Bringing history and faith to life through thrilling and accurate historical fiction.An award-winning author and editor, J. M. Hochstetler is the author of One Holy Night, a contemporary retelling of the Christmas story; and the American Patriot Series, thrilling, intensively researched historical fiction set during the American Revolution. She is co-authoring the Northkill Amish Series with multi-published author Bob Hostetler. Book 1, Northkill, releases March 1, 2014.
Ordering Northkill
Northkill is now at the printer and should start shipping to bookstores the last week of the month. The book is currently available for preorder online at Christianbook.com, Deepershopping.com, Amazon.com, and Barnesandnoble.com.
I’m receiving a few orders from individuals, and I appreciate those greatly! Unfortunately, I can only accept a limited number of individual retail sales due to my workload and the necessity to charge and file sales tax for each state in which a sale is made. Collecting and filing sales tax for retail sales above each state’s limit for personal sales becomes a truly onerous task, and one that I simply don’t have the time to manage. If you’d like to buy a copy of the book, thank you! And if you can purchase it at your local bookstore or on one of the online sites, I would greatly appreciate it. That benefits Sheaf House the most. Immediate family members are an exception, of course; I’m very happy to handle those orders. Bob and I are also setting up local events, where the book will be available for sale. Be sure to check back here and on my Northkill blog for news about upcoming events. Our first one will be at The Gospel Bookstore in Berlin, Ohio, and I'll share the details about that soon. If your local bookstore doesn’t have copies of Northkill available, they should be able to order them. Sheaf House books are distributed by STL Distribution and are carried by wholesalers such as Ingram and Baker & Taylor. I’m also glad to work directly with bookstores that don’t have an account with these companies, and I’d be delighted if you’d share my contact information with them if you encounter that problem. And if your local library might be interested in this title, I’d be especially grateful it if you’d recommend the book to them as well. To find my business contact information, go to sheafhouse.com. Thank you so much for spreading the news about this exciting and inspiring new series! Final Edit and Map
I’m currently editing the Northkill draft, which means melding Bob’s edit with mine so we don’t end up with a patchwork of two different styles, voices, and sensibilities. Thankfully, having so many years of experience as a professional editor and historical fiction writer behind me makes things easier. But with the holidays at hand and the hard deadline for ordering the proof barreling down on me at warp speed . . . well, let’s just say I’m a wee bit stressed.
A complicating factor is that I’m also working with my illustrator, Jim Brown, to create the map that will go into the book. Map making can be an arduous process, especially when you’re recreating a true story from a long-ago period. But in this case an online search and some serendipity netted the perfect map, shown at the left, for us to start from. This one was created in 1756, just one year before the massacre occurred, and has several details I hadn’t found on any other map. Along with the maps of ancient Indian trails I found that will allow us to recreate the route the survivors most likely took when they were carried into captivity, it’s going to be as accurate as it’s possible to make it. On top of everything else, I still have to figure out what I want to include in the appendix. We have a rough draft, but that will undoubtedly have to be cut down. I’m compiling the glossary as I go along, which has been speeded by the existing appendices from my American Patriot Series, and that will be complete when I finish the final edit. We are on track to release the print edition on March 1 and should have the e-book editions available early in February. I’ll include links for those here and on the Northkill blog as soon as I have them. Meanwhile, the print edition can be pre-ordered from Amazon, Christian Book Distributors, and Barnes & Noble, or you can contact me directly to reserve a copy. Final Cover!
Coming March 1, 2014
We just got the final front cover of Northkill today, and I couldn't be more delighted! My designer, Marisa Jackson, did her usual lovely job. Here's a brief description of the story. Drawn into the savage clashes of the French and Indian War, Jakob Hochstetler faces an impossible choice—and the irreversible consequences. Northkill is a fictional account closely based on the true story of Jacob Hochstetler and his family, well-known among Amish and Mennonites, who immigrated to this country in early 1738, seeking sanctuary from religious persecution and the freedom to live and worship according to their Anabaptist beliefs. By early 1739 they had settled with other members of their church in the Northkill Amish Mennonite community at the base of the Blue Mountains, near Northkill Creek, for which their community was named. Eighteen years later during the French and Indian War, on the night of September 19-20, 1757, their lives were forever changed when their home was attacked by a war party of Delaware and Shawnee. Three members of the family were killed, and Jacob and two of his sons were carried into captivity among the Indians. This account of their ordeal and their eventual return home will thrill and inspire readers with God's faithfulness to His children even in times of deep trial. I'll share more information about when and where Northkill will be available as soon as possible! |
My Other Websites & BlogsThe American Patriot Series
American Patriot Series Blog One Holy Night Blog Northkill Blog Sites I Contribute ToMy Social NetworksOrganizations
American Christian Fiction Writers
Middle Tennessee Christian Writers
Christian Small Publishers Association
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