Ann Gabhart and Free Books!

Romance and adventure are in the Kentucky mountain air in this story of a woman yearning for love but caught between two worlds—each promising something different.

Before we revisit today's author, I want to announce that the winner of the free copy of Jim Denny's science-fantasy/spiritual warfare novel, Battle Before Time, is:

tinybutmightyml@...

Congratulations! We'll get your book right out to you. I encourage readers to keep commenting and/or subscribe at right (above my list of books) in order to learn about new releases! U.S. subscribers are entered in the drawings a second time when they comment.

And now let's chat with novelist Ann Gabhart, author of the historical romance, An Appalachian Summer (Revell Books, June 2020).

Ann Gabhart has been called a storyteller. She’s lived up to the title with thirty-five books published and more stories on the way.

Ann likes wrapping her stories around interesting historical times and events in her home state of Kentucky. She’s written about the Shakers in The Refuge, The Outsider and more, gone to the Appalachian Mountains for These Healing Hills and An Appalachian Summer, mined her family history for Angel Sister and Scent of Lilacs, found a feel good story during the 1833 cholera epidemic in Springfield, Kentucky, and more. Even her cozy mysteries under the author name A.H. Gabhart take place in the little town of Hidden Springs, Kentucky.

Ann keeps her keyboard warm out on her farm where she likes walking with her dogs or discovering the wonders of nature with her nine grandchildren. \

Please tell us one random thing we might not know about you.

It’s been years since I bought a loaf of bread, but I’ve bought plenty of bread flour. I’ve been making sourdough bread over thirty years. At first when everybody was passing around the starter back then, I said I didn’t want to do that. Too much trouble. But then I decided to give it a try. About a zillion loaves of bread later with some doughnuts and cinnamon rolls thrown in now and again, my starter is still going strong (I actually keep two going now to be sure I have plenty) and I’m still making bread usually two times a week. I give some away and chow down on some. The scarcity of bread flour on grocery shelves has been weird during this pandemic, but so far I’m still baking.

I did the sour dough thing for awhile several years ago! I loved it--a little too much, as my waistline will attest.

Please tell us a bit more about the plot of An Appalachian Summer.

In 1933 Louisville, Kentucky, even the ongoing economic depression cannot keep Piper Danson's parents from insisting on a debut party. After all, their fortune came through the market crash intact, and they've picked out the perfect suitor for their daughter. Braxton Crandall can give her the kind of life she's used to. The only problem? This is not the man–or the life–she really wants.

When Piper gets the opportunity to volunteer as a horseback Frontier Nursing courier in the Appalachian Mountains for the summer, she jumps at the chance to be something other than a dutiful daughter or a kept wife in a loveless marriage. The work is taxing, the scenery jaw-droppingly gorgeous, and the people she meets along the way open up a whole new world to her.

The longer she stays, the more an advantageous marriage slips from her grasp. But something much more precious--true love--is drawing ever closer.

What is it about Piper that will make your readers care about her?

Piper Danson is a young woman caught in an era when more freedoms for women were opening up while at the same time her father is insisting she follow a more traditional path. She’s a reluctant debutant in love with a man her father no longer considers to be someone she can marry since his family lost all their money in the market crash. Piper tries to escape making decisions about her future by going to the mountains for the summer to work as a volunteer with the Frontier Nursing Service where she’ll run errands, take care of horses, and whatever needs doing. I think readers will admire her pluck and the growth of her faith as she discovers what’s most important in life.

What’s the most positive thing you can tell my readers about the state of Christian fiction today?

Readers have so many choices in Christian fiction today with mysteries, historical stories, suspense, contemporary stories that cover a range of topics, and even speculative and futuristic novels. Readers can find their favorite genres and be assured the story will have a Christian worldview.

So true! I've seen that in watching the various authors I've featured here through the years. 

What is the last novel you read that you would recommend?

Key to Everything by Valerie Fraser Luesse. It’s a heartwarming story about a fifteen year old boy set in the 1940’s who makes a bike ride through Florida to Key West to honor the father he loses early on in the story. I think readers will enjoy the characters, especially Peyton, and be glad to share his many adventures on the trip.

The book has definitely received high marks from reviewers. 

What are you working on now?

Right now I’m doing edits on Along a Storied Trail that is scheduled to release in the summer of 2021. I went back to the Appalachian Mountains for another story, but this time instead of Frontier Nursing history, I’m following around one of the Packhorse Librarians who carried books up to people in the hills of Kentucky. Some of the people in these areas had no libraries and had never had access to books. This works program established during the Great Depression was very popular with the local people. My character shares some of the experiences along the trail and some of the stories of the people she meets. There’s romance, beautiful scenery, and books. What more could a story need?

Really! That sounds wonderful, Ann.

Where else can readers find you online?

Readers can find out more about my books and check out my blog posts at www.annhgabhart.com. I have fun talking with readers on my Facebook Author Page, Instagram, and Twitter. They can also find me on Pinterest and Goodreads . Readers can follow me on BookBub where they will be sure to hear about my new books or any special book sales.

The book can be purchased online via the following button:



Here’s a link to a sample reading of An Appalachian Summer

Or you can check out a sample on Amazon. HERE (click on Look Inside)

Finally, what question would you like to ask my readers?

Piper spent a summer volunteering with the Frontier Nursing Service. How important do you think volunteer workers are to our world? Have you been a volunteer in your community?

Thanks, Ann, for visiting and telling us about yourself and your book. Readers, Ann has offered to give away a free copy of her book. To enter, leave a comment and your email below in answer to her question, above. "Please enter me" won't get you entered. Remember that U.S. subscribers are entered an additional time in each drawing. The drawing is done by email, so leave your email address, like so: trish[at]trishperry[dot]com.

Only United States residents are eligible for the drawing, but anyone can subscribe to the blog posts via the GDPA-compliant Feedblitz box above my list of books, at right.

Also readers, I'd love it if you'd connect with me on Facebook. Just click on my name at the right of today's post title.

Annoying legal disclaimer: as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases; drawings void where prohibited; open only to U.S. residents; the odds of winning depend upon the number of participants. See full disclaimer, GDPA notice, and my Disclosure of Material Connection HERE