Author Interview with Carolyn Frank

My friend, Lori, made a "cross your heart, hope to die, stick a needle in your eye" promise when she was in grade school. She promised not to tell who her best friend had a crush on. In a moment of weakness, Lori let the name slip out. She was devasted she'd betrayed her friend. So, Lori took a needle and stuck it in the white part of her right eye. To this day she has a teeny, tiny red spot on her eye. It reminds her to keep her promises! ~Taffy


Welcome Carolyn Frank today and her new release PROMISES!

Tell us in one sentence about your book.

It’s about a timid girl growing up next to Bryce Canyon 100 years ago, who learns there’s a difference between complaining and standing up for herself.

Sounds interesting!

What made you want to be a writer?

I’ve liked to write since I was a kid, but I buried my desire when I had an overly critical teacher in college. But six years ago I read a book about a woman who went through a mid-life crisis and had an affair with a monk. The story bothered me so much it made me think, “I can write something better than this.” The next day I decided to write a novel, and I began the process. What kept me going was the desire to produce uplifting literature and provide a wholesome choice for readers, especially children.

I'm glad you're writing better stuff than a mid-life crisis affair! 

Any other books in the works?

*Another historical fiction is scheduled for publication in early 2014 with Covenant Communications. It’s about a Mormon boy who was a Hitler Youth against his will.

* An upper middle grade speculative/historical fiction is finished and is in the final stages of editing.  It’s about a boy who travels through books by means of a Literary Loom to aid him in his school assignments, experiencing the lives of historical greats like George Washington and William Tyndale while learning about freedom and God’s hand in the shaping of America.  

* A YA dystopic/speculative fiction entitled Bonded is finished and is in the early stages of revision. It’s set in a future time when the U.S. no longer exists as we know it, and slavery has returned. It deals with a young slave girl’s quest for freedom as she discovers the mysteries of the past.

* A middle-grade science fiction novel is half-way written. It is entitled Tree Boy, and it’s like a Superman meets Spiderman, meets the Ents (tree people) from the Lord of the Rings. (I got my degree in botany—what can I say?)

Um, you're busy, Carolyn!

What are your future writing goals?

To write until I am too senile to write anymore.

Are you a night owl or early bird?

Definitely an early bird.

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?

Near my family. (I just wished they lived in Star Valley, Wyoming so I could move up to our cabin and live there amongst the aspen, fresh air, and un-crowded streets).

*sigh* Sounds nice.

Favorite season?

Spring. I love to see my perennials poke their heads out of the dead foliage of winter.

I just found a little, purple crocus popping up in my yard the other day!

What is the best piece of advice anyone has given you?

I love the quote by William Shedd, (I don’t even know who he is, but the quote was on a calendar I got from my insurance agent over ten years ago).

“A ship in the harbor is safe, but that’s not what ships were made for.”

 I've never heard that one. Nice!

What advice do you have for an aspiring writer?

Believe you can do it, be prepared for a lot of work, and don’t give up—and you’ll get published.

 You're a great example, Carolyn! Thanks for stopping by today!