A. H. Gabhart Interview

Q: Let me start with asking you to tell us a little bit about yourself.

A:  I’m a country girl from Kentucky. Nothing special about me. I grew up on a farm and spent plenty of time, along with my two sisters, helping our mother and father with the chores and the crops. I still live not far from that farmhouse where I was born. My roots go deep on this land and I feel blessed to live in such a beautiful area. I married young and I’m still married to the same great guy all these years later. Our three children grew up, fell in love and added three in-law children to our family. And then they gifted us with nine amazing grandchildren.

Q: When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

A:  I don’t remember any actual realization. I just started writing a book when I was ten years old. I loved reading the Hardy Boy mysteries and decided it would be fun to be a young detective too. However, it didn’t take me long to figure out I was unlikely to stumble across anything more mysterious out on our farm than where our tomcat disappeared to for weeks at a time. So, I began writing my own mystery starring a cuter, smarter and much less shy me. I haven’t put down my writing pen since.

Q: Could you give us the highlights of your professional writing career including how you got your first writing break?

A:  The first highlight in my writing career is getting a letter back in 1977 from my agent that said my first book was going to be published. I can still remember exactly where I was standing when I opened and read that letter. Every time since then when I’ve gotten the news about another of my books being published has been a new highlight. Of course, holding those new books fresh off the press is always a highlight. One of those books generally represents a year or more of work so it’s a great reward to have it all dressed up in a beautiful cover ready to go out and seek readers. It was a definite highlight when my Shaker book, The Outsider, was an ECPA Fiction Book of the Year finalist in 2009. Then I was surprised and excited when my book, Love Comes Home, won the Selah Book of the Year in 2015.

I suppose my first writing break was being accepted by an agent who suggested I try writing a historical romance. Since then I’ve written a number of different genres, young adult coming of age stories, Shaker books, family stories, historical novels, and now my Hidden Springs mysteries, but that agent was wise to suggest a genre popular at the time with readers to help me get started as a published author.

Q: Would you tell us about your current book release Murder Comes by Mail?

A:  Murder Comes by Mail takes readers back to Hidden Springs where Deputy Sheriff Michael Keane doesn’t particularly enjoy being touted as the hero of Hidden Springs after he pulls a suicidal man back from the edge of a bridge in front of dozens of witnesses. Some of those witnesses manage to capture the breathtaking moments on their cameras. But the media hype doesn’t last long as a new story grabs the attention of Hidden Springs’ citizens. Grizzly photos of a dead girl arrive in the mail and Michael becomes convinced the man he saved is the killer. With a killer one step ahead, things in Hidden Springs begin to unravel and Michael must race to protect the people he loves because one of them could be the killer’s next target.

Q: Where did you get your inspiration for Murder Comes by Mail?

A:  It’s hard to say exactly where the inspiration for a story comes from. For the first Hidden Springs mystery, Murder at the Courthouse, my initial idea was that of a body found on the courthouse steps. Then, when I decided to go back to Hidden Springs for another mystery, I knew Michael would again be my main character. The beginning idea for Murder Comes by Mail was the question of what would happen if Michael was at the right place at the right time to save a stranger’s life only to regret doing so later. And why would that be true? From there, the “what if” questions took over to start me down my story road.

Q: What is the main thing you hope readers remember from this story?

A:  I like the idea that mystery and suspense lovers can now find stories in the inspirational genre that are written from a Christian world view and are fun to read. I would hope readers remember my characters with fondness and feel right at home in my little town of Hidden Springs.

Q: What is your favorite scene/chapter from the book?

A: It’s not easy for me to pick out a scene to share without perhaps giving away some story spoilers. But there is one scene where my main character, Michael, has just made a grisly discovery in his yard. And what does he do? He surprises me by kicking off his shoes and swimming out into the lake behind his house. Not at all what I expected him to do, but it worked.

Q: What inspires you to write?

A:  The need to tell a story is my inspiration. These characters come to life in my imagination and whisper stories into my ear that I have an uncontrollable urge to share. Their secrets are definitely not safe with me. J

Q: How has being a published novelist differed from your expectations of the profession?

A: Since I started writing at such a young age and had never been acquainted with a real live author prior to that or even until years after I sold my first writing, I didn’t have any set expectations of the writing profession. All I knew was that I wanted to write books and that I wanted those books to be on store or library shelves where readers could find them. I did read writer magazines that helped me get some insight into the profession.

If I think way back to when my first novel was published in the general market in 1978, I suppose I did expect to sell more copies and see the book on more store shelves. I did expect my novels to stay in print. When those first books went out of print, that was a surprise and a big disappointment to a young, inexperienced writer. I may have expected more people in my hometown to know I was a writer and want to read my books, but I don’t think I would have liked movie star fame anyway. So all is well.

Q: What advice or tips do you have for writers who are just getting started?

A:  Practice perseverance. Write that first book or story and make it the best you can. Then move on to the next story. Most writers have to put in some time perfecting their craft. But no writing is wasted. You learn by writing and also by reading. Never stop reading.

Q: Would you share with us what you are working on now?

A:  I just finished the first round of edits on my third Hidden Springs mystery, Murder is No Accident. It will release in March 2017. The story will again feature my Hidden Springs deputy sheriff, Michael Keane. In this story I picked an old house in our town that has some great history and made it the major setting of the mystery. Of course, I made up the history of the house in my novel. Next, I’m going back to my historical novel roots to write a story set in the Appalachian Mountains in 1945.

Q: When you’re not writing what do you like to do?

A:  I enjoy spending time with my family and especially my nine grandchildren who are growing up way too fast. I like hiking on my farm with my dog, Oscar. And of course, I love to read all sorts of books. I also enjoy conversations with my Facebook friends and sharing pictures with them.

Q: Where can readers find you on the internet?

A:  My website is www.annhgabhart.com. There you can find information about all my recent books, including excerpts and reviews. You can read my blogs, One Writer’s Journal and Heart of Hollyhill, at my website. I have occasional fun giveaways on my blog. Sometimes I post mystery pictures there for readers to guess and enter to win a book or two. You can also sign up for my occasional newsletter and find out about more giveaways and my books plus news from down here on the farm. Then, on my Facebook author page, www.facebook.com/anngabhart, I have some regular features such as Shaker Wednesday, Friday smiles, and the popular Sunday morning coming down. I am on Twitter (annhgabhart), Google+, and Pinterest.

Q: Anything else you’d like to tell or share with us?

A:  I think I’ve said it all. But wait a minute on that ! I hope to have more stories to tell and share in the future. I do appreciate all of you reading my words. So thanks for reading and may you enjoy many more suspense filled stories.