Vannetta Chapman's Blog

I love to do a “general state of the writing” post a few times a year, and I thought now was as good a time as ever. So, here we go. What’s coming up in my writing world?

I’m happy to announce an upcoming project: “Amish Romance Across America.” Authors include:

Jennifer BeckstrandRachel J. GoodAshley EmmaKelly IrvinSusan SimpsonJennifer SpredemannAdina SenftVannetta ChapmanSerena MillerAmy LillardDiane CraverKaty Lee

Doesn’t this sound fun? 12 authors, 12 books, all releasing in 2027. More details soon, but I wanted to let you know now, as I get a lot of email asking, “When are you going to write another Amish book?” Asked and answered!

I was recently interviewed by NewInBooks about my new release, The Reimagined Life of Jade Morrow. Here’s a small excerpt:

What scene in your book was your favorite to write?

Without giving anything away, the scene where Jade finally breaks down. Not only does she allow the emotions through, but she allows the memories, and when she does that, she steps onto the road of her healing. I also love, love, love the last page. I can SEE the last page of this book. It’s all that I wanted in an ending.

You can read the entire interview here.

Lastly, the second book in my Stitches, Perks, & Pages series will release this fall.

When Emma Dawson dreams about a murder before it happens in her quilt shop, her carefully ordered world begins to unravel.

Shaken by what she saw—and what came true—Emma struggles to regain her footing while a killer remains on the loose. With the help of her sisters, Delaney and Sydney, Fox Hollow Detective Noble Beck, and a homeless veteran with troubles of his own, Emma must follow the clues and trust her instincts.

Because somewhere in Fox Hollow, a killer is watching—and may be ready to strike again.

That’s all for now. If you haven’t signed up for my newsletter, what are you waiting for? You’ll receive download instructions for a free book, and you’ll find out about sales and new releases as they occur. Thanks for stopping by my webpage! And happy reading.

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It’s hard for me to believe that this is my release #53. I spent over 2 years writing The Reimagined Life of Jade Morrow and what a journey it was! I’ve always researched, but I’ve never needed to research like I did with this book. It’s the story of a bestselling author, living in NYC, whose life begins to unravel. She’ll have to find the courage to change her life — to reimagine it — or she could lose all that she’s worked for.

What makes this book unique is that in between chapters about Jade’s journey are excerpts from the 20 bestselling books she’s written–All stories about women who have shaped our history and our culture. But in Jade’s book, these women make one important change. Women’s whose lives I researched include Jackie Onassis, Beyonce, Billie Jean King, Martha Stewart, Condoleezza Rice, Maya Angelou, Jeanne d’Arc, Virginia Woolf, Malala Yousafzai, Tabitha King, Serena Williams, June Carter Cash, Marilyn Monroe, Rosa Parks, Jennifer Doudna, Oprah Winfrey, Greta Thunberg, Amelia Earhart, and Christa McAuliffe. It was fun and exciting and challenging to research these women and reimagine one change they might have made in their lives.

The Reimagined Life of Jade Morrow is an emotionally powerful novel about grief, reinvention, friendship, and discovering that it’s never too late to choose a different future.

This is a story of how life changes when you reach out and embrace the small opportunities that are presented every day. It is a timely novel which explores the importance of community.

Pauline, goodreads review

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Being an author is very much like juggling, and I love that!

Currently, I’m juggling book signing events for Murder UnShelved, edits for The Reimagined Life of Jade Morrow, and writing for Murder UnStitcheded. See? Juggling!

Thank you all for making Murder Unstitched a top 10 indie favorite for April. Wow! That’s amazing, and it’s because you all love to read and you keep coming back for more!

We also have over 100 reviews on Amazon with a 4.6 rating.

~You can’t go wrong with a Vannetta Chapman cozy mystery! 

~This book was a murder mystery with romance and Amish influence and books and quilts, all things I like to read about.

~Great characters. As always a good read from Vannetta Chapman. Really hoping this will be a multi book series.

As for that last review, the answer is YES. I hope to have Murder UnStitched out to my review team in August.

During June I’ll be finishing up my booksignings for the Murder UnShelved release. If you’re in the area, please stop by to see me.

Lastly, I wanted to tell you about my upcoming release, The Reimagined Life of Jade Morrow.

This is a women’s fiction book, but that doesn’t mean it’s only for women. If you enjoy books by Jan Karon or Anna Quindlen, books about books, friendship fiction, or stories about second chances, you will love this story.

It’s available for pre-order now, and the first week it was up on Amazon it earned a Top New Release in Women’s Religious Fiction banner. See? You all are amazing. This title releases on 7-23-26 and will be available in print as well as ebook with all retailers.

I’d love to hear what you think of my new releases, and if you have any questions, send them to me! You can comment below or use the contact button above.

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I’m thrilled to announce the release of book #52 – Murder UnShelved.

