Naomi Miller's Blog

We packed the van last week and were on the road Saturday morning at 8:00 this morning for a back-to-school book event starting at 10am.

We arrived at 8:30 (as requested)… to find a locked building. After 30 minutes, vendors began leaving. At 9:30 there were only two vendors left (including us). We all agreed to wait 30 more minutes.

A third vendor arrived and we were all assured that we could get into the building by 10am.

At 10:00 the doors were unlocked. We set up 3 tables and waited — in a room with no A/C — for customers. Then we were told that the event would not end at 3pm, but that we had to be packed up and gone by 2pm because another event was booked for the afternoon.

A fourth vendor arrived a few minutes later.

At 11:00 a couple came in, looked around, and left. At 11:30 a lady with 3 children came in, checked out the vendor tables and left.

At 11:45 I discovered the bathroom didn’t work. We began packing up our books and swag. The vendor beside us began packing up, too. The other two vendors were still there when we left.

If life is a learning process, I learned a lesson or two from that event.

Thankfully events like this are rare…

 

God bless!

This past June, I traveled to Ohio for the Girlfriends Getaway with my daughter and co-author, Rachel L Miller. It was three days of connecting with friends and making new ones. Blessings abounded and God was in the house.

On the way to the hotel, we were driving (slowly) down a 2-lane road behind a young Amish girl, who was riding a bike. . . when we heard the squeal of brakes, just before the car behind us rammed into us!

My apologies for not posting for two months, but honestly, although we drove on to the event and had a wonderful time, it’s taken the full two months to (mostly) recover from the accident. And even worse, the insurance company has never returned our calls. We even received a letter this week, requesting we call them. We did… left another message… and no return call.

The getaway was everything we hoped it would be! Shelley, Amy, Suzanne and the others were amazing! We had a terrific time with Connie and the gang from Keeping Up With the Amish, and we met some wonderful new readers!

Now that we are back, I can get back to business as usual, which is writing, editing, marketing, and media coverage. Now that I’m feeling better, I’m hoping to get lots done.

Tomorrow we have an author event! It’s the Back To School with Elmo event at the Alnwick Community Center in Maryville, Tennessee, and we’ll be there from 10am-3pm.  If you’re in the area, stop by and say Hello!

God Bless!

 

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Today is the day that Peach Cobbler Mystery releases… and I had a release party tonight that was loads of fun! After chatting with everyone for awhile, I introduced my first guest, Shawn Lamb.

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Shawn is an author and event speaker and has published 24 books – fiction and non-fiction. Her Christian fiction is for ages 8 thru adults and includes allegorical fantasy in genre of Lewis and Tolkien, and historical fiction set in the 17th century.

Tonight, she discussed two of her non-fiction books. Shawn has traveled around the country speaking at various events for nearly ten years, at book fairs, homeschool conventions, church groups, comic cons, library events, and book signings.

Her book “Proverbs 31 – Being Biblically Correct in a Politically Correct World”, is a compilation of lessons that she taught at churches throughout Nashville for more than a decade.

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Shawn also shared about another non-fiction book she wrote, which is an illustrated study geared for children ages 8-12.

This book covers Ephesians 6, and the armor of God. Using 2 characters from her famous Allon series, she explained how a knight uses each piece of armor.

Allon grew from a single novel requested by her daughter Briana. . . eventually expanding into a total of 15 books, including the illustrated spin-off trilogy “The King’s Children” for ages 8-10.

“Being A Knight for King Jesus” can be used as a companion book, although it is stand-alone in concept.

 

 

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My second guest was Dana Mentink, an author I had the pleasure of meeting once when she flew to Nashville for a workshop.

Dana writes fiction, both suspense and heartwarming, for publishers, including Love Inspired Suspense, Harvest House and Barbour. Dana is also a part time third grade teacher in Northern California, where she lives.

Dana is giving away a copy of Cowboy Bodyguard to one lucky winner. It’s the third in a suspense series about four cowboy brothers.

Dana says, “I am not a cowboy. My pets are dogs, box turtles and parakeets, but please, tell me about your pets. We’ll pick a winner from the comments!”

. . . and that’s what we’ll do.

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Dana’s book, Sit Stay Love, was one of her favorite writing projects because the “cover model” is a senior citizen rescue dog, saved by a group in San Francisco called Muttville.

They save SO many senior dogs who have lost their homes.

Dana says she has so much respect for them that she gives them ten percent of her royalties from this book.

Juniper Mentink, affectionately known as Junie, was also a rescue dog. Junie is a wonderful little dog with a few strange quirks, such as eating pencils and post-its. Junie also likes to play with Boydie, the turtle, but get a time-out when she messes with Boydie.

 

 

My next guests were Amos Wyse and his lovely wife, Laura J. Marshall. Amos is a writer of Amish fiction. He currently has a complete series out called The Fishers, An Amish Life and a new release, The Amish Shop Girl.

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Laura is an author and mom of five sons. She writes in various Christian genres: historical and contemporary romance, Amish, suspense, children’s, young adult, and nonfiction. Amos and Laura are giving away paperback copies of The Amish Shop Girl and the complete series of The Fishers: An Amish Life.

