Thursday, September 24, 2015

1 Question Interview with Darlene Franklin

Let's give a glass of sweet iced tea and a great big welcome back to Darlene Franklin! 

Darlene, I only have one question for you this time, but it's a doozy!
"If you were the heroine in this book, would you have acted differently than she does when she meets the hero? How so?"



Darlene: 

In An Apple for Christmas, Ruby tries to keep her relationship with Mac on a professional level, afraid that her work as a scientist and as a teacher will be discounted if they are romantically involved. Not me--I would have melted if someone like Mac Cortland seemed interested in me. They have so much in common, they would have been matched on Match.com in today’s society.



An Apple for Christmas is one of the eight stories in Christmas Traditions. Eight heartwarming novellas of Christmas's gone by where the true meaning of the season warms your heart and love flows as fast as apple cider. Grab your favorite drink, no matter the temperature outside, curl up in a cozy chair and lose yourself in holiday romance.





In Face of Mary, Polly has been in love with Joey since she was thirteen. She’s known him all her life. If I thought I had a beau, and he returned with a fiancĂ© on his arm, I would have been just as crushed as she is. I could tell myself it was a childish infatuation, but I would still have been crushed.



Face of Mary is one six romances in A Texas Christmas. Spend Christmas in the Old West with six unconventional women who take on Texas-sized challenges—and unexpected romance. Bridget falls for a man opposed to her teaching Indian orphans. Polly is trying to hold her family together when her childhood love returns to town. Rugged rancher Charlsey is inexplicably attracted to a tenderfoot accountant. Vivian shuns marriage until meeting a nomadic photographer. Lacey’s cooking draws a quiet blacksmith out of his shell. Tracker Bessie Mae helps a ranger hunt down a villain.








Best-selling author Darlene Franklin’s greatest claim to fame is that she writes full-time from a nursing home. She lives in Oklahoma, near her son and his family, and continues her interests in playing the piano and singing, books, good fellowship, and reality TV in addition to writing. She is an active member of Oklahoma City Christian Fiction Writers, American Christian Fiction Writers, and the Christian Authors Network. She has written over fifty books and more than 250 devotionals. Her historical fiction ranges from the Revolutionary War to World War II, from Texas to Vermont. You can find Darlene online elsewhere at http://darlenefranklinwrites.com/, http://www.amazon.com/Darlene-Franklin/e/B001K8993A/ and https://www.facebook.com/darlene.franklin.3.


Darlene is generously offering TWO books for giveaway!
  1. An e-book giveaway of Christmas Traditions, which includes An Apple for Christmas
  2. A copy of A Texas Christmas, e-book or paperback--reader's choice! For the paperback, U.S. entries only, please.
Comment with your email to enter. Please use "AT" and "DOT" instead of "@" and "." to protect yourself from spammers. Thank you!
Winner of the last giveaway from Lena Nelson Dooley's post is Terrill R. Congrats! I'll be getting in touch with you soon!

Comment fodder:

What's Christmastime like in the town where you live?

35 comments:

  1. I love reading Christmas stories! Ours is a small town but at Christmas, they play music on the town square and we have a local ranch that offers sleigh rides around town. It's so much fun!!! My favorite part is hearing the sleigh bells ringing. :-)

    homesteading{at}charter{dot}net

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  2. Oh, that sounds so fun, Anne! Thanks for sharing.

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  3. Hi Darlene , love your books . I am not in a very large town , but it is not small either . People decorate with lights and all kinds of Christmas decoration outside . We have an older part up town and they really go out and have contest . I love to ride around at Christmas time and look at all the pretty lights and decorations outside . Thanks .
    lizd225(at)gmail(dot)com

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  4. Liz, I enjoy Christmas lights very much as well. Thanks for stopping by!

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  5. We have a big Christmas parade every year and everybody goes to it it's huge and it's super fun for everybody not just for kids

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  6. Hi Laurie, I used to live in Denver, which does a "parade of lights" downtown. Fun!

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  7. That was a great question. Some of us writers hope we don't get into some of the situations our characters do.

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  8. I love all things Christmas. The lights, the music, the cantatas, and most of all family get togethers. If I win an e-book would be fine as then no postage would be involved. My e-mail address is: clarkkc@embarqmail.com. Thank you so very much,

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  9. Ada, of course we don't! That's why we make our characters go through it instead.

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  10. Thanks for stopping by, Clark (?). Those are some of my favorite Christmas memories too.

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  11. We live in a small rural town. Mostly elderly people live here. Santa comes in a hay wagon with sleigh bells and takes the children for a ride and there is a Christmas party at the Community Center. There are beautiful candle light services at the churches in town.
    Deanne
    Book1lovingmomma at gmail dot com

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  12. Im not in the contest but I want to wish Darlene a wonderful,terrific, God-blessed day

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  13. Deanne, I just wrote a scene with a hayride in my next book. What a fun idea for Christmas!

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  14. We live in a suburb of a larger city. Of course, there are special concerts and church services. Unfortunatley, I see too much commercialism. People hurrying around filling Christmas lists that are more than anyone needs. If we could all slow down, and just spend time with other people.

    Martha
    josieringer(at)gmail(dot)com

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  15. Martha, so true. My upcoming devotional book for Advent gives some insights into all those problems. . .but Christ is still at the center of Christmas in our hearts.

