I meet some of the neatest people through ACFW and my blog, and Patrick Craig is one of them. 
He’s a lifelong writer and musician who left a successful songwriting and performance career in the music industry to follow Christ in 1984. He spent the next 26 years as a worship leader, seminar speaker, and pastor. Then in 2011, he signed a three-book deal with Harvest House Publishers to publish his Apple Creek Dreams series. The books are historical Amish fiction. His current series is The Paradise Chronicles and the first book in the series is The Amish Heiress, just released on August 10th. He and his wife Judy make their home in Idaho and are the parents of two adult children and have five grandchildren.
Patricia: Patrick, when and why did you begin writing?
Patrick: I published my first article in the grade school paper when I was seven years old. I got such positive feedback from my teachers, family, and friends, that I decided then and there that writing was something I could do well. I’ve been writing ever since.
Patricia: Wow! I didn’t start writing until I was 35. What does your writing journey look like?
I was editor of the school paper at every school I attended and I worked for the local paper writing a column when I was in high school. At a certain point, I became more interested in following a musical career but I never gave up my love of writing. In fact, even when I was playing in successful bands, my favorite part was song writing. When I met the Lord in 1984, I put my professional music aside and began writing non-fiction: teaching books on the role of music in the church. But in 2003, I retired from ministry and started doing what I had always wanted to do‑write stories with deep plots and memorable characters
Patricia: You’ve certainly done that! And had an interesting career to boot. Playing with bands and song writing–that would have been hard for me to leave. Have you ever considered Indie-publishing? What do you like or not like about it?
Patrick: My latest book, The Amish Heiress, is Indie published. I was fortunate to have The Apple Creek Dreams series published by Harvest House as that gave me a solid fan base. That was why I felt confident enough to venture out on my own. When you Indie Publish there’s a lot more day-to-day work involved. I work my mailing list, buy Facebook ads, and publish excerpts from the book on my blog. I like being in control, but I have to be careful to make time to write.
Patricia: I discovered just how hard Indie publishing is this year when I was part of an anthology. I think I prefer traditional publishing. 🙂 What is the name of your latest book, and how would you summarize it in less than 20 words?
Rachel Hershberger’s life in Paradise, Pennsylvania is far from happy. Her papa struggles with a terrible event from the past, and his emotional instability has created an irreparable breach between them. Rachel’s one desire is to leave the Amish way of life and Paradise forever. Then her prayers are answered. Rachel discovers that the strange, key-shaped birthmark above her heart identifies her as the heir to a vast fortune left by her Englischer grandfather, Robert St. Clair. If Rachel will marry a suitable descendent of the St. Clair family, she will inherit an enormous sum of money. But Rachel does not know that behind the scenes is her long-dead grandfather’s sister-in-law, Augusta St. Clair, a vicious woman who will do anything to keep the fortune in her own hands. As the deceptions and intrigues of the St. Clair family bind her in their web, Rachel realizes that she has made a terrible mistake. But has her change of heart come too late?
The Amish Heiress is definitely not your light-hearted Amish Romance where everything turns out just because the heroine is Amish. It’s a real thriller and has been in the top twenty-five on the Amazon best seller list under Christian Mystery Suspense for over six weeks.
Patricia: This sounds like a book I’d love to read. I may sneak in and leave a comment! Do you have another project in the works?
Patrick: I’m working on The Amish Princess. It’s book two of my current series, The Paradise Chronicles, and it’s the story of an Indian Princess, White Deer, whose tribe massacres an Amish settler family and brings two twin brothers to the village as captives. One of the brothers keeps his faith and eventually leads White Deer to Christ, and the other brother eventually escapes and becomes the implacable foe of all the tribes on the Ohio border. Of course that is the brother that White Deer loves. Should be out next June.
Here are some of Patrick’s other books:
Patricia: How can people contact you?
www.patrickecraig.com Webpage
https://www.facebook.com/PatrickECraig Facebook
https://twitter.com/PatrickECraig Twitter
Where readers can purchase Patrick’s books:
http://tinyurl.com/n6sfagg Amazon
You can also find The Amish Heiress on my website at http://www.patrickecraig.com/my-book-store/
Patrick has graciously agreed to give away a print copy of The Amish Heiress to US residents and a digital copy for those living beyond our borders.
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Comments 20
God has called me to different things and I have followed, and of course, it worked out for the best!
Great article! Love Patrick’s books!
After reading the first three in the series, this is a must! Love Patrick’s books, so glad We met on Feb.
Linda
My first thoufht would be, “God is that really you and are you sure you know what you are doing?”
I have not read ur books yet// they are on my list :). So trying for the giveaway . Thank you for having this for the chance
Not quite sure how I would act if God chose for me to do something else, however I would try to be obedient and do it without harboring ill feelings.
If you haven’t read The Amish Heiress yet you need to! I read it so fast because I couldn’t put it down! Simply amazing plot!
My first thought would be — why ??? Then, I would trust that He had better things in store for me.
I would feel God had a plan for me and follow through.
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I think God calls us for different things at different times. Thanks for stopping by Wendy.
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Thanks for stopping by Kathy!
Wow! The Amish Heiress sounds like a great book I would enjoy. Hoping for a chance to win a copy. Thank you for the interview and giveaway.
I know God sees my future better than I do so if He called me from a job, He’ll take care of me. That’s where trust and faith comes into play.
I would really love to win a copy of Amish Heiress and start reading your books. I love the Amish people.
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So glad you enjoy Patrick’s books, Linda. Thanks for stopping by,
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We do tend to do that, don’t we, Stella! I know I do. Thanks for stopping by.
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Tammy, Cindy, and Pamela, thanks for stopping by. Patrick’s books all sound amazing!
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Mary Ellen, Deb, Marilyn, and Melinda, thanks for stopping by! I believe if God calls you to it, He will enable you to do it. Doesn’t mean I don’t question Him sometimes, though. 🙂
And I’m “meeting” some very wonderful authors and potential new reads through your blog, Pat.
I enjoyed this interview!
Thanks, Elaine!