One of My All Time Favorite Authors - Laura Frantz!

I'm so privileged to have the opportunity to share with you all today about one of my very favorite authors, Laura Frantz. I met Laura at the 2011 ACFW conference and was struck by her genuine personality and encouraging spirit. Her books are fabulous and I'm so excited about her newest release, Love's Fortune, the third installment in a wonderful series.

So without further ado, I'll hand it over to Laura!

1) What made you want to become a writer? Was there a particular person, event, or novel that particularly inspired you? I was 7 when I wrote my first story about ships, then a novella about a girl who lived in Old Sturbridge Village when I was 12. My grandfather was a printer so he would bring home reams of paper and I would spend hours making little books that I’d illustrate and write in. They were always historical in nature and the girls always wore fancy dressesJ . Since my family has been in Kentucky for over 200 years, history came naturally to me.

2) What do you like most about being a writer? Not having to comb my hair or put on lipstick before I go to work! Actually, I love sitting by my woodstove and writing – or sitting on the deck in summer and writing amidst my flower garden and fountain. Being home with my kids is such a joy. I’m a true homebody at heart.

3) What do you like least about being a writer? The marketing aspect of promoting your work and viewing your book as a product. I don’t like the emphasis on sales and numbers either. None of that has anything to do with why I write. I write because I want to honor the gift God has given me and bless readers, no matter how many or how few.

4) What would you say is the biggest mistake beginning writers make? Did you find yourself making this mistake early in your career? Sometimes beginning writers think they’re ready for publication before they truly are. I’ve heard it takes 10,000 hours to master something and do it really, really well. There are exceptions to this, of course, but we can’t all be like Mozart and pick up a violin at age 2 and play beautifully! And I don’t believe we can ever truly master writing. Even Francine Rivers has said she still feels like an apprentice. We can never underestimate the Lord’s workings, either. I know of a published author who was first contracted in her teens and another who wasn’t published until she was in her 80’s.

5) Do you have a particular place or setting in which you do your writing? Maybe an area that fuels your creativity? Last winter my teenage son moved to our garage apartment, giving up his bedroom so I could have a little library. It’s now painted and wallpapered and has wainscoting, so looks very colonialJ . There’s even a little woodstove in one corner and big windows overlooking the woods. That’s inspiration for me.

6) Is there a particular book on writing that you return to again and again? Any craft book by James Scott Bell is terrific, fun, and chock full of great writing tips. But I really learn most by studying the masters of historical fiction in the CBA and general markets. One of my favorite writers in the CBA is Liz Curtis Higgs. I only have to pick up one of her books to feel I’ve had a crash course in writing. Many writers can tell a good story, but few can tell it beautifully. Liz is one who does both.



7) Is there a scripture verse that has inspired you in your writing? Yes, 1 Corinthians 15:58: "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord."

8) What three tips do you have for beginning writers? Write your heart out. Read authors who write in the genre you like best. Pray for open doors.

9) Share with us a little about your writing journey. How long did it take you to get published? 40 years if you consider I wrote my first story at age 7. I sometimes tell people I must not be very good at this as it took me so long to get here! But I believe the Lord’s timing is impeccable and it’s not wise to push our way into anything. In fact, when my editor contacted me about publishing "The Frontiersman’s Daughter", I wasn’t sure I wanted to and didn’t call her back. My brother, a missionary, convinced me to not waste the talent God had given me and then things took off from there. At the time I was unagented, had never been to a writing conference, had no writing contacts, had only recently gotten a computer, and so it was no small miracle a publisher noticed me. I came in through the Writers Edge in a very non-traditional way. But I’d been writing my heart out for 40 years and that is what truly matters.


ABOUT LAURA:
 Award-winning author Laura Frantz is passionate about all things historical, particularly the 18th-century, and writes her manuscripts in longhand first. Her stories often incorporate Scottish themes that reflect her family heritage. She is a direct descendant of George Hume, Wedderburn Castle, Berwickshire, Scotland, who was exiled to the American colonies for his role in the Jacobite Rebellion of 1715, settled in Virginia, and is credited with teaching George Washington surveying in the years 1748-1750. Her family resides in Kentucky and Virginia.

According to Publishers Weekly, "Frantz has done her historical homework." With her signature attention to historical detail and emotional depth, she is represented by Janet Kobobel Grant, Literary Agent & Founder, Books & Such Literary Agency of Santa Rosa, California.

Readers can find Laura Frantz at www.laurafrantz.net