Welcome to the Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt! If you’ve just discovered the hunt, be sure to start at Stop #1, and collect the clues through all the stops, in order, so you can enter to win one of our top 5 grand prizes!
• The hunt BEGINS on 10/21 at noon MST with Stop #1 at LisaTawnBergren.com.
• Hunt through our loop using Chrome or Firefox as your browser (not Explorer).
• There is NO RUSH to complete the hunt—you have all weekend (until Sunday, 10/24 at midnight MST)! So take your time, reading the unique posts along the way; our hope is that you discover new authors/new books and learn new things about them.
• Submit your entry for the grand prizes by collecting the CLUE on each author’s scavenger hunt post and submitting your answer in the Rafflecopter form at the final stop, back on Lisa’s site.
Many authors are offering additional prizes along the way!
Hi, my name is Ann H. Gabhart, and I got the writing bug when I was ten and took up pen to begin my first novel. While I never finished that adventure, I’ve been on the writing road ever since, sharing all sorts of stories. As a Kentucky country girl, I love sharing stories steeped in Kentucky history. My newest book, Along a Storied Trail, combines that love of history and my love of books with the story of a Kentucky packhorse librarian in the Appalachian Mountains during the Great Depression.
Tansy Calhoun is eager to ride the rough trails as a “book woman” to deliver reading material to her neighbors. She loves books and longs to find love like the heroines in her books. When a charming writer comes to town, she wonders if she might have found it, but happy ever after endings aren’t always easy to find. Perdita Sweet, a contrary old mountain woman, could tell her that since the man she once loved chose someone else. Perdita knows the love trails Tansy should take, but why would anyone listen to the romantic advice of an old spinster?
“Gabhart’s skillful use of period details and the Appalachian landscape lend plenty of atmosphere to accompany the lessons of hope, compassion, and fortitude amid hardship. This is her best historical inspirational yet.”–Publishers Weekly starred review
Like Tansy, I love books. I’m guessing you do too since you are chasing through this Scavenger Hunt. So, can you imagine not having books to read at your house or a library a few miles away? But many towns in the Appalachian region of Kentucky in the 1930’s did not have libraries. That didn’t mean the people didn’t want the chance to learn new things. The Packhorse Libraries met that need.
The Packhorse Library was a WPA project during the Depression that got books and magazines to people who had never had access to reading material. The WPA paid local women $28 a month to be bookmobiles on horseback in their mountain counties. The book women, as they were called by the mountain people, had to be tough to carry out their duties. After they filled their saddlebags with books they mounted up on their horses or mules and took off through the rugged hill terrain, fording creeks and rivers. The same as the postman, they didn’t let rain, snow, ice or heat keep them from their book routes.
Books with illustrations were favored since some mountaineers had never had a chance to learn to read. Often their children or grandchildren would read the books to them. At times, the packhorse librarian would stop long enough to read aloud to someone along their route.
“‘Bring me a book to read,’ is the cry of every child as he runs to meet the librarian with whom he has become acquainted,” wrote one Pack Horse Library supervisor. “Not a certain book, but any kind of book. The child has read none of them.”
My book woman, Tansy, loved riding out on her horse, Shadrach, to hear the happy cries of “Here comes the book woman.” I can imagine running out to meet her, eager for a book to read.
Do you think you would have liked being a book woman riding a horse or mule to carry books out to readers?
Before you move on to the next and final stop, you can enter here on my site to win this lovely mountain necklace along with one of my books set in the Kentucky Appalachian mountains. Enter on the Rafflecopter form here.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Here’s the Stop #26 Basics:
If you’re interested, you can order Along a Storied Trail on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, CBD or at your local bookstore!
Clue to Write Down: into!
Link to Stop #27, the Next Stop on the Loop: GRAND PRIZE ENTRY PAGE!
Comments 42
I made it to the end! Haha (Wasn’t sure if I’d make it in time, to be honest. Too many good posts to read!)
I think that, most of the time, I would enjoy being a packhorse librarian. I’m sure there would be times, though, that I would need to rely on visualizing my patrons’ joy to help get me through the high creeks and storms!
Watching the little ones with their treasures is absolutely amazing. I work the clerk desk at a local library, and it is one of the best parts of the job. I think I would have loved it.
Author
You’re the third, maybe fourth, librarian who has commented here, Kathleen. Love libraries and librarians. Libraries have added immeasurably to my life. My kids were some of those who found treasures at the library when they were little. It was always so fun to watch them choose their books. Of course, they did have their favorites that they checked out over and over. 🙂
Thank you for helping kids learn to love books.
I would have loved it, but I imagine I would have been very slow, as I would want to read to all the children or anyone who couldn’t read.
Author
That would have been good, Donna. The librarians did do a lot of reading to patrons along the way. I have my book woman, Tansy, being a little regretful that she doesn’t have time to read all the books in her bookbag because she’s so busy taking those books out to others.
