Season of Love Blog Party Day 7: Special Guest Laura Frantz + Giveaway!

Throughout my journey as reader, reviewer and blogger I've met a lot of great people. Some of them you've already met if you've been visiting each site on the Seasons of Love party/blog hop this week. They are all prolific bloggers and great friends. I've also been blessed enough to meet some great authors who have also become friends, including Laura Frantz, author of The Frontiersman's Daughter, Courting Morrow Little and the upcoming book, The Colonel's Lady. I don't know how she does it but in between her family, and writing books she also maintains a great website with interesting posts on everything from history to writing and devotions. I think if you visit her site you'll be a follower for life! Without further ado here's Laura Frantz!



Interview with author Laura Frantz

1.)What is your favorite romance story? besides your own of course. ;-)

It must be the writer in me but the first thing I think of are romantic literary couples. :-) Think Katie O'Connor and Luke. Charity and Mitch. Faith and Collin. Marguerite and Trip. Rachel and Rand. Jack and Ruth. And then there's Lael and Ian…Morrow and Red Shirt… I'm sure you could add to the list! Not to mention the classic couples like Darcy and Elizabeth and Jane Eyre and Mr. Rochester.

This may sound a bit grim for Valentine's Day but I've always been touched by real-life couples who have been married a very long time and then die within days of each other. I like to think they had such a deep affection that they couldn't be
without each other.


2.) Do you have a favorite romantic movie?

Ah, Renee, you well know! :-) Until last August it was The Last of the Mohicans but now it is the one and only North and South! I'm afraid no other film will ever measure up nor will there ever be a hero like John (heartbreak) Thornton/Richard Crispin Armitage. The balcony scene where Margaret throws her arms around his neck…the Northbound train kiss…the moment their fingers touch over teacups. Sigh. I could go on and on. And I thank you readers for introducing me to him!


3.) Favorite love song?

This is going to brand me an old woman, I'm afraid. Ever heard of Bryan Adams? He had some incredibly romantic songs way back when, when I was - uh, your age:-). But I have to say the most romantic- sounding songs I've ever heard are played on the fiddle or violin. Songs like Ashokan Farewell and the music of master fiddlers in centuries past.


4.) The ultimate romantic getaway locale?

Hmmm - this one has come up a lot lately… I'd have to say SCOTLAND once again. Those Scottish heroes in their kilts and that Gaelic lilt woo one like nothing else:-)! Unless it could be all that Cadbury chocolate down south in England… Stay tuned for my Scottish hero in The Ballantyne Legacy. I hope you'll fall head over heels!

5.) What do you love most about being a writer?

Writing romantic scenes. Truly, when you're a writer you just stay in love all the time - with your husband, your current hero/characters, and the author of true romance, our Lord and Savior. I also have to mention hearing from readers is such a privilege and a joy. No one ever says the same thing about how a book has touched them. That's the beauty of writing inspirational fiction. There's a sacred element involved in that the Lord ministers to people through the written word in very personal ways. I'm always a bit awed by that.


6.) Can you share a favorite romantic scene from one of your books or one that was edited out?

Ready for some heartbreak here? I deleted the morning after scene following the waterfall wedding night between Miss Morrow and her man :-(. Sorry, dear readers, 'twas just a wee bit too intimate and for my eyes only. But it was oh so sweet! I couldn't bear to throw it away so it went into my outtakes file. I felt that I was baring my soul a little too much in that scene. Nothing inappropriate, mind you, but it was like spilling my heart onto the page… I will say that in that particular scene a certain someone shares with a certain someone that he has saved himself for her all those years and has loved her for a very long time.


7.) A piece of sage advice on love or romance that you've learned or that someone has told you that's true or just plain funny?

Absence really does make the heart grow fonder - if you're truly in love. My favorite romances involve distance and letter writing, savoring each moment of a slow-growing romance. Very old-fashioned. Not the hurly burly of the here and now. If it's real it doesn't matter how far apart you are. If it's God-ordained distance is a moot point. When Randy and I were dating we just held hands for months. Nothing else. But how sweet that was!


8.) Okay this is kind of a fun question:

They say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, I happen to believe that this is true for us ladies as well (at least for me anyways). What would your hubby make, if he had limitless culinary skills, to warm the cockles of your heart?

Oh, this one makes me chuckle:-)… My wonderful husband cannot even operate the microwave. So…in my dreams, I would have Randy don a chef's hat and whip up some prime rib with horseradish sauce, risotto, spinach soufflé, fettuccini alfredo (you can't have too much pasta, ya know) and then wow me with a lemon meringue pie, southern style. Top it off with some sweet tea and you'd probably be pretty sick :-(. I do so love to eat!


Thanks a million, Renee, for such great questions and for allowing me to mingle with your readers once again. You all are such a blessing!

Be sure to visit Laura @ Her WEBSITE!

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To celebrate romance I'm offering a gift pack of three Christian fiction romance books to one lucky winner. One book is the brand new release, Save the Date by Jenny B. Jones (this one is an early favorite for my top ten books of the year list!) and two other books that will be a surprise since I LOVE surprises!!!!

EXTRA ENTRY: Which cover of those pictured above is your fave?

To enter just leave a comment with your email in a format similar to this: steelergirl83(at)gmail(dot)com. US residents only please. Void where prohibited. Contest open until Feb. 13th, 11:59pm EST. Winner will be drawn on Feb, 14th using random.org, notified by email and announced on this blog. Winner will have 48 hours from time I email them to respond or another winner will be selected at random.

Remember to click HERE for all the other sites that hosted the party this week and to visit Amber's blog tomorrow for the grand finale!