Stephanie Grace Whitson and Free Books!

Life on a Missouri River steamboat is all Laura Rose White as ever wanted, and unless she finds a pilot willing to take orders from a woman, she’s going to lose the fight to keep her Laura Rose.

Today we're revisiting with novelist Stephanie Grace Whitson, author of A Captain for Laura Rose (FaithWords, March 2014).

With the spring 2014 release of A Captain for Laura Rose, best-selling, award-winning author Stephanie Grace Whitson will have twenty-six novels and two works of non-fiction to her credit.

She received her MA in Historical Studies from Nebraska Wesleyan University in May of 2012 and is a frequent guest speaker/lecturer on a variety of historical and inspirational topics for civic organizations, libraries, quilt guilds, and church groups.

Her husband and blended family, her church, historical research, antique quilts, and Kitty—her motorcycle—all rank high on her list of “favorite things.”

Please tell us three random things we might not know about you.

--I’ve studied quilt and textile history for over twenty years and once considered becoming a certified quilt appraiser.

--I “met” the famous race horse Secretariat and gave him one of his favorite treats—peppermint candy.

--I love to hand quilt and hate to sit at a sewing machine—and recently paid $2.50 for an antique quilting frame at an estate sale.

I imagine working with a quilting frame as being very therapeutic.

Please tell us a bit more about the plot of A Captain for Laura Rose.

It is 1867, and no one is inclined to accept the idea of licensing a female as a Missouri River boat pilot—even though Laura’s well-respected father has taught her everything he knew about piloting. When tragedy strikes, Laura must make the two-month journey from St. Louis to Fort Benton, Montana and back in order to save her family’s legacy, her home, and the only life she’s ever known.

The only way for Laura to overcome the nearly insurmountable odds is with the help of her brother’s disreputable friend Finn MacKnight, a skilled pilot with a terrible reputation. Laura loathes having to accept MacKnight as her copilot, especially when she learns she must also provide passage for his two sisters. Straitlaced Fiona has a fear of water, and unpredictable Adele seems much too comfortable with the idea of life in the rough-and-tumble environment of the untamed river and the men who ply it.

What is it about Laura that will make your readers care about her?

Laura is the kind of woman we all admire. She’s caught up in a seemingly impossible situation, and she refuses to give up. She has courage and tenacity—but she also has some lessons to learn about what’s really important in life.

If you were the casting director for the film version of your novel, who would play your lead roles?

I could see Keira Knightly as Laura.




Finn would be a bit more difficult to cast. Laura calls him “dark and dangerous-looking.” I just googled “dark and dangerous-looking film stars” and the images made me laugh. No Finn there. I suppose Tom Cruise could pull it off, but he’d have to be more Jack Reacher and less boy-next-door.


Maybe Javier Bardem—without the evil edge that he’s so good at playing.





What is your greatest distraction when you’re trying to write?

Myself. I have a multitude of interests that beg for attention…not the least of which is six wondermous grandchildren who live right here in my home town and who are growing up way too fast.

Ah, nearby grandchildren. That sounds like such a blessing, but I can see how, in this circumstance, that could be a procrastination curse!  My amazing grandkids are a solid hour away, so visiting them requires deliberate scheduling. 

How do you overcome your distractions?

Not very well, sometimes. Balancing life in 2014 is a perpetual challenge.

Amen to that. 

What is the last novel you read that you would recommend?

I don’t know if it’s the last one (I read two or three novels a week), but I loved Ann Tatlock’s book Sweet Mercy , which my local Christian fiction book club read together. Ann has a gentle touch when it comes to the real issues behind her character’s struggles, and yet she does a beautiful job of making her readers think about those issues.

One of the characters who spoke to me most was a young woman who was very “black and white” and who tended to be judgmental of others who had made less-than-perfect decisions about life. Seeing that young woman mature and realize that life isn’t always “black and white” spoke to me personally.

What are you working on now?

My 2015 book for FaithWords, Daughter of the Regiment. Maggie Malone is an Irish immigrant who, in 1861, really just wants “the Americans” to settle their problems and leave her and her family out of it. But the Malone farm is in a part of Missouri known as Little Dixie.

When Maggie’s two brothers join the Union Army’s Irish Brigade, Maggie and a neighbor named Libbie Blair (whose brother owns a hemp plantation worked by slaves) are both caught up in the neighbor-against-neighbor conflict that characterized Missouri in the Civil War.

Where else can readers find you online?

www.stephaniewhitson.com
Facebook
I also have an author blog and a history blog. Links to both appear on the home page of my web site.


The book can be purchased in fine book stores and online via the following buttons:




CBD.com


Finally, what question would you like to ask my readers?

Have you ever been to St. Louis or traveled along the Missouri River? What was your favorite historical site? Why?

Thanks, Stephanie, for visiting with us and telling us about your novel. Readers, Stephanie has offered to give a signed copy of her book to the winner of our drawing on Monday, April 14. To enter, leave a comment below in answer to Stephanie's question, above. "Please enter me" won't get you entered. Leave your email address, in case you win, like so: trish[at]trishperry[dot]com.

Be sure to check out my interviews with Tamera Alexander and Anne Greene , below. Leave an appropriate comment at the bottom of the post to enter the drawing for a signed copy of the book.

Also, I'd love it if you'd connect with me on Facebook. Just click on my name at the right of today's post.

Annoying legal disclaimer: drawings void where prohibited; open only to U.S. residents; the odds of winning depend upon the number of participants. See full disclaimer HERE.