A Scottish Setting

Laura FrantzBooks, History, Inspiration, Novel News, Uncategorized, Writing

If you were to ask which country is my favorite other than the U.S.A. I’d say Scotland without pause. Home of my Hume ancestors (and those Ballantynes), Scotland has epic history, scenery, and cuisine, to name just a few of its many treasures. Here are some things I learned about Scotland as an ex-patriate: Scotland is smaller than the state …

New newsletter with a perk!

Laura FrantzBooks, History, Inspiration, My Kentucky Cabin, My Kentucky Kitchen, Newsletter, Novel News, Uncategorized, Writing News

I finally took the plunge last year and hired a freelancer to teach me how to craft a compelling newsletter (I so hope you think it’s compelling)! I’m all about beauty and edification so it took countless hours to transfer that vision in my head and heart to a delightful e-letter format. Since I love sending snail mail complete with …

Yes to the dress!

Laura FrantzBook Covers, Books, History, Inspiration, Novel News, Reading, Uncategorized

[et_pb_section admin_label=”section”] [et_pb_row admin_label=”row”] [et_pb_column type=”4_4″] [et_pb_text admin_label=”Text”] Cover art continues to be my favorite part of publishing and it seems to be of fascination for many readers, too. Other than reading the book! I begin thinking about a cover as soon as I start writing the book and create a ‘secret’ Pinterest board where I save images to share …

And she gave each Indian a spoon…

Laura FrantzFrontier, History, Inspiration, Reading, Uncategorized, Writing

Spinning by Firelight, Henry Tanner (American artist, 1859–1937) Oh, the ongoing joys of research! Recently I spent several hours by the fire reading about the early settlers in what is now West Virginia – The History of Randolph County, West Virginia by Dr. A.S. Bosworth. I actually prefer these older accounts because I find not only are they closer to …

18th~century Kitchen

Laura FrantzFrontier, Heroes and Heroines, History, Inspiration, My Kentucky Kitchen, Novel News, Reading, Recipes, Uncategorized, Writing

I confess to being a bonafide foodie & cooking along with my heroines, or in this case, baking. Growing up in my granny’s Kentucky kitchen, in which not once in all her 97 years did she do dishes by anything but hand (no dishwasher), everything else was from scratch, too! Sometimes she would make old-fashioned gingerbread which makes me wonder …

February by the fire…

Laura FrantzBooks, faith, History, Reading, Uncategorized

2018 has started off with some historical fireworks given the stellar reading line-up for fiction. My stack overfloweth! Here’s a peek. I’m always happy to talk books. Word of mouth continues to be the best way to spread the word about them. And as you can see, I’m adding what I’m watching, too, as I sit by the fire this …

Those Reviews

Laura FrantzHistory, how readers help, Inspiration, Novel News, Uncategorized, Writing

I’m blessed by readers who enjoy my books and then leave reviews about what the story meant to them. I also admire those who might not enjoy a book but point out what they do and don’t like in a gracious, helpful way. Good reviews are like the finest chocolate. Here’s one and I call literary. You can tell the …