A Chat with Wanda E. Brunstetter, "Amish Country's Most Beloved Storyteller"

Her name is synonymous with Amish fiction, her books are consistently on the New York Times Best Seller list, and more than 12 million copies of her books have, been sold. Is it any wonder that Wanda E. Brunstetter is often called "Amish Country's Most Beloved Storyteller"? Recently, this very busy author participated in an online chat with members of her Facebook group, Wanda's Clippity Clop Club, and she's graciously allowed me to share some of the questions and answers that were discussed on May 2, 2024. You will see that I've posted them in the format that they were given. 

Even though Amish fiction is her primary genre, Wanda Brunstetter is also the author of many popular cookbooks. Is it any wonder that many of the chat questions involved Food & Family?

Do you often collect recipes from your Amish friends?

"Yes, I have received many recipes from Amish friends and often pick up new ones whenever we eat at one of our Amish friend’s homes."

Does Wanda cook a lot of authentic Amish recipes for her family?

"I do cook recipes from my Amish friends whenever possible, and one of my favorite recipes is Amish Haystack."

What is Wanda's favorite recipe from all her cookbooks?

"Haystack is one of my favorite recipes. It’s fun and easy to make, and also delicious! We've eaten it many times at our Amish friends' homes.

When your kids were growing up, did you have family dinners together every night?

"Yes, we always ate together."

I recently heard that Wanda's husband was a pastor and has retired from this ministry. What did Wanda enjoy most about being a pastor's wife? As a pastor's wife, did the ladies in their congregation know Wanda was a well-known author and read her books? Did she ever have book clubs with them and discuss her books?

"While my husband was in the ministry, I enjoyed being able to minister to others in need of counseling or some kind of help. When Richard took his first church, I was not a well-known author but during his second assignment, most everyone in the church knew about my books. Although we did not have a book club, the church did have a library, so I made sure to put each of my new releases on the library shelves."

Your Amish Friends Outdoor Cookbook was released yesterday, May 1! Does your family enjoy grilling and outdoor cooking? What is your favorite outdoor cooking recipe?

"Yes, my husband loves to grill outdoors and he received a new grill for his birthday in March and he’s eager to try it out. He cooks with Bison meat a lot and I love bison burgers with all the trimmings."

There were several questions relating to the possibility of her books being made into movies!

Has Wanda ever considered or thought about making one of her book series into a movie or movie series? And if so which series would she like to see done?

"It would be nice to have one of my books or a series made into a movie, but unfortunately, I don’t have the ability to make it happen. I have been blessed, however, to have two of my books made into musical plays, and another one is in the works, which will debut in the spring of 2025."

"Are there any plans for more of Wanda's books to be made into musicals at The Blue Gate Theatre? I'd love to see The Prayer Jar series as a musical!"

"Yes, the musical I mentioned in the previous question is currently being written and will be based on a book I'm co-authoring with Martha Bolton, who is also writing the script for the play."

Wanda Brunstetter, where would the plays be done? And it's never too late God can make a movie series happen, if He chooses. 

"Blue Gate Theater in Shipshewana, IN for sure."

Questions about Ms. Brunstetter's writing methods? Of course!

Is there a season of the year you tend to get more written than other seasons?

"I am busy writing during all four seasons."

Does Wanda have a favorite time of day or location to write where she feels the most productive?

"I pretty much write any time of the day and often write 5 days a week 8 hours or more per day. I enjoy writing outdoors when possible and when I can’t, then I write from my office where there’s a window to look out of."

Are there any subjects you won't discuss in a storyline? Is there a subject you want to discuss but have not come up with a story for it?

"My head is always swimming with story ideas but there are probably some topics I won’t choose to write about. I always want my stories to bring glory to God, and if a certain subject matter doesn’t, then I would not choose to write about it."

Miscellaneous Questions

Do you ever wish you lived in Lancaster County among the Amish?

"We have some Amish friends who live in Lancaster County and other places in Pennsylvania, and it’s a great place to go. However, we have even more friends who live in Indiana, which I think would be great place to live."

Do you think there is less or more shunning than there was years ago?

"I think severe shunning still occurs in some communities like the Swartzentrubers, but it’s my understanding from talking to friends who left the Amish faith after joining the church, that their family did not shun them for a very long period of time."

And then, there's Letters of Wisdom, the third book in the Friendship Letters series!

Was it difficult to come up with the story in Letters of Wisdom? The emotions and events hit spot on. It was sometimes hard to read the book because of the memories it brought up.

"Coming up with the storyline was easy since both my husband and I suffered some forms of abuse when we were children. I had also been asked by several people to write something on the topic of abuse."

What is the message you hope your readers take away from Letters of Wisdom?

"I hope my readers will realize that if they, or someone they know has been abused, it’s good to talk about it and seek professional help as needed. Forgiveness is a big part of healing from abuse and God’s Word has a lot to say about forgiveness. So turning to the Bible for help and healing is also very important."

Thank you for Letters of Wisdom. Will you write any more books on this subject in the near future?

"I don’t have any plans at this point to write more on the topic of abuse, but I probably would if God showed me that I should."

Finally, the most important question and answer of all!

How long will you continue writing?

"As long as God keeps giving me the ideas and the strength to write, I will keep authoring novels."

It's such a pleasure to learn more about the person responsible for the books that we all love to read! Thank you, Wanda E. Brunstetter and members of Wanda's Clippity Clop Club, for allowing me to share these questions and answers!

Even more questions about Ms. Brunstetter? Find the answers on her Website.

Wondering about Letters of Wisdom? My review can be found HERE.

Needing information about Amish Friends Outdoor Cookbook? Check HERE.