The Joy of Grandparenting

Ann H GabhartAnn's Posts, One Writer's Journal 9 Comments

Nobody can do for little children what grandparents do. Grandparents sort of sprinkle stardust over the lives of little children. ~Alex Haley Did you know this Sunday was Grandparents Day? It’s not a day that has caught on with special advertisements for grandparent gifts or cards to send or visits to make. But it’s still fun to have a day …

A Title Reveal

Ann H GabhartAnn's Posts, One Writer's Journal 17 Comments

“Good books don’t give up all their secrets at once.” ~Stephen King Maybe neither do titles of those books. But a book needs a good title. Maybe even better than good. Something catchy. Something that makes a reader wonder and yet know at the same time. The right title can entice you to open the cover. I’ve had over forty …

A Story Needs a Few Clouds

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

“A cloudless plain blue sky is like a flowerless garden.”  (Terri Guillemets) Ah, the beautiful sky. And what can make the sky even more beautiful? Clouds, of course. And their shadows floating over the mountains. Just as a sky needs clouds, so do stories. Beautiful blue sky and fluffy cloud scenes are good in a story. But wait. A story …

My Romantic Louisville Book

Ann H GabhartAnn's Posts, One Writer's Journal 31 Comments

As those of you who read my blog posts here and have read my novels already know, I’m not a writer who sticks to one type of story or theme. Most publishing experts would tell me that’s where I go astray. Readers like to know what they’re getting. I should pick a “brand” and stay with it to attract more …

A Shaker and a Sheriff

Ann H GabhartAnn's Posts, One Writer's Journal 17 Comments

One more post about my Shaker book, The Innocent, since there are only a very few days left of the book’s 99 cent e-book sale on  Amazon. Always be sure to check the price before you click the buy link to be sure you’re getting the price you’re expecting. Those prices can change in a flash. I shared this post …

My Oxymoron Shaker Stories

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

An oxymoron – a figure of speech in which opposite or contradictory ideas or terms are combined. (e.g., thunderous silence, sweet sorrow, Shaker romance) I always do seem to do things the hard way. Let me explain. Many years ago when I started writing, romances were the thing.  You know what?  Romances are still the thing.  People love reading about …

Characters – Real and Imagined

Ann H GabhartAnn's Posts, One Writer's Journal 35 Comments

A few weeks ago after I had a book party to celebrate my new release, A Chance for Kallie Mae, and had fun answering questions those there asked me, I invited you all to throw some questions about my books or writing at me here on One Writer’s Journal. Love coming up with answers. That’s sort of what writers do from …

A Trip Back Through Time in a Shaker Village

Ann H GabhartAnn's Posts, One Writer's Journal 16 Comments

  Have you ever met a Shaker? Probably not unless you’ve been to the Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village in Maine where two Shakers still reside in the only active Shaker village remaining. The other nineteen villages that once dotted the eastern states and Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana have long passed into history. Fortunately for history buffs, many of those villages …