Christmas at the Amish Market
Welcome back to our annual blog series spotlighting (over 60 again this year) new and recently-released Christmas reads!
Christmas is only THIRTEEN DAYS away, according to Google. yay!!! But also yikes! I still have a few Christmas presents to buy lol
Continuing through just after Christmas, I’m going to spotlight several Christmasy releases from 2022. Most days will have more than one post, just FYI. So… snuggle in, grab your fave hot beverage and comfiest blanket, turn on some Christmas tunes and start your bookish Christmas list! Oh… and did I mention there are GIVEAWAYS with EACH POST in this series??!! (Because authors are awesome!)
CHRISTMAS AT THE AMISH MARKET by Shelley Shepard Gray
GENRE: Inspirational Contemporary/Amish Romance
PUBLISHER: Hallmark Publishing
RELEASE DATE: November 8, 2022
PAGES: 281
affiliate links used
by Shelley Shepard Gray, author of Christmas at the Amish Market
A few years after I started writing full time, I hit a writing slump. I was desperately trying to get my first contract with a ‘big’ publisher and receiving a series of rejections. After about a year of waiting for good news but then ultimately getting rejected, I knew I had to do something with my days besides worrying and watching for the mailman.
I applied for a job at a nearby Hallmark store.
Even though I’d taught school for many years, I’d never worked retail before. Because of that, everything about that job came as a surprise-especially the fact that I loved helping people shop for the perfect card. Actually, I became really good at it. Customers told me about their lives, I asked questions (I might not have been selling manuscripts but I was still a writer), and when they left, I felt like I’d accomplished something good.
After a few months, I learned that the everything got really busy in the store between Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve. More people were put on the schedule, more merchandise arrived, and more customers arrived. Some mornings, people would be waiting outside the door before we opened the doors at 10:00 am. The hours flew by and I would get back in my car at the end of a shift feeling tired and fulfilled. Even though I was still waiting for the elusive call from my agent with good news, I stopped worrying quite so much. All these years later, I can’t help but run into my local Hallmark store and think about those days and feel a bit nostalgic.
When it was time to come up with a story idea for an Amish Hallmark Christmas book, I knew I wanted at least one character to be working behind a store counter during the holiday rush. When the editor accepted my idea, it certainly felt like I’d come full circle.
In spite of the book’s title and the setting, few of the main characters spent much time worrying about finding the perfect gift. I suppose that makes sense-after all, they were all more interested in finding the perfect person to spend the rest of their lives with. I had such a fun time giving all four main characters a couple of twists and turns to experience along the way. That’s what falling in love is all about, I think. Nothing worthwhile ever seems to come completely easy.
Tell me about some of your December jobs. Have you ever worked retail during a Christmas season? Maybe you worked in a bakery or a school or a Christmas tree farm…or perhaps babysat or petsat? Or, maybe you once worked in a office with a rather grinchy boss. I can’t wait to read your stories.
I’m so excited to send the winner of this drawing a gift basket from my neighborhood Hallmark store. It’s filled with fun and festive items in honor of Christmas at the Amish Market and my own memories working at a Hallmark store during the holiday season.
I hope everyone has a merry Christmas filled with far more joyous and peaceful moments than stressful and tiring ones.
Blessings,
Shelley
Shelley Shepard Gray is a NYT and USA Today bestselling author. She’s published over a hundred novels and has over a million books in print. She currently lives in northern Ohio and writes full time.
Shelley lives just an hour from Holmes County, where many of her Amish-themed novels are set. She currently writes contemporary romance and Amish fiction for a variety of publishers. When not spending time with her family or writing, she can usually be found walking her two dachshunds on one of the many trails in the Cleveland area.
She also bakes a lot, loves coconut cream pie, and will hardly ever pull weeds, mow the yard, or drive in the snow.
Shelley also spends a lot of time on line! Please visit her website to find out her latest news or to sign up for her newsletter.
Shelley Shepard Gray is offering a gift basket from her local Hallmark store to one of my readers! (US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.) This giveaway is subject to Reading Is My SuperPower’s giveaway policies which can be found here. Enter via the Rafflecopter form below.
What about you? What makes you want to read Christmas at the Amish Market by Shelley Shepard Gray? Tell us about some of your December jobs!
CHRISTMAS AT THE AMISH MARKET by Shelley Shepard Gray sounds like a lovely holiday read. I have never had a December job.
I like to read Christmas stories.
Its enjoyable to read holiday stories at any time of year.
This book will be a delight for Christmas reading. Reading about an Amish market during the holiday season will be a great way to “visit” via book, and I am eager to see how the two romances work out.
I’ve been hearing great things about this book on Instagram. I’d love to read it!
This story sounds captivating, special and wonderful. I babysit a great deal when I was young and enjoyed the experience. Since December was a busy month with parties and my birthday it was busy and fun. Yes, there were bosses who were difficult but I managed since I took work seriously.
Sounds like a good story.
