Joan Gable's Blog

Nature Connections

Recently, I read How To Raise a Wild Child (Scott Sampson, 2016) by Dr. Scott the Paleontologist. (Awesome book! Highly recommend!) In it, he stresses the importance of telling kids our own stories about growing up in nature. By talking about and sharing our experiences in nature, it expands a child’s appreciation of nature. People protect what they love. If we teach kids more about nature, the more they learn, the more they’ll care about and love it, and the more they will protect it.

Dr. S...

Go Jump in a Lake

In Firefly Memories, Alex throws the mother of all temper tantrums by jumping out of the boat, into the lake, and never turning back. It was such a knee-jerk reaction…some readers can’t relate. Others know a friend or family member who might just pull such a stunt. (It made me love Alex even more.)

I love that scene and the various characters’ reactions to it. Even Alex’s thoughts on the matter after the incident give the reader a clear understanding of Alex’s anger toward Cass—even though w...

Bats in the Cabin

If you’ve ever been trapped in a room with a bat, you’ll remember it—for a long time. I know, I know, bats are misunderstood little creatures. They eat TONS of bugs and mosquitoes (I appreciate that). They are—for the most part—harmless to people. Very few species suck blood. They are endangered.

I personally like them for many of those reasons. I’m particularly fond of their delicate and interesting wing designs. I have experienced them up close and personal—both in nature and in captivity....

Peeking in the Window – A Character’s Point of View

In Chapter 6 of Summer of Firefly Memories, (SPOILER ALERT) we get a really fun insight into Jake’s point of view (POV). We also get a small glimpse into Dana and George’s life as a couple.

Some readers don’t appreciate this shift in POV. “It’s not typical.” “It’s distracting.” “If Sammy doesn’t know it, neither should the reader.” I understand and respect each opinion. Those are all completely valid arguments.

But I loved the chance to spy on Jake. I wanted to know what the heck he and Heat...

The Loon Lake Series – A Series is Born…

Summer of Firefly Memories was never written as the start of a series. It was a stand-alone story about four sisters reuniting after years of confusion and hurt feelings—something many relationships experience.

Yes, the ending wasn’t the typical happily-ever-after. It was realistic for a story that took place over a few short months. There was no way the guy could get the girl that quickly—especially with all the emotional drama she’d endured with her sisters. The story wasn’t meant to be abo...

Enchanted Fall Indeed!

Before Christmas 2015 begins in earnest, I wanted to remember Fall 2015 as it was an enchanting one. I am very fond of that word—ENCHANTED. It’s the perfect word for fall. Christmas is about MAGIC…but fall is enchantment.

(Disneyland in October is on my bucket list.)

I kicked off the season talking with Donna Schmid on the Wise Woman Radio. We delved into the magic of the Autumn Equinox and how to symbolically celebrate it. You can listen to the recording here. It was a fun discussion—s...

Bobcat Sighting

The WILDEST thing happened to me a few Thursdays ago. Honest. Earlier in the week, for some reason I was thinking about bobcats. I guess one cause may have been the nagging desire to write a post about how Meg’s encounter with a bobcat (MY CHRISTMAS CURSE) at the Grand Canyon was based on my own experience there many years ago.

The next few photos shows the only evidence I had of the cat—its paw print in the snow. That was March 2007. A late spring storm blanketed the top of the canyon with sn...

What’s new?

Last week, MY CHRISTMAS CURSE was free in Amazon’s Kindle store, and oodles of copies were snatched up. I love that readers connect with Meg, her memories, and her fun story.

Looking for a special gift this Christmas? Complimentary “Christmas Deer” bookplates with your special message and signed by me are available. Just order the paperback on Amazon and e-mail me (joan@joangable.com) your request.

“Loon Lake” bookplates are also available for SUMMER OF FIREFLY MEMORIES or SUMMER OF DRAGONFLY C...

Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, oh my!

“Stories are gifts…SHARE” – my Starbucks mug

(Notice the sparkly sunlight affect that happened when I snapped this pic?Pure magic!)

I LOVE this mug. I found it several years ago, and it inspires me every Christmas season—especially last year when I wrote MY CHRISTMAS

CURSE. I hope it will inspire me again this year. It already has today!

I have always loved the art of letter writing—of sitting down with a blank notecard or piece of paper and pen, and writing a heart-to-heart note to a friend or f...

The Ultimate in Window-Shopping

A few years ago, when I was working on Summer of Dragonfly Changes, I had the pleasure of shopping for real estate—at least as part of my research. One of the characters, Aunt Kathy, was looking for property in Santa Rosa, California. So naturally, I had to scour the Internet for available real estate at the time and find properties for her.

IT WAS SO MUCH FUN!

Can you imagine shopping for property when money is no limiting factor—and it’s not your money to boot? At the time, the real estate pr...