Interview with Laura Frantz

Courting Morrow Little, Laura's new book, has just come out. It is her much-awaited second novel and is published through Revell. Please see her website, http://www.laurafrantz.net/ for more information about Laura and her writing! When Laura's book The Frontiersman's Daughter came out last year, it became my current favorite novel and remains at the top of my list.


Laura, what will readers of The Frontiersman's Daughter be surprised by in Courting Morrow Little?
Probably that Morrow is so very different than Lael, my protagonist in The Frontiersman's Daughter. While writing Morrow's story I was struck by the thought that if these two women were to meet I don't even know if they'd like each other! Also, while Lael goes east to Virginia, Morrow goes west in the story. Though both novels are set in Kentucky, the stories are very different. Lael starts the story with a strong character that must be softened and sweetened by novel's end. Morrow starts by being needy and weak and must grow strong. That said, I think they would like each other at the end of their stories rather than the beginning.


How would you contrast the two books?
The Frontiersman's Daughter is really a "coming of age" story told over a span of eight years or so while Courting Morrow Little is confined to three years and has darker themes. Both deal with issues of forgiveness and faith and finding God's best in a life partner. They have the requisite happy ending but it comes at a great cost. For Morrow, especially.


Do you have a favorite character in your new book?
I love Morrow because she is so needy and has so much growing to do in the novel. Based on her past trauma, she seems fragile and unable to cope with frontier life. But if I had to pick a favorite character it would be Red Shirt. He was something of an enigma to me, perhaps because I was writing solely from Morrow's perspective. Even though I created him, I never felt like I knew him completely – he doesn't even have a real name. While writing, he was always surprising meJ. I admire him because he is so resilient and steadfast and makes things happen.


You are finishing your third book. Can you tell us a little bit about that?
The Colonel's Lady (tentatively titled) will be released next summer. It involves a Revolutionary War hero and a spinster who are thrown together at a remote Kentucky fort in 1779. I expanded my POV for this book, writing from both Colonel McLinn's and Roxanna Rowan's perspective. It was enjoyable writing about a mature woman as Lael and Morrow are so young.


Will there be any familiar characters from TFD or CML in your next book?
I make mention of Ezekial Click but this book has all new characters.


How old is Morrow Little, where does she live, and is there a frontier fort involved?
Morrow turns 18 when the story begins. She and her father live on Kentucky's Red River – a spectacularly wild and beautiful place that is remote even today. Because the book was originally 500 pages or so, I had to trim major descriptive portions but you still get a hint of what the area is like. I know not all readers enjoy narrative so this was one of the reasons I condensed. Red River Station is the frontier fort in Morrow's story – in frontier times there was a difference between a fort and a station. Red River Station has a military presence which is quite menacing in the story and causes Morrow a great deal of angst. But I'd best not issue any spoilers hereJ.


What is your favorite thing about writing for Revell?
I have the most amazing editor. She was editor in chief of Crossings (a large Christian book club) for years and has such a passion for solid, edifying stories. Her heart is really for the reader. She also has tremendous respect for an author's voice and ideas. She is so gracious and easy to work with. The Lord really knew what he was doing when he brought us together and I'm so thankful for her.


Thanks so much, Carrie! I love your questions and hope readers will enjoy my books!


CONTEST
Leave a comment with your email address, to be entered to win a copy of Laura's wonderful debut book, The Frontiersman's Daughter. If you are already the proud owner of TFD, let us know and you will instead receive a copy of her new book, Courting Morrow Little. Winner will be notified on June 14^th via email.

A Tailor-Made Bride by Karen Witemeyer

Bethany House, 2010

 

Book Review

I purchased my copy through CBD www.christianbook.com and it arrived about ten days ago. This recently released book was Karen's debut publication but I never would have guessed it; in fact I was pretty shocked to learn that fact. A Tailor-Made Bride read so smoothly that I assumed Karen was multi-published and that I had just not read one of her books before. Ms. Witemeyer's premise is unique: a dressmaker (Hannah Richards) arrives in a Texas town and needs help from a liveryman (Jericho "J.T." Taylor), who despises vanity, particularly in choice of clothing and appearance. The characters are well-developed and believable as well as memorable. She threads the hope of God's love throughout the chapters. I like that she included minor characters who were fleshed out and just really added to the story. One favorite character was an elderly man, Ezra, who had lost his wife and had decompensated so much that none of his former friends were coming near him. The heroine, a newbie in town, forms a special friendship with this fragile man. This is a well-populated story yet the minor characters don't overwhelm the story or the main characters, but rather support both characterization and the plot line. The book is set in Texas in the early 1880's, both popular in Christian fiction. I expect this book will please a wide audience.

I particularly recommend this book for someone looking for not only a good read but a "feel good" read. I had just finished reading a critically acclaimed book that had a bummer ending and was so glad that A Tailor-Made Bride came in the mail that day. I dove right into it and it helped me shake the "bad book ending" depression off in no time flat!

 

Watch for a future review by Kim Taylor of A Tailor-Made Bride.

In Flanders Field

 

http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/flanders.htm

I love poppies. My mother grew them in our yard in Michigan while I was growing up. My artist sister recently gifted me with a gorgeous painting of an orange poppy in full bloom. But my most vivid memory of poppies as a child was this:

My father, a WWII veteran, came home from town and he had a red paper poppy pinned to his lapel, which he removed and set on his dresser. I wanted to see it. When I asked him what it was he got a little upset. First he said someone running for political office handed them out (I did see a name on a white label attached to the flower.) Persistent child that I was, I asked "why?" My father took a deep breath and told me – "It is to remind us of Flanders Field." "What was Flanders Field?" Another deep breath. "There's a famous poem about that, what happened during WW I" (my father's favorite uncle served as a medic in that war). "What does that have to do with poppies?" Finally he blurted out – it reminds us of all the blood that was spilled to keep us free, to remember all those young men who died.

