Books at the Door

Books are arriving in the mail and by UPS. That's always fun. And it's just as much fun when I hear from family and friends that they  received my new book in the mail. Several people got gift copies of The Blessed yesterday in the mail. Other family members may get a surprise in the mail next week. It's fun to get nice surprises in the mail. Just a week or so ago I got the dog story book, The Dog Next Door complied by Callie Smith Grant that includes a story I wrote about one of my dogs. My nine-year-old granddaughter picked that book up last night while she was at my house and went straight out on the deck to lie on the swing and start reading. She loves horses and dogs.

So far I haven't received my box of author copies but I'm glad one of my fantastic editors at Baker sent out a copy of The Blessed to me as soon as the book was available. Actually holding a new book in my hands and enjoying that new book smell is part of my reward for months of work digging words out of my head. I have to confess it's pretty nice on the eyes to see that "by Ann H. Gabhart" on a book that lands on my doorstep.

A few years ago, I actually spotted one of my new books on a shelf in a store before I had a copy. And no, I didn't buy it. But I did pick it up and flip through the pages. Then I went home and called the publishers to hurry up the copies to me. 

Now with the book out there in some readers' hands, I'll have sit back and wait to see what people think. Will they like Lacey's story? Lacey was a good character I enjoyed getting to know. She has her own special voice that I hope readers will enjoy too. I'll also be planning some book launches. It's been such a hard spring and I've been trying to finish Shaker book 5, but that doesn't mean I can't celebrate a new book with my reading friends. Remember, I am giving away books, several of them, as soon as I do receive my author's copies, so if you haven't sent me an e-mail saying you want to throw your name in the hat for the giveaway, you still have time. You can check out the giveaway details on my Events and News page on my website, www.annhgabhart.com. Plus you can take a sneak peek at The Blessed.

Since we're talking about giveaways, it's time to announce the winner of Suzanne Woods Fisher's book, The Waiting. Drum roll please. ONorman is the winner. I numbered the comments and put all the numbers in a hat - well, actually a bowl - and drew out her number. I started to ask my mom to pick a number between one and whatever the end number was, but I decided that wasn't fair to the number one person. How many times have you ever picked the first or the last number when told to pick a number in a range of numbers? Nobody ever picks one. Or is that only true for me? Anyway, I drew out a number so this was random and fair.

Thanks for reading. And I hope you get good surprises everyday. A new book. An e-mail or letter from an old friend. Finding a ten dollar bill in your pocket that you'd forgotten about. Catching the biggest fish. A grandkid's sweet kiss. What is a good surprise for you? 

 

My Dog, Honeysuckle Jody

It's not a great picture, but here I am with my cockerspaniel, Jody. He was a registered dog and to fancy up his name a little I registered him as Honeysuckle Jody. The picture is old and I've definitely got a windblown look, but Jody's curly ears are lying down nicely. This was taken twenty-five or so years ago. I was needing some - or at least I hoped I might need some - publicity type photos after my first books were published. Can't say that I ever did.

That was way before Facebook and the internet gave anybody a chance to share pictures with anybody. But I'm glad I took this one and a couple more with Jody. He was a good dog. And he was the dog that I wrote about in the story that is part of the book, The Dog Next Door edited by Callie Smith Grant. Its release date is June 1, but it looks like it's already available for shipping on Amazon. 

I like dog stories, so I'm sure I'm going to enjoy reading the other writers' stories in the book. My story is titled "A Gift of Love," and it's about when my husband gave me Jody for my birthday. He sometimes has a hard time getting me gifts that I really like. I mean the man gave me a bright pink snuggie a couple of years ago and a floor polisher one year. I have to admit that sometimes I'm not the best gift receiver, but at the time I got the floor polisher I was still young and halfway believed in Santa Claus. :-) Besides that, I lived in an old farm house with linoleum that had black spots from wear. So it's hard to be enthusiastic about a floor polisher that obviously was not cheap. Like money would have bought me a really pretty sweater, I'm sure. So for years after the floor polisher disaster, he tried to get me something I would REALLY love for my birthday or Christmas. And he did with this dog, Jody. The best gift ever. If you get the book and read my story you'll know - as they say - the rest of the story.

