Do You Like Appalachian Stories?

Ann H GabhartAnn's Posts, One Writer's Journal 19 Comments

The Appalachian Mountains are full of stories. The people there are full of personality and the settings can be beautiful and sometimes challenging. If you’ve read any of my stories, you know most of them have Kentucky history. So, my Appalachian stories have Kentucky settings, but the Appalachian Mountains run through several states. There are many stories that writers can mine out of those hills.

The Appalachian region runs through thirteen states. The only state that is completely in the range is West Virginia. The eastern part of my state, Kentucky, is part of the Appalachian range.  The region starts in New York, takes up a big part of Pennsylvania, slides over into Ohio, swallows West Virginia, gets the eastern part of Kentucky, has some of its most beautiful areas in the tip of Virginia, has half of Tennessee along with the much loved Smoky Mountains that spread into North Carolina. South Carolina gets an Appalachian nod in the northwestern part of the state before the range goes south across the northern part Georgia, Alabama and ends in Mississippi.

Writers from all over have written many, many stories about the people who have made their homes in these areas or who just went to visit for awhile.  The rich mountain heritage and the beautiful settings seem to awaken the storytelling gene.

Mountain people have always been storytellers. Sometimes by passing stories down through the generations. Many times in folksongs. Often in crafts. Carvings and quilts can tell stories too. In fact, I include some of those types of stories in my mountain book, Along a Storied Trail. Aunt Perdy was a storyteller and a carver of unusual wooden pieces. My whole book celebrates stories as it focuses on the history of the Packhorse Libraries during the Great Depression. My character, Tansy, rode out along the trail as a bookwoman, carrying books to readers in the remote areas of  the Kentucky Appalachian Mountains.

I loved researching about the bookwomen in the Appalachian counties of Kentucky. You know those women had plenty of adventures as they rode through all sorts of terrain and weather to make their book rounds. Tansy had some of those adventures, but for sure I made her a lover of books and stories.

A fellow Appalachian story writer, Amy Willoughby-Burke got several of us writers, who have found stories in the Appalachian regions, together to have a book giveaway. You can see more about the other stories in the giveaway in these graphics.

You can sign up to win on the rafflecopter. When you do, you agree to give the authors’ newsletters a try. You do need to have a USA mailing address and be at least 18 years old to enter. The giveaway ends on March 31, 2024. But wouldn’t it be fun to win these five books? Just click on the rafflecopter link and then the down arrow in the block below the picture of all five books to see more information and enter.

Giveaway Rafflecopter

Christian Fiction Spring Scavenger Hunt Winners

I just got through giving away my three already published Appalachian stories to two winners on the Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt. It won’t be long until my next Appalachian story, The Song of Sourwood Mountain, will join them out there for readers.

If you joined in the hunt, I hope you had fun and discovered some new authors to give a try. My winners were Donna from Arkansas and Michele from New York. I put their books in the mail today. The winners of the Scavenger Hunt have been announced and contacted. Three winners got all 30 books along with gift certificates and 2 other winners got gift certificates. Then there were other winners all along the trail. So check your email boxes to see if you might be a winner. Some of the winners haven’t responded to the winners’ notification.

Do you like to read stories set in the Appalachian regions of our country?

 

Comments 19

  1. Ann, I grew up and later taught in the SC piedmont and in the mountains of NC. I graduated from Appalachian State and became close friends with Dr. Cratis Williams, an expert on mountain dialect. I developed a love and respect for mountain folk. Needless to say, I was upset with their portrayal in the movie “Deliverance.” That portrayal inspired me to write “Strength of Our Fathers,” an Appalachian mountain story of how a little Appalachian town of down-on-their-luck people called upon the strength of their forefathers to defeat a terrorist invasion. I have finished the manuscript and am looking for a publisher. Any suggestions?

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      Sounds like an interesting plotline for a novel, Thomas. You have several options with publishing, such as trying for a traditional publisher or self-publishing. If you want to find a publisher, you need to determine your genre – thirller? Christian themed? General market? Mystery? Romance? There are many different genres and that would make a difference in where you would want to submit your book. You can find all sorts of information online. For example, if your book has a Christian thread or is Christian worldview, you might check out ACFW, American Christian Fiction Writers. If you book is more mainstream for the general market, you would be better to search out groups that focus more on the kind of writing youi do. The internet is your friend in trying to search out an agent or editor willing to take a look at your work. Find a publisher that has published books similar in some ways to yours and approach them however their website might suggest. Wishing you success with your story.

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  2. As a Kentucky girl born in North Carolina I love Appalachian stories. And my roots run deep in those mountains. Though my ancestors weren’t always on the right side of the law.

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  3. Appalachian stories are at the top of my favorites. My bedtime stories growing up were Appalachian folktales instead of fairytales. I’ve enjoyed every one of your books and especially the mountain stories. I’m eager to read the next one!

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  4. Ann – I just finished reading “An Appalachian Summer” again. I so enjoyed entering into Piper’s adventures and all the wonderful themes through this story. It warmed my heart and drew me into the complexity of relationships as well as history, beauty, and people of the mountains. Thank you for sharing your special gift of storytelling.

    Mary Clare

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  7. I love to read Appalachian stories and have read many by you, Sarah Loudin Thomas, and Pepper Basham. I’ve probably read books in that setting by other authors too but primarily by these three. They always make me want to visit.

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    1. Though all of your books are wonderful, my favorites are those books about the Appalachians and, of course, I am a huge fan of Josie’s books, also.
      Thank you for sharing your stories and the history that goes with the era of your books.
      May the Lord continue to bless you with these wonderful stories of courage & the love of God.
      😊🙏📚
      Connie Rogers

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        Thank you so much, Connie. I appreciate your kind words and I’m glad you’ve enjoyed going to the mountains with my characters and liked visiting Hollyhill to see what Jocie was up to.

        I hope I will be able to write more stories of courage and the love of God.

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