New Book Spotlight

The Beginner’s Quilt

A Lifelong Love for Quilting Starts in 1967, Arthur, Illinois

{March 2026}

Despite the best efforts of Emma Bontrager’s mother, Emma hasn’t learned much of anything that will prepare her to be an Amish wife. Therefore, she’s sent to Arthur, Illinois, to be taught by her paternal grandmother. Though she would rather be fishing, hiking, or playing baseball, Emma finally listens to her grandmother and even finds she enjoys working on a Tree of Life quilt. Having met a nice young man, she now feels more prepared for marriage. But rumors swirl around his character, and it looks like she’ll be returning to Indiana with a broken heart. Even so, her time in Illinois has ignited a new passion for quilting that will last for years.

A stand-alone prequel to The Half-Stitched Amish Quilting Club and Half-Stitched, the musical.

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Wanda’s Willkum

Welcome to my writing world. It is my hope that you will not only enjoy a good story when reading one of my books, but will learn more about the Amish way of life.

As I have come to know and love my special Amish Friends, I’ve been filled with the realization that, while they may live and dress differently than most of us “Englishers,” they experience the same joys and deal with the same struggles as we do. Writing about the Amish fills my heart with joy and peace. I hope reading about the Amish will do that for you as well.

Mitt Lieb (With love),

Wanda

Wanda’s Journal

One Day at a Time

January 20, 2026

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45 Comments

As the days keep moving on in this New Year, and I work on my next book, scheduled to come out later this year, it’s easy to get overwhelmed when things go wrong or there are too many interruptions. Sometimes other issues pop up that need my attention, and it temporarily slows my writing schedule down. If you’re wondering how I deal with it and still manage to get everything done, it’s fairly simple—I take one day at a time. Sometimes, it’s one hour at a time, or even one minute at a time. We aren’t promised tomorrow, but it’s…

Regrets

December 15, 2025

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81 Comments

With a New Year beginning, and an old year left behind, it’s sometimes easier to focus on a person’s regrets about not doing all the things they had planned to do in the previous year. Or some might dwell upon the regrets of not doing or saying what they should have in the old year, rather than focusing on the opportunity to say or do things in a better way during the New Year. After losing my husband last summer, which I’m sure, is part of the grieving process, there have been a few times when I’ve thought about some…

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