I love reading about the packhorse librarians. I think I might like doing that, since I actually do work at a library. I love seeing kids so excited about books, and sharing my love of reading with patrons as they come in to pick up new books or register for library cards.
Author
Sounds as if you’re a perfect librarian, Gabrielle. I hope you are able to get many many children interested in reading books so they can find out that words can transport them to new worlds even better than their electronic games.
I would love to teach the children to read. So when the book person comes around, then they could read at least simple books.
Author
Many of the children at that time had the opportunity to go to school and learn, Anna. They might not have gone past elementary school but they did learn reading and basic math from dedicated teachers. In fact, my research into the packhorse libraries said that often the children could read the books to their parents and grandparents. And sometimes those older people used the library books to learn to read themselves. What a gift to have the opportunity to learn.
I would love reading to people but couldn’t hack the horses.
Author
I think I’m with you on that, Mary. But I suppose if I’d grown up in the mountains during that period of time, I might have had the opportunity to ride more horses and could have taken off on those book trails. For sure, I would have been better at the reading to people. 🙂
Delivering books to people by horseback sounds like an adventure I would enjoy!
Author
It was surely as adventure for those book women during the 1930’s with no real roads, only rough trails and creeks to follow. But it may have been a rewarding adventure, Linda.
I am a retired mail carrier, so I have a unique kinship for the packhorse librarians. I think it would have been fun, adventurous, and scary at times. Some of the places/people I delivered to were sketchy. I met a lot of great people too, some I am still friends with and we write back and forth (10 years later). You learned quickly, who had nice pets that wanted to be your friend and others who had vicious pets that made you not want to even leave your vehicle. My route was 100 miles long, with 75 miles of it being dirt roads. I ran it 5 days per week. There was a donkey who’d come running when he saw or heard me coming, he would meet me at the mailbox and hee-haw until I gave him a little treat, carrots from my lunch, or a piece of butterscotch hard candy! I had dozens of “animal friends” on the route.
Author
Thank you so much for sharing your mail carrier memories, Tina. I found your experiences fascinating. You do know about meeting all sorts of people and enduring all sorts of weather to get the mail delivered. I’m sure my dog, Frankie, would have been one of those who would wait for you with his tail wagging. He loves people. But he would have wanted a different treat than the donkey. He might like butterscotch though.
You had quite a route and I’m sure there were people on your route as well as animals that looked forward to seeing you coming.
I would have loved to ride a horse or mule to remote places to deliver books to
people who didn’t have access to books.
I signed up for your newsletter.
Author
Thank you for signing up for my newsletter, Linda. I’ll send out another one around Thanksgiving with a Christmas giveaway. I haven’t picked out the prize yet. Last year I did a snow globe with the nativity scene. I have fun shopping for newsletter prizes and Scavenger Hunt prizes too. 🙂
Fun that you can imagine being one of the book women taking books out to the houses and cabins along your book route. My fictional book woman did meet up with some interesting characters.
I rarely ride horses and when I do they seem to sense that I’m timid and do as they please so I wouldn’t have been a good book woman. But, as someone who always has a book being read I sure would’ve appreciated them if I’d lived in Appalachia back then. Thanks for participating in this scavenger hunt and for offering such a nice prize package. Your newsletter’s what got me started on it!
Author
Fun to know you took off on the Hunt because of my newsletter, Charlotte. I hope you win some prizes, maybe the Grand Prize. That would be neat to have one of my reading friends win.
I’m not a horse person either. I may have been on a horse three or four times my whole life. That said, I did enjoy riding around the mountains on Shadrach with Tansy, even if the weather was cold. 🙂 But I’m like you. I would have been the one running out to meet the book woman hoping for a book to read.
I loved the historical tidbit! I’m a wuss though and would be too scared to ride a mule. I also love airconditioning. sigh.
Author
Times have changed since the 1930’s, Suzannah, when hardly anybody had air conditioning. But you are so right that most of us would miss it now that we’re used to the cooled or warmed air in our houses and stores.
I’m not a horse rider or mule rider either. I had to research how to mount a horse for my book, Along a Storied Trail. I am as much a greenhorn as Damien was in the story. 🙂
Although I don’t ride a horse or mule to work, I think I can relate to the book women, at least in a small way. I work at a public library, and because of the pandemic, for months the only way patrons could get books was to put them on hold for curbside pickup. Every morning, our bookmobile would be loaded with items people had placed on hold, and then it would be parked in the parking lot for several hours so people could pick up their holds. I was one of the staff members who worked one or two hour shifts in the bookmobile, handing out library items to people. Even though people missed being able to browse the stacks in the library, they were so grateful to get books and things, and it felt really good to be a part of providing that service. And even though I wasn’t technically out in the weather, I still had to brave the elements sometimes when I opened the service window–subzero temperatures in the winter, and wind, rain, or heat in the summer. It was a fun adventure that I’ll always remember fondly.
