Ann H. Gabhart

As a child, Ann H. Gabhart loved listening to stories her mother and aunts told of growing up during the Depression and how they found joy in each other’s company despite the hardships of the times. The author credits these stories as seeds of inspiration for her Christian historical novel, Angel Sister (Revell Trade Paperback, February 1, 2011), which is in bookstores now! This richly textured novel reveals the power of true love, the freedom of forgiveness, and the strength to persevere through troubled times. Multidimensional characters face real and trenchant problems while maintaining their family bonds, all against the backdrop of a sultry Kentucky summer.

The lucky winner of Ann’s February contest will receive her very own angel—a beautiful Jim Shore creation with small town scene and copy of Ann’s gem of a novel, Angel Sister. Two additional winners will receive a Christian fiction novel from the talented author.

Angel Sister
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Kate Merritt, middle daughter of Victor and Nadine, has three sisters…sort of. Growing up during the Great Depression, the Merritt family faces unique struggles beyond the fray of keeping enough food on the table. Victor Merritt loves his wife and daughters, but memories of the World War I haunt him and drive him to find solace in the bottom of a bottle. Not to mention the fact that his blacksmith business suffers with the increasing popularity of automobiles. Nadine Merritt knows she relies too heavily on her middle daughter, but she’s doing the best she can to keep her family grounded in love while simultaneously navigating the thorny relationship with her preacher father.

Kate’s older and younger sisters seem blissfully ignorant to their dire straits, thinking mostly about primping and fishing, respectively. Seeing it as her personal responsibility and role as the middle child to shoulder the emotional load of her family’s troubles, Kate plays nursemaid to her father, helper to her mother, and friend and confidant to her sisters.

As Kate runs errands for her mother one day, she finds an abandoned, unkempt waif of a girl waiting on the church steps. The girl knows her name—Lorena Birdsong—and she knows who she’s waiting for . . . the “Angel Sister” her mother promised would come to care for her before she abandoned her. Lorena has no doubt Kate is her “Angel Sister,” and Kate feels the instantaneous bond, too. Who could have imagined that a little girl in need could be the healing elixir this family in crisis so desperately needs?

"This book will leave you changed as it uncovers family secrets and draws you into the days following the first World War and the Great Depression. It will astound you how the characters persevere while making difficult decisions amidst heartache, and their determination to make it through the toughest of hard times." —RT Book Reviews, 4 ½ stars Top Pick

"Like a Kentucky summer, Angel Sister starts slow and easy but by the end roars along, leaving the reader breathless and wanting more. What a jewel of a story. Reminded me of To Kill a Mockingbird." – Lauraine Snelling, bestselling author of the Red River Series

For more information on Ann’s books, special contests or newsletter sign-up, visit www.AnnHGabhart.com. Join Ann’s Facebook fan page for up-to-the-minute news and interactions with the author.

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Contest ends: February 28, 2011