A Giveaway to Celebrate Summer of Joy

Celebration time! 

For a writer, there's not much more exciting than seeing a new book coming out for readers - even when that new book is simply one dressed up in a new cover. With the re-release of Summer of Joy, in a few weeks, my Heart of Hollyhill books will once more all be in print again and inviting readers to come back to the Sixties to visit Jocie and her family and friends.

Joy in the Journey
Some of you might remember the Sixties. Some of you might be too young for that. But isn't it great that books can take us to other times and places and let us experience "joy in the journey?" 

Life is a journey and you can travel through a year of life in Hollyhill with Jocie. Secrets are uncovered. Strangers show up. Joy is awakened. Troubles come. Love conquers. Life happens in this Small Town, America story. 

Celebration Prizes

And so I'm celebrating by having a giveaway with a few fun prizes. First prize winner will get that cute charm bracelet that Jocie might have picked out for you along with an autographed set of the Hollyhill books that includes Scent of Lilacs, Orchard of Hope and Summer of Joy. Second prize winner also wins a set of the Hollyhill books along with the ring dish with the bicycle and Joy in the Journey saying. (Jocie loves the bicycle.) And then there is the drawing for those of you who say you "never win." That prize is a box of chocolates and the winner's choice of one of my books. I've only gotten a couple of never win entries. Everybody must either be winners or on a diet! So be sure to tell me you've never won if you want to be in that drawing. And if you already have the Heart of Hollyhill books, it's fun to win books for a reading friend or perhaps your church library.

I also invited entrants to share a Valentine story of love. You don't have to tell a story to enter. You just have to send me a message at annhgabhart(at)yahoo(dot)com or leave a comment here (with a way to contact you) on my blog before midnight EST February 28, 2014. People who comment here will get one entry in the drawing for the prizes listed above, but I'll have a special extra drawing for my blog commenters with two winners getting their choice of one of my books. Each comment on a new post here on One Writer's Journal before the deadline will get you an extra entry in the blog drawing. I do appreciate those of you who drop by to visit me here. And of course, feel free to leave those Valentine stories. 

A Valentine Story 
Here's a cute story I received after I sent out news of the contest in my newsletter last week. R.M. said, "Back in 2001, one of my coworkers came in the office where I was working and said someone was there to see me. I was excited! Whoo hoo!! Flowers for Valentine's Day! Nope, lo and behold, a Barbershop Quartet!! Right there in the main corridor. They handed me a long stem red rose and sang "Let Me Call You Sweetheart"!!!!! That was the best Valentine's Day ever. Love was in the air!!!!
    Now, today I am picking up balloons as I already have the heart-shaped cake and cookies to have my granddaughters over for a Valentine's Day Party!!! Love is still in the air!!!"

I love R.M.'s enthusiasm for Valentine's Day love. Love is in the air in Summer of Joy too. So share some love whether about romantic love, family love or even the fun of all those little Valentines given away at school parties across the nation. "Be Mine, Valentine." "Yours till Ivory Soap Sinks." "Roses are red. Violets are blue. Sugar is sweet and so are you." What silly Valentine rhymes do you remember?  

Next Time
If you don't get my newsletter and would like to, be sure to let me know or sign up here on my FB author page. And come back Wednesday night or Thursday. Over on my Facebook author page, I'm getting suggestions for naming my heroine's dog in my work in progress. So far 89 different names have been suggested. I'll share those results next time on One Writer's Journal. 


Thanks for the Prayers
Last, but certainly not least, I very much appreciate all your prayers and concern for my mother. We had a rough week with taking her to the facility Monday and then spending a night in the ER after she fell on Wednesday, but today she seemed to be settling in. She even told one of the aides that we were her daughters and she knew my sister's name. Prayers are powerful and I thank you that you're willing to plug into that power for my mom. 

Inviting You to Hollyhill

It won't be very many more weeks until Scent of Lilacs, my first inspirational fiction book will be available again for readers. The book has been out of print for several years, but in March it will hit the store shelves with a brand new cover. Some of you have already read my Hollyhill books and I thank you for that. There are three of them. Scent of Lilacs, Orchard of Hope and Summer of Joy. 

 I appreciate the many kind comments I've gotten about the stories. Scent of Lilacs got a starred review in Booklist with this review. Thirteen-year-old Jocie Brooke prays God will send her a dog and wishes her senile aunt would stop quoting scripture. The setting is semi-rural Kentucky. The story revolves around Jocie's dad, David, a newspaper editor and the "interim" pastor of a little Baptist church. Where is Jocie's mom? She left seven years ago, taking Jocie's older sister with her. David's strange marital status explains why he's always "interim" and also why he's so sad. Jocie gets her mutt, the onslaught of Bible verses is ameliorated, and real drama emerges as Jocie explores her family's secrets in this universal tale of growing up. 

