Character & Author Interview with Leanna Sain

Today we’re incorporating a twist to a great suggestion given by Vince (from Philosophy of Romance, regarding author/character reviews) into today’s author interview. Instead of “me” interviewing Leanna Sain, author of Gate to Nowhere, Emma Franklin (the book’s heroine) is going to be asking the questions! (Be sure to read all the way to the end to learn about today's giveaway, as well!)

Welcome, Leanna and Emma!

(Questions are from the perspective of Emma Franklin.)

Emma: Well, I seem to be all over the place nowadays! You’re lucky you caught me at a time when I still have computer access.

Leanna, one thing I’ve especially been curious about is how much of “you”—who you are and what you enjoy—did you write into me?

Leanna: Well, Emma...it's funny you should ask. There's A LOT of me in you. You're prettier, of course, but everything else--from your fear of spiders to the scene with the chicken; from breaking your leg and meeting Sam in the college bookstore on crutches to wanting to learn how to spin wool--this is ME. I sometimes think I was born in the wrong era. I love the 1800's and think I could've managed quite well during that century. I'd love to live "off-grid" and grow all my own food. I do have an organic garden which enables me to can and freeze much of what we eat. I raise dairy goats to provide us with plenty of milk and cheese and we get fresh eggs from our hens. I guess you could say that I lived vicariously through you in my novel and had a blast doing it.

Emma: Wow! I'm glad you could live out your time travel adventures through me. =)

My mind is a bit jumbled from all this time travel… Could you remind me of whether or not I make any more appearances in the second and third books in this series? There’s so much about my “future” that didn’t get revealed in the first book!

Leanna: Of course you're in the second and third book. I couldn't have done them without you. Book two, Return to Nowhere, introduces your daughter, Charlotte. I guess it's more HER story, but you're in there a lot. And the third book, Magnolia Blossoms, takes us into the Civil War and allows us to get to know your son, Thomas. Everything wraps up nicely and all questions are answered by the end of book three.

Emma: Oh, yeah! Now I remember... How could I have forgotten?!

OK, I can tell you right now that my favorite scenes in the story were the ones with me and Gavin. I loved every moment I spent with him! But what were your favorite scenes to write?

Leanna: Oooh...that's a tough one. There are a lot of them. I liked making Mary and Ennis really evil. I hope that doesn't sound bad. But I really liked the scene where Emma finally tells Gavin about the gate and how she got there. I also loved Grace's character and had a lot of fun with her.

Emma: It was way cool to wear 19th century dresses—even though it took me a while to figure out all those corsets and stays and such. Have you ever had the chance to wear dresses like that? How hard was it to write about historical details from 1827?

Leanna: Unfortunately, I've never gotten to wear the whole 19th century regalia, but I love history and love researching. I have a great library and checked out tons of books to help me with the research in order to get the historical part of this story right.

Emma: I didn’t have much of a choice in where the gate led me, but if you had your own time-travel gate what time period would you visit and why?

Leanna: I'd be right there with you in 1827. We could help each other out with spinning wool and knitting socks and I could teach you how to make mozarella cheese. Think Gavin would like pizza?

Emma: Oh, I definitely think he'd like pizza--and I think Grace would to, once she gave it a chance! Sounds like a plan!

Amber here--so fun to host you on the blog, Leanna, as well as your book's heroine! ;) (*Waving to Emma.*) Thank you so much for being willing to try something different! It's been a lot of fun!

Readers, if you'd like a chance to win my gently used, signed copy of Leanna's book Gate to Nowhere, just leave a comment for Leanna or Emma (I'm sure Leanna can speak on Emma's behalf!), along with your e-mail address. This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only.

And if you'd like to learn more about Leanna and Emma, check out Leanna's website or pick up a copy of Gate to Nowhere on Amazon.com! And you can read my review HERE.