Hi, guys! V. Joy Palmer here! Since we are all friends here, you guys can call me Joy. ;-) And one of my favorite things to do is talk with my friends at coffee shops, then head to the bookstores. Yes, plural. After all, books and yummy drinks are the perfect combination! So consider this our virtual coffee shop. I'll wait a second for you to get your warm drink and a fuzzy blanket before we chat with today's guest. <3
Today we are going to pry into the private life of CHAT with author Susan F. Craft!
Susan F. Craft retired after a 45-year career in writing, editing, and communicating in business settings. Her most recent project, Freed by the Frontier, a collaboration of historical romantic novellas with Denise Farnsworth and Sherry Shindelar, was released by Wild Heart Books. The title of Susan’s novella is Wagon Road Serenade. The three books of her historical romance series, The Great Wagon Road, were published in 2024, and made her a #1 Amazon best-selling author. She wrote the historical romantic suspense trilogy Women of the American Revolution: The Chamomile, Laurel, and Cassia. The Chamomile and Cassia received national Illumination Silver Awards. The Chamomile was named by the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance as an Okra Pick and was nominated for a Christy Award. She collaborated with the International Long Riders’ Guild Academic Foundation to compile An Equestrian Writer’s Guide (www.lrgaf.org), including almost everything you’d ever want to know about horses. An admitted history nerd, she enjoys painting, singing, listening to music, and sitting on her porch watching squirrels rob her bird feeder. She most recently took up the ukulele.
Connect with Susan on X at @susanfcraft, Instagram at susanfcraftauthor, Pinterest, Facebook, her Blog, her Historical Fiction Blog, and her Colonial Quills Blog!
This may be the most important question I ask -- no pressure or anything, LOL!
*drum roll*
What are you drinking in our virtual coffee house? Coffee? Tea? Hot chocolate? Something else altogether?
I love Earl Grey tea. I fondly remember attending a “high tea” hosted by a friend’s church where the speaker introduced various flavors of tea, presented a history of tea, and demonstrated its proper serving. We had fun admiring the hats the ladies wore.
How fun! If you could order anything in the world to eat (we can dream, can't we?), what would it be?
Tastes of home—fried chicken, hoppin’ John, tomatoes still warm from the garden, and cornbread.
Yum! Where is your favorite place to write, and why is that your favorite place?
I write at the desk in my office. I surround myself with pictures I’ve come across in my research as well as pictures of people who remind me of my characters. I keep stacks of research books close by. I love music in the background, so I play favorites on my record player.
That's so nice! Do you have an odd habit that is only explained by your bookish, writer tendencies? Safe space. ;-)
Sometimes, when I need complete silence, I climb into my bed and throw the covers over my head. I’ve thought through many difficult scenes burrowed under the covers.
The wonders of a bed! What inspired you to write Freed by the Frontier?
I appreciate your purpose to uncover hidden “gems" in faith-based storytelling as well as your goal to connect readers with new and seasoned authors. I enjoy answering questions that provide readers with insights into me and my writing that might entice them to read my books, and I like reading the comments they make.
Clever! What led you to write in this genre?
I am a history nerd who likes researching more than writing. My seventh-grade history teacher brought General Francis Marion to life for me and sparked my passion for the American Revolutionary War era. I’m also an unapologetic romantic thrilled by a good love story. Most importantly, I am a Christian, who delicately weaves faith into my stories.
Awesome! What message do you hope to convey to your readers?
I hope to convey a can’t-put-it-down story that transports readers to a well-researched, authentic setting, with engaging characters whose faith strengthens them through difficult challenges. One reader expressed this best in her review of Freed by the Frontier—"Three unforgettable romances prove that God’s greatest blessings often come disguised as our greatest challenges, and that true love can bridge any divide.”
Freed by the Frontier- Wagon Road Serenade
It’s 1754, Elizabeth Stanton, her reputation in tatters from a terrible injustice, arrives in Philadelphia from London seeking a second chance as a music teacher for a newly established women’s academy in Graniteville, a settlement in the Blue Ridge Mountains. She joins a wagon train, but scarred from her past experiences, she guards her heart and vows never to rely on a man again. James Morgan, a widowed trapper and farmer from Graniteville, after hearing a vile rumor about Elizabeth, regrets agreeing to drive one of the academy’s wagons. To Elizabeth, James is another handsome, charming scoundrel. To James, Elizabeth is a tainted woman to be avoided. After weeks of constant contact, they struggle against a growing attraction. James admires her willingness to help when needed as well as her friendship with eight-year- old Opal, one of a wagon load of orphans travelling with the train. Her soft soprano voice fills the nights with a melancholy sweetness. Her masterfully played notes on her mandolin make a home in his chest. Everything about her belies what he has been told. Had he received false information and misjudged? Elizabeth tries to remain cold and indifferent toward James, but when he saves her and Opal after Indians kidnap them, her heart softens. Will his terrifying knife fight with her kidnapper, his gentle treatment of her wounds, and his tenderness toward Opal erase all her misgivings? Is he a man she can trust with her heart? Will their hearts reject discord and blend into a serenade of love?
Very nice! Can you tell us a little about your next project(s)?
I’m in the early stages of a story that takes place in the Appalachian Mountains in the 1750s on the cusp of the French and Indian War. The research fascinates me, and I’m learning so much about the mostly Scots-Irish settlers.
Sound interesting! Do you have a favorite Bible verse or story that inspires you on a soul level?
Isaiah 40:31 "But those who wait upon the Lord will renew their strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not faint."
Beautiful! What are you currently reading? Inquiring minds -- mine! -- want to know. ;-)
Finishing Our Course with Joy by J.I. Packer.
Cool! Thanks for answering all of my prying questions, Susan!
Check out Susan's giveaway for her first book in her Great Wagon Road Series, Love's Winding Road!
Giveaway ~
See you next time, and God bless you guys!!!
