Interview With Laura Frantz

What inspired you to write your first book? I wanted to create the happily-ever-afters I didn’t have in real life. So I did:) 

Is there a message in your novels that you want readers to grasp? I hope readers sense the presence of God in my stories on some level, particularly His great love for them and His ongoing faithfulness to them personally and uniquely.


How much of your books are realistic? Most of my ideas stem from real life historical events. It’s challenging but very enjoyable to have plots pivot around actual circumstances in history. And very fun to make up imaginary characters who live out these events.


What books have most influenced your life most? The Bible and biographies of historical people.



What book are you reading now? The Poldark series while I watch season 2. Definitely a great combo!


Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest? I love Joanne Bischof, Amber Perry, Cristine Eastin, Brenda Anderson, and others who I’m forgetting to name! There are SO many solid authors out there across genres. Christian fiction is truly blessed!


Do you recall how your interest in writing originated? I wrote my first story at age 7 after reading those little historical biographies for children about famous people. I can still see those shelves in my elementary school library. Those books were like candy to me J.


Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing? Weaving in a spiritual theme that is relevant and believable to the reader.






Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work? George MacDonald, a 19^th-century pastor and fiction writer. He had the amazing ability to create compelling characters with such dimension you feel like you know them and come to care for them deeply. Also, his descriptions of Scotland and nature are mind-blowingly authentic and beautiful.



Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers? It’s all about readers. If not for readers, there would be no books. I’ve been very touched and blessed by readers

around the world. I’m continually amazed at how God uses fiction to reach people in all kinds of circumstances. I can’t believe anything I write is of any merit or worthy of praise but I always remember He’s the giver of the writing gift and all the glory goes to Him.


Why Christian fiction? Why historical Christian fiction? Because history is really HIS story and it’s a privilege to share God’s grace through stories. Sometimes readers might not pick up a Bible but will a book with a Christian theme. God meets seekers wherever they are in all sorts of creative ways, including fiction.
Writing is obviously in your blood – was there a particular person who encouraged you to nurture your gift?? My granny who died at nearly 100 shortly before my debut novel was published. I dedicated The Frontiersman’s Daughter to her. She always said to me growing up, “I think you should write a book.” Also my brother, a pastor and missionary, told me to share my gift of writing. 




Tell us how you felt/what you did when you found out you had your first contract. I stayed up all night listening to Christian music as I couldn’t sleep!
Favorite movie and favorite line from a movie? “Look back at me,” from the BBC’s North and South.
Please share some of your faith journey… Came to know Christ at age 12 as I was raised in the church but didn’t have a heart knowledge of him until my 30’s. Heart knowledge wins hands down! I’m learning and growing in the faith all the time, overwhelmed with God’s heart for us and how He wants a personal relationship with us above all else.



Please feel free to leave questions for Laura in the comments.

More Sweet Memories . . .The Ballantyne Series

This is one of my favorite series, The Ballantyne Family. With each book Laura draws you into this family and the saga surrounding their lives. I lived and breathed their story, and I waited on pins and needles for the next book in the series. I hated when the series ended, I am so glad that I have the books and am able to revisit the Ballantyne's in Pennsylvania.

You can read my review of each book by clicking the links below . . .

Love's Reckoning

Love's Awakening

Love's Fortune

You can also enter the giveaway for Laura's The Frontiersman's Daughter below. VVVVVVVVV

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Ah the Memories! The Colonel's Lady by Laura Frantz

In celebrating my ten years of blogging I am digging through my blogging archives and revisiting old friends.

The Colonel's Lady was the second book I read by Laura and I absolutely adored it. I remember feeling as though I was right there in the middle of all the action.

Book Description:

Can love survive the secrets kept buried within a tormented heart?

Roxanna Rowan may be a genteel Virginia woman, but she is determined to brave the wilds of the untamed frontier to reach a remote Kentucky fort. Eager to reunite with her father, who serves under Colonel Cassius McLinn, Roxanna is devastated to find that her father has been killed on a campaign.

Penniless and out of options, Roxanna is forced to remain at the fort. As she spends more and more time with the fiery Colonel McLinn, the fort is abuzz with intrigue and innuendo. Can Roxanna truly know who the colonel is--and what he's done?

Immerse yourself in this powerful story of love, faith, and forgiveness set in the tumultuous world of the frontier in 1779.


Here is the video that Revell made with Laura about this book.





Here is my review of this book, from August 2011


My Thoughts: This is one of those books that stays with you even when you close the book. I felt as though I was right there in the fort, experiencing everything right along with Roxanna. Roxanna may have been a "genteel" woman however she is definitely her father's daughter. When she needed to stand up and get things done she did.
Don't forget to tuck this one your bag for your Labor Day get away. I highly recommend it! I give this book a lighthouse and shine a light on it for pointing a path to God!

If you haven't had a chance to read this book by Laura you need to grab a copy!

TEN YEARS Blogaversary Giveaway #1

About the book:

Lovely but tough as nails, Lael Click is the daughter of a celebrated frontiersman. Haunted by her father's former captivity with the Shawnee Indians, as well as the secret sins of her family's past, Lael comes of age in the fragile Kentucky settlement her father founded. Though she faces the loss of a childhood love, a dangerous family feud, and the affection of a Shawnee warrior, Lael draws strength from the rugged land she calls home, and from Ma Horn, a distant relative who shows her the healing ways of herbs and roots found in the hills. But the arrival of an outlander doctor threatens her view of the world, God, and herself--and the power of grace and redemption.

This epic novel gives readers a glimpse into the simple yet daring lives of the pioneers who first crossed the Appalachians, all through the courageous eyes of a determined young woman. Laura Frantz's debut novel offers a feast for readers of historical fiction and romance lovers alike.

