Book Birthday Party, Day One: Author Laura Frantz

Thank you all for coming to this special celebration of birthdays and books! I'm so honored and excited to host some terrific authors this week. I hope you will all join me in welcoming the VIPs to this bash everyday starting with Laura Frantz, historical fiction author extraordinaire. Make sure you "mingle" and leave a comment for Laura, I'm sure she'd love to hear from you and you will be entered to win a copy of Laura's latest (and truly phenomenal story), The Colonel's Lady!!!

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The Colonel's Lady: Born August 1, 2011, to Laura Frantz and Revell Books

From Revell:

Roxanna Rowan may be a genteel Virginia woman, but she is determined to brave the wilds of the untamed frontier to reach a remote Kentucky fort. Eager to reunite with her father, who serves under Colonel Cassius McLinn, Roxanna is devastated to find that her father has been killed on a campaign.

Penniless and out of options, Roxanna is forced to remain at the fort. As she spends more and more time with the fiery Colonel McLinn, the fort is abuzz with intrigue and innuendo. Can Roxanna truly know who the colonel is--and what he's done?

Immerse yourself in this powerful story of love, faith, and forgiveness set in the tumultuous world of the frontier in 1779.

~Available to purchase from Amazon and other booksellers.~

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For those who don't know could you please tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got started writing?

I wrote my first story when I was 7 :-). My mom came in and found me at my dad's desk with this big book about ships spread out and I was scribbling away. After that I was a bit of a copy cat and penned the sequel to Gone With the Wind and Dances With Wolves and other things before starting The Frontiersman's Daughter in my 30's. I'm so thankful many of these stories never saw the light of day. You should be glad, too!

What's the best thing about book birthdays (the release of a new book)?

Hmmm…Reader mail :-). It's always so rewarding to have someone read your book and really “get” what you were trying to do within those pages. Fiction is supposed to entertain but we're blessed within the CBA to reach readers on a spiritual level. It's my prayer that the Lord will put my books into the hands of the right readers, those who would be blessed by them. It's always fun to see where He takes that.


If Roxie were attending this party what would she bring as a gift?

Love the question! I think she'd bring a little parcel of sweets from a confectioner's shoppe like candied rose petals or macaroons - or a pair of knitting needles. She might give a friend clocked stockings (hose with a design on them) or a dried nosegay. Or a pincushion. Ever practical, that Roxie!

Could you tell us a bit about The Colonel's Lady or share an excerpt?

Last year I was blessed to locate an 18th-century reproduction gown (a long-held dream of mine) so that I could “feel” what it was like to dress like my heroine, Roxanna. It was fun to share more “dress-up” details in the novel as to what a lady of that time period would wear. I wasn't able to do this as much with Lael and Morrow, my two previous heroines, as they weren't true ladies like Roxanna. And since I'm such an admirer of men in uniform, it was wonderful outfitting my hero in his swallowtail coat and all that buff and blue of the American Revolution.


Feel free to add anything that you would like in closing…

My next novel is a mail-order groom story set in Pennsylvania beginning in 1784. I think of this as “Renee's story” as it's in your neck of the woods! I hope you like my apprentice and the two very dissimilar sisters he's forced to choose between. I promise lots of historical fireworks!

Thanks so much, Renee, for the best book bash ever!

~Be sure to visit Laura online @ her WEBSITE. I know she'd love to hear from you and you will love what she posts.

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Giveaway:

~ To be entered to win a copy of The Colonel's Lady simply fill out the form! US residents only. Void where prohibited.

~ For 2 bonus entries fill out the form, LEAVE A COMMENT on this post for Laura about the book or any questions you might have about her or her career as a writer!

Thank you for entering! Good luck!