I love Amish fiction and have read a lot of Amish Market books which I enjoy. I love twist and turns in books – I like to be kept guessing how the lives of all the characters in the book will all turn out.. I never had any real Christmas jobs. I was a pre-k teacher and Sunday school teacher and was involved in Christmas programs with my students which I loved. Thank you for this special Christmas giveaway. Enjoy preparing for and celebrating Christmas.
I love Amish books especially Christmas ones,thanks for the chance to win!
Sounds like a wonderful plot!
It was nice to read a little of Shelley’s backstory. I’ve worked a lot in retail during the holidays and it can be rewarding but also hard at times and very tiring. This book sounds like a really fun book to read for the holidays.
I’ve read all of her books except this one.
Can’t wait to get my hands on a copy of “CHRISTMAS AT THE AMISH MARKET” by Shelley Shepard Gray to read and review. Love this author’s books so I know I’m going to love this one.
I’ve never “worked” outside the home at Christmas. In fact, my work experience other than homemaker is very limited with little bits here and there through the years. However, I consider my “job” during the Christmas holiday is to continue a tradition my mother started way back with I was a small child. She would bake from what seemed like sun up to sunset baking cookies, cakes, candies, pies and cakes all to divide up into a zillion goodie boxes. Then she took the time to hand delivery each one explaining to me that sometimes the time visiting was as big of a gift to some as the boxes themselves. She took the goodie boxes to friends, family, neighbors, elderly, shut-ins, those that needed them or there might not be any goodies around for Christmas and even to those that had helped her in some way through the year going above and beyond their normal service. Like my mother, I love to back and love my “job” of continuing the tradition and have come to take to heart Mom’s words and to realize the amount of work in doing it, but oh so worth it. She also told me that she got as much, if not more, out of the deliveries than the recipient. I now love that part of it too!
Thank you for the chance! May your Christmas holiday be bless with goodness and light as we all remember the true meaning of the season!
Thank you so much for sharing. God bless you.
I have always loved reading Amish stories and Christmas stories. I have to read this. It’s on my book list wish for Christmas.
Thanks for sharing!
Shelley is a great author and I love reading Amish Christmas stories
Love all books Amish and especially Christmas ones! I love the simple and loving ways the holiday is celebrated!
I want to read this because the cover is so natural and homey looking. My December jobs were temping in a bookstore and a copy store. Temp jobs are really hard with no or short training.
I love Christmas stories. I’ve never had a dec. job.
On my must read list.
It sounds like a really interesting book. Thank you for sharing.
No December jobs but my jobs were year-round jobs in hospitals as an RN taking care of patients before and after surgeries. Some stayed for days, some for weeks or longer. In December, and especially on Christmas, we tried to make them as happy as possible.
I just finished reading this book and really enjoyed it!
I wrapped Christmas presents at a large department store one Christmas season. It was stressful because I’m not very good at things like that.
No jobs at Christmas 🙂 Church Ministry!
The book sounds great! I worked at Burlington last year during the holidays and it wasn’t bad for me since I worked in the back, but I felt bad for the cashiers! People can be really rude during the holidays and it’s so busy
My december job is baking cookies in the kitchen lol.
I just love christmas stories and i just moved to wisconsin near a very large amish community so this would be neat
haven’t read this author
Shelley’s a good writer and I’ve read a few of her books. Shelley, didn’t you used to live in the Colorado Springs area I do. Is your husband in the military?
I love Amish books and seeing as how this is Christmas time- a perfect time to read this book!
Sounds like a fun Christmas book to read Thanks for sharing.
I worked at Target for a brief time & got to be on the retail side of Black Friday. It was a lot tamer than I imagined. Currently, I’m a merchandiser & service multiple stores throughout the year. This truly is one of the hardest years for retail…being well-stocked & staffed. I wish patience & grace were practiced more oftened.
Thank you for sharing this with us!! 💕📚
Shelley, I also worked for Hallmark. Well, I was the Hallmark representative for the Base Exchange when we lived in Germany. I think it was for nearly 3 years or so, and I was there for at least 2 Christmas seasons. And that was over 30 years ago. I do remember it being a busy time, and because of shipping times to the States, we began earlier than most US stores did [at least back at that time]. I didn’t work directly with customers (I wasn’t a BX employee), but had to keep Hallmark cards and merchandise stocked and neatly displayed. Enjoyed it, still like Hallmark cards and mdse, but I never intend to work in a store again.
I am really looking forward to reading CHRISTMAS AT THE AMISH MARKET. Ever since I first saw the cover and read the synopsis, it has pulled at me. And from your other books I know this is going to be a great read.
I love Christmas books! I worked in a bookstore for many years. Decembers was always crazy busy-but I loved every minute of it! Getting the perfect book to the perfect person just made my day!
I’m a substitute teacher and it’s fun to see the kids so excited for the holidays!
I love Christmas books and I am fascinated with the Amish lifestyle- I HAVE to read this one!
I want to read this book because the plot and characters are intriguing. No December jobs.
I like to read books that I know will be not too graphic. Thank you
I Love reading Christmas books and I love reading The Amish books Merry Christmas
This seem to be a joyful book. That is the kind of book I would love to read this time of year.
I’ve never had a retail job at Christmas time. However, I did work at a credit union and helped many of our members with their holiday spending.