Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt Stop #21

Ann H GabhartAnn's Posts, One Writer's Journal 333 Comments

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 6/15 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, 6/18 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, I’m Ann H. Gabhart and I love being called a storyteller. I’ve gone down plenty of story trails in my home state of Kentucky. I’m sort of a nut for nature and dogs and my grandkids. Oh, and books too! Most of my books are historical fiction but I have some cozy mysteries as well. You can find out more about me and my books here on my website and on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and BookBub. I like dropping my characters down into some interesting historical times or settings,  but for my newest novel, In the Shadow of the River, I told my characters “All Aboard” and set my story on a river showboat. Here’s a little more about the story.

When Jacci Reed was five, someone tried to steal her from her mother who was badly wounded in the confrontation. Jacci and her mother find refuge on the Kingston Floating Palace, a river showboat. Fifteen years later, Jacci loves being an actress and singer on the showboat, but the memory of her mother’s death and the events leading up to it has shadowed Jacci through the years. When her life is threatened, she knows she must search for the answers she needs. But secrets have a way of staying in the shadows . . . and the answers she craves will not come easily.

Have You Ever Had Stage Fright?

Acting? On Stage? Not me! I loved getting into character with Jacci but I want to stay backstage doing the directing. Not on stage in the lights.

An actress, I’m not, but that’s the fun of writing fiction. My characters can be way different from me. I could say different than I can imagine being, but that doesn’t work for a writer. My characters do things I can’t  do all the time.

Me at the first stage fright age

But what about that stage fright? When I was five, I had a part in a church play. A speaking part. I practiced my lines until my sisters were ready to throttle me, but I had it down pat. Then, when my big moment came, I looked out at the congregation, opened my mouth, and nothing came out. My vocal cords froze. I knew then acting wasn’t for me.

That dread of being on stage stayed with me all through school. Glossophobia, the fear of public speaking, is a common phobia shared by three out of four people. Maybe you are one of the three. I used to be, but after my first book was published years ago, I agreed to speak to a group of librarians and discovered stage fright wasn’t fatal. At least not for me. Now I even enjoy speaking about my books. However, I’m not about to try acting!

In my book, In the Shadow of the River, I could have let my character, Jacci, have stage fright, but that wasn’t Jacci. From the time she first went on stage at age five, she loved the spotlight. She is a true showboat actress who likes nothing better than rolling downriver to a new landing each day to put on a show.  When the music starts and the curtain goes up, an actress like Jacci is ready to take the stage to say those first lines and entice the audience into the magic of story.

How about you? Ever have stage fright or do you love performing?

 

Here’s Your Critical Stop #21 Info:
If you’re interested, you can order In the Shadow of the River on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Christianbook.com, Baker Book House, or your local bookstore!

Clue to Write Down: hammock,

Link to Stop #22, the next Stop on the Loop: Leslie Gould’s site!

But wait! Before you go, I’m offering some prizes here on my site. One entrant will win an actress make-up bag and a choice of one of my books. Two other winners will get their choice of one of my books. All you have to do is leave a comment here that you signed up for my e-newsletter on the form in the margin here on my website or note you’re already a subscriber. For fun, you can say if you suffer from glossophobia or if you love performing the way Jacci does.

Giveaway starts June 15, 2023 at 12:00 p.m. Mountain Time (2:00 p.m. EST)  and deadline for entries is June 19, 2023 12:00 a.m. Mountain Time (2:00 a.m. EST.)  Winners will be picked by random and notified by email.

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of the hunt!

Comments 333

  2. I just signed up for your newsletter. I love performing but I still manage to get stage fright. I would love to win one of your books! 🙂

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  3. I subscribed to your newsletter! Now that I know what Glossophobia means, yes, I’m extremely scared of public speaking:)

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  4. Hello! I just signed up for your newsletter. I don’t love public speaking, but I do have to do it for my job on occasion. Looking forward to reading your new book!

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      Author

      Wonderful, Emma. I hope you’ll enjoy my showboat story when you get the chance to read it.

      I think the more we do speak in front of others, we find some coping mechanisms to keep from melting down with nerves. Someone once told me to just imagine everyone in the crowd in their underwear, but somehow I preferred seeing my listeners with clothes. LOL.

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  5. I just signed up! I do get stage fright! And like you I was the complete opposite when I was little. I loved being the one to read aloud in class and would jump and the chance to volunteer, until one day at summer camp in front of hundreds of my peers. I looked up at the crowd mid-sentence, lost my place, and my brain just shut off. That was about 30 years ago and I’m still trying to recover!

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      We were opposites in different ways, Lindsay. I was painfully shy as a little girl. Most people don’t believe me when I tell them that now. Sometimes the scariest place to be is in front of people you know or those you really want to like you. Maybe it’s time for you to go back to the girl who was always ready to perform. 🙂

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      I enjoy it now too, Deana, and don’t often get nervous anymore. Sometimes, if I let myself think about who might be listening, I can feel a few nerves. Thanks for subscribing. You do have to confirm you want to be signed up.

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  14. I’m already a subscriber. I don’t mind public speaking if I’m well prepared. However, I’m not a performer like Jacci. I just finished In the Shadow of the River today and it was absolutely wonderful! A beautiful book inside and out!

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      Preparation is good, Dana, but sometimes I do better if I don’t have everything written out. I’m always disappointed if I leave out what I thought were great lines when I prepared the speech. LOL. Of course, I’m mostly talking about my books and writing. So that’s easy for me. Thanks for being a subscriber and thanks for your good words about my new book, So glad you liked the story.

      Reply

  15. Hi, I am all signed up. I am not fond of the spotlight either. I will get in front of a group of people and speak only if I have to. Your book sounds like a great read. What a cute picture of you, Have a great weekend. Thank you for the chance.

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      Thanks, Alicia. I did love to smile when I was a kid. That is, if I wasn’t having to get up in front of the class. LOL. So glad you think my book, In the Shadow of the River, sounds like something you might like to read. Enjoy the hunt.

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  17. I am already a subscriber to your newsletter, which I enjoy! As part of my business degree in college I had to take a public speaking class…..go figure!

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      So glad you’ve enjoyed my newsletters, Cathy. That has me smiling. I guess public speaking is a good skill to possess no matter what you do in life. But I probably would have never signed up for a public speaking class when I was in school. lol

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      Did you know the fear had a name? I figured it did, Charissa, but until I looked it up for this post, I didn’t know what it was. I wasn’t surprised to see that three out of four people have the fear of speaking in front of others. That surely includes some who preach or teach or act or speak and have found a way to conquer their fear.

      Reply

  19. Hopping onto the hunt early because I have tons of school I have to do this afternoon and tomorrow. XD I subscribed, and I don’t THINK I have glossophobia. I have a public speaking class I’m taking in the fall, though, so I guess I’ll find out.

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  20. Good morning Ann! I’m a subscriber and would love to be entered into winning one of your books! Yes, I too have glossophobia! Petrified of public speaking. Thank you for your wonderful imagination and story telling!!

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      I used to be petrified too, Pamela, but as you know from being at one of my book talks, that I found a way to get past glossophobia. Thank goodness. I appreciate your kind words.

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      1. I guess I got over mine too at least when I was teaching preschool for five years in a Catholic School in Kentucky. I was petrified that first day but being with kids all day was a wonderful experience. It wasn’t a job but joy each and every day I did it!

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