Book Treasures – An Interview with an Avid Reader

Ann H GabhartAnn's Posts, One Writer's Journal 12 Comments

“My dream as a girl was to be locked in the library overnight. All those treasures, all mine for a time.” (Susan Gibson Snodgrass) In this post, I have a treat for you as I invited Susan Gibson Snodgrass over to share about her love of reading with us. Authors like me love Susan because she is an avid reader who …

No Mystery about the Winners

Ann H GabhartAnn's Posts, One Writer's Journal 4 Comments

“As an inspiration to the author, I do not think the cat can be over-estimated. He suggests so much grace, power, beauty, motion, mysticism. I do not wonder that many writers love cats; I am only surprised that all do not.” (Carl Van Vechten) My dog, Oscar might take offense at that quote. Oscar’s a great writing companion, but cats …

The Mystery Continues with a New Mystery Picture

Ann H GabhartAnn's Posts, One Writer's Journal 25 Comments

“Oh how I’ve missed you, Hidden Springs! That warm feeling when you see a friend that you haven’t seen in a while and just know that you’re going to enjoy your time together. That’s how I felt when I found this book in my mailbox. Once again we are transported to the small town of Hidden Springs and the cast …

Mystery Picture Time!!

Ann H GabhartAnn's Posts, One Writer's Journal 34 Comments

It’s mystery picture game time. I’m a little late with the post, but a couple of granddaughters decided to spend the night. That slows Grammy down. Actually a grandson and some friends are camping here on the farm too, but they can manage on their own. Way too cold for me. Not that I’ve ever done any camping. Once the …

Typing with Nine Fingers

Ann H GabhartAnn's Posts, One Writer's Journal 25 Comments

Some days it doesn’t pay to take a walk. First off this morning, March definitely came in like a lion around here with storms and winds. Lightning. Thunder. Even hail. And pouring rain. Over 2 inches last night and today. And nearby communities had it worse than us. But then the storm passed on to the southeast and so, as …

Romance Is in the Air

Ann H GabhartAnn's Posts, One Writer's Journal 16 Comments

Did anybody ever carve your initials plus other initials in a heart on a tree? Or perhaps you did the carving. Maybe that’s an old fashioned way of being romantic that has gone by the wayside as maybe it should for the health of our trees. 🙂 Mother Nature carved the heart in this tree. I spotted it a few …

Giving Away Books This Way and That

Ann H GabhartAnn's Posts, One Writer's Journal 7 Comments

How many ways can you give away books? I’m not sure, but I must be trying to find out today! With the release date for my new Hidden Springs Mystery, Murder Is No Accident, rapidly approaching, the publishers and I are trying to get people to visit Hidden Springs. That’s my little town with a good compliment of quirky small …

Another Hidden Springs Mystery on the Way

Ann H GabhartAnn's Posts, One Writer's Journal 14 Comments

For an author, there’s nothing quite like holding in your hand that book that you’ve spent many long hours writing. You started with a shimmer of an idea. You added characters. You built a setting. You entangled your characters into all sorts of situations. Maybe some fun ones. Or romantic ones, or even dangerous ones for a mystery like Murder …

Where Did You Get that Name?

Ann H GabhartAnn's Posts, One Writer's Journal 22 Comments

I’ve been giving you a behind the scenes look at how I go about beginning a new book. First I let you peek at a character sketch for my new character in Murder Is No Accident, Maggie Greene. Sunday I told you about how an old house in my town was the spark for the new mystery idea. Then a …

What if We Have an Old House…?

Ann H GabhartAnn's Posts, One Writer's Journal 27 Comments

Often when I’m doing an interview, one of the most popular questions will be how or where do I get my ideas for stories. Sometimes the interviewer is more specific and asks where I got the idea for a particular story. That can be a hard question to answer clearly. That’s because ideas bombard an author from every direction. The …