Jody was my dog from the beginning. He loved all the family, but he was my dog. He was about as big as my hand when we got him and while I cooked or worked at the kitchen counter, he would sleep on my foot. The only trick he ever learned was jumping up to catch popcorn in his mouth. He loved popcorn. And he liked terrapins. When we took walks, he would sniff out terrapins - that's the only animal he could catch - and carry them all the way back to the house. He was always at the door to enthusiastically greet me every time I came home. And he hated the UPS man. What is it about UPS trucks that dogs don't like? He would get cockleburrs caught in the long hair on his ears but was patient as I worked them out. And like all dogs, he got old much too quickly. Jody's been gone a long time. I've fallen in love with a half dozen dogs since him, but Jody was special. A bundle of pure love who looked at me as if I was the most wonderful person in the world. He still sometimes runs through my mind when I go for a walk, especially when I come across a terrapin.

Thanks for reading. I'll tell you about the Clear Creek Writer's workshop on Wednesday, but Sundays this month have been devoted to dogs. Next Sunday come read a very special interview with Suzanne Woods Fisher as she tells us about raising guide dogs and also about her Amish books. I know you'll enjoy learning more about her, her books, and her dogs. Plus if you leave a comment, you'll have the chance to win one of her books. You're welcome to share my blog posts with any friends you think might enjoy my letters from down here on the farm. 

"Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole." Roger Caras

My Walking Dogs

"The great pleasure of a dog is that you may make a fool of yourself with him and not only will he not scold you, but he will make a fool of himself too." (Samuel Butler)

Those of you who have been reading my on-line journal know I've been a dog lover even longer than I've been a writer. And that's a long time, since I started scribbling words in a notebook and writing my first novel when I was around ten. But I already loved dogs before then. I'm going to be writing about the first dog that stole my heart on Sunday's blog. That dog and his story and mine are going to be part of an anthology of dog stories called The Dog Next Door edited by Callie Smith Grant. Check back Sunday to find out more about the book and my story then.

But these two beauties are my dogs now. Oscar and Dub. They're sitting here waiting for me to make my way up the cliff path. I had stopped to look at a flower or the owl nest or something. It's easy to see they were happy to take a rest break. I have another little mutt named Lucy, but she's got beagle hound in her and she's off hunting all the time when we're walking. She'll come around to check in now and again while we're walking as long as Roxie, the big old St. Bernard from across the road isn't walking with me. If Roxie's along - and Roxie loves to walk with me - Lucy stays way back and only sneaks up for an ear ruffle when she catches Roxie not looking. When I get a new dog, the only think I want to make sure of is that it's a walking dog, but since most all dogs like to walk, that doesn't narrow the field much. 

Oscar, the black lab mix, is a great walking dog right now. He stays pretty close to me and if he runs on ahead, he always comes back to make sure I'm still coming. Dub, a registered chocolate lab, used to be a good walking dog, but he's getting old. He can't keep up any more. But he goes even though sometimes he figures out my route and just waits at the halfway point. It's the saddest thing to have a walking dog that gets too old to walk. I used to have a cockerspaniel who loved to walk with me. It about broke my heart the day Jody sat down on the path and just looked at me as if to say, "I can't do this anymore." 

But that's part of dog ownership. Dogs don't live as long as people. They drive us crazy while they're puppies - chewing on our shoes or anything that sits still, barking at invisible squirrels, throwing up in our cars or worse. But then they grow old much too quickly and we see them through as old dogs with pills hidden in cheese balls, arthritis in their hips and gray hair on their muzzles. But they're worth it. They bring joy and fun and then they pass the baton on to the next dog in your life. I've had many from that first dog, Inky, to Oscar now. Good dogs who have made my life richer. And walked miles and miles with me.

"Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole." Roger Caras

Hope life is good to you this week and that a dog somewhere is making you smile. Oh yeah, and if you're in the Columbia, SC area, I'll be at the Book Festival there this weekend. They have a wonderful program there with panels and presentations all day Saturday and Sunday with extra stuff going on for the kids. If you love books and hearing writers talk about their books and writing, then check it out at http://www.scbookfestival.org/.