Author
It’s interesting the blessings that can come from dealing with unfortunate problems, Sabrina. Our library here did something like that too where people could go online and look for books to check out. Then, someone from the library staff would carry the books out to the readers waiting in their cars. So, I suppose they had to brave the elements too. My sisters liked finding books that way so much that I think they continued to check out books that way even after the library re-opened to foot traffic. I’m sure they have to go inside to pick up their books now.
I love libraries and have known some wonderful and helpful librarians through the years that I have been a library patron. I’m always saying that I don’t think I would have ever become a published author without all the books I’ve read or used for research along the way.
Thanks for sharing your adventure and I hope you enjoyed reading about Tansy carrying out books by horseback in Along a Storied Trail.
I think I would want to share my love of reading with other so I will proudly become a mule.
Author
That’s neat, Sonnetta. But you can just ride the mule and let him do the book carrying although as I mentioned in a different comment here, one of the packhorse librarians did walk her route after her mule died. So she eagerly shared her love of reading.
Oh, I love the cover for When the Meadow Blooms! Wildflowers are my favorites. I’ll be happy when I can get it. Of course, I’ve loved the covers of the other books of yours and what’s inside them in my library too, Ann.
Author
Hi, Fran. Always fun to hear from you, and I’m so glad you like the new cover of When the Meadow Blooms. I love the flowers too. The book won’t be out until next spring, but the way the days and weeks fly by, that won’t be that long. As I told Hope in a different comment, the story is a bit different than many I’ve written, but you guys are so great that you’re willing to try something a little different now and again. I think you’ll love my sisters, Calla and Sienna.
Thanks for reading my stories. So appreciated.
I live in Kentucky, so I love the mountains. They are peaceful, but I’m from Florida so I love the beach too! I’m unsure which I love more. Maybe the mountains. Thank you for this lovely giveaway! Had so much fun in your scavenger hunt!
Author
Fun to hear from a Floridian Kentuckian, Dreadrake. I’m with you in that I love both the mountains and the beach. I don’t want to choose between them, but enjoy both on different trips.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the Scavenger Hunt. I always think they are fun and I’m making my way leisurely through the stops enjoying the other authors’ posts.
Thanks for the link to start the scavenger hunt, Ann! I now have a new list of books that I want to read! (not sure if that is a good or bad thing) 🙂 I know any readers just discovering your books will enjoy them, no matter which they choose! 🙂
I forgot to add that I love the cover for When the Meadow Blooms and can’t wait to read it! 🙂
Author
So glad you like the cover for When the Meadow Blooms, Hope. The story is a little different from some I’ve written, but my readers are usually okay with different. You guys are great and make coming up with new stories so much fun.
I’m glad you enjoyed the hunt. I always think they are so much fun and a great way to find new books to read.
(If you are reading the comments and wondering where Hope saw the cover, it was in my latest newsletter. If you didn’t get it, and would like to, just let me know. If you think you are on my newsletter list and didn’t see it in your mailbox, you might check your Spam folder. I don’t want to land there, but sometimes my newsletters do.)
What a fascinating historical tidbit. I have always loved books, and I can only imagine what a desert my mind would be without them. I think I would have loved this job. Reminds me of reading Christy way back as a kid. Thank you for sharing the benefits of your research with us. I look forward to someday reading this book (I have a pretty good-sized backlog).
Author
I’m with you, Sherry. I can’t imagine not having books to read. Living in the mountains during the Depression years was tough, but the women who took on the packhorse librarian jobs were tougher. One of the book women walked her route carrying her books after her mule died. I didn’t put a woman like her in the book although I did add a reader who walked miles to meet the book woman and then carried books back to her neighbors. I found some great stories in my research. Thanks for doing the hunt and your comment here.
It sounds fascinating!I so admire those who made the effort, no doubt very difficult at times, to share the written word and all the learning and adventures to be had inside the covers of those books. I would have loved to have been the one to deliver books and see the joy and anticipation on the faces of those waiting for them.
Thank you for participating in the scavenger hunt!
Author
I’m sure it was very rewarding for the book women to share the love of reading with the people along their book routes, Laura. That had to be great motivation for them to get out into the early morning no matter the weather and start along their trails.
The Scavenger Hunt is always fun and I love taking part and meeting new reading friends.
I cannot wait to read A Long Storied Trail, it looks absolutely fascinating.
Author
That’s great, Barb. I do hope you’ll enjoy my mountain book woman story when you get a chance to read it. Maybe you’ll be one of the lucky winners.
Thanks for the extra giveaway! I love this hunt! That necklace is beautiful (I’m a huge fan of the mountains myself – give me the mountains over the beach any day) and I love your books!
Author
I love the mountains too, Erin. Love the beach too, as far as that goes. I’m happy to spend time in either place. But I have been writing some mountain stories and having fun getting to know my mountain characters. I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed reading my books. That makes me smile. Glad you are enjoying the Scavenger Hunt too. I’m going to chase through it and read some posts too.