Ann’s Comments (group member since Sep 20, 2011)

Ann’s comments from the Q & A With Ann Hite group.

Well I just have to share the story of my grandmother, but I still don't see this as a ghostly experience. I see it as her way of saying goodbye like Josie Clay's mother in Ghost On Black Mountain.


When I was thirty-five, Granny went to live with my mother. It had been a tough couple of years for me. I divorced my husband of eighteen years, made the big move back to my hometown, and began a life as a single mother. And for the first time I began to take my writing seriously. A wonderful new man had walked into my life, and I was taking things nice and slow. The same month my divorce was final Granny became blind. This had been an ongoing battle resulting in two failed retina transplants. Finally, rather than enter assisted living, she chose to go to my mother's house.

Unknown to me over the next few weeks, she began a campaign to die. It started quite simply. She went to bed and stayed there, stopped taking her heart medication by hiding the pills under the rug close to her bed, and refused food. When I discovered the situation, I insisted Mother take her to the hospital, where Granny was promptly checked into a room.

On my first visit I was greeted by a large lettered sign above her bed: Patient is blind. Talk about reality. Our visit went fine until it was time for me to leave.

"Take me home with you," she whispered.

For a minute I was stunned. Then waves of guilt began to hit me. I couldn't take her home. I worked ten hour days. No one could care for her.

"Take me home!" She begged. "Annie, don't let me down! Take me home!"

The nurse came into the room, took one look at me, and shook her head. "You can't take her home. The doctor will not release her in this condition."

When I left the room, the nurse kindly suggested I not let my presence be know in Granny's room again.

Two weeks later I received a call that she was in a coma. It took me a few days to get the nerve to go see her. I found her in the bed with a tube in her stomach. In that moment, I knew her life was over.

Her hand felt like soft tissue paper as I squeezed it. "Granny."

A nurse came into the room. "Talk to her. She may be in a coma but she can hear you."

"Why is she in a coma?"

"The doctors can't find a real reason. I wonder if she just wants to give up. She refused to eat, so they inserted a tube for feeding."

I looked at the soft face that always seemed to be there for me. "Granny."

The nurse left the room.

Granny moved.

"Granny, if you need to leave, I'll be okay. I understand. You've taught me everything you could teach me. I'll be okay. I'm strong."

My grandmother made a deep groaning sound as if she were trying to speak to me.

I patted her hand. "Don't try to speak. I know what you want to say. I'll be okay."

She groaned again.

"I love you and I thank you for all you did for me. I understand why you want to leave."

Granny became still and her breath evened out.

I'm not sure how long I stood beside her bed, but when I left, I kissed her cheek.

That night I couldn't sleep. When I finally dropped off it was around 5:30 in the morning. I dreamed I went to the hospital room but my oldest daughter blocked the door. "Mom, you don't need to come in here. Granny's gone now."

When I woke it was six-thirty. I took my youngest daughter to school and realized I had left some documents for work at the house. The phone was ringing. On the other end of the receiver, Mother told me Granny had died between 5:30 and 6:20 in the morning.

You would think that was the end of this experience, but it wasn't. After the funeral, I went to take a nap. I couldn't sleep but closed my eyes. A creak of a board caused me to open my eyes. Granny stood at the foot of my bed. I was sure I was dreaming until she walked toward me, bent over, and blocked out the overhead light. Then she disappeared.

Granny came to say goodbye. I know this now and never once have doubted it. I never saw her spirit again but when I began to write Ghost On Black Mountain, I dreamed of her often. She talked to me about her stories.

To this day, I'm not surprised by this experience. Out of all the people in my childhood, she would have been the one to reach out beyond death.

Hi Sharon: I joined IWW in 2002, and I truly knew nothing about writing. I was on the fiction list and was groomed by Wayne and Carter, not to mention writers like Peggy Duffy, Peg Frey, and many, many others. They were my voice of reason. I learned to write better fiction from being in a group with them. In 2007 I began to write book reviews for Internet Review of Books. While doing this, I met a middle-sized publisher, Permanent Press. This began a reviewing relationship. I exclusively review PP's books. The co-owner liked my reviews and ask me if I had a novel. I promptly sent him Ghost. He edited the book for me in detail.

Writers and editors are a wonderful tribe most of the time. I've been helped all the way. I don't get to sub much on IWW anymore, but I keep up with everyone through the writing and marketing list.

I am stopping off to enjoy the experience here and there ;). I so hope you enjoy the book, Sharon and please keep in touch.

Ann

Yes, it was! I am. I will be teaching a class called Write A Novel For Publication. I will be doing a live chat on Wednesday at 7 pm. You must sign up for my class. It will have some of last year's materials and new material too.

Done deal. I'll be in touch when the time comes. I've put you on my list. It's about spreading the word. You can tell your Facebook friends. ;)

Probably, who knows. I will keep you in mind for a ARC. You could review. How about that?

Ann

Laura I love this. You should write it up and send it to me. I am going to feature ghost stories both true and made up beginning next week through October. I'd love to post it.

I would love to have yours too, Alice. Theses are great stories and had they happened to me, I would have freaked out. ;)

****SPOILER***

I don't know how much money was in the jar, but it was a lot for the thirties and the Depression. My intentions was for Nellie to take all the money once I knew she would find it, but some redeeming quality I sure do not possess popped up. When I wrote Nellie, I knew she would kill Hobbs. This is the only thing I knew about the book. She would kill him for good reasons. I always felt she was justified in doing so, especially in a part of history when men had most of the control. It was her choices afterward that gave me the most trouble. ;)

Shelly is the star of the new book, tentatively, named Barren Soul. I'm in edits now. Shelly is the kind of character who tells her own story and I go along for the ride. I'm so glad you like her.

