Writing and Reading Friends at Joseph-Beth's

A writer spends a lot of time alone with her keyboard. Well, not exactly alone. She's surrounded by characters. Sometimes those characters are chatty and ready to get on with their stories, and other times, the characters are obstinate as old mules in going through the gate of an author's story. But in spite of the imaginary madness spinning around an author, she's still the one staring at the computer screen or the blank page and wondering if the words are going to start flowing. It takes a long time for most of us writers to write a book. Some are faster at spilling out the words than others. Me, it takes me anywhere from six months to a year to write a book. Right now I'm hoping on the six month side since my next deadline is going to show up before very many more months go by. So that's a lot of time alone with my keyboard.

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Actually I don't mind being alone with my keyboard. I much prefer to write when I'm alone in my office and it's good to be alone in the house without the distraction of a television in the other room or doors slamming. But most writers don't live alone and we have to learn to adjust to a little interfering noise. I have heard of some writers who go check themselves into a hotel for a few days to get that alone I've-got-to-get-it-done time. I'd probably just be distracted by the noise out in the hallways then.

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But I'm not talking about writing tonight. I know, it sure seemed like it, didn't it? But what I'm really wanting to talk about is our book launch at Joseph-Beth Booksellers. You see, a night like we were able to enjoy with our friends and family last night, well, that's the reward for all those many other days sitting in front of that computer and trying to dig words out of our brains. Virginia (Ginny) Smith and I launched our newest releases - hers A Deadly Game with a KY background and mine Angel Sister with a Depression era KY background - at the best bookstore in Lexington, maybe the state last night. It's the kind of bookstore where you can get lost in the stacks and wouldn't mind staying a few days if they didn't push you out at closing time.

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They have famous folks there all the time signing books. Now they've had me and Ginny. And we took advantage of the opportunity and had a great time. It was fun to see so many of our friends and readers show up and carry away some of our books. I posted a bunch of pictures on my Facebook page of both the night at J-Beth's and the one at Corinth Christian Bookstore.

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And what a surprise to see Brandilyn Collins show up with her beautiful mom, Ruth. Ruth is in our Bluegrass Christian Writers Group. We've met twice at her home in Wilmore. She's one of those gracious hostesses who makes you feel at home from the minute you walk through her door. When we grabbed Brandilyn for a picture with us, Ginny was worried she was making rabbit ears behind our heads, but she was actually pointing at us to show it was our event. She didn't want to take our limelight. But I'm sure the people would have loved to hear Brandilyn talk too. Including me and Ginny.

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But we did the talking. So take a couple of writers and plop them down inside a two-story bookstore and hang a banner about their books up on the rafters with all the famous writers getting ready to show up for a signing in the next few weeks, and you've got a couple of writers who are glad they kept staring at their computer screens until the right words surfaced.

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One more Angel Sister book launch to go. This one's a solo affair since Ginny has to be off to other fun events in other states. March 6 at 2 p.m. I'll be doing a Hometown launch for Angel Sister at the Anderson Co. Public Library. But can you believe I forgot to check the UK basketball schedule before I picked a time? KY plays TN that day at high noon. Last game of the regular season! I should have known better. I mean we live in a state where brides don't schedule weddings without checking the UK basketball schedule. Oh well, maybe there will be a few hometown readers who won't care about missing the last few minutes of the ballgame and come listen to me talk about this new book.

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I'll be drawing for my latest contest winner next week, but you still have time to enter. Check out the ways to enter on my Event page on my website. http://www.annhgabhart.com/. Thanks for reading.

Angel Sister's First Book Launch

For a writer, when your book is finally out there for the public to read is a time to savor. The reward for all those days sitting in front of the computer trying to force words out of your brain and wondering if the story would ever get told. It's the bonus for waiting through the year as your book goes through the publishing process - accceptance, edits, cover designs, more edits, marketing plans and waiting for the story to turn into a real book you can hold in your hands. Even better, a book that readers can hold in their hands. Or maybe see on their Kindles or Nooks or whatever electronic device.

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One of the best parts of that new book being out is the opportunity to share the fun with your friends. So writers have book parties. They go to stores or wherever they can find a willing host and they invite everybody they know to come listen to them talk about the new book and maybe, just maybe decide to buy an autographed copy. So that's what I'm doing in the picture along with my friend, fellow author Virginia Smith. Ginny and I both have a new book out this month. Mine is Angel Sister, a historical novel set in the 1930s about a family getting through some hard times with love. Hers is A Deadly Game, a contemporary romantic suspense that will keep you on pins and needles. Both books have a Kentucky setting.

