A Cold Winter

Description

In this fourth of twelve installments of the Amish Forever continuing series, it is New Year’s Eve. This normally festive time in the Troyer household turns sad as family members – and Jed – recall the life and passing of Ava’s father, Amos. The New Year starts with a thundersnow, an usual blizzard, which causes much damage and financial loss. As a result, Aunt Rachael must tend to the household responsibilities by herself as the Troyer brothers need Ava’s help in clearing the storm debris. Ava must face a bleak future, wondering if the conversation she overheard at church about Zeke is true and the fear that she will never again be able to see Zeke, her beloved fruend, who rescued her. But love always finds a way…Roger Rheinheimer spent the first eighteen years of his life in northern Indiana. His father was the only doctor for a small town of 1200, and had a hitching rail on a side street by his office for the Amish patients. His father bought an eighty acre farm, and Roger and his older brother worked it, raising cattle and growing crops.While he was still in high school, Roger learned woodworking skills from Elmer Schlabach, his Amish mentor. They built houses in the old-fashioned tradition, from hand-mixing the concrete for the foundations to hand-nailing the shingles. The only phase they did not do was the electrical. To this day, Roger enjoys using his wood crafting skills, making acoustic guitars and furniture.Roger earned an undergraduate degree in Behavioral Psychology from a small private college in the Shenandoah Valley, took a Creative Writing class, loved it, and published a short story called My Brother. He was a regular contributing writer to the college newspaper.Roger has two novels in print and ebook, Amish Snow and Yield Spread: a novel. Crystal Linn is a free-lance writer and award-winning poet who teaches a variety of creative writing classes. Her third book, Poetry for Friends, is scheduled to be released in the spring of 2012. She lives in the greater Seattle area where she enjoys reading mysteries, writing poetry and sailing with friends and family.