 About Laura:

Christ-follower, history lover, wife, mom, author. Felt called to write since age 7 and have been writing ever since. My first love is 18th-century fiction, especially colonial history. I feel blessed beyond measure to write books. I hope you are doubly blessed reading them! 

http://laurafrantz.net/

LINK FOR GIVEAWAY BELOW vvvvvvvvv

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10 Year Blogaversary!!!!

I can't believe that in 10 weeks, I will have been blogging for 10 years. I am frequently asked how I got started blogging and reviewing books. It was rather simple, really. On January 1, 2007, I started this blog to keep track of my reading. A friend I had met on Frugal Reader, which was a book trading site, told me about Christian Fiction Blog Alliance and I signed up and began reviewing books. Before I knew it I was not only receiving books through CFBA, I was also getting books I hadn't requested. When I first started reviewing I knew maybe five Christian authors and their work. That number has increased ten times over. I have had the pleasure to read some author's debut novel, which has to be one of the most fun things ever. My favorite books of the year, and favorite authors grow by leaps and bounds. I can no longer just list my favorite 10 books of the year. I've gone to listing them based on genre, which is still difficult.

In the next 10 weeks I will be celebrating 10 years of my blog. I will be featuring some of my favorite books and their authors, along with giving away of one of my favorite books.

Starting tomorrow, October 24th, a copy of The Frontiersman's Daughter by Laura Frantz will be given away.
I will be sharing my reviews of Laura's books along with an interview of Laura.

Please stop by chat, and leave questions.

40 Days to a Joyful Motherhood - Devotions and Coloring Book by Sarah Humphrey

About the book:

{More about 40 Days to a Joyful Motherhood}

40 Days to a Joyful Motherhood: Devotions and Coloring Book to Nourish Mom (Abingdon Press, August 2016)
Nourishment for a mother’s soul through 40 days of devotion and . . . doodling!
Wouldn’t it be marvelous if mothering came with a concrete set of instructions—an easy recipe we could follow? Instead, motherhood challenges women to find their faith, their true selves, and their family through daily doses of trial and error. It is a brilliant and healing time of life that is full of joy, pain, and beauty with a small side of crisis (and humor). What mothers do not know, they learn. And through this lifelong process of learning, they nurture and care for the most precious gifts on earth: children. In a modern society where moms often have a full and busy plate, these 10 minute daily devotions focus on six key topics of motherhood:
—Self-acceptance
—Self-care
—Reconciling with grief, hope and expectations
—Generosity
—Presence
—Forgiveness
In addition to the devotions, these beautiful pages are adorned with handmade illustrations to help you refresh from long days or even occasional sleepless nights. So, grab your colors and a little quiet time for yourself while doodling at the kitchen table. You will be grateful you did!
Learn more and purchase a copy.

{More About Sarah Humphrey}

Often considered a dreamer and silly heart, Sarah Humphrey uses inspiration from her most beloved career, motherhood, to fuel her passion for writing, creative movement and teaching. She has and is authoring several books and children’s books. Sarah currently resides in Nashville, Tennessee with her husband and three beautiful, bouncy kids.
Find out more about Sarah at http://sarahhumphrey.com.


My Thoughts:

I am a gramma now, way past having small children at home, but I found this devotional/coloring book to be very relaxing and encouraging. I didn't color all of the pages in the book as I know I will go back and spend more time coloring. I like the big illustrations, they weren't super intricate and I enjoyed the simpleness of them.
This would be a great baby gift for that expectant mom you may know.
Highly recommended!

 This is one of the pictures I colored. Big, and fun!

First Line Friday - The Thorn Healer by Pepper D. Basham

About the book:

Jessica Ross' scars run much deeper than the wounds of war. Determined to escape the ghosts of her past and the German influence on her nightmares, she returns home to the sleepy Appalachian town of Hot Springs, NC, only to find the renowned Mountain Park Hotel has been converted into a 'prison' for displaced Germans. To Jessica's dismay, her grandparents have befriended one of the treacherous internees.

August Reinhold has not only found kinship with Jessica's grandparents, but as they share their granddaughter's letters from the Front, he discovers a surprising bond drawing him toward the independent and beautiful woman. Displaced by a war and a painful history, he finds Hot Springs and the intriguing Jessica Ross a tempting place to start over. Determined to scale the heights of her bitterness and show her the power of love, August faces more than just Jessica's resistance but a more devious design to harm the civilian sailors housed in Hot Springs.

Will August's tender pursuit bring Jessica the healing and hope she needs, or will bitterness force her into the hands of a "true" enemy waiting to destroy much more than her heart? 

Expected publication: November 2016 

 About Pepper:

Pepper D Basham has been telling tales ever since she was a little girl. When her grandmother called her a “writer” at the age of ten, Pepper took it as gospel and has enjoyed various types of writing styles ever since. A native of the Blue Ridge Mountains, mom of five, speech-language pathologist, and lover of chocolate, Pepper enjoys sprinkling her native Appalachian culture into her fiction wherever she can. She currently resides in the lovely mountains of Asheville, NC, where she works with kids who have special needs, searches for unique hats, and plots new ways to annoy her wonderful friends at her writing blog, The Writer’s Alley. She is represented by Julie Gwinn, and her debut novel, The Thorn Bearer, arrives on May 7th 2015

First I have to say, isn't the cover just gorgeous??? I love it!

First line - 

Wounded soldiers returned from war as heroes. 

 Visit these wonderful ladies and their first lines. Leave yours in the comments.

Rachel  

Beth Erin

Sydney

Carrie