Join bestselling author Mindy Starns Clark as she shares fascinating insights into the writing process for The Amish Clockmaker, the third and final book in The Men of Lancaster County series. What surprised Mindy about her research on clockmaking? What challenges did she and her coauthor Susan Meissner face writing about Amish culture in the 1950s? Learn the answers to these questions and more in the following interview.

The Amish Clockmaker is the final book in The Men of Lancaster County series. Where did the idea for the plot come from?

Mindy Starns Clark: Susan Meissner and I started this one with just a title, actually. We loved the idea of an Amish clockmaker and could almost imagine who he was and what he was like simply because of his craft. We were eager to make our third and final book in the series one that blended my knack for creating compelling mysteries with Susan’s gift of writing engaging “time slip” novels. So we went with two storylines—one modern and one historical—where our modern-day hero works to solve a mystery surrounding our historical hero. 

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"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." ~ Philippians 4:6-7

Through prayer, we can lay our cares, concerns, and gratitude before the Lord. We can express our hearts to Him. And we can also express our trust by recognizing the many ways He can and does meet our deepest needs.

There are many names for God, and each one touches on a different aspect of God's character and a different way He relates to us.

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Your coauthor, Mindy Starns Clark, mentioned in a previous interview here on the Harvest House blog that her husband came up with the initial plot idea for the first book in this series, The Amish Groom. What inspired the premise for this sequel, The Amish Blacksmith?

Susan: When Mindy and I spent a long weekend in Lancaster County at an Amish farmhouse, I had the opportunity to shadow an Amish blacksmith for a day. He was so very open to my being there and my peppering him with questions hour after hour. I could tell he loved his work, he loved horses, and he and his brother had a heart for troubled horses. The first scene in The Amish Blacksmith nearly played itself out in front of me on that day, although I changed all the little details. When we started plotting this book, we knew we wanted a story that borrowed from the idea that horses must be dealt with gently to deal with traumatic events from the past, just as we must also be.

Given the skills of the hero and heroine in this book, are either you or Mindy horsewomen or horse-lovers to some degree?

Susan: I am actually rather scared of horses, strangely enough!

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How easy it is for us to get lost in the trappings and trimmings of the modern-day Christmas season—the one that begins earlier and earlier each year. “Christmas in July” is on its way to becoming a reality, it seems!

What are some things you do to remember the birth of Jesus in the midst of the holiday hubbub?  Perhaps this year you and your family could make salt dough Christmas ornaments representing the Nativity scene.

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Let's face it. Not all of us want "a partridge in a pear tree" for Christmas. (Although some of us may indeed be happy with five golden rings.) What would make the song more suitable?

Books, naturally!

Harvest House is changing up "The 12 Days of Christmas" with the sweet sound of book titles. Even better—we're giving away 3 copies each of 12 different books. That's 36 chances to win a free book!

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As December begins, so does the countdown to Christmas. And what better way to count the days than to recount the events surrounding Jesus' birth? 

We have created free printable Advent calendar cards for you and your family to use this month. With 25 pieces in all, each simply lovely card includes a verse or verses from Scripture to help you begin the day focused on the One whose birth and life we celebrate this season.

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The holidays are coming! The holidays are coming! And where there are big gatherings of family and friends...there are often hordes of youngsters in need of nondestructive entertainment. You can give the gift of giggles with some funny knock-knock jokes for kids. If these aren't enough, find 10 more in 10 Funny Knock-Knock Jokes for Tell a Joke Day, or check out the full book these jokes are shared from, titled The World's Greatest Knock-Knock Jokes for Kids.

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“Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” ~ Ephesians 6:12

Some battles cannot be fought on a physical level. And some weapons are not ones we wield—they’re ones we yield. 

As author Mark Hitchcock notes, a Christian’s defense (and arguably his offense, as well) is prayer. Not anything we can do with our own minds or strength, but rather an utter reliance on the One who has already secured victory at Calvary.

So we understand that prayer is crucial in our struggle against evil. The task, then, is understanding what spiritual warfare prayer looks like on a practical level.

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It has been said that "silence is golden." Some might wonder if it isn't better to keep your faith to yourself. Why evangelize? Why risk opposition and persecution by announcing your beliefs to the world?

Before you can answer those questions, though, there's a more fundamental, burning question waiting to be addressed: "Does the world really need Jesus?" 

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From 5 titles in 1974 to over 150 titles each year and more than 100 million copies sold, Harvest House Publishers has experienced much growth these past 40 years. We have had the privilege of working with many talented and beloved authors, and our readers can be found all over the world. 

The rise in numbers, though, could not diminish the blessing that comes from knowing how profoundly even just one book can touch a life. Landon Baron, one of our employees, shares a story of sweet surprises and a Harvest House book found in an unexpected place...

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