Laura and Amos both are casual collectors of things… Laura collects vintage tins such as the ones used for tea or powder, and Amos does his collecting, like he does everything else, with his stomach … old kitchen gadgets and cast iron.

 

My daughter, Rachel L. Miller joined me for the last half hour and we revealed the cover for our next Amish romance in the Windy Gap series… A Suitor For Rebekah…

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We can’t wait to share this new sequel with you.

Blessings!

~Naomi

Blog © 2018 Naomi Miller

 

Wow!  It’s already June! 2018 is almost half over. . .

We have lots of events, meetings and family activities to keep us busy during June.

We have meetings. . . Authors Guild of Tennessee, and the Knoxville Writer’s Guild. I’ll be missing the ACFW Knoxville meeting because I’ll be in Ohio.

Then we’re planning a trip to Gatlinburg. We plan to visit Ripley’s Aquarium in the Smokies, have lunch at The Apple Barn and a few surprises are planned for my granddaughter’s birthday!

And we have several book signings and speaking events. . .

June 2nd. . . Blount County Public Library Mini-Con 2018. I’m looking forward to attending my first mini-con, sharing the spot with JC & Macy Morrows, along with the very cool Holly Killian, an artist/upcycler and owner of Vintage Geek Designs!

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June 5th. . . Peach Cobbler Mystery Online Release Party. Join me, Shawn Lamb, Dana Mentink, Amos Wyse, and Rachel L. Miller as we celebrate the release of the sixth book in my Amish Sweet Shop Mystery series.

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June 9th. . . White House Public Library Fandom-Com. If you’re close enough to attend, don’t miss this awesome event, including the popular workshop (shown below) by JC & Macy Morrows and none other than Naomi Miller!

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June 13th. . . Powell Senior Living. I’m looking forward to meeting new readers and sharing my love for clean, cozy mysteries.

June 14th. . . Naomi Miller Reader Get-Together. I’m planning a get together at 7pm in my room at the Carlisle Inn for readers and fans of Amish cozy mysteries and Amish romance. . . and I’ll be bringing a few copies of my newest book, Peach Cobbler Mystery!

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June 15th. . . Before the Girlfriend Getaway officially begins, Connie Lynch and Cathy Carruthers at Keeping Up With The Amish (KUWTA) has planned an Amish farm lunch on an authentic Amish farm with authors and readers and some great food! What could be better!

June 15-17. . . Girlfriend Getaway in Sugarcreek 2018. I’m thrilled to be attending the Girlfriend Getaway. Some of my favorite Amish fiction authors will be there and I’m hoping to meet them all, but I’m every bit as excited to meet my readers as I am to meet everyone else at the event.

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June 23rd. . . I’ll be speaking to fans and signing books at the Book Market of Sevierville, TN. I’m looking forward to meeting new readers, as well as some of my faithful readers who’ll be coming to get my newest release, Peach Cobbler Mystery!

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I can hardly wait for all these exciting events!

Thank you for your prayers. . . and for sharing my day…

Blessings!

~Naomi

Blog © 2018 Naomi Miller

 

Good morning, friends!

OK, I have decided what I want to write about in the next series… most of the first chapter is done and I sent it to my editor to get her opinion.

I’ve gotten back some great feedback!

Now it’s time to delve back into it and keep going.

 

Once I put on my headphones, I’m reading to write!

In the meantime, here’s a sample of book six in the Amish Sweet Shop Mystery series…

 

At precisely twelve noon, Travis walked in the back door of the bakery, excited to start his adventure with Katie. He waved a hand to Mrs. O’Neal, who was standing with a young lady near the walk-in that he thought for a moment might be Bella, but her slim profile and strawberry hair told him it was not.

“Hi Mrs. O’Neal. Do you know if Katie is ready to go?”

Mrs. O’Neal smiled and the young woman with her turned, smiled at him, and then blushed. . .

 

 

Now, back to writing!

Naomi

 

Blog © 2018 Naomi Miller

 

The Alien’s Daughter, the first book of the Tales of a Teenage Alien Human Hybrid series, releases today. This is a new middle-grade story by the mother-daughter author team, JC Morrows and Macy Morrows.

 

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Here is the synopsis:

As if being a teenager isn’t hard enough. . .

Can you imagine how it feels to wake up one day and find out that you are not who you thought you were?

If you’re anything like me, you know it’s hard enough trying to fit in—in high school—without having to deal with the knowledge that your dad is an alien part of the time. I don’t even get how you can be an alien part of the time. . .

Not to mention all of the crazy new alien gifts you really wish you could return.

Oh well, at least I have an explanation for the blue hair.

So, not only do I get to deal with school bullies, who I’m apparently not allowed to use my new abilities on, I have to keep anyone from finding out my secret. . . and keep my grades up.

What could happen next!

 

Be sure and pick up a few copies of this exciting new series. . . they’ll make great birthday and Christmas gifts for your favorite pre-teens!

 

Blessings!

~Naomi

Blog © 2018 Naomi Miller

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Peach Cobbler Mystery is done! This is the sixth book in the Amish Sweet Shop Mystery series. I really have loved writing them and I can’t wait to see what you think of it.

