A Flabbergasted Winner

Flabbergasted, Surprised and Astonished

Have you ever been totally astonished? Even flabbergasted? (That's one of those words that just sounds exactly like what it means. Love those kinds of words.) But back to being flabbergasted. I was last Wednesday when my book, Love Comes Home, won the Selah Book of the Year Award. 

My books have been in the running for prizes before. The Believer was a finalist for the Carol Awards given out by the ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) group. The Outsider was a finalist for the ECPA Fiction Book of the Year and Angel Sister was up for RT Book Review Magazine's Inspirational Book of the Year once. Sort of one of those always a bridesmaid and never a bride situations. And so when I found out my book, Love Comes Home, was a finalist for a Selah Award in the Historical Romance Category, I was excited because it's great to even be a finalist, but I didn't expect to win. Not at all. 

However, I did decide to attend the banquet because the place where it was being held, Ridgecrest, North Carolina in the Blue Ridge Mountains looked like such a peaceful and beautiful place when I checked it out on the internet. And it was. A plus was that it's not all that far from my daughter's house in South Carolina. So going to the awards banquet in order to have a couple of days to unwind at Ridgecrest and then a visit with my daughter seemed a good idea. Not only would I have an excuse to dress up, I would enjoy seeing some writing friends I knew would be there. I could sit at my table and clap and be happy for the winners. 

I Won!!

Then amazingly enough Love Comes Home won the Selah Award for the Christian Historical Romance. That was a wow right there. But when they announced the Book of the Year and Love Comes Home won that too, that's when the wow went straight to flabbergasted. I couldn't believe it. But Eva Marie Everson, who was presenting the awards, had a plaque with my name engraved on it. And she gave it to me! I was smiling, with a few tears mixed in, all night. Felt just like I was at the Oscars or something. Well, maybe not exactly like that. But it was exciting and fun to have my book win. Oh, and Darrell and I also had a relaxing day enjoying the scenery and peace and quiet at Ridgecrest too.

Don't Forget About the Mother's Day Contest

One more week to get your entry in for my contest celebrating mothers. You can check out the prizes and details on my website Events Page. Some of you have been sending in stories about your mothers or special Mothers' Day stories. I appreciate all of you who enter and doubly appreciate you sharing a story. 

First here's one from Kim that made me smile.

My story about my mom isn’t from Mother’s Day, but rather my wedding day a few years ago. It’s my favorite mom story (and that says something because I have a lot!). My sisters and I helped mom pick out a new outfit for the wedding, she got her hair done at the same time I did, and I even gifted her with jewelry for the occasion. At the wedding and reception so many people told her that she looked great (and she did!), that she stopped me at one point and asked, “How bad do I normally look?” My mom has been gone nearly four years, but that story and many others make me smile when I want to cry.

Love that story, Kim. And here's one from Cam that seemed to fit Memorial Day weekend and did make me remember Mom. 

Your newsletter brought to mind my own mother’s battle with dementia...she passed away 5 years ago at the age of 95 no longer knowing her children. It was sad...she was a bright, up front, outgoing woman...who graduated from college at a time when women didn’t even consider going to college. She spent her life working as a teacher, and a secretary and, after retirement, volunteered so much that she won an award. She was a mother to be very proud of, and as I get older I realize that fact more and more. A dear uncle of mine told me once that after he lost his parents (my grandparents), never a day went by that he didn’t think of them.  And, oh, he was so right!

So...cherish the memories, remember the good days and always acknowledge that it’s ok to shed a few tears!

Thanks for the great advice, Cam. We do need to cherish the memories of our loved ones. And if your mother is still down here on earth with you, hug her and tell her how much you love her. 

Roses are Red Giveaway

I sent out a newsletter this week with a late Valentine giveaway. You know some people are always a day late and a dollar short. But it's never too late for chocolate and Valentine hugs. Okay, so I don't have any chocolate to give you. If I did, I'd eat it myself. But I'd think about you while I was enjoying it! After this week of weather, I think we all need some chocolate! 

But back to the giveaway. Here's the prize - a heart shaped necklace. It's really lovely. And to go along with that, the winner will get to choose one of my books. That makes me happy. Then to make it fun, I asked those who entered the giveaway to send a Valentine verse or other poem in too. 


