said, grinning at her. “You were going to ask if I remembered the time the swing broke and I landed on my backside in the dirt.” He gave her a questioning look, daring her to deny it. She did not deny it. “It’s a little hard to forget something like that.”
He wished he could forget it. That day, they were sixteen, almost old enough to start courting. He had brought Emma out to the swings, where he had planned to tell her how he felt about her. He had hoped to ask if they could court as soon as their parents allowed it.
Instead, he found himself laid out on the ground, with Emma standing over him, the broken swing swaying in the breeze. The wooden board had snapped and sent him toppling. As soon as she realized he hadn’t damaged any bones, and that the only thing that hurt was his ego, she’d laughed so hard she’d had tears in her eyes. He knew he must’ve been a sight. Flat on his back, staring up at the sky with a bewildered look on his face.
He had always wondered where they would be right now if he’d managed to get the words out that night. Then again, they had been young. Maybe too young. He believed that God had a plan for his life, and he had to believe that he’d landed in the dirt because the time for telling Emma how he felt hadn’t been right.
But now here they were.

If your book was optioned for a movie, what scene would be absolutely crucial to include?

The following scene is a pivotal moment where their courtship of convenience slides into something much more real.

“Go on a date with me,” he said.
She arched an eyebrow at him. “A…a date?”
He grinned at her. “Jah. You heard me. A date.”
The Amish didn’t date. Not exactly. She didn’t know whether to be annoyed or amused by his use of the Englisch word.
“I’ll pick you up tomorrow before supper,” he said. “We’ll do something special.”
“What kind of something special?” Emma asked.
“You’ll see,” he said.
“Levi,” Emma groaned. “You know I don’t like surprises.”
He winked at her, causing a flutter in her stomach. “That’s because you’ve never had a goot surprise, I’m guessing.”
She thought perhaps he was right.
He moved away from the porch, still wearing that pesky grin.
“See you tomorrow, Emma. Try not to think about me too much tonight.”
With those infuriating words, he pivoted, hopped back into his buggy, and drove off.
Emma stood gaping after him, her cheeks heated and her heart pattering in the most frustrating way.

Readers should read this book …

If you enjoy Amish romance, or are curious about Amish romance but have never read it, please give Pine Creek Courtship a try. I read my first Amish romance a few years ago on a whim—grabbing it off a display shelf at the library—and I’ve been hooked ever since!

What are you currently working on? What other releases do you have planned?

I am truly grateful to be able to say I have four books coming out over the next two years. Pine Creek is a three-book series. I’m currently working on the manuscript for the last book. I also have another book coming out with Harlequin in their Love Inspired Suspense line, under Amity Steffen.

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: Entangled, my publisher, is giving away one paperback copy of Pine Creek Courtship, US residents only, please. Good luck!

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: The Amish are known for their exemplary baking skills. What is one dessert you would not want to live without?

 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

 
 

Excerpt from Pine Creek Courtship:

Levi handed her the fishing pole he’d prepared for her.
“Do you remember how to cast?” Zeke wondered.
“As I said, it’s been a while, but I’ve been watching the two of you all morning.”
“Maybe I can help refresh your memory,” Levi offered.
He slipped behind her, slid an arm around her, and rested his palm on her waist. Emma hoped he didn’t hear the surprised little yip that slipped out under her breath. His other hand rested over hers on the fishing rod.
“You just reach back, push the button on the reel, and fling the rod forward,” he said. He ran through the motion a few more times.
Emma was utterly oblivious to the rest of the instructions that Levi murmured in her ear. All she could think about was that her assumption that he had muscular arms was correct. She could feel his biceps flexing against her arm as he guided the movement, and the arm wrapped around her was like iron. More than that, she was keenly aware of his crisp scent. Some type of wonderfully fresh soap, no doubt.
“Emma?” He chuckled in her ear.
She jerked away from him when she realized he’d said her name more than once. What had she been thinking, getting lost in his embrace like that? And in front of her siblings, too. She felt her cheeks heat. More importantly, what was he thinking? She realized he must be putting on a show for her family, making them believe there was something between them.
Without looking at him, she said, “I think I’ve got it now. Danki.”

Excerpts. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 

Book Info:

Love may be right around the corner in the heartwarming, sweet, and gentle Pine Creek series from Amity Hope.

After the death of her beloved father, Emma Ziegler just wants to keep her family’s maple syrup farm afloat and raise her two young siblings. But when her meddling aunt’s first choice of a husband for her turns out to be Emma’s last choice―Pine Creek’s most notorious bachelor―Emma grows desperate. Her aunt won’t listen, no matter how much she tries to tell her the man in no way embodies the Amish values of faith or hard work.

Kind and industrious Levi Bontrager has always wanted to protect his best friend Emma, even after a secret from their youth left them growing apart. Which is why he steps in to claim that Emma cannot wed anyone else, as she is currently courting him. Yes, the small lie leaves him feeling guilty, but Levi’s hope is that if he can win back the beautiful Emma’s trust, he can also win over her heart…for real.

But can a courtship that began just for show ever blossom into a true romance that could save both their futures?
Book Links: Amazon | B&N | iTunes | Goodreads |
 
 

Meet the Author:

Amity lives in beautiful northern Minnesota with her two sons and a couple of cats.

She has a degree in elementary education and worked in that field for ten years before deciding to self-publish.

Her first self-published novel, Twisted, was listed by Amazon as a Top 100 Kids & Teens Kindle Book of 2012. It hit Amazon’s Teen & Young Adult Contemporary Romance Best Sellers List in several countries.

If she’s not writing, or spending time with her boys, she’s most likely reading.
Website | Facebook | Twitter | | Instagram |