This cozy mystery centers around three adult sisters. (Cough. Cough. The youngest is roughly my age, size, and personality.) They open a joint business in the fictional town of Fox Hollow, located deep in the Texas Hill Country. Before they can hang an “Open for business” sign on the door, they discover a dead body. Since I plan for this to be a relatively long series, you know that’s going to happen more than once!

Cozy mysteries are immensely popular. I’ve actually researched the WHY of that. We enjoy the balance of relationships (one side of our brain) vs who-done-it (the other side). We like the cleanness of it. No one is trying to end the world or stalk someone. Maybe it’s a mistake. Maybe it’s a grudge. Maybe it’s all a misunderstanding.

One thing is certain. Cozy mysteries focus on community, amateur sleuths, relationships, and hopefully a little laughter. There might be a cat or dog thrown in–we’ll see about that. There’s might be a bookshop (check), Quilt shop (check), or coffee shop (check).

Honestly, I had forgotten how much fun it was to write a cozy mystery. Murder UnShelved is my 13th cozy mystery and my 52nd full length novel. It’s about sisterhood, second chances, found family—and discovering that home can be built in the most unexpected places.

My hope is that you enjoy reading it, every bit as much as I enjoyed writing it.

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I’m so happy to announce a brand new cozy mystery series, A Stitches, Perks & Pages Cozy Mystery. Book 1 is Murder UnShelved, and you can pre-order it now. Release day is 3-26-26.

Why another cozy mystery series? As you all know, I write in a lot of genres (Amish romance, romantic suspense, techno-thriller, dystopian, inspirational romance, and cozy mystery). While all of those have sold well and reviews have been awesome, cozy mystery is what people write me and ask for the most. So, I decided to listen to my readers!

This series is based on 3 sisters–Emma, Delaney, and Sydney. I wanted to play with the idea of sibling order and how it affects our relationships as well as our personalities. Throw in a murder and you definitely have a lot of sparks flying! I also enjoy the small-town setting.

Small town cozy mystery, with a dash of romance and a sprinkling of Amish charm.

Can’t have a new release without some celebration. Let’s kick it off with a pre-order release prize. Use the contact button on this site to send me a pic of your receipt, and you’re entered to win. (

Mailed to US addresses only. We’ll have a prize package for international readers soon.)

I absolutely love the tag line we came up with for this book. “Murder UnShelved is a charming cozy mystery about sisterhood, second chances, found family—and discovering that home can be built in the most unexpected places.” I love the themes of second chances and found family.

If you’re excited about this new release, leave a comment below. Click here to learn more, and I’ll be back soon with more details as well as more prizes.

Until then~

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I do realize it’s not New Year’s yet, and I’m certainly not rushing 2025 out the door … but I had some time to brainstorm and assess this last week. It certainly helps to take focused time to set goals.

I created a business plan for the next 5 years — a writing plan. Wow! It’s super energizing to do that. Now, I fully realize the wisdom of that old saying, “Man plans and God laughs.” Not to say that God laughs at our plans, but I recognize that things don’t always go the way that we think they will, and “his ways are higher than mine.” That said, here are my writing plans for 2026.

Book 1 in a new cozy mystery series. Tentative title is Booked for Murder–set in a small Texas town, not so far from Hunt Texas (for you Agatha fans), this clean cozy will feature a “mature” female sleuth, a small town detective, a splash of Amish, and a nice side dish of romance.

Women’s fiction. I am determined to put The Reimagined Life of Jade Morrow in your hands next year, hopefully by summer. This clean women’s fiction addresses the question of, “If you could change a decision in your past, would you?” As Jade Morrow answers that question, she’ll learn to once again embrace friendship and community.

Book 2 in my new cozy mystery series should release in the fall. Tentative tile is Grounds for Murder--and it picks up where book 1 left off, only this time there’s trouble in the coffee shop.

It’s nice to have a plan. There’s definitely a time for waiting (see last month’s blog), but there’s also a time for stepping forward with prudence and a good dose of faith. Please know that I appreciate each of you and your faithfulness as I pursue my writing journey.

So, what are you looking forward to next year? I’d love to hear form you in the comments below. I may not respond to every comment, but I read every one–and you all are incredibly encouraging.

Always yours,

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Good Golly Miss Molly, if there’s one thing I am NOT good at, it’s waiting. I want to be good at it. I try to be good at it, but waiting is never easy for me.

I had a close friend tell me once that I was “high energy.” She meant it in a good way. And that’s true. I do have a lot of energy. I feel fortunate that I wake up every day renewed and ready to go.

So, what does this have to do with writing? I’m waiting. That’s what it has to do with it. I’m in a “time of waiting.” Can’t say I love it.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not waiting to write. I wrote 100 pages of a women’s fiction novel, had some interest from a few publishers who wanted to see the entire thing, finished the full novel … and now I wait. It’s been over 60 days, and if you listen closely you can hear the drum of my fingertips against the desk.