While my very first writing sale was a four line poem many years ago, that was about the extent of my poetry writing. So, since not all of us are poets, I gave entrants the option of finishing this verse:
Roses are red.
Violets are blue.
(Your lines go next.)

I've been getting some neat poems. A few poems have been lovely original poems, but most have been simple "Roses are red" poems. Let's enjoy a few of them.

Susan used a play on words that made me smile.
Roses are red, 

Violets are blue, 

And just so you know,

Books are read, too.

Cheryl and several others wrote about perhaps being the winner.

Roses are red. 

Violets are blue.

It'd be so cool

To win a book by you.

Naturally those poems made me smile! Then there were the poems about how we love to read like this one from Pam:

Roses are red.

Violets are blue.

Reading books is one of my

Favorite things to do.

And there were poems about the weather. Gail wrote:

Roses are red.

Violets are blue

Why all this snow

I haven't a clue.

JSK wrote one to give us tired of winter folks hope.
Roses are red

Violets are blue.

Snow and ice are getting weary

32 days to spring, so true!

(And actually a little less than that now!!)

So if you didn't receive the newsletter and would like to throw your name in my late Valentine giveaway hat, you can leave a comment here on my blog before the deadline of midnight EST March 3rd. You must be 18 to enter and you have to leave a way to contact you with your entry. The poems are optional but fun. Plus if you'd like to get my newsletter, let me know and I'll send you a copy and/or add you to my newsletter list. You can sign up for the newsletter on my Facebook page.

There's also a giveaway going on at Carole Jarvis's blog, The Power of Words. I visited Carole's blog last week and talked about writing the Rosey Corner books. If you leave a comment on her blog, you'll have a chance to win a copy of Love Comes Home. And you'll get to see the neat old piano picture she has on her blog. The deadline to enter to win there is February 27.

Mystery Picture Giveaway Fun

Are you ready for a new giveaway? I've got books that want a new home. The prize is an autographed copy of Karen Kingsbury's The Chance and the winner's choice of one of my books shown in the photo below. And you can have my autograph too. Mine is sort of plain compared to Karen's interesting autograph. She must have taken lessons from her doctor, but I saw her sign it. So I know it's hers. lol. 

To enter, all you have to do is make a guess about what the picture is. It's more fun if you don't read everybody's guesses until after you make yours. Besides, they might be wrong. Besides again, you will be entered in the drawing whether you're right or wrong. The guessing is just for fun. 

I can't decide whether this mystery picture is too easy or not. I guess we'll see. I'll post another mystery picture on Wednesday and if you guess on that one too then you'll have an extra entry in the giveaway. I'll announce the winner on next Sunday's post (August 3). The contest is open to U.S.A. and Canada only and you must be 18 to enter. Please leave a way to contact you. If you're a Facebook friend who has liked my Facebook page, I can contact you that way if you tell me your FB name. Otherwise I'll need your e-mail contact. You can guess without leaving contact info, but you can't win the books. Finally, if you can't get the comment to go here (I've heard some of you say you have problems commenting on my posts), then you can send me a message on my Facebook page or send me a direct e-mail at annhgabhart(at)yahoo(dot)com. 

The Revell sponsored giveaway of 5 copies of Love Comes Home is still going on at the Book Fun Network. All you have to do to enter is answer one of my questions. And if you'd like to know more about the inspiration behind my Rosey Corner books, you can check out my guest post on Finding Hope Through Fiction.  

Also, if you haven't downloaded Scent of Lilacs, it's still free and getting new reviews on Amazon and other sites almost daily. If you've read it and enjoyed the story, let your reading friends know that they can get it for free on their e-readers. 

Last, I do so appreciate every one of you. I appreciate your kind words and all your prayers for Mom while she was ill and for me and my family after she took off for heaven. I dreamed about Mom last night. She was still sick, but she knew me. I think in her heart, she always did. The dementia just blocked it from rising to her conscious thinking. 

Thanks for reading and I'll look forward to your guesses. If you all get this one right, I'll try to come up with something harder on Wednesday. :)



 

Love Comes Home - Friends, Family and Fun

            

"I'm late, I'm late for a very important date!" 

