A few years ago, I strayed away from my historical novels and wrote a few cozy mysteries set in the fictional town of Hidden Springs, Kentucky where, as the picture above says, things are sweet and sentimental as well as a little sinister.
After the first one, Murder at the Courthouse, was published, I did a magazine interview about writing the mysteries. At the time only that one had been published. The second book, Murder Comes by Mail, was with the publishers on the way to being published and I was working on mystery three, Murder Is No Accident. All the books have been availabe for readers for several years now. You can find them online at Amazon and other online booksites.
The 1st book, Murder at the Courthouse, has over 4,000 reviews. I just browsed through a few of them to find something to add to the post and settled on this one from a Kindle reader.
This book was a delight to read. Not all people are what we see on the surface and even in small towns there are good people and bad people. I hope I will get to read more about the folks in this town. There seem to be some unfinished stories to be told.
I picked this review to share because one of the things I am asked at almost any book event is “When are you going to write another Hidden Springs mystery?” I would like to go back to Hidden Springs for at least one more book to finish up some of those unfinished stories the Kindle reader mentions, and who knows? Maybe someday I’ll be able to do that. Meanwhile since I am working on getting the last Hidden Springs book, Murder Is No Accident, up on audio, I guess I had Hidden Springs on my mind. So, here’s my interview that might take you back to Hidden Springs.
Tell me why you chose to write this book.
I’ve always loved mysteries. The Hardy Boy Mysteries and Nancy Drew Mysteries were some of the first books I devoured as a young reader. In fact, I often give those Hardy Boy books much of the credit for me first taking up pen and trying to write a story. I wanted to be in a mystery like they were and writing my own seemed the only way to make that happen. The safest way too! So years later, after writing many historical novels and coming of age stories for young adults, I decided to try my hand at a mystery. The first Hidden Springs mystery, Murder at the Courthouse was the result.
What is the story behind the book?
Once I decided to write a mystery, I knew I wanted to set it in a Kentucky town much like the town where I grew up and still live near. In my story, I kept the big stores out and let my fictitious Hidden Springs stay small with stores still on Main Street. It is one of those towns where everybody knows everybody. I wanted that small town feel with its quirky characters. But I also wanted a main character readers could like. Not a perfect man, but one who liked having roots in Hidden Springs. Then I added a mystery that challenges all he has ever believed about his town.
Was it difficult to come up with the title, characters, and plot?
A mystery plot can be a challenge. You have to plant clues and at the same time try to keep readers from guessing the ending too easily or too soon. Mystery readers like being mystified in a story, but they do want to be able to look back and see that the clues were there if they had only picked up on them. My characters weren’t really hard. Each time I write a new story, my characters spring to life in my head and start talking. I started with Michael Keane, the main character. Then I added his Aunt Lindy. Of course he had to have a love interest. And you can’t forget about Anthony Blake who tries every way possible to spurn the help Michael tries to offer him to keep him out of trouble. As for the title, I brainstormed with an agent and came up with several suggestions for titles. My publisher’s titling committee took those suggestions and did their own brainstorming session. The result was one of the titles I’d suggested – Murder at the Courthouse.
Will you write more in that genre?
Hidden Springs mystery number two, Murder Comes by Mail, is already written and with the publishers. That story is going through edits and will be released July 2015. I am currently working on Hidden Springs number three. So I’m definitely writing at least a few mysteries.
What’s next for you?
(This is a right now answer instead of the answer to the interview then.) After I wrote my Hidden Springs mysteries, I went back to my first writing love and wrote more historical stories set in Kentucky. The books all have some romance and often a little mystery threaded into them. I had to switch gears a bit from those contemporary cozy mysteries to do more research and step back in time to write those stories. But good characters make the story no matter the setting or era. My job is always to come up with the right characters for a new story. That is what I’m working on now as I head back to the Appalachian Mountains for my next story.
Anything special you would like the reader to know about Murder at the Courthouse.
If you like cozy mysteries or small town stories, I think you might like Murder at the Courthouse. While the mystery is a big part of the story, so are the town and the characters. Michael finds out that digging up the truth is not always easy. Here’s what a reviewer for CBA Retailers + Resources, the official magazine of the Christian Booksellers Association, had to say about Murder at the Courthouse.
“Gabhart’s tiny town of wacky characters is a delightfully fun read. Needless to say, the mystery is only part of this memorable story written by one of today’s bestselling authors.”
I am glad many readers enjoyed visiting Hidden Springs to help Michael figure out a few mysteries.
I hope you liked thinking back to my Hidden Springs mysteries. If you haven’t read any of them, I hope you will give them a try. The Kindle versions have a nice low price. Plus, since I’ve been promising another giveaway here on One Writer’s Journal, this seems a perfect time. Leave a comment here to win a set of the Hidden Springs Mysteries. (USA addresses only) That would be Murder at the Courthouse, Murder Comes by Mail, and Murder Is No Accident.
However, if you’ve already read the mysteries and happen to be the winner that I will chose by random, you can pick one of my other books instead of that set. All you need to do is comment on this post and/or one of my posts in the next couple of weeks before the deadline to enter, November 26, 2024. Oh, and you must be at least 18 years old to enter. I will notify the winner by email and announce the winner either on my November 27th post or on December 1st.
If you read mysteries, what do you like best about them? If you don’t read mysteries, why not?
Comments 26
I love mysteries. I love the challenge of trying to figure out who did what and why.