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Ginny and I teamed up for a book signing a year or so ago and had a great time. So when the people at Corinth Book Store suggested a team book launch, we jumped at the chance to share a book party. And as you can see in the picture, we had a great time. There is always plenty to laugh about when you talk about writing books. Maybe it's so easy to laugh at book launches because writers with newly published books are just so happy the laughter just bubbles up and out. This is the good time. The time when you can believe that everybody, and I mean everybody, is going to like your story. It's early for reviews. You've maybe seen a couple. So far I've liked the ones I've seen. The book was a Top Pick and earned 4 1/2 stars in the RT Book Review Magazine. That's the kind of review that can keep a writer smiling for a while.

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Of course you know there will be some people, some reviewers who might not like your book as much as you hope they will, but at a book launch you don't think about them. You see all the smiling faces of your friends and those who have come to hear you talk about writing this book that is going to entertain them and make them glad they came out on a cold February night to hear a couple of writers talk about writing and laugh with them. And we did talk and laugh and have a good time with our friends.

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A special thanks to Steve, Bonnie, Mickey and the staff at Corinth Christian Book Store for hosting our book party. It's great to have a Christian book store that goes above and beyond to support local writers. It was also great of the Bluegrass Christian Writers group to come out in support of Ginny and me. If you missed our tag team book talk in Frankfort, you'll have another chance to meet us at JosephBeth Book Store in Lexington on Tuesday night, Feb. 22 at 7 p.m. Then I'll have a solo hometown book launch here in Lawrenceburg at the Anderson County Public Library on Sunday March 6 at 2 p.m. I'll have door prizes there so that's always fun.

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Since I'm talking about prizes, don't forget to check out my February giveaway. You can win a gift card to Amazon or Christianbook.com or if you're nervous about internet gift cards, you can choose to have me send you a couple of books. Just send me an e-mail. You get extra chances to win by telling me about a sister. She can be a sister of the heart. I'd love to hear your story.

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Have you ever been to a book launch? Have a good time? Maybe you launched your own book. Tell us about it.

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Uh-oh. Looks like it's midnight so Happy Valentine's Day and thanks so much for reading. .

Words to Tickle an Author's Ears

What do you say to the author of a book you've just read? Well, if you like the book or even love the book, you might go to the writer's website (most writers have one these days) or find their page on Facebook and send them a message telling them how glad you were to read their book. Those messages are always fun for a writer to get. Or if you really want to share your excitement over a good story, you can post reviews in a blue zillion places on the internet. You can do that if you don't like the story too, but that's not nearly as much fun for the author. Us poor authors are needy when it comes to good words about our stories and wanting lots of stars on those reviews.

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It's hard for me not to click on all those stars for other writers if I'm reviewing a book because I know how hard that writer probably worked on the story and what hopes he or she had that everybody was going to love it. Some of us spend months, even years, digging the story out of our heads and then another year usually passes with edits, etc. from the publishers and finally the book will be out there in the hands of readers. We want you to read it. We want you to like it. We want you to more than like it. We want you to love it. Of course we know everybody in the whole world is not going to read our book and love it. Hey, if everybody in the whole world did read my book, I might be as rich as Bill Gates and not care if you liked it or not. Well, that's probably not true. I'd probably still want you to like it. Er, love it.

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So we're not talking about those books you don't like. We're talking about those books you do like. Maybe books where you actually know the author and will be telling him or her face to face what you thought of the book. I'm a hometown girl and a lot of the people around here have known me forever. So I'm always meeting people in churches or in the grocery store who know I'm a writer. They usually say something like "I love your books." Or "Are you still writing?" Or "When's the new book coming out?" Or (and no writer likes to hear this one) "I don't have time to read." But the best comments I get are the ones that tell me what they liked about the story or how they enjoyed the characters or that they sat up until the wee hours reading to find out what happened next. Or they cried over the sad parts and smiled during the happy parts. And were glad they took my book home to read.

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And now that's where I am with my new book, The Seeker, finding its way into readers' hands. I'm sitting back waiting for what people will have to say. My sisters. My kids. My friends. And hoping I'll hear some words that will tickle my ears. And see stars on Amazon or Christianbook.com or Barnes and Noble. I admit it. I'm needy. But I did like Adam and Charlotte and the story they had to tell and so it's only natural I want my reading friends to like the story, too.

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To celebrate the new book, I'm having a couple of book launches. The first one at Corinth Parable Bookstore in Frankfort, KY on Friday, July 2 at 7 p.m. and the second one at my hometown library, Anderson Co. Public Library in Lawrenceburg KY on Sunday, July 11 at 2 p.m. We always have fun talking books at these book launches. Before that I'm taking part in the Harrodsburg Book Festival this Saturday. If you're in the area any of these times, stop by and say hello. And if you've read one of my books, go ahead and say something nice. If nothing else you can say you liked the covers.

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Edna of Ohio was the winner on an autographed copy of The Seeker this week. You might be the winner next week if you've thrown your name in the hat by sending me a message or commenting here. Edna and Charmaine, your books are in the mail.