Leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of Laura’s newest book, “The Lacemaker.” Winner will be announced in the next Author Spotlight feature. Congratulations to Loretta Moore for winning Samuel Parker’s book, “ColdWater.” Please email my assistant christenkrumm {at} gmail {dot} com to claim your prize.
Historical romance favorite Laura Frantz crafts a suspenseful tale of love, betrayal, and new beginnings in The Lacemaker.
When colonial Williamsburg explodes on the eve of the American Revolution, Lady Elisabeth “Liberty” Lawson is abandoned by her fiancé and suspected of being a spy for the hated British. No one comes to her aid save a man who should be her enemy, Patriot Noble Rynallt.
Liberty is left with a terrible choice. Will the Virginia belle side with the radical revolutionaries or stay true to her English roots? And at what cost?
With her meticulous eye for detail and her knack for creating living, breathing characters, Frantz continues to enchant readers with a story that is historically accurate, exciting, and taut with romantic tension.
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
I’m an almost empty nester who just discovered IKEA so am excited about redecorating and gardening again – and writing, of course, in a too quiet house.
When did you start writing your first book?
Age 7 after reading all those little historical biographies written for children about famous people. I still remember standing in front of that shelf and just where those little books were when I first learned to read. It was a magical experience. Then I began writing a book like them.
How did you choose the genre you write in? Or did the genre choose you?
I’ve always read historical novels since childhood so the genre chose me, I guess. I can’t imagine writing anything else, especially a contemporary novel! I’m fascinated by how differently things were done back then and the lives people lived. I used to say I was born in the wrong era and wanted to be back in the 18th-century until I discovered their aversion to bathing and how disease-prone they were. I am so thankful for my Keurig and hot bath!
Does writing energize you or exhaust you?
Energizes, inspires, and fills me to the brim. People exhaust me though I love them! I crave quiet and the natural world and just a plain old pen and paper. It’s amazing what that combination becomes!
Do you believe in writer’s block?
Hmm. I believe there are certain seasons in which it is harder to write but I’ve never had writer’s block. Once I start writing the story just takes over and sort of tells itself. I think block would be very hard to endure as for me writing is such an escape and has been since I first began.
Do you create an outline before you begin? Do you have the end in mind, or do you just wait and see where the story takes you?
I’m a total writing ‘panster’ and outlining is too much like counting calories to me! I never have the end in mind. I love to be surprised. THE END is always hard for me. After living with a story and its characters for so long, I really do find moving on bittersweet.
What kind of research do you do? How long do you spend researching before beginning a book?
I research for at least 3 months before beginning a book and then continue researching while writing. Thankfully, I love research almost as much as writing. I find so many plots and characters and story threads through research. Truth really is stranger than fiction!
Are you part of a community of authors? If so, how has it helped you?
I pretty much fly solo though I’ve been to two of Tamara Leigh’s retreats at her beautiful home outside Nashville. She is a culinary queen, the epitome of graciousness, and we get a tremendous amount of writing done while feeling spoiled by our beautiful hostess and surroundings. I always leave feeling blessed and refreshed and inspired! Writing can be a very solitary experience. Books get written in isolation, not company, so anytime I can meet with fellow writers who live in that oddly creative zone and who understand that life, I’m blessed. I love conferences, too, like ACFW though don’t attend as many as I’d like to.
Laura Frantz is a Christy Award finalist and the ECPA bestselling author of several books, including The Frontiersman’s Daughter, Courting Morrow Little, The Colonel’s Lady, The Mistress of Tall Acre, A Moonbow Night, and the Ballantyne Legacy series. She lives and writes in a log cabin in the heart of Kentucky.
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I loved the historical novels as a child also!
So glad you did, too, Jo. I really believe they laid the foundation for me as a writer. I hope children today are still enjoying them like we once did. Thank you for taking time to be here today. Love meeting fellow readers!
Thanks for the author spotlight on Laura Frantz. I would love to read The Lacemaker. Thanks for the chance to win a copy.
Thank you, Kay, for wanting to read this latest historical tale set in one of my favorite places, Colonial Williamsburg. Blessed to meet you here through Suzanne!
I haven’t read Laura’s earliest books but I’ve read most of the last ones and really enjoyed them. I’m looking forward to The Lacemaker. Someday I’ll go back and find her earlier books since I’m sure I’ll like them too. Thanks for this giveaway.
Dear Pam, Really happy I’m not unknown to you! Thank you for taking time for my books and telling me you enjoyed them. I hope you enjoy Lady Elisabeth’s world of lace when you meet her. I miss those characters!
I am grateful for authors like you who bring the past alive and help us remember our past heroines.
Patti, Beautifully said! Thank you for summing up the very heart of why I write historical novels – to do my small part in keeping our rich heritage alive! And appreciative readers like you are a huge part of that!
I’ve been looking forward to reading this book. It sounds SO good!
Elly -Indiana-
Hi Elly, So happy you want to meet Lady E, as I call her, and her Welsh hero. That blesses me. Thank you for being here!
Laura, you’re going to love Ikea! It’s such a fun treasure hunt! I also think it’s awesome that you liked biographies as a kid. So did I! My parents had a series of books where each person in history showed a certain admirable trait like honesty or courage. They were so entertaining and educational!
Dear Karen, Love that you’re an IKEA fan, too! Treasure hunt is the perfect term for them! What a different world that is! I was last in their Portland store and didn’t want to come out 🙂 And I’m fascinated by the series you mention that your parents had. I so hope kids today are being taught those same key character traits which perhaps are more needed now than ever before. Your comments so bless me. Thank you for taking time to be here today!
I received a copy of Moonbow Night for Christmas. Would love a copy of this her newest!
Dear Patty, Over the moonbow you received Tempe’s frontier story as a Christmas gift! That feels like a gift to me, too! The Lacemaker is so very different than that very Kentucky story and far more genteel and romantic. I hope you enjoy both. Thank you for being here today!
I’ve been so eager to read “The Lacemaker,” Laura! I loved visiting Williamsburg–such a rich place for history. Thanks for visiting my blog this week! I enjoyed learning more about you. Warmly, Suzanne
Dear Suzanne, You are the most wonderful hostess as I just told Revell when they sent me this link – and they all agree! I’m really honored to be here and meet reading friends through you. Your love for both your readers and Godly fiction really shines through. Thanks so much for wanting to read this latest book of my heart. Thankfully, 2018 looks like a wonderful year for fiction (and non-fiction). I’m counting down till your next release!
I’ve enjoyed historical fiction since childhood. Thank you for the great interview.
Hi Marilyn, I think so many of us became historical fiction fans in childhood which began a lifelong reading habit for which I’m so grateful. Thank you for wanting to read this Colonial Williamsburg novel!