Amish author Leslie Gould concludes her Neighbors of Lancaster County series with Amish Weddings (Bethany House), “a complex story that digs deeply into Amish culture and shatters some preconceived notions” (Publishers Weekly). In this Q&A, Leslie shares how being a military wife inspired the series, what the characters learn from their experiences, and what it’s like to wrap up the series…
1. Amish Weddings is the third and final novel in the Neighbors of Lancaster County series. What was the inspiration for the series and what have you enjoyed most about writing these stories?
As the wife of a soldier who served for thirty years in Army Reserve medical units, including a tour in Afghanistan, I pondered what it would be like for an Amish family to have a military family move in next door.
In the first book, Amish Promises, that’s just what happens—the Becks, an Army family, move down the lane from the Lehmans, an Amish family.
In Amish Sweethearts, the oldest son in the Englisch family falls in love with the oldest daughter in the Amish family, raising the stakes.
And in Amish Weddings, tensions build even more as the two families continue living side-by-side.
What I’ve enjoyed the most about writing these stories is “watching the kids grow up” and become young adults. Each one is so different, with individual gifts and flaws. Each one frustrated me at times, but all of them mostly warmed my heart. Just like real children and young adults!
2. Rose, the middle Lehman sister, is flattered by the attention of an Englischman, Trevor Anderson, and despite warnings from those who care about her, she spends time with him anyway—even though she’s courting Reuben Byler. How does she justify her behavior? What was her attraction to Trevor? What does she learn about herself from her relationship with him?
In her mind, Rose never had a proper running around time and she uses that as an excuse to spend time with Trevor, who is an ex-soldier. She’s attracted to his boldness, his ashy red sports car, and, honestly, the way he looks at her. What she learns can be best summed up by a response from Lila, the oldest Lehman sister, to Rose: “He [Reuben] looked as if he cherished you. Wanted to protect you. Wanted to spend his life with you. Wanted to have a family with you. Trevor just looked like he wanted—some excitement.” Rose discovers that she’d been staying on the surface in her relationships with others, and that she has to go deeper to have a life that honors God and those she loves.
3. In the previous book, Zane Beck commits to becoming Amish and by the beginning of Amish Weddings he has joined the church and he and Lila plan to marry in a month—until she’s in a horrible accident. Materially and as far as the outward lifestyle, it’s not hard for Zane to become Amish, but he finds it nearly impossible to give up the idea of seeking justice. What does this thread add to the story?
Very few Englisch people successfully join the Amish for several reasons. One obvious one is that the Amish speak Pennsylvania Dutch, a hybrid German dialect. In my stories, Zane learns the language from Lila, so that’s not a problem. He also has grown up around the Amish, so he knows exactly what the lifestyle involves. I wanted to explore those aspects of becoming Amish but also the internal differences—nonresistance, humility, avoiding self-exaltation, and, generally, not creating conflict with others. As Zane wrestles with seeking justice in particular, it shows another stark difference between the Amish and Englisch mindset. As someone who greatly values justice, this was an area I wanted to explore. Zane learns that seeking justice doesn’t always lead to justice—and we really do have to leave it to the Lord.
4. Lila’s accident brings up issues she has with her adoptive father, Tim, which leads her to seek information about her biological father. What she finds out about both of her fathers comes as a surprise. In what ways does Tim Lehman change as a Dat over the course of the series?
Lila makes some assumptions about her biological father based on her own needs. Her search doesn’t end as she hoped, but she does end up realizing that Tim has matured as a father and does have her best interest in mind. The series begins with Tim being a new widower, overwhelmed by his grief and the daunting task of parenting five children alone. His personality was already judgmental, but his pain accentuates his harshness. By the end of the series, both his friendship with Beth Yoder and his acceptance of his adult children reshapes him into a kinder and gentler man.
5. How does it feel to write the last page of the last novel in a series?
It feels like moving away from neighbors I really love. When I was a child, my sister and I used to cut out paper dolls from our grandparents’ Sears catalog and create entire extended families. Even though the dolls were one-dimensional, they soon became very three-dimensional to us. That’s what happens when writing a story. These characters absolutely become “real.” I find myself thinking about them and their lives way past when the last story ends, all the way into the characters’ old age. And that’s a good thing—their stories live on, at least in my very own active imagination.