Interview with Laura Frantz

Author of ‘The Seamstress of Acadie’

My review is here.

🍎 🍑🍒🍎 🍑🍒🍎 🍑🍒

**Welcome Laura! Please give us an overview of your new novel, The Seamstress of Acadie, and what inspired you to write it?**

I never thought I’d set a novel in Canada about hidden history as I call it but there’s much that’s novel-worthy about the Acadian people and their expulsion by the British from the land they loved. My own French ancestress who came to colonial Virginia inspired me to create a French heroine who does the same in the novel. Few seem aware of Acadian history outside Canada where I believe it’s still being taught. There’s very little fiction about it so I thought it might make a unique story opportunity.

**What three things did you discover during your research for The Seamstress of Acadie that really surprised or shocked you?**

Many of the historical sources are in French, a language I studied in college but can’t speak, so research was a challenge. I’m also still shocked that such a cruel event as the expulsion happened given it was the supposedly civilized British who did the deed. The late Queen Elizabeth apologized for her people’s part in that history prior to her death. That was a surprise, too.

**Did you encounter any challenges while writing The Seamstress of Acadie and, if so, how did you overcome them?**

It required a leap of faith to try to even imagine the losses and heartbreak the Acadians experienced. Few of us have ever been forced from our homes and families, losing all we hold dear. How can an author even begin to identify or nail down that kind of horrendous history and anguish? Since I’m not Canadian that seemed another hurdle. The only thing I could bring to the book was patient research, an understanding of 18th-century history, and great admiration for the Acadians.

Tell us about the main character: Sylvie. Who is she and what are her interests, strengths, weaknesses, aspirations and fears?

Sylvie is very much attached to her home and her people. The Acadians were, on the whole, clannish in the best of ways. She has no desire to live elsewhere though she must. Her shining gift is her needlework which she comes to realize will open doors for her and enable her to survive in a hostile place among hostile people. Sewing is her one constant in her upside down world.

I understand William, whom we all end up loving (!), is based on a real figure in history. How much of his character is real and imagined?

So happy Will won you over, too. He is very loosely based on Robert Rogers, the soldier who founded the U.S. Army Rangers in the 18th-century. Will has all of Roger’s physical strengths and none of his weaknesses. Rogers was actually a bit of a brute, even an alcoholic, sadly, though his soldiering prowess is still without question. It was satisfying to mature Will and make him into a man of honour and faith. He even let Sophie make the decisions in their story.

Share about the Mi’kmaq First Nations people and the part they play in your story.

The Mi’kmaq were a powerhouse of a people, many of them multilingual, even multicultural. The Acadians lived among them in a spirit of cooperation, not as conquerors, but more of a shared experience. That was a very rare thing in those days. Acadians intermarried with First Nations people and raised families, had a wide web of relations and connections, etc. Blue Galant is part Mi’kmaq, part Acadian and is the one person in the world closest to Sylvie aside from the hero, Will. Bleu quickly became my favourite character in the novel, something a secondary character seldom does. He just seemed larger than life to me with his own unflappable code of honour.

What was your favourite scene to write and your most difficult in the novel and why?

My favourite scene is when Will meets Sylvie in the courtyard by the well. He is not what he seems and she is immediately smitten. I don’t believe in love at first sight but theirs is definitely love at first look. Will is as taken by her as she is by him. I tried to portray him to be as gallant as he is a fighter, a warrior. He’s still a gentleman beneath it all, or rather learning to be one. The most difficult to write was the fight scene aboard ship between Will and Bleu. A lot of choreography has to happen in fight scenes to make them believable.

Please share your publishing journey. Have you always wanted to be a writer and what got you started?

I’ve known I wanted to be a writer since age 7 when I wrote my first historical story. I didn’t aspire to publish though as I was content and far more comfortable just writing for myself. My brother, a pastor, challenged me to attempt publishing. Since I had no agent or writing contacts, I went through a website called The Writer’s Edge which is where my publisher found me. 15 books later I’m with that same publisher, Revell/Baker Publishing Group. I didn’t know anything about them at the time but they’re a leader in Christian fiction.

What is your greatest aspiration as a writer and have you come close to achieving it?

My greatest aspiration is to glorify God with what I write. The writing gift is from Him and should be used for His purposes in even a small way. Letting Him control the outcome of obedience is a relief as so much is expected of authors these days.

If you could go back in time to do research for a historical fiction novel, when and where would you go and what person would you want to meet? What three questions would you ask him/her?

Fun! I’d want to meet Daniel Boone, my frontiersman hero since childhood. His bravery, endurance, and escapades still amaze me today. How often did you bathe? What did you eat? Did you love your daughter, Jemima, best as is said and is it true you didn’t father her?

Name four authors who’ve inspired you and name one book each of theirs you love and why.

Elizabeth Goudge/The Child from the Sea. Charles II has always fascinated me as he was such a rogue of a king. This novel about his wife/mistress was one of the author’s favorites and I was instantly won over by her rare insight into human nature. Her lyrical prose is also top tier.

Lucy Maud Montgomery/The Blue Castle. I’m much more a fan of Valancy Stirling than the author’s better known heroine, Anne of Green Gables. This short novel is rich with humor, purple prose of the best kind, and an unforgettable hero by the very unlikely name of Barney Snaith😊

Catherine Marshall/Christy. This is the most accurate portrayal of Appalachian America I’ve ever read. It’s truly a classic which inspired the Christy Award honoring excellence in Christian fiction. The author’s attention to detail and her ability to bring the good and bad of the region and time period to the page is truly amazing.

Charlotte Bronte/Jane Eyre. I first read this book in college, and it had a big impact on my writing. It helped me develop my own bittersweet style. I love epic, melancholy reads with happy endings. This is the best there is as far as classic literature.

Are you working on a new writing project and, if so, can you share a little about it?

Expect a release from me this summer/July 2024, a companion novella to my full-length novel The Rose and the Thistle. Then next January 2025 brings another full-length historical romance set in Scotland. I’m also at the halfway point of a novel set during the American Revolution in New Jersey. This last one has ramped up my admiration for George Washington in spades!

Thanks to Laura for the interview and for sharing her thoughts. We wish her well on her current release (out now)! Drop by Laura’s website for more information on her books and to connect with her. Then get a copy of The Seamstress of Acadie!

About the Author:

Laura Frantz, a Christy Award winner and the ECPA bestselling author of numerous historical novels, is passionate about all things historical, particularly the 18th-century.When not reading and writing, she loves to garden, cook, take long walks, and travel. She is the proud mom of an American soldier and a career firefighter. Though she will always call Kentucky home, she and her husband live in Washington State.