That's what I am with this blog post - late like the white rabbit in Alice in Wonderland. But this weekend was a time when I was rushing around like that white rabbit trying to do everything and then some. That's when I should listen to this following good advice.  

"I've learned the Lord didn't do it all in one day...so what makes me think I can?"

But wow, what a weekend! My daughter and son-in-law came home and so we decided to have a big gathering to celebrate my husband's birthday month. When you get our age, you have to make the birthday celebrations last. So we invited the family and laid in the food. Kroger did some of the cooking and two people brought homemade ice cream - peach and banana - and my daughter made enough brownies for an army - or for about eight grandkids. LOL. 

Of course, it rained. Every Saturday in June until last Saturday has been beautiful. The weather forecast called for numerous showers. The weather forecast was right. But it didn't storm and we were able to run out and enjoy the day in between showers and sometimes we kept on playing even with the sprinkles coming down. 

After everybody ate and most everybody went home, I looked in the fridge and found my HUGE bowl of coleslaw. We are going to be eating coleslaw for a while. Do you ever do that? Forget to set out what you've fixed for a dinner or maybe that only happens after you've celebrated a lot of birthdays. :) But in case you have done something like that when you're entertaining extended family, share it with us so I won't feel like the only crazy one. 

Then I already have my Hometown Book Launch for Love Comes Home scheduled for Sunday. Not the best plan after a wild Saturday that pretty much had me running out of energy. I needed some "ten hour" energy drink. But I got recharged at church and was ready to go Sunday afternoon. Or maybe all those beautiful reading friends showing up to hear me talk about my books gave me the "energy" shot I needed. Thank you so much if you were able to come to my book party. I love talking books and I love seeing reading friends too. Wish all of you could have been there. You could have joined in with this great group who laughed at the right times and didn't go to sleep. 

As you can see in the photo, most of the people there were ladies, but there were two guys besides my grandson and son-in-law. I gave away six door prizes. Both men won one. What are the chances of that happening? One of the men told me afterwards it was because they were both preachers. I guess he thought that make their names rise to the top of the drawing basket.

Since we're talking about drawings, remember that today is your last chance to get your name in both of my giveaways. The blog only drawing will have five winners of one of my books (winner's choice). Enter by leaving a comment with a way to contact you - either with an e-mail address or by saying you can be contacted from my Facebook page. My website giveaway has some neat prizes along with those books. You can check out those prizes in last week's blog and read the ways to enter on my Website Events & News Page. But deadline is tonight, June 30, 2014 at midnight EST, so hurry. Don't be like that white rabbit and me and end up saying, "I'm late, I'm late."  

Love hearing from you, so tell me about your busy weekends or something that went haywire when you were having a family get together. 

Homecoming from a Kid's View and '56 Chevys

The stories are still coming in about homecomings. Several great ones in the comments on Sunday's post about when the soldiers come home. Carissa's story had me tearing up since she told her soldier homecoming story from a five-year-old's point of view. Here it is again in case you are one of those folks who don't read comments and an instant repeat is good sometimes anyway. 

Carissa said, 
"I love homecoming stories but I've noticed there aren't that many of them from a kid's point of view. So I thought I would share my own story of when my dad came home for Desert Storm. I don't remember much of the war. I was only four or five at the time. I do remember that it felt like dad was gone forever. Mom helped me write a letter to him every week he was gone. It was hard to keep in touch -- this was before Skype -- and twenty-two years later dad still has all the letters I wrote. Even though I don't remember much, I do remember them getting off the plane and I remember breaking free of my mom's arms and running to my dad not knowing I wasn't supposed to do that. By the time I reached him, he had already dropped his duffle bag and was kneeling with his arms opened ready to hug me. I'll never forget that moment."

And here I go - tearing up again, but can't you just see her dad with a smile a mile wide waiting for his little girl to get to him?

But not all homecoming stories are about soldiers. Some are just a brother coming home like Alla's. And now you'll know why that '56 Chevy is up top.

