Welcome, Laura. Tell
us how much of yourself you write into your characters.
I think there’s a little of me in every character I write. I
try to make each one unique with their own little habits and quirks, but
honestly, a lot of those come from me or those close to me.
What is the quirkiest
thing you have ever done?
Probably writing fiction! I almost become the characters
when I’m writing and you can find me going through a wide range of emotions as
I walk with them in the stories. Sometimes I’m laughing out loud with no one
there, or crying over something that’s happened to them. You’d think I’d see it
coming, but I never do. It’s why I love it so much.
When did you first
discover that you were a writer?
I think I always wanted to be one, but I would just never
let myself think that was a possibility for me. Even in college, I’d take
classes and wish I could be a writer but never considered switching my major to
it. One day, I was reading a Christian magazine and saw an ad for Jerry
Jenkin’s Christian Writers Guild. I decided that day I would take some classes
and see how it went. I was published in several magazines before I even
finished the classes. I think that’s when I realized I could actually do
it—that I actually was doing it.
Tell us the range of
the kinds of books you enjoy reading.
I love stories that teach other things. Like how The Secret Life of Bees taught about bee
farming, or how Water for Elephants
taught about circus life. I’m fascinated by a lot of things. I tend to lean
towards literary fiction, or women’s fiction—especially Southern fiction. It’s
also what I’m drawn to write.
How do you keep your
sanity in our run, run, run world?
Are you saying I’m sane? I’ll take it, lol. I’m a single
working mom of 3 kids who also writes as a ministry. I stay super busy all the
time. But I do know when to cut it off. I took a year off of my fiction writing
last year because my kids needed more of me as we went through some major
changes in our family. I guess the key to keeping your sanity is knowing your
limits.
How do you choose
your characters’ names?
Actually, that’s one of my favorite things to do! I think
names say a lot about a person, and my characters are no different. I spend a
lot of time thinking about the name, researching baby names, and paying
attention to the names of people I meet. Once I have the name, the character
starts coming to life. So, it’s a key step for me.
What is the
accomplishment that you are most proud of?
This answer would have probably been very different a few
years ago. But, now that I’m a single mom, I’d say that raising a family on my
own is my biggest accomplishment. It’s harder than I could have ever imagined,
and I’m not always happy that I’m in this position alone. But I’m very proud of
how my kids are doing, the new version of family we’ve created, and that I’m
able to get us through each month financially by myself.
If you were an
animal, which one would you be, and why?
An elephant, hands down. They seem so strong and wise. Plus,
no one messes with them. If they could be invisible, that would be my dream.
What is your favorite
food?
Ok. I’ll admit that I have a serious problem with donuts. I
would eat a donut over anything anyone offered me as a last meal. The chocolate
cake ones are the best thing man ever made.
I had half of a
chocolate cake donut Saturday. I don’t eat much of that kind of thing, because
I’m losing weight, so I talked James into eating half. It wasn’t hard to do. What
is the problem with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you
overcome it?
I think I still struggle with whether or not my writing is
“good enough.” Even though I’ve been published in various magazines, blogs, and
have a book that is being well received. I always wonder if I have what it
takes. I think this is something every writer must deal with though. It’s the
nature of art.
We all have those
moments, no matter how long we’ve been writing and publishing books. Tell us
about the featured book. It has an interesting title.
Delia Gray is a frazzled working mom of three who is
struggling to keep it all together. During one of her most overwhelming days,
she discovers letters from her mother who died when Delia was ten—something her
mother asked her father to hold on to until he felt Delia needed it most in
motherhood. Through those letters she discovers not only more about the woman
she lost, but about the secrets of a happy motherhood. It’s basically about
what every single mother on the planet goes through. At some point (if not all
the time) while we are mothers, there is a season of complete and utter
exhaustion where we are trying to do it all and clearly can’t. As it turns out,
these problems cross generations no matter how much the world changes.
Please give us the
first page of the book.
Prologue
Joanna Fripp. The mere thought of that woman’s name could
cause the hairs on the back of my neck to rise and my hands to knot into fists.
A thorn in my flesh from the first day I met her, she became more like a jagged
log in my side when she moved across the street. Being around her could change
me into someone I didn’t know. Someone I didn’t like. But it was the
neighborhood get-together about six months ago—the one I couldn’t avoid—that
made me wonder if maybe I was the one who had a problem.
That was before the letters, of course. Before I knew the
truth about Mama. Before my entire life—my very identity—shifted as if the
world had tilted one degree off normal.
It was the first pool party of the year. The one meant to
celebrate the kids’ first weekend out of school. But there was something about
the smell of coconut sunscreen and hot dogs on a grill that had a way of
drawing the entire neighborhood. Matt was working, again, but promised to be
home in time and actually made good on that. Hours before, I’d returned from a
three day workshop in which I’d given two keynotes and taught classes.
Exhaustion would’ve been an improvement over the way I felt.
The kids were beyond their normal rambunctiousness. I didn’t
blame them; the pool opening meant reconnecting with all the friends we’d
missed during the winter months. For the moms, it was a time to look forward to
settling in by the pool in the warm evenings, chatting it up while our kids played
nearby. I’d actually get to enjoy a conversation with someone over the age of
twelve. Bliss.
How can readers find
you on the Internet?
The book is available on Amazon.com
and through my website.
To learn more about me, they can stop by my website http://www.laurafrancesauthor.com/,
find me on facebook https://www.facebook.com/laurafrancesauthor/,
or sign up for my randomly spaced newsletters
to keep in touch with what I have going on writing-wise. I love to hear from
readers and get feedback of any kind.
Thank you so much for having me, Lena !
Laura, it’s my
pleasure to have you.
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