For all those who gave their lives that we might live in freedom, let us remember them to our Creator and give thanks for their sacrifices for us.

Camy Tang’s Street Team

Look through the majority of writer's blogs or websites to see their links to favorite blogs/sites and you will see one person's sites listed repeatedly – Camy Tang's. There is a reason for that! Her Story Sensei (http://www.storysensei.com/) and Camy's Loft (http://www.camys-loft.com/) sites are among the top Christian Fiction sites on the web. They are my favorites, too. Camy's first three books are described as Asian chick lit or something silly like that, contemporary women's fiction if being more generic, but truly should be considered some of the best character-driven contemporaries out there. BTW, Camy Tang is a very humble person and may be mortified by what I wrote so if you are Camy Tang, STOP READING THIS! When I first read a sample of her writing on the Genesis (a contest) site through American C hristian Fiction Writers, I was floored by her characterization and writing ability. I thought if her writing is an example of what they were looking for then why am I bothering? I have persevered, however. Ms. Tang not only writes books, and blogs about the writing life, serves as coordinator of the Genesis contest, offers phone consultations, and also teaches some awesome classes (you can register via her websites).


Camy recently started a "Street Team" who are supporters, to distribute her lovely bookmarks. There is a contest, too, for the group. If you are one of those persons who utilizes her websites and have not read her books – you need to! Also, consider signing up for her street team, through the following link. See you on the street!


http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fcamys-loft.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F04%2Fjoin-my-street-team.html&h=6727d

Fragile + Toxic =

One outcome of that equation is disaster, possibly death. The statistics show that disabled children are much more likely to be abused by caretakers. It has been my observation in therapy with mood disordered children and their families that the abuse and neglect that occurs is more emotional than physical (but that is likely because these are people actually seeking help). The best outcome for a fragile person is to have an extremely loving and supportive parent/caregiver/partner. The perfect pairing would be with someone who is committed to and is actually walking with Christ each day, every hour. In those cases, the fragile person may bloom or at the least be able to function in a fairly normal appearing manner. Paired with a toxic person, symptoms worsen, meds increase, functioning decreases and the behavior associated with the disorder escalates to the point where there is danger to self and/or others. This is not to say that someone with a disorder that is not well-managed could not have this same outcome in a loving stable relationship with someone. It is more like having a low fire going, one that is managed but still glowing, and someone deliberately pours gasoline on it. In some cases, the toxic person may find themselves getting injured.

Have you noticed that toxic people often pick out a fragile person to attach themselves to? Sometimes this is subtle, such as a sexually abuse survivor who has someone in a position of authority over them who is just inappropriate enough to make them uncomfortable, e.g., mildly suggestive comments that no one else overhears. Sometimes it is much more tragic – such as in abusive marriages where a partner kills the other.

Do you make snide remarks, laugh at the foibles of others, take glee when someone you dislike gets their comeuppance, feel justified in ranting at people who don't do exactly what you want, and in general are a demanding intolerant person? Watch yourself – you are going down the slippery slope to the toxic pit. God can pull you out, but you will find a lot of company down there in that pit who will find you quite hilarious and justified. Please don't believe them. You cannot walk in peace and love and behave in that manner. But then, maybe you are a fragile person who has become toxic and need your own help (watch for a future posting).

 

Toxic People

Toxic usually means something that can severely sicken you or kill you. Toxic people usually have no clue that they have a problem – YOU have the problem, other people are the issue, surely not them. They tend to be heavily "defended" and have little to no insight into their own issues. When they do get an idea about their own weaknesses, they quickly cover them up, gloss them over, or run from them.

Yesterday I had another glass object break and it reminded me of toxic people and situations. I chose the glass because it was quite heavy; substantial I thought. It did not seem fragile, despite being made of glass. The tumbler was a lovely dark cobalt blue and the bottom was weighted. I am not sure if the outside of the glass became slick and wet from "sweating", as it was hot here, or if my hands were damp, or both. I went to move it and it slipped, with a large shard cutting my finger. Pieces of glass had flown everywhere. My husband bandaged my hand and helped clean up the remains of the once-beautiful glass.

Toxic people are often deceptively competent on the surface. They certainly will not admit to their own defects, so others will assume that this must be someone who really knows what they are doing. The toxic person uses a lot of double talk so that the listener may stop and say, "I can't believe she just said that!" The sly comments and insults are built into the conversation to have whatever effect the toxic person wants – to embarrass, to show their own knowledge, etc.

The toxic person may have rages which seem out of the blue but to them there is something quite specific that you have attacked, in some way. Like the glass slipping and the resulting cut I had, you might never see the explosion coming but if you really understood the inner world of the person, you might have been able to anticipate it. Living with them is often like walking on glass (vs. the bipolar person whose swings are uncontrolled - it is like walking on eggshells).

If you have no choice but to live with a toxic person (or more than one, heaven forbid!) you now live in a toxic environment. Unfortunately, it would normally be the weakest persons who would be stuck in such a place. Sickness/death of various aspects of self will ensue, short of a miracle from God.

 

Next post: Fragile + Toxic = Disaster