Southern-Style Meet & Greet with Laura Frantz Plus Giveaway!

Y'all, we're gonna have a great time this week!  I am so excited that Laura Frantz is here for a Southern-Style Meet & Greet that I can hardly contain myself!  In the past few weeks, I've had the enormous pleasure of reading all three of her books, and let me tell ya....they are not to be missed!!

Oh, but I'm getting ahead of myself....  First, let's start with the winner of last week's giveaway of She Makes It Look Easy by Marybeth Whalen.  The lucky winner is:

Patricia (plb1050@...)

Patricia, I've sent an email to you to get your mailing addy.  :o)

So, let's get right down to business, shall we?  :o)  I think y'all are gonna love this week's Meet & Greet.  Laura is an extremely gifted writer, and I have soaked up all three of her novels like a sponge.  And apparently, I'm not the only one!  She has been nominated this year for a Carol Award for Courting Morrow Little, a well-deserved honor, for sure.  That book right there will make your heart flutter, I guarantee it!  I hope y'all enjoy our little chat on my front porch with our pitcher of tea.  Thank heavens that Laura likes it sweet, too.  :o)
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When did you first know you wanted to be a writer?

Since age 7, before I really knew what a writer even was. :) But I think God gifts you early oftentimes and there’s an awareness there even in childhood. I was always scribbling stories and have many that will never see the light of day. Thank heavens!

What genre do you most like to write?

Historical fiction. There’s just something so intriguing about the past and realizing we all came from people who lived centuries ago. Quite humbling and inspiring!

Laura, you do it so well, I hope you'll never cross over to a different genre!

Do your own personal experiences, or those of family and friends, ever find their way into one your stories? If it’s not too personal, do you have a funny one you can share with us?

Oh, I wish I could do funny. :) My stories are so dramatic and intense I have a hard time inserting much humor. I do think all of my novels echo family and friends. I even use historical tales passed down in my family through the generations. For example, in The Frontiersman’s Daughter I have my great-grandfather who lost a leg by wearing a too-tight boot. Character names are often taken from my family, too, such as Roxanna in The Colonel’s Lady, the name of my great-grandmother in Kentucky.

What do you hope readers “take away” with them after they read one of your books?

That God loves them despite their flaws and fears and that He can overcome any obstacle.

What is your latest book release?

My latest release is The Colonel’s Lady: In 1779, a search for her father brings Roxanna to the Kentucky frontier – but instead she discovers a young colonel, a dark secret…and a compelling reason to stay.

Are you currently working on another novel, and if so, can you give us a snippet about it?

How’s this for short and sassy ;) -

“Two sisters. One man. When he chooses one will the other destroy their love?” This is my first series which spans 100 years, or 4 generations, in one family. It begins in 1785 with an apprentice and two sisters. Sort of a mail-order groom story. I hope you and readers like it!

Oh, my!  How will I (and all your other fans) live until that one releases?!

What was the last Christian Fiction book that you read that you couldn’t put down?

Mine is the Night by Liz Curtis Higgs. Nobody writes historicals like Liz, IMHO. :)

You know, that one book gets more recommendations than any other I've seen in a long time.  It must *really* be good!

Where can readers find you on the web?

I love hearing from readers at LauraFrantz.net

What is your most favorite thing about the South?

I love big front porches, gracious people, sweet tea, hot weather, open windows, and thunderstorms. And cornbread dripping with butter. :)

Oh, yum. :o) My grandma could make some of the best.

Iced Tea—sweet or un-sweet?

Sweet, please, with a twist of lemon. :)

Coming right up!

BBQ Pork or BBQ Beef?

I have BBQ Pork in the crockpot right now.

Crockpot BBQ is the best!  (I'm so hungry now!)

Dolly Parton or Elvis Presley?

Dolly is tops. She has such a beautiful, distinct voice and is one savvy businesswoman.

Historical House—Plantation or Log Cabin?

I write a lot about cabins but most love plantations with those beautiful porches and gardens. Sigh.

Sigh is right!  I'd take one in a heartbeat if I didn't have to clean it all the time.  :o)

Country gal or city gal?

Country all the way.

You, you all, or y’all?

Y’all.
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Oh, I just had the loveliest time today!  I hope you did as well.  :o)  Laura, thank you so much for joining me today, and chatting about books and Southern things.  I hope you didn't get too homesick.  :o)

And folks, Laura has been so gracious to offer a copy of her newest book, The Colonel's Lady, to one person.  (And since last week's entry form didn't go as well as I'd planned, we're gonna keep things as simple as possible for contest entries.)

Here are the rules in a nutshell:

1.  Leave a comment with your email address disguised like "yourname at yourdomain dot com" or something similar.  If you do not leave an email address, I cannot include your name in the drawing...sorry.

2.  All entry comments must be left by Sunday, Sept. 11.

3. Contest is open to US residents only.

4.  Become a follower/email subscriber for an additional entry, and let me know in your comment if you're a new one or an existing one.  (No need to create a separate comment for this.  Combining everything into one comment is much easier.)  The upside?  You'll know what's happening here with future Meet & Greets...a win-win, for sure.