Did I mention I’m not good at waiting? There are a few things I’ve found that help

I’ve started a new cozy mystery, and it’s going well.I have a full time job teaching, so I throw a lot of energy into that.I read Ecclesiastes 3 and hum the tune by The Byrds’. (To every season, turn, turn turn…)Occasionally, I’ll send off an email to my agent saying, “Seriously? Nothing yet?”

And I try to keep my readers satisfied with book sales and giveaways and engaging social media posts. I’d rather give you a new book. So, know we’re working on it. We want to share these stories with you as much as you want to read them. And hopefully, hopefully it won’t be much longer.

How do you cope with waiting? I’d love to hear.

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May and June have been full of surprises. First of all, my latest Love Inspired release, An Amish Widow’s New Love, hit the New York Times Bestseller list. That was a first for me! I’ve hit the USA Today Bestseller list a few times and the Publishers Weekly Bestseller list often. The NYT list is a bit harder to land on, and I felt super honored to have finally “made it.” My publisher sent tulips! Who knew that tulips were so fragrant and beautiful?

Then, last week, our small town’s newspaper ran a feature on me. Isn’t the picture about a lovely heading? The article is behind a paywall, but I can assure you they said nice things. 51 books in 15 years. Yikes. That does sound like a lot.

I’m focusing on completing a women’s fiction book this summer, and I’m happy to say the writing is going well … even with that pesky voice “wondering if anyone will want to read it.” My readers have faithfully followed me as I meandered through Amish romance, Christian romance, Christian suspense, clean romantic suspense, mainstream dystopian, mainstream thrillers, and cozy mysteries. What’s one more genre? Y’all are willing to try that. Right?

In August I go back to teaching full time (there’s a long story to explain that), and I’ll slow down a little in the writing department. I hope to finish the next book during the 2025-2026 school year, and it looks like it will be in one of my previous genres. But I’m not telling which one yet. I will tell you it’s going to be fun. In the meantime, have you signed up for my newsletters? I have 51 books in my backlist, and there’s always something on sale. Click the newsletter button to the right, fill in your email address, and you’ll receive an email with a link to a free book. If you’re already a subscriber, thank you! You’re the voice in my head that says, “Of course we’ll read it.”

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Ah, change. Some people love it. Other people hate it. I’m a bit of both. I do get excited by change, but it can be scary sometimes.

On April 1, An Amish Widow’s New Love released. It should be on shelves the rest of the month–wherever you purchase books, and of course through online retailers.

Which brings us to the “change” portion of this blog. For the foreseeable future, that will be my final Amish romance book. I’ve turned down another contract with Love Inspired for a variety of reasons. They’ve been wonderful to work with, and I appreciate the time I’ve spent writing for them…

However, sometimes you know it’s time to move on. As an artist, I have enjoyed writing in different genres. Just look at my books page, and you’ll see what I mean. I’ve written cozy mysteries, dystopian Christian novels, romantic suspense, Christian suspense, thriller mainstream novels, dystopian mainstream novels, a few Amish novellas, and of course–Amish novels. By my count 26 Amish romances, 9 Amish cozy mysteries, and 6 Amish novellas. I believe An Amish Widow’s New Love is my 51st release.

And, so, it does feel like it’s time to move on. I’m working closely with my fabulous agent, Leslie Sagba, to explore what might come next. Currently we’re “shopping around” a women’s fiction novel that I absolutely adore, and I hope you will too.

Ultimately, I do believe that change is healthy. When we embrace change, we grow. My hope is that my skills and what talent I have will continue to grow as I turn toward a new genre.

As my mother taught me, “never say never.” I won’t say “never” about another Amish romance, but I will say that I’m going to take a break.

Thank you for being a faithful reader. I hope you’ll continue on this journey with me and trust that I will provide you with stories that include strong characters, an engrossing plot, and above all–a sprinkle of hope.

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I am so excited to announce the release of the final book in the Allison Quinn series, Oath of Allegiance.

When I first conceived this series I had a broad concept of what I wanted, but very few particulars. I knew I wanted to delve into the many ways cyberattacks can and do affect our nation. I wanted a heroine who was dedicated to her job but who also had suffered a deep hurt that plagued her and pushed her to do more than excel. She needed to win. She needed it for her country, and she needed it to heal from her past.

Lastly, I knew that I wanted the setting to be in the real world. I wanted to highlight that space between what is cyber, what is in “the cloud,” and the place where every day Americans go to appreciate their country–the Grand Canyon, a cruise, Mount Rushmore.

I did not have even an inkling that Allison Quinn would be as stubborn as she is or that her skills would lie in her passion and her instincts. I certainly didn’t start out intending to write about Donovan Steele, a guy who might be playing football if it weren’t for his high IQ and his commitment to protect a nation. As for Kate Ballou (aka, Kate Jackson)…she appeared out of nowhere. Spunky, smart, eidetic memory, courageous, bold. The three of them make quite a team.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this series. I hope you tell your friends about it. Word of mouth is still the best way to sell books, and I’d like to sell a ton. Sell enough, and maybe you’ll one day be watching Allison Quinn, streaming on Netflix.

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