Meet the author of The Frontiersman's Daughter, Laura Frantz

"In the fading lavender twilight, at the edge of a clearing, stood half a dozen Shawnee warriors. They looked to the small log cabin nestled in the bosom of the greening ridge, as earthy and unassuming as the ground it sat upon. If not for the cabin’s breathtaking view of the river and rolling hills, arguably the finest in the territory, most passersby would easily dismiss such a place, provided they found it at all."

And so it begins, the fascinating story of Lael Click, The Frontiersman's Daughter.  This breathtaking story, told by author Laura Frantz, is my special guest.  

Greetings, Laura!  I just finished reading your debut novel, The Frontiersman's Daughter.  I was enthralled!  I loved learning about the world of your protagonist, Lael.  I've also enjoyed getting to know you a bit online through our blogs.

Please tell us about your blog and where we can visit you online.

I’ve been blogging since April 2008 and love to meet other bloggers/readers/writers online. Please visit at http://www.laurafrantz.blogspot.com or laurafrantz.net!


Laura, how long have you been writing?  When were you first published?

I’ve been writing since age 7 and haven’t stopped yet, though I’ve been tempted to quit many times. I wasn’t published till age 48 but it was worth the wait!

Well, thats good news for me since my writing experience is similiar.  Though I'm not published yet, I am working on it - and am turning 48 soon to boot.



Who has been the biggest influence on your writing?

I dedicated The Frontiersman’s Daughter to my granny as she was such an encourager to me and never stopped praying for me and my writing. Sadly, she passed away during the publication of this book. She was an avid reader and loved to share Christ wherever she went. My younger brother, Chris, has also been a huge influence, as he forced me out of my writing closet of 40 years and told me to submit TFD and use whatever gifts God had given me. He met with my granny and they arranged for the manuscript to be critiqued by a professional freelance editor prior to my submitting to publishers. 

What a blessing to have that kind of encouragement and people who believed in your work.  I took a leap of faith, and came out of my own writing closet when I started writing online. It really has helped build my courage.  I've also met some great people in the writing community online like you!






What is your writing style? Do you have any particular method for staying organized while writing a book?

I must admit I have to discipline myself away from writing. It’s been my constant companion since childhood and, to paraphrase Stephen King, I’m really never quite comfortable unless I’m writing. It tends to take precedence over everything if I’m not very careful – my husband and sons, church activities, cooking, cleaning, everything! There are days when I get tired but it’s mostly being tired of feeling driven to write. I tend to write every day though I don’t worry with a word count. I just write as much as I can, morning, noon, or night, always praying as I go.

Ah, kindred spirits we are!

The Least of These

Over at Novel Matters, author Patti Hill is discussing Measuring Success as a Christian Novelist.

"In Jesus' kingdom, success is belief and meeting the needs of "the least of these."  What does this mean for the writer of fictional stories? . . .  I want my stories to demonstrate an aspect of Christ the Lord that is so winsome that the reader will hunger to partake of him."

This is just a nugget from the thoughts she shares.  I aspire to the insights she revealed which are truly goals for this Christian writer.  I was truly overwhelmed her eloquent post and encourage you to visit Patti at  Novel Matters to read the whole of what she said. 


Matthew 25:31-46 

I have some characters that are society outcasts in some of my stories.  I am inspired now to make an extra effort to develop the relationships that they encounter with others and be certain to show not just tell of the love of Christ.


How do you minister to the least of these in your writings?  

Inspiration Box

  On the wall in my writing studio is a shadow box that I created a little while back. I filled it with trinkets that I had been collecting for some time that are a reflection of some of my interests.  I also included several inspirational sayings.  When visiting an author friend's home today I saw that she had a shadow box just like mine, only filled with different items.  This project was so much fun and another creative way to express myself.

There are all kinds of words inside my inspiration box including imagine, imaginative, imagery, create, dream, inspire, hope, wish, become and inside the real blank book in one of the cubbies it says "Believe".  A clay pot is also inscribed with Isaiah 64:8 which says, "Yet, O LORD, you are our Father.  We are the clay, you are the potter;  we are all the work of your hand."  You'll find the rest of the sayings below.
The photos open large so you can see the detail.

 

“If you can imagine it, you can achieve it; if you can dream it, you can become it.” ~ William Arthur Ward

"And we, with our unveiled faces reflecting like mirrors the glory of the Lord, all grow from glory to glory as we are turned into the image that we reflect" ~ 2 Corinthians 3:18

"It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live." ~  J.K. Rowling

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies with in us." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

"It's never too late to be what you might have been." ~  George Eliot

"Reach high, for stars lie hidden in your soul.  Dream deep, for every dream precedes the goal.” ~ Pamela Vaull Starr

   

Art, graphic design, and photography help fuel my creativity.  What ways of creative expression help inspire your writing?

To Write or Not to Write

This weekened I've been a busy little bee with my writing.  I finished an article for the local paper special edition 5 days before deadline.  How'd I do that?  I thought the deadline was sooner.  Felt so good to have it in early!

I went on the Barbour Books website as they have new publishing projects posted from time to time.  This one is Heavenly Humor for the Cat Lover’s Soul the deadline is tomorrow, Nov. 2nd.  They require two 500 word devotionals.  Can I do it?  Yes!  I'm excited about this one and hope they'll accept my submission.

I learned at Seekerville about the RWA Silicon Valley's Gotcha! Contest.  Unpubbed writers send in their  first 15 pages of their romance manuscript. 4 entries in each category, inspirational included, will be reviewed by a Harlequin editor.  Problem.  Deadline is Nov. 4th.  I'm still debating if this is even feasible.  Last time I had a chance to enter a first 15 page Audience with an Agent contest  I determined it was cutting it too close and it just wasn't fitting in.  I decided to wait until their next one next year.  Same goes for the Launching a Star Contest at Spacecoast Authors of Romance (RWA)   in September.  It just wasn't going to happen this year.

The more I learn about these opportunities I am naturally drawn to them, but it isn't always realistic.   That also goes for NaNoWriMo.  I've never participated and can't do it this November either since I have a lot of website work going on, three interviews (I'm one of them and two I'm hosting), and some book reviews to get done.   I'm trying to not create a crisis over my writing and take it in stride.  I never realized that writing would require so much discernment. And a lot of prayer.

How do you decide when to get involved in a writing project or not?  How do you feel about contests?