Author
I like a writer who plays fair in a mystery, Deborah, and not one that has somebody be the killer or bad guy with no thread of clues in the story for a reader to figure out. I’m not sure if I succeeded or not in that, but I tried.
Mysteries keep you thinking all the time about who did it. Sometimes it’s a surprise and not what you expected, so it is fun finding that out.
Author
Most readers vary between wanting to figure out who did it and wanting it to be a surprise, Connie. Not sure I’m good at surprising readers but I do think many of them enjoyed the trail to the end whether they had guess the bad guy or not. At least I hope so.
I loved Nancy Drew as a child and as an adult.
Author
I never read very many of the Nancy Drew books, Una. The one I remember best is one my older sister read aloud to me and my other sister when we were kids. That was such fun. I think we should all do more reading aloud to one another. That would be a great way to share a story.
I love mysteries and series and getting to know all the Characters. Reading at night before I go to bed is so relaxing for me so I’m looking forward to the Hidden Springs Mysteries! Blessings Ann.
Author
Not everybody likes reading mysteries at night before bed, Pamela. Some think it makes them nervous. LOL. But sounds as if you know it’s just a story. I know of some thriller writers that I wouldn’t want to read on a dark night, but then I probably wouldn’t want to read some of those tense thrillers on a sunny day. 🙂
I loved the Hidden Springs series. Wish there were many, many more!!! I too grew up reading all the Nancy Drew & Hardy Boys books & over the years have tried to find them for my grands!
Love all of your books!
Author
I hope your grandkids enjoy the old time mysteries, Kayla. So much has changed in young adult and middle readers’ books these days. But I did enjoy those Hardy Boys books.
Thank you so much for reading my stories. I very much appreciate you being one of my readers.
The mystery genre is one of my favorites. I’m not a big fan of romance novels, but I’m okay with it if there’s a mystery involved.
I loved the Hidden Springs series and hope you write at least one more. The characters reminded me so much of people in my small Kentucky town.
Author
It’s always fun to hear that my Hidden Springs sounds like a reader’s hometown, Tammy. Maybe that because I based Hidden Springs on my little hometown’s Main Street. That is, if there had been an Aunt Lindy to block out Wal-Mart. LOL.
The Hidden Springs series is how I found you as an author, and I am a big fan of that series! I loved the mysteries themselves and the characters!
Author
It’s always kind of neat to hear which of my books first got a reader’s attention, Barb, and very nice to know that the story encouraged that reader to try more of my stories. I’m so glad you kept reading my books. Thank you so much. Glad that you enjoyed helping Michael solve some murders in Hidden Springs.
I’ve read the first one. Loved it. The quirkiness of the characters was refreshing. I have the other two on my TBR. Look forward to reading them.
Author
How nice that you are ready to go back to Hidden Springs for some new mysteries, Lisa. I think you will find the 2nd one, Murder Comes by Mail, a little more suspenseful than the first one, but the cast of characters will still be there in it and in the last one too.
I love a good mystery! And, Hidden Springs is a great little town, not unlike the one where I live! A fourth mystery from there would be most welcome! Thank you, Ann!
Author
So fun that you think my Hidden Springs that in many ways is based on the little town near me reminds you of your little town, Judi. That must mean I have the small town feel in the story that I hoped to find while writing the books.
Yes, I’m one of those who encouraged you to write another mystery (or two or three), and I still think you should. They were well paced with believable characters and a satisfying ending. Tell your publisher how much support you have out here for these books!
Author
You are, Gin, and I appreciate that you were so supportive of my mysteries. I would like to write another mystery of two. If only I could write faster. I enjoyed writing about Michael in Hidden Springs. I liked the town and the people and there was some loose ends from the stories that could lead to new mysteries and more.
I have pitched a 4th Hidden Springs mystery to my publishers several times, but unfortunately the sales of the last two mysteries weren’t good enough to encourage them to encourage me to write the story. But I haven’t given up on the idea. Maybe yet I’ll go back to hidden Springs and see what happens at a wedding.
I love a good page-turning mystery. They’re right up there with historical fiction as my favorite genre. That’s why I enjoy your stories so much…a good blend of both. I hope you’re able to continue the Hidden Springs mysteries sometime soon!
Author
I do like slipping a little mystery into my stories even when I’m writing those historical stories, Lavon. There are so many mysteries in life and so many unanswered questions in our pasts. why not make a little mystery out of some of them.
I also enjoy a good mystery story, but I don’t like scenes that are too graphically explicit about the murders or so suspenseful that I worry about who is out there in the dark. 🙂
I love mysteries set in small towns with quirky characters. I read all of the Hidden Springs mysteries. Michael is one of my all time favorite characters!
Author
Thank for reading my Hidden Springs mysteries, Dana. I appreciate that. I enjoy slipping some quirky characters into my stories. Those in Hidden Springs were just those small town characters we all smile about if you grow up in one of those little communities. Probably my most quirky character was Fran in my Rosey Corner books.
So fun that Michael is a favorite character for you. I had a great time writing the story from his perspective.
Hi Ann, I love mysteries! I was introduced to this genre in the Trixie Belden and Nancy Drew mysteries and I’ve never lost my joy in trying to figure out “who-dunnit”! I haven’t had the chance to read your Hidden Springs Mysteries!
Connie
Author
I never read Trixie Belden but read some Nancy Drew mysteries. I really liked the Hardy Boys mysteries better. I still like mysteries and as you say try to figure out who dunnit. I hope you’ll give my mysteries a read sometime.