"My oldest brother went to Illinois to work in a canning factory the summer he graduated from high school. None of us heard from him the whole three months he was gone. That wasn't unusual for my brother since he was always a 'loner.' He was the oldest of five children and refused to have very much to do with any of us kids. I think he stayed mad at us all the years he was growing up, because he didn't really want 4 younger siblings. He was more than anxious to leave home at 18 to get away from all of us young 'uns. Anyway, when he came home after those 3 months of working in the canning factory, he just showed up one morning about daybreak after driving all night to get home. When I woke up that morning and went outside, there he was sitting in the porch swing waiting for us to stir. In the driveway was a beautiful gray and white '56 Chevy he had bought with the money he made. He didn't have much to say and just sat there grinning. Of course, I went inside yelling and waking everybody up to come see what was outside.

That's what we should all do - get excited and welcome our loved ones home. Kate was certainly excited for Jay to get home from the war in Love Comes Home. And I'm excited that the book is going home with some of you readers. Remember if you want to throw your name in my giveaway hat, you have to give me a way to contact you, either an e-mail address or by saying I can contact you from my Facebook page if you've "liked" it. I'll be drawing for the winners in less than two weeks.

When the Soldiers Come Home

Photo Credit: "Burst of Joy" is a Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph by Associated Press photographer Slava "Sal" Veder, taken on March 17, 1973 at Travis Air Force Base in California

In Love Comes Home, my new Rosey Corner book, the story starts with the surrender of Japan and everybody celebrating the news that the war is over and the "boys are coming home." Then later in the book, there are homecoming scenes. That's why I asked readers who might have homecoming stories of their own, real ones and not fictional ones like mine in the book, to share those with me. A couple of weeks ago when I wrote about the passing of my husband's Aunt Annie, I included a coming home story about when her husband made it home from World War II. I actually used hints of her story in one of the homecoming scenes in Love Comes Home. That story also touched Judy as it reminded her of the homecoming of her husband from Vietnam. Here's her story. 

"When my husband was in Viet Nam ,we were newly married. I wrote and mailed a letter every day(2 on Sat. for Sunday). I had the last letter in mail box, since he was to be home in 1-2 wks. I had an appt. to get my hair fixed, knew what I was going to wear. I told him in the letter I'd eaten onions but they'd be gone before he came home. I didn't hear his voice, and had one 3-way call in 15 months. I was so happy ..and that very day, he came home. He'd gotten an early plane out and hadn't slept in days. He came in, at the nearest airport and went to where his Dad was working, and he brought him to my parents, where I was living...I was so shocked...and very happy, onions and all...we went to visit his Mom, and went to a hotel, and he was so tired and sleepy, he knocked out..was I glad...because it was as if he had changed so much...he was much changed and for the second time I fell in love again even more than I was....I thank God he made it home.. 46 yrs ago."

Thank you for sharing with us, Judy. I'm sure that memory still is as bright today as it was then. 

I went out on the net to look for a picture of a Vietnam homecoming and found the one above. This is not Judy or anyone I know, but a photo taken of the homecoming greeting of one of the POWs who were released after the war. The picture tells it all and it's no wonder it won a Pulitzer Prize for the photographer. The link here to War Tales tells the story of a World War II veteran, Russell Ogan, who also served during the Korean War and was still in service when the Vietnam War ended. Here's what the retired Brigadier General said after looking back on his three decades with the Air Force. "Taking the prisoners out of Hanoi was the highlight of my career." You can read the rest of his story at the War Tales link. I'm sure he had some great homecomings of his own during his service to our country too. 

Remember, the giveaway contests are still going on until the end of June. Get details for my website giveaway on my News & Events page and you can throw your name in my blog contest hat (picking 5 winners of one of my books) by leaving a comment on one of my posts here in June. Please leave a way to be contacted if you want to enter the contest. Each comment on a new post gets you a new entry in the blog contest. One entry per person in the website contest. And you have to be 18 to enter.  

Tell Me a Story

When I have a book celebration giveaway the way I am now for my July release Love Comes Home (it will be sneaking in stores very soon), I sometimes ask readers and friends to share a story with me when they send in their entries. It's not necessary to enter, but it's fun. This time I asked for Homecoming or family stories since Love Comes Home starts with WW II ending and the boys coming home.  