I call my Hollyhill books Small Town, America stories because I  pulled so much of the background for the books from the little town here in Kentucky where I grew up. All the characters are completely made up - and none of you hometown friends are going to convince me differently. Well, maybe there were a few minor characters I might have pulled a bit of this or that from someone I remember from years ago. Maybe. The thing is, all my characters in all my books probably pull a little of this or that from people I've met or read about or imagined over the years. That's where characters spring from - that mysterious well of experience and imagination in a writer's head. 

I did enjoy writing about Jocie Brooke and her family and friends in Hollyhill. I especially liked it when Jocie and Wes, who was a grandfatherly figure to Jocie, got to talking. In Scent of Lilacs, I have them thinking about writing a book called The Hollyhill Book of the Strange. 

So guess what? Jocie and Wes are writing it now to celebrate the re-issue of the Heart of Hollyhill series. Once a week I'll be visiting Hollyhill and let Jocie or Wes or who knows who in Hollyhill tell us what's going on there. I started to just substitute the Hollyhill posts for my regular Wednesday night posts here on One Writer's Journal, but a name like "The Hollyhill Book of the Strange" simply cried out for its own space. So here's the Hollyhill link if you'd like to go over and see how Jocie is introducing her new venture. With a little help from Wes, of course. 

If you grew up in a small town or community, I'd be glad to hear the "strange" things you might remember about your towns. Who knows? Jocie might suddenly remember something along the same lines that might have strangely happened in Hollyhill. :) Small towns are great places to grow up, but they are also hot beds of interesting and unique characters who give rise to some entertaining if odd stories.  Maybe even a little strange.

Let me know what you think. Either here or on the new blog. Leave a comment here or there before March 1 for a chance to win an autographed copy of Scent of Lilacs. I'll give away three copies and your name will go in my hat twice if you comment both places. Thanks for giving Jocie's new venture a try. Happy reading!
 

March Winds are Blowing

Hey, it's March, and it feels like it here today in Kentucky. Temps in the sixties and a nice strong March wind blowing. Of course, you know what they say in Kentucky. If you don't like the weather just wait a little while and it'll change. They say we'll be having snow flurries by the time the cold front moves through tomorrow. You know, whatever the weather does, we'll have to deal with it. May all the storms fly over top you.

I guess that's what we always want. For the storms to miss us, but sometimes it's in the storms of life that we grow stronger. Yet I don't know anyone who wishes for storms of trouble or heartache. But you know, if we're living in this world, those storms are going to be sure to come at times the same as we have thunderstorms and rain in our weather. The best way we can prepare for those storms is to have our lives securely anchored in our faith.

Still I shouldn't look past the great sunshine and warm temps today and this weekend to the rain and clouds ahead. I should enjoy the precious present. I had some precious moments this weekend spending time with my son and his family in WV. Darrell and his group, The Patriots sang at our son's church in WV on Sunday night and in New Matamoras, Ohio on Sunday morning. So I just jumped off the bus at my son's home and spent the night with them. I have three beautiful granddaughters there to keep me smiling. And we were blessed with the sunshine so that we got to go to the park and play outside. Ashley, who's almost five, really enjoyed riding the Patriots' big old purple bus out to eat after the concert. I think she was ready to join the group and ride along every weekend. She'd certainly dress up the stage if she did. She's got cute cornered. I think all my grandbabies do as I'm sure you do yours, too.

My website is pretty much ready to go now. I hope you find it easy to navigate and enjoy reading about my books. I'll keep the events schedule updated for your information and maybe post some things on this blog as well.

Carrie from Beattyville won my book giveaway. Thanks to everyone who entered. I'll be doing a new giveaway soon. Maybe for my new book, The Outsider, or perhaps a complete Hollyhill set now that all three books are out. Jocie was a fun character. I'm going to have an author's event at my local library on Sunday afternoon April 13th. I think we'll do some fun things about the sixties. I know some of you don't remember those days since you hadn't discovered America by then, but it's still fun to find out how things used to be in Small Town, America.

One last note -- Carrie who won my book, Summer of Joy, says her mother-in-law, Lorene, has ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease). Keep her family in your prayers as they fight against this terrible disease. They're facing some of those storms I was talking about earlier.

Hope you have lots of sunshine in your lives this week. Until next time, may you always know you are blessed.

Ann