There is something about ghost stories that attracts us. Though often scary, ghost stories also bring warm memories of campfire tales or reading under the covers with a flashlight.
Next month, Georgia Writers Museum (GWM) will be fortunate enough to host a master of ghost storytelling: former Georgia Author of the Year Ann Hite. With doors open at 6:30 p.m. for a 7 p.m. start Oct. 3, Hite will be GWM’s Meet the Author presenter, discussing her book, Haints on Black Mountain.
Georgia Writers Museum recently conducted a brief interview with Hite.
GWM: Several of your books are about ghosts.
What is it about this literary topic that appeals to you?
Hite: From 10 years old, I was raised by my granny, who was born and raised in the foothills of Appalachia. My great aunts and her believed in spirits in the most natural of ways. Nothing about their “haint” stories scared me. I was intrigued.
I’ve always been a writer since before I could write well enough to put the stories I made up in my head on paper.
Granny and the great aunts’ stories just found a place in my imagination.
Granny always said, “Real people are much scarier than any haint.” Yet, many readers do confess to reading my work during the day.
GWM: Do you have a favorite ghost movie, and if so, why?
Hite: I have two, but they connect back to one book: “The Haunting” from 1963 and “The Haunting of Hill House” in 2018. Both films were adaptions of Shirley Jackson’s novel The Haunting of Hill House.
I began reading this author’s work when I was quite young. In high school, I was given [her] short story, “The Lottery,” to read for an assignment. I had been writing stories for years at this point.
This story inspired me to write more than just a ghost story but to dig deep down into the truth of the fiction.
GWM: Can you tell us a bit about your writing process?
Hite: I have learned how to write anywhere I am. Much of my first published novel, Ghost On Black Mountain, was written during my lunch hour each day. I was a technical writer for BP Oil and hid in a vacant office from noon to one, writing.
I have four daughters and a son, so being adaptable was key. Now that they are all grown, I have more time to write, but I still drop down the rabbit hole of writing in a split second. There is no real excuse for not writing. I tell my students that they can always get a couple of sentences written each day.
GWM: What is the most difficult part of the writing process for you?
Hite: The first draft is by far the hardest part of writing. For me, it’s like catching a bolt of lightning without being electrocuted. I have to get it down quickly before the story gets away.
Tickets to attend Ann Hite’s Meet the Author session at Georgia Writers Museum are $45 each, or $40 each for two or more.
A table for six also may be reserved for $200 (a savings of $40). Call Georgia Writers Museum (109 S. Jefferson Ave., Eatonton) at 706-991-5119 or visit online at georgiawritersmuseum.org for reservations and to pre-order Hite’s books, which she will be signing after her presentation.