DiAnn Mills - "Under A Desert Sky"

·        Several of your stories are historical.  Do any of them reflect on your personal past or just and era you enjoy. I simply enjoy the era and the courageous people who helped build our country. What appeals to me is how these people solved their problems. The issues of family dysfunction, selfish and greedy people, and meeting basic needs are timeless.

·        Did you model Eva Fortier after someone specific past or present? Not one person. Eva entered my head and heart as a young woman who had the potential to be a heroine. She had a backbone, but didn't realize it. I think her grandfather saw that trait and worked to develop it. I wanted a heroine with spunk and the freshness of innocence. 

·        What was the hardest part of writing Under a desert Sky? The scenes with Tahoma. I had my resources in front of me at all times. Keeping  his actions and responses according to his culture, time period, and education were the most difficult. 

·        What was the most enjoyable about writing Under A Desert Sky? Writing about a unique setting that I'd visited. I walked the road to the Monarch's home. Breathed in the high desert air and marveled in the beauty of the rock and mountains.

·        Do you have another Historical Romance/Adventure in your future plans? I'm thinking and playing with a few ideas. :)

Laura Frantz - "The Colonel's Lady"

 

• Your books focus on early American History, what fascinates you about that time frame?

EverythingJ. The 18^th-century was such a rich, earthy period of upheaval and change, people being tested to their physical and mental limits, during which the seeds of revolution were planted. It provides endless novel fodder and I have stories spinning in my poor head almost continuously…

• In reference to The Colonel’s Lady is the book based around actual events?

Yes, my hero, Colonel Cassius McLinn, is based on the historical figure George Rogers Clark, an absolute legend in frontier America. He essentially captured the entire frontier for the Americans, claiming a vast territory that had been held by the British, French, and Indians. He accomplished this with few men under staggering conditions. He’s long been my hero though he had a tragic personal life, never marrying and struggling with alcoholism.

• You indicate that Colonel McMinn is loosely based on an actual person, Colonel George Clark.  How did you create Roxanna Rowan?

Roxanna, in the words of my editor, is a “complicated woman.” Her first name is taken from my great-grandmother and her last name is one of my favorite treesJ. I wanted to create a woman who could offset my hero’s flaws and weaknesses and stand up to the pressures of the time, someone a man of his stature could respect and come to love. I admire her spunk and determination despite her own flaws.

• Frontier American was a harsh world.  Do you feel Christian beliefs were an integral part of survival for many?  If so why or why not?

I do feel faith was an important part of frontier America though few were fortunate enough to own a Bible. Interestingly, there was a shift away from religion and the things of the church back then but thankfully, evangelists like the astounding George Whitefield began a revival that is still felt to this day. He turned hearts toward the Lord and revealed how decrepit the church of early America was. People were very rebellious then, too, and the American Revolution played into that discontent.

• What is the most difficult part about writing about Frontier America?

Portraying history in a realistic way that is not offensive to a Christian audience yet still staying true to the historical record. I don’t like novels that sugarcoat history. The Bible, for all its perfection, is a heartbreaking book in many respects, and we can’t sugarcoat that either. Truth is important, even in fiction.

• What is the most enjoyable part of writing about Frontier America?

Bringing to life, or keeping alive, the memory of a lost way of life. We don’t have any idea what our forefathers went through or experienced in our espresso-driven, electronic society today. Historical fiction helps preserve that.

• What future titles do you have in the making?

Would you believe my next novel is about a mail-order groom? Here’s the hook, “Two sisters. One man. When he chooses one, will the other destroy their love?” It’s a series spanning 100 years in one Pennsylvania family from the 18^th-century through the 19^th-century. I hope you and other readers enjoy it like I am!

Lisa Scottoline - "Save Me"

Interview Coming Soon!  

Jamie Carie - "The Snowflake"

How did you prepare yourself to write The Snowflake?

The Snowflake actually started out as a short story. When I wrote my first book, Snow Angel, I immersed myself in all things Alaska and the gold rush of 1898. The research led to so many good ideas that I wrote a short story, trying to be more "literary" and thinking I might be able to break into a lit magazine like Glimmer Train. Then, last year my editor mentioned writing a christmas novella set in the Alaskan gold rush. I remembered my short story, pulled it out and decided I could turn it into a novella. It was great fun writing a book with a christmas theme and I hope readers are warmed by this snown christmas story!

Do you write a part of yourself into your characters?

I think parts of me are in many of my characters. The challenge is to try and create a different perspective for each character with their own unique voice. I have my mind sets and preconceived notions, but when creating my characters I have to imagine his or her values, upbringing, ecperiences and etc. What might motivate/interest me might be completely foreign to that character and visa versa. Sometimes it helps to study your friends and relatives! LOL! No one is safe in a writer's life.

What was your motivatiion for choosing Ellen's Burden?

Ellen's Burden is inescapable because it is tied to the relationships she loves and values most. I think her burden is relatable to so many people which makes it a universal theme. Most of us are willing to do anything for the well being of those we love.
Did you select the name "Buck" because of it's familiarity from "Call of the Wild"?

I think that was subconscious! I did read a lot of Jack London's atories during the research phase of Snow Angel. It was probably lurking in my brain somewhere and seemed like a good choice at the time.
Why did you choose the novella format rather than a full length novel?

It was my editor's idea to a Christmas novella and I am so glad she suggested it. I think cozying up to a nice little story on a cold winter's night about lvoe and God's gift to us (Jesus) at Christmas time is a wonderful notion! I hope readers thoroughly enjoy it!

What do you want your readers to take away from "The Snowflake"?

I hope they are warmed by the Christmas theme, the poignancy of Buck and Ellen's love story, and walked away inspired...knowing that everyone deserves a rich, compelling story of their own.