Are you enjoying your vacation time? I sure hope so! =) Yesterday, it was great hearing about all of the places you've been or would like to visit someday!Doesn't the scene above look inviting? This picture was taken at the home we rented for a short time in Sunriver, Oregon last summer. And if the tree outside looks familiar, that's because I think it's the same tree whose picture graces the top of my blog page (or at least one close by to that tree)!
Today, I am thrilled to welcome Laura Frantz, author of The Frontiersman's Daughter and Courting Morrow Little. So sit back and enjoy some travel stories from Laura!
Amber: What is your favorite vacation destination?
Laura: Europe. I have a brother who lives in Spain. He has lemon trees in his yard - with real live lemons! Doesn't that sound nice? And I have a cousin in Russia. I've been to both places but would love to go again - to Spain for the weather and to Russia for the old palaces and Romanov history.
Amber: If you could travel to anywhere in the world you have not been, where would you go and why?
Laura: I'd go somewhere warm - the Bahamas, I think, with all that white sand and amazingly blue water. I love the heat and miss the sun living here in the cloudy, often rainy Pacific Northwest. Though I appreciate my woodstove, I am a southern girl. But I must admit, all the gloom is very conducive to writing!
Amber: How did you choose the setting for your books?
Laura: I think my setting chose me as I was born and raised in Kentucky. Since my family came into the area in the 18th-century, I've been steeped in that history and it's a natural part of me and my stories. It's such a beautiful place and so historically rich.
Amber: What is one thing you love about your hometown?
Laura: The inherent graciousness of the people there. You really never meet a stranger. And then there's the food and the music and the weather and... Can you tell I'm homesick?!
Amber: Thank you so much for visiting with us today, Laura!
Readers, you can find Laura at her blog, LauraFrantz.net. If you would like to take a look at our recent discussion of Laura's book The Frontiersman's Daughter, click HERE. And if you would like to share your responses to any of the questions I asked Laura, I would love to hear them!
16 comments:
Oh, Amber, I have been bit by the vacation bug badly:) I'm going on a little writer's retreat this weekend and can't wait - am counting down the hours. Won't spoil it by telling you where - will blog about it:) Love your pic at top! Am craving sunshine and watermelon and iced tea about now. Bless you so very much!
Good morning, Laura! :)
I hope you have a wonderful time at the writer's retreat! I'm excited about vacation time, too. We're leaving on Friday, and I will also be posting about that soon! ;)
And I'm glad you like the picture! Hope you get your fill of sunshine, watermelon, and iced tea soon!!! :D
Thanks again for doing the interview with me!
~Amber
This is fun Amber! Great idea! I need another vacation even though I just got back from the Outer Banks...I guess being sick and in pain takes a lot out of a body!
Laura it must be very cool for your brother who lives in Spain! My grandparents live in Florida and they have a real live Lemom tree too LOL!
BTW I just got Courting Morrow Little in the mail today and I've already started it! So far it's terrific!
XOXO~ Renee
Nothing like taking a look at vacations on the official first day of summer!
So here's my response to: "If you could travel to anywhere in the world you have not been, where would you go and why?"
Vermont College of Fine Arts!!! Just discovered it and you can get your MFA in writing or writing for children and YA and they do summer programmes. PLUS they have a number of Canadian authors in their faculty. And Vermont is beautiful, so the idea of lounging around all those historical buildings while writing all day would definitely be my idea of the supreme vacation.
:-)
Thanks for reminding me, Kav! Happy first day of summer, everyone! :D
RENEE: I'm glad you're having fun, Renee! I could definitely understand you wanting to go on vacation after all that you've gone through this last week. :( Hope these posts help!
Enjoy reading Courting Morrow Little! I hope I can read it soon, too! ;)
KAV: Thanks again for noticing that! ;) I knew it was the first day of summer, but I didn't really make that connection or think about it much! How fun!
And wow! That does sound like a great college! It would be wonderful to get an MFA in writing. :D
Also, I admire your dedication to learning! You must truly be a focused person to want to go to school for vacation! ;)
Thanks for sharing!
