Winter Time Stories

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

“It is the life of the crystal, the architect of the flake, the fire of the frost, the soul of the sunbeam. This crisp winter air is full of it.” — John Burroughs I’ve known some Januarys where snow has been off somewhere to the north, where you could only find ice in the freezer, and winter coats were hardly …

The Christmas Story Spirit

Ann H GabhartAnn's Posts, One Writer's Journal 8 Comments

Do you like to read Christmas stories? New ones come out every year and those old ones start showing up too. The first Christmas story showed up over 2,000 years ago when a baby was born in a Bethlehem stable. That beloved story has now been read and told millions of times. Fathers and mothers read it to their children. …

A Christmas Birth from Christmas at Harmony Hill

Ann H GabhartAnn's Posts, One Writer's Journal 10 Comments

  Merry Christmas, everyone. I hope you are having a wonderful and blessed Christmas week. As a Christmas special from me to you, here  is an excerpt from my Shaker Christmas story, Christmas at Harmony Hill.  By the time the fog began to lift, Gideon’s company was in position. The men crouched down behind whatever cover they could find and waited …

Shaker Stories & More – Writing Journey #13

Ann H GabhartAnn's Posts, One Writer's Journal 30 Comments

  Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on. ~Louis L’Amour Last post I shared how my editor encouraged me to write two more books featuring the Shakers and their history. When I had reservations, she dangled a carrot out in front of my writer’s nose. She said that if I would …

Shakers and Christmas

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

“Man is a harp with a thousand strings. Touch the spiritual cord of his heart, and lo, with what inspiration he sings!” (Shaker saying) The Shakers didn’t place the same emphasis on special holiday as some of their neighbors did. The journal keepers sometimes didn’t mention Christmas at all and when they did, it was generally very brief. The South …

Celebrating Christmas with My Characters

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

May we not spend Christmas or observe Christmas but rather keep  it.  ~ Peter Marshall Sometimes people seem to want to stop having Christmas as soon as midnight strikes on Christmas Day, but I think Christmas should last all the way to New Year’s and on as we continue to find joy in focusing our thoughts on a long ago starry …

How Do Authors Get Ideas?

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

  This is my month for e-book specials. First I got news that Christmas at Harmony Hill  (Amazon link) was on e-book sale for 99 cents or less and then last week I found out that Murder at the Courthouse, (Amazon link) my first Hidden Springs mystery is $1.99 for the e-book version. So you can go out to your favorite e-book …

E-book Sale on a Christmas Story from Harmony Hill

Ann H GabhartAnn's Posts, One Writer's Journal 2 Comments

  What fun to see that my Shaker Christmas novel, Christmas at Harmony Hill, is on special e-book sale right now at most internet sites for the very low price of 99 cents or less! That gives me the chance to offer you a very inexpensive gift of a story for Christmas. The book is set at the end of the Civil …

It’s Christmas Pageant Season

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

“For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign to you: you will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.” …Luke 2:11-12 (NKJ) It’s Christmas pageant season. So I’m sure you’ve heard that verse above recited in a church …

A Shaker Day of Atonement

Ann H GabhartAnn's Posts, One Writer's Journal 23 Comments

The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong. ~Mahatma Gandhi My Shaker Christmas book, Christmas at Harmony Hill, is on e-book special right now. You can download a copy at many of the e-book sites for a penny less than one dollar. Ninety-nine cents! I love that the publishers decided to offer this book  at a special price …