The story I'm sharing forward with you today is one from Brenda that points out something we all should keep in mind. We need to take time to share our stories with our families and listen to the stories our older family members have to tell. I so miss Mom being able to tell me the stories of back when she was a kid or when she first got married, but I am blessed that I did get her to tell me many of those stories before she lost those long ago memories. 

The old memories were the last to go, so we had a few years where I would get her to talk about them while we were waiting at doctors' offices or other quiet moments together. What a treasure those memories were to her and me too. Without them, I might never have written Angel Sister and the Rosey Corner stories that follow it up, Small Town Girl and now Love Comes Home. 

These days, we all seem to be so busy with all the electronic gadgets that can entertain us. But sometimes those electronic gadgets lose power and we have to come up with the old ways to entertain ourselves. That's what Brenda and her family did during one of those times. Her story below shows how sharing those family stories can make for new treasured memories. Here's her story.

One of the great memories I have is when a few years ago we had a huge snow storm and the electricity was out for 6 days. There was 6 of us in the house (husband, me, son, daughter, and three grandsons) as my daughter had MS and was bed bound. It was so cold, and we couldn't go anywhere to wait it out since my daughter couldn't be moved very easily. So we bundled up and sat around the living room and told true stories of days from the past....when the boys were little....when their mother was young....how my husband and I met and got married. The boys loved it, and still talk about it.  We lost my daughter 3 years ago, as she returned to the Lord, and are still raising our grandsons who are all teenagers now. That is one snow storm we will never forget. 

Thank you, Brenda, for sharing your story with us. Maybe we all need a snowstorm to make us lose that electric power now and again so that we can celebrate those special things that connect us and make us family.

Do you like hearing your family stories? 

Remember, you can still enter my giveaway if you haven't already thrown your name in the hat. Details on my website events page. Plus, remember I have the blog only giveaway too where I'm picking five winners to get your choice of one of my books. All you have to do to enter is leave a comment on one of my blog posts here in June (with a way to contact you). Each comment on a new post here before the end of June gets your name in the hat again. That gives you more chance to win. If you're in the USA or Canada, you can win a paper copy. If you live overseas, then you can win an e-book. Must be 18 to enter.

I'm the real winner when I get your comments. Love hearing what you have to say.

Celebrating Love Comes Home with Giveaways

It's always so much fun to celebrate a new release with a giveaway contest because I get to hear from so many of my reading friends - you. Thank all of you who have entered already, but here are the details for those of you who haven't seen my newsletter. If you want to be on my e-mail list and among the first to hear book news or about contests, you can sign up here Ann's Newsletter.

No big prizes, but I hope you'll think they're fun. First prize winner will get the choice of the Marcasite Filagree and Garnet 18" Heart Pendant or the "Forget-me-not" Willow Tree figurine along with the winner's choice of one of my books. The necklace has a small heart in the larger heart. Once you read my new book, Love Comes Home, you'll know why I chose these prizes. The second place winner will get whichever prize is left along with a choice of one of my books. Then because I'm one of those "never win" people, if you tell me that you never win in contest drawings, your name will go into a special extra drawing for the Praying the Names of God Journal and the choice of one of my books. Hardly anybody has told me they never win yet, so the chances in that drawing are very good that you might end up in the winner's circle. 

You have to be 18 to enter and you can enter by sending me an e-mail at annhgabhart(at)yahoo(dot)com or by leaving a comment on one of the posts here in June. I'll draw for the winners on July 1. To make things more fun, you can tell me a story about a family homecoming or special family memory. The stories aren't necessary to win. Just fun. Many of you have already entered the contest with a comment on the last post. I thank you for that. And some of you have shared stories. I've enjoyed reading them, and I'll be posting some of them here on One Writer's Journal later this month. 

Now, for the blog only contest. You friends here are so kind to read my this and that posts and to leave me encouraging comments that I've got to have a giveaway just for you. Those of you who entered the other contest by leaving a comment on the previous posts will have to come back and comment again to be entered in the blog contest. In fact, every time you leave a comment on a new post for the rest of June, you'll have a new entry and chance to win. Remember to leave your e-mail or a way to contact you when you enter.