I love it!

Discussions on your favorite books.

Questions about writing go here.

What would you like to know about the place, Black Mountain?

My logical mind says no, but I have had experiences that can’t be explained away. In June of 2010, while on a writing retreat, I went to take photos of the church that inspired the First Episcopalian Church Of Black Mountain. I had to hike a good half a mile off the road into the woods. I was alone. As I found the perfect shot, a black child size shadow scurried across the path in front of me. I searched around the area for the source and never found one. I couldn’t help but think of Nellie and how she saw Merlin on the way to the pastor’s house near the church. But to answer your question, I mostly enjoy a good ghost story without worry about the real sprits. How about you guys. Do you believe in ghosts?

So I'll ask myself a question? Hm, Ann, Do you believe in ghosts?

Good question! Mostly Hobbs is fictional, but I recognize a few people I've encounter over the years, not all men. It's Hobbs's art of manipulation that I've seen in others. That's all I can say ;). I must plead the fifth.

Thanks for the question, Rose.

Ann

Thanks so much, Beth. Creating is a day by day event. I have several folks waiting on the second novel right now. I receive an email at least once a week. But I can't let it go until I know the time has come. I'm sure as a artist you know what I'm talking about. So I say, "You'll get the full manuscript soon." I so want you to be a reader for the new book. Can't wait.

Ann

Hi Jack:

I should have been clearer in my response to Kathleen. My collection of short stories, Life On Black Mountain, was published by Dead Mule as an ebook. It was a give away by the magazine. This collection tha received enough rejections to paper my writing room. ;) Short story collections are almost impossible to get published unless there is a novel involved or you've published in the New Yorker. Ironically GOBM was the first short story of the collection.

I understand your feeling to self publish. Many times I almost went this route. I've recently reviewed a collection of essays Fabulous in Flats by Mary Wagner. I laughed so hard. Loved the work. Also a good friend Rick Bylina just self published his novel One Promise Too Many. Both are good examples of how to self publish, but both Rick and Mary will tell you the road is hard.

But your question was whether a big publisher would still want the book after you self publish? It happens, but the odds are not good. Yet, the odds are never good are they?

My agent shopped GOBM for six months before we began to get bites. It was another two years before I got a deal. You might get in touch with Rick through his blog (link below). He could give you the ins and outs of self publishing.

But don't give up! In 1996 I began writing with publication in mind. In 2002 I published my first short story. You have to get up each time they knock you down. It will happen.

I do believe areas can be terrible to for publishing and promoting. Thank goodness we have the internet. Push your work somewhere else. No indie bookstores how bad is that? I couldn't stand it! My southern stories were first published north of the Mason-Dixon Line. Go figure.

Don't give up and stay in touch. You can always reach me via my website www.annhite.com

Link for Rick's blog.

http://www.blogger.com/profile/104935...

Thanks
Ann

Hi Rose:I so love you're reading Ghost! You must let me know how you liked it. I think short stories, essays, and book reviews are some of the most important efforts a writer can make to further his or her career. Writing my collection of short stories came organically, and for the longest time, I believed I was 'just' a short story writer. While shopping the collection, an editor from one of the big publishers made an aha comment. "The stories in the collection are like novel outlines." Hmm.

Stories honed my writing. One has only a small amount of space to tell a story. I learned how to choose my words sparingly. So much so that my editor asked me to add content to GOBM. Gees, normally you have to cut. The additions, Josie Clay and Shelly Parker, added depth and layers to the project. I loved it.

I mentioned book reviews. I came by reviews by accident. This type of reading allowed me to take a novel apart. I reviewed books by Anne Lamott, Ellen Gilchrist, and Elizabeth Strout just to name a few. The more novels I reviewed the better I understood the structure. What worked and why. And I gained a decent name for myself. Editors began to request I review their books. One of these such requests resulted in an edit of my novel free of charge. And even though this editor knew my book wasn't right for his publishing company, he saw the talent and worth of GOBM. Writers are truly a big tribe. I credit his painstaking comments to the book getting noticed.

I did tons of writing for 'free' to gain exposure. This helped Gallery Books understand I was willing to go beyond the 'traditional channels'. My book tour consists of a little of everything, conferences, book readings, signings, and book festivals. This weekend I read in an art gallery one mile from the beaches in Gulfport, MS. This is an area still recovering from Katrina and the oil spill. Talking with the writers reminded me of exactly why I'm a writer. We all have a story to tell.

Facebook, Twitter, Bloggers, and especially word of mouth is the best means writers have to create a 'platform' these days.

Promoting one's novel in this time is a full time job, but at least it is a job I love. ;)

Thanks Kathleen: First question agent: I, like so many writers, went through rejection after rejection before I found an agent. And I found her by signing up for a writing conference at my local library. For an extra five dollars I could put six pages of my work in front of the agency. So I gave it a try. I heard from the agency two weeks later before the conference began. She wanted to make me a client.

GOBM began as a short story and the collection was shopped around for six months before I decided to write a novel.Dead Mule made the collection into an ebook. This was so much fun and truly helped me gain readers. GOBM was complete when we began to shop. Most publishers want a finished novel. Even now as I work on the edits for the second book, S&S does not want to see it until I finish. Piece of advice: don't send your book out too early. Write and rewrite.

I so believe that writing short stories and essays for publication gets you noticed by agents and publishers, but when it comes down to the book deal, the book is the test.

I know many writers who outline, but I do not. I am a blank page writer. Each day I sit down to find out what will happen next. This is the only way I can write. Makes for tons of extra work. I'm not saying it is the best way to write just that planning is the kiss of death for my work.

Hope this helped, Kathleen. Thanks for stopping by. Ann