To get the special sale price, pre-order Peach Cobbler Mystery HERE.

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This month we have our usual monthly meetings. . . the ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) Knoxville group, plus the Knoxville Writers Guild and the Authors Guild of Tennessee — all of these are groups which we are active members and share our knowledge and learn from others in each group.

We attended SOKYBF2018… this was Southern Kentucky Book Fest ‘s 20th anniversary! JC Morrows held a workshop on Friday and it was A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.

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All the seats were taken! The room was so full there were people standing up in the back…

JC will be doing this workshop several more times this year. The next scheduled date for it is June 9th! For more information check out JC’s WEBSITE.

There are several events and family activities to keep us busy during May. Thankfully, May isn’t quite as busy as April, so I’ll be able to get in some writing — and editing — time, too.

We will be attending the New Midland Plaza Spring Fair and the Children’s Festival of Reading (at the World’s Fair Site) this month. And. . . TADA!  The Alien’s Daughter by JC & Macy Morrows will be releasing on May 15th. I’ve read this and it’s an awesome story that I’m sure teens everywhere will enjoy!

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To pre-order The Alien’s Daughter, click HERE.

Last month, we tried to sneak away to the beach for a few days. . . but the weather was cold and rainy, so we’ll probably wait until fall.

Once again, thank you for your prayers. . . and for sharing my day…

Blessings!

~Naomi

Blog © 2018 Naomi Miller

 

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I read a post recently that asked the question “if you could hit a reset button on your life, what would you do?”

If I could hit a reset button on my life, there is one big mistake that I want to fix. Yes, my life would be changed, but I would seriously consider it… if I had the chance.

Unfortunately–or fortunately–we don’t get do-overs in life.

I know when I was tempted by the world and I left the path I felt God had laid out for me. Oh, I didn’t know that’s what I was doing at the time… but it didn’t take long to see how that decision led to misery. And it was too late to go back.

Satan knew my biggest weakness. I made more and more mistakes until I learned to hear God’s still, small voice.

God has helped me to find peace… and though I took several detours, I feel that I’m finally back on the path God has for me. I am content with my life, knowing God is guiding me now.

 

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Thankfully I will never be tempted to reset my life. God has forgiven AND FORGOTTEN my past sins. I am loved by Him and I am His child.

I can’t change the past, but I can live for Jesus now, and I know what the future holds for me… that one day I will be with Him. Forever.

 

Thank you for your prayers. . . and for sharing my day…

Blessings!

~Naomi

Blog © 2018 Naomi Miller

All my bags are packed. . .
     I’m ready to go. . .
In 2 days, I’ll be on the road, setting out for the Southern Kentucky Book Fest!

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Southern Kentucky Book Fest is one of the state’s largest literary events and is presented by Barnes & Noble Booksellers, Warren County Public Library, and WKU Libraries. Held annually in April, the Book Fest draws thousands of readers of all ages who welcome the occasion to meet their favorite authors and purchase signed copies of their books.

 

Teen & Children’s Day

During Teen & Children’s Day activities, illustrators and authors will make presentations, sign copies of their books, and be available to discuss their work one-on-one with elementary & high school age students. Multiple activities for all grade levels will take place throughout the day. Books will be available for purchase from author tables throughout the event. Activities and crafts will be available all day.

 

Meet the Authors

Bestselling authors and educators participating in SOKY Book Fest will teach craft workshops about everything from plotting techniques to employing poetic language to getting published. Don’t miss out on this fabulous event!  It will be held in the Knicely Conference Center, located at 2355 Nashville Road, Bowling Green, Kentucky.

 

The event I’m looking forward to the most is a workshop by JC Morrows. . .

From Supergirl to Bella Swan

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I hope if you’re close enough, you’ll choose to come by and check out this event… and meet some fabulous authors – and me!

Thank you for sharing my day…

Blessings!

~Naomi

Blog © 2018 Naomi Miller

 

This past weekend I had the honor of reading through The Alien’s Daughter, the first book of the Tales of a Teenage Alien Human Hybrid series. This is a new middle-grade story by the mother-daughter author team, JC Morrows and Macy Morrows.

 

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Here is the synopsis:

As if being a teenager isn’t hard enough. . .

Can you imagine how it feels to wake up one day and find out that you are not who you thought you were?

If you’re anything like me, you know it’s hard enough trying to fit in—in high school—without having to deal with the knowledge that your dad is an alien part of the time. I don’t even get how you can be an alien part of the time. . .

Not to mention all of the crazy new alien gifts you really wish you could return.

Oh well, at least I have an explanation for the blue hair.

So, not only do I get to deal with school bullies, who I’m apparently not allowed to use my new abilities on, I have to keep anyone from finding out my secret. . . and keep my grades up.

What could happen next!

 

The Alien’s Daughter releases May 15, 2018.  . but you can pre-order your copy today. Choose paperback or ebook (or both)!

Hint: although it’s supposed to be for middle-grade readers, adults will enjoy it, too. I know I did. . . and I can’t wait to read book 2 in the series!

 

Blessings!

~Naomi

Blog © 2018 Naomi Miller