You think I should throw in some mystery picture posts for you to try to guess before the end of the month? I just posted a picture of a snake that looks purple on my Facebook Page, but I think it was really just a black snake with the sun making it look purple. There's been quite a discussion about what kind of "purple" snake it is. Still a mystery, but not one any of us are doing much good figuring out. 

So what can I give away? I know. How about a copy of my new book? An autographed paper copy if you live in the USA or Canada and an e-book copy if you live overseas? That's original, isn't it? LOL. I'll draw the five winners early July 1.  

Also, remember if you're on Goodreads you can sign up there too to win one of five copies Revell Books is giving away. It's fun giving books away. For my giveaway, if you'd rather have a different title (one of mine, of course) that can be arranged. Remember, if you enter, you have to leave a way for me to be able to contact you in the event you are one of the winners. 

Thanks to any of you who downloaded Angel Sister or Small Town Girl while they were at a special price. Angel Sister was in the top 100 of Kindle titles today. Hope that means a lot of new readers are headed to Rosey Corner to meet my characters. 

If you've read any of the Rosey Corner books, which character is your favorite?

Countdown to Rosey Corner #3

Are you ready to go back to Rosey Corner and see what's going on with the Merritt sisters? I hope so because my new Rosey Corner book, Love Comes Home, will be releasing soon. (Available for pre-sale now on Amazon and other sites.) 

In fact, reviews are already popping up. The first one right off the bat was a nice one that had my editors sending me congrats. I told my family maybe I just wouldn't read any more. You know, sort of like stopping playing ball after you hit a homerun. A starred review in Publishers' Weekly is sort of like a writer's home run. Here is an excerpt: 

In a return to Rosey Corner, Ky., Gabhart revisits the inspiring beloved characters introduced in her historical Angel Sister and continued in Small Town Girl. ....This beautifully written story has a timely resonance, uplifting and filled with hope even as it addresses painful topics. Masterful storytelling blends with a written love story about sisters everywhere, resulting in a novel tailor made for book clubs that can be treasured and shared with all who appreciate the beauty of love and family and the value of struggle. 

Now that's nice. Like getting a hug from a reviewer. Then to top that off, the next day a review came in from RT Magazine. And of course, I did read it. Another hug.

“Gabhart gives readers a fantastic gift of another visit to Rosey Corner and the Merritt sisters, who are more like a real family than a family in a book. The author captures readers' attention and absorbs them into the concerns of a town that is seeing the return of its sons after WW II. You'll want to share the Rosey Corner series with friends and family, and this installment will leave your mouth watering for homemade brown sugar pie - and the recipe is included.”

And I do include the recipe for Jay's favorite pie at the end. That brown sugar pie made its first appearance in Angel Sister. 

Of course, the very best reviews are the ones I get from you, my reading friends. I always enjoy hearing what you think. 

I got my first copy of Love Comes Home Friday. The official release date is July 1. So that gives me a month to celebrate in lots of different ways. First off, just in case you haven't already visited Rosey Corner and you have an e-reader, the publisher is reducing the price to $1.99 or lower for the e-book versions of Angel Sister and Small Town Girl. The price won't last long, but if you want to check them out, here are some links:

Angel Sister - Christianbook.com

Small Town Girl - Christianbook.com

Angel Sister - Amazon

Small Town Girl - Amazon

Angel Sister - B&N Nook

Small Town Girl - B&N

For those you who want that paper book, Christianbook.com, has the paper copy of Small Town Girl for a super low price right now. Plus, you can still get that e-book version of Scent of Lilacs free at all the above internet sites too. Here's Amazon's link. 306 reader reviews and counting. Most of them reader hugs. :)

If you get my newsletter, keep an eye out for it. I'll have details of my Love Comes Home Giveaway Celebration. Still pondering about what kind of stories I might ask you to share with me. If you don't get the newsletter, you can sign up for it here. Or come on back here Wednesday for all the details and a special blog giveaway too. I'll do my best to think of something fun. 

Thanks for reading. 

Note: If you are leaving a comment to be entered in my giveaway, please leave a way to contact you. You can leave your e-mail as (name)at(emailserver)dot(etc) if you are concerned about leaving the e-mail address as it is normally written for mail. Without a way to contact you, I won't be able to reach you should you be the lucky winner. Thanks.