~Amber
Oh, such fun! Glad to know you got that particular book, Renee:) I love keeping up with blog tour folks as I wasn't sure when they'd get a copy. Wish I could go back and read it fresh like a reader - thanks so much for saying you're enjoying it. That sure blesses me. Glad to know there's a lemon tree in your family, too:)
Kav, you just mentioned a dream of mine - to get an MFA in writing. Wonder if there are any scholarships or grants available for folks like us? Vermont is such a beautiful place. BTW, I had the HONOR of reading an excerpt of yours this very morning and was BLOWN AWAY. Need I say more?
Amber, thanks so much for another fun post! Your writing gift shines through!
Wonderful interview!
Your brother's home in Spain sounds wonderful! I have to agree with you, I would travel to Russia for the same reasons. Would love to go to Moscow and all the palaces in and around St. Petersburg. Of course given my love of figure skating, attending the Sochi Olympics would be nice too.
Sending some virtual sun tea and watermelon your way. ;)
LAURA: Thank you! You're so sweet! :D I'm so glad you let me interview you for today!
MICHELLE: Glad you enjoyed it! And traveling to Russia would be quite the experience! (The mention of St. Petersburg reminds me of the animated version of Anastasia when they start singing, "Have you heard? There's a rumor in St. Petersburg...") ;)
Mind if I have some of that watermelon, too? :)
~Amber
Great post idea, Amber! Laura, maybe someday we will see stories from you set in Spain or Russia. Of course, having just finished Morrow, I would love to go to Kentucky!
LOVE the post, Amber! And after being at work all day, I sure need to kick-back for awhile. I'm sorry I didn't get here sooner.LOL
And I just have a quick question for ya, Amber:
Since your blog is all about the seasons (right?) will your pic of the tree up there, change as the season does? Just wanted to know.LOL;)
@Laurua~Spain, you say? My brother was there for several months with the USAF. But, he never had a real live lemon tree *sigh* Oh well....
Lemons are my favorite fruit and they sound just wonderful right about now;)
Anyways, I'm reading Morrow now, as well. It's GREAT but, it seems like it ties into TFD a lot.But, maybe not.LOL
Love Ya,
Ashley
JULIA: Thanks! :D And that would be cool to read books by Laura in those settings! And I really hope I get to read Courting Morrow Little soon! Glad you seemed to enjoy it. :)
ASHLEY: No worries! Glad you like the post! This is definitely THE place to be if you're desiring some relaxation right now. ;)
And...what a GREAT idea! I was thinking about maybe changing the background, but changing the picture up top is a splendid idea, too! And now (as you can see), I have done both! ;) What do you think? Does it look like "summer"? I really like the color scheme, but I hope it says "summer" like the last one said "spring." ;) Thanks for the ideas!!!
~Amber
Awesome post Amber! Love the interview- you always pick such great questions :)
Kentucky sounds like a warm, loving, welcoming place. What a blessing to have grown up there and be surrounded by such rich history- having it literally injected into your DNA ;) And Spain and Russia, they sound like such beautiful places- lemon trees and old palaces- what wonderful memories!
Laura, I pray you get to go back to there someday soon, especially to see your brother in Spain. I’d miss my brother terribly if he lived that far away. But you have the comfort of knowing he’s fulfilling the Lord’s call and God will bless him and his family :)
Amber, thank you so much for another great post! Praying you have a beautiful week my friend :)
Blessings,
Amanda Stanley
I love your new header! Definitely puts me in the mood for a vacation.
AMANDA: Thank you! Your comments are always so uplifting. :) I'm glad you enjoyed the interview, and I hope your week is beautiful, too!
JULIA: Thanks so much! I think I've changed things a bit since you left this comment, so I hope you still like it. ;) Let me know what you think of it now!
~Amber
Laura, be glad you're not in Kentucky right now. Here in Tennessee is is unbearably hot and humid, and it's the same in Kentucky. We are so thankful for air conditioning.
You can grow your own lemon trees too! A friend of mine has one in her dining room and it produces real lemons. She gave me a few of them and told me to just plant one of the seeds in a pot. Now I have two trees which I put outside on the deck when the weather warms up and bring them back inside before it gets cold. They definitely can't handle a frost. I haven't had any lemons yet, but I did get some blooms this year.
Thanks for the interview.
Barbara,
Thanks for visiting my blog! I'm glad you enjoyed the interview! :)
That's so great that you have your own lemon tree! Even though you don't have any lemons growing yet, hope you can find some lemonade to give you relief from the heat! ;)
~Amber
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