Josiah for President

1. AMISH FICTION OR POLITICAL FICTION? IT’S BOTH

Often writers get really good at one genre, then settle into a pattern of writing extremely samey books that eventually become stale and predictable. Not Martha!

She’s written over 40 books, covering these genres:
• Children’s Musicals
• Drama Sketches
• Columnist
• Youth Devotionals
• Family Devotional
• Marriage Devotional
• Comedy Essays
• Parody Lyrics
• Now ... Fiction

She keeps on hopping between genre to genre, and now she’s leap into two genres of fiction in one go – Political Fiction and Amish Fiction. Daring, but admirable we think the interesting combination could prove deadly.

2. LAUGHTER’S IN OUR DNA

Martha believes we were made for laughter.

“God created us with the ability to laugh. He gave us the equipment. He must have realised its importance in life and in our relationships.”

With having an illustrious career in comedy writing, everything she touches has a natural dash of humour. Her leap into fiction will undoubtedly have many reads chuckling.

3. PHYLLIS DILLER’S RECOMMENDATION

You may not have never heard her name, but she was a massive super-comedian in her day (in America at least). She created a stage character that had crazy hair, a wild wardrobe and self-deprecating jokes about her age, appearance, terrible cooking, and annoying husband. Martha was her only writer, and this is what Phyllis thinks of her:

“You’re no better than your writers. Bob Hope will tell you that, he had 8, I had 1. Martha Bolton. She writes her tail off, this woman never stops writing. She’s got an endless inkwell of funniness, funny stories and she puts out books when she isn’t writing for a person she’s writing a funny book after book after book. It just flows out of her, that’s a good writer.” – Phyllis Diller.

4. AMISH FICTION, WITHOUT THE ROMANCE

Pick up any Amish Fiction book and flick 1/3 through the pages and you’ll read page after page of romance. The genre seems to go hand in hand with romantic novels. Fortunately, Martha has broken the cycle.

The Amish community is a fascinating way of life which interests all of us on the outside. The best way to look inside and discover the community is reading one of the many Amish novels on the Christian market. But if you can’t stand soppy 3rd person writing, where you have to hear the girl dreamily fantasize about a handsome hunk, you won’t enjoy the genre. You simply can’t escape it.

Thankfully, the only romance you’ll find in Martha’s book is between the Congressman and his wife.

5. FILLING CHURCHES WITH LAUGHTER

Sometimes we all need a tap on the shoulder when were taking life, faith, work or whatever else too seriously. Martha wants to tap the church on the shoulder and tickle it’s funny bone. She speaks all over America, reminding Christians that laughter is the key ingredient in life.

Introducing an Amish Fiction book with a sharp political edge – ‘Josiah for President’ – would you vote for the man of the earth, Josiah Stoltzfus?

When Congressman Mark Stedman’s presidency campaign becomes too much, he decides to return to his former life in his home state to a simpler life. But when he stumbles upon an unassuming Amish farmer his life takes an unaccepted turn.

Mark is stunned by the Amish farmer's intelligence and leadership. Josiah’s uncommon wisdom, sound judgement, and Lincoln-like wit make up the perfect character traits for president. If Josiah was running the country, instead of a suited and booted man from Harvard, than America could rise from the ashes of the economic crash.

The two men set to work on introducing America to their new president. But how much can they sacrifice to realise their dream? How far will they go to save America? Could this simple Amish man of faith be the next president of the United State of America?

When former Congressman Mark Stedman throws in the towel on his presidential campaign, his only choice is to return to his home state and decide how to spend the rest of his life until he meets Josiah Stoltzfus, an Amish farmer from Pennsylvania.

Stedman learns more from Josiah in a few hours than in his many years in office. He comes to the conclusion that someone like Josiah should be running the country. Not a career politician, but someone with a little old-fashioned common sense, someone who’s not afraid of rolling up his sleeves and getting his hands dirty. Someone like Josiah Stoltzfus.

Using his old campaign headquarters for a base, Mark Stedman determines to introduce a new candidate to America. He pledges to do everything in his power to make sure Josiah gets elected. But can a plain man of faith turn the tide of politics and become the leader of America, and what will he have to risk to do it?

Emmy-nominated and Dove-nominated writer Martha Bolton is also the author of over eighty books of inspiration and humor. She wrote the libretto for ‘The Confession Musical’, based on Beverly Lewis' popular Amish trilogy, as well as the libretto for ‘Half-Stitched’, ‘The Musical’, based on Wanda Brumstetter's newest Amish romance. Martha was a staff writer for Bob Hope for over fifteen years, writing humor to entertain the public and presidents alike.