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  16. Oh I just love Christmas in our town. I live in Prescott, Arizona and Christmas is a very big deal to us! We hold the claim to being Arizona's Christmas City (I have no idea where all this comes from but it makes sense as we are a close enough drive for those in Phoenix to take a run to enjoy the cool, some snow and lots of Christmas beauty). In the beginning of Christmas season (this year December 5) we have a Christmas day parade that culminates in the square in town which is beautiful all year round. This year will be the 33rd annual parade. The parade goes until 3 pm and that is usually followed by everyone in town gathering to shop or enjoy treats at the various restaurants in the square and at 5 pm there will be various musicians singing and playing and that leads to the 61st annual lighting of the courthouse square. It is beautiful. Sometimes we have snow and sometimes we just enjoy a grassy stroll. It is hard to miss it. We always hang out after the parade because parking gets crazy! After the courthouse square is lit, lots of people head to the old museaum to enjoy a look into a frontier Christmas. It makes for along and blessed day.

    Later on in the month we also have what is called Acker Night. Local musicians play Christmas music at venues all over town. Everyone scurries from one place to another and enjoys hot cocoa, coffee and cookies. And when I say various venues, I mean it. There are performances in the knitting store, the Baptist Church, the Harley Davidson shop and the post office. I mean EVERYWHERE! It is so fun! You have to really bundle up but it is a blast! And of course there are live acts all over town. They provide a map so you can try to catch as much as possible while at the same time running into neighbors for a quick hug and hello.

    Several living nativities take place throughout the month too! We always catch at least one every year. Some really go all out too and build an entire Bethlehem like town. :)

    Did I write enough there? I can't help it. I've been here 8 years and I love it more and more each day.

    KellysShining(at)gmail(dot)com

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  17. Kelly, that sounds AMAZING. I wish I could spend December with you.

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  18. I do enjoy Christmas Stories! We love to go around Christmas Eve & look at all the lights & displays.
    dkstevensne AToutlook )dot)com

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  19. These stories sound wonderful! Looking forward to reading the collection :)

    colorvibrant at gmail dot com

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  20. I've been VERY excited and wanting to read and review A Texas CHRISTmas! It sounds like a great seasonal read!!!

    Blessings, Amada (pronounced: a.m.a.th.a)
    amada_chavezATyahooDOTcom

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  21. Deanna, Heidi, Amada--thanks for your interest in the books.

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  22. Deanna, Heidi, Amada--thanks for your interest in the books.

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  23. Deanna, Heidi, Amada--thanks for your interest in the books.

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  24. Deanna, Heidi, Amada--thanks for your interest in the books.

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  25. We have a very "artsy" community -- ever heard of Chautauqua Institute? That's our area. So there are constantly musicals and concerts and performances to attend in celebration of the season, as well as holiday parades and craft fairs. The main streets are decorated and lit, and since we live in the snow belt off of Lake Erie, the weather contributes to a very picturesque terrain.
    Unfortunately, unless you're a skier or a fan of ice hockey, the next 3 months of snow are neither as attractive nor as fun, once the charm of Christmas is past! But for the month of December, the magic thrives around here.
    Arlene
    sweetbeans38[AT]yahoo[DOT]com

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  26. There are lots of activities in the towns around us, we live in Florida in between towns a small area with 500 to 1000 people. Our area usually has a Christmas party and in the surrounding towns there are Christmas parades, one at night with colorful lights on the floats.

    Thank you for the chance to win some of Darlene's books, would love "A Texas Christmas" as I love novella's!

    wfnren at aol dot com

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  27. Kay, yes, I've heard of Chautauqua, very interesting! Wendy, interesting to hear how Christmas is celebrated so far south . . .

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  28. I do love Christmas. Our city has two parades one at night with lights and one in the daytime.
    I enjoy novellas.

    Karen Hadley
    karenskrayons@gmail.com

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  29. Not really one big on Christmas.....even though i do like all the light decorations. Last year i remember going to the Christmas parade. It was just like i remember going to it as a kid. Have not lived in my hometown for almost 20 years and moved back and everyone was saying that this was the best Christmas parade they had seen in a long time. They also had the Christmas Train in town here too.. Was so nice, as they had lights all over the train. Everyone was taking pictures of it and taking their kids to see it.. The lines were way to long so i was not able to see it. That is the way i want to remember Christmas.......Family with their kids.

    Barbara
    Email is barbslv at hughes dot net

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  30. Barbara, "family with their kids." That is the best memory of Christmas.

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  31. Karen, parade at night AND during the day. That must be a lot of work!
    Hmm, I wonder if we could a Christmas parade of sorts through the nursing home. . .

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  32. Christmas in my area contains numerous wonderful events: choir Christmas programs at my church, with dinner also, if wanted; some church choirs have a "Living Christmas Tree" - in which the choir members are elevated in rows to form the shape of a tree & decorated with lights (not the easiest thing to do as you stand on a narrow platform, are elevated in increasing heights, & it is very warm). There are outdoor nativity scenes; one church previously had "A Walk Through Bethlehem" - the town of Bethlehem was created, complete with animals, merchants selling their wares, Joseph & Mary looking for a place to stay, etc.. Our church has a candlelight service on Christmas Eve; a neighboring church has a dinner theater (more theatrics than music)I have attended several times.

    The cities each have a day when all the Christmas lights downtown are turned on, Santa arrives, there are booths of food & crafts, etc. for purchase; there is also a weekend flea market where customers can buy homemade items for Christmas gifts. The local theaters always have productions of 'The Nutcracker', & 'A Christmas Carol'; there is also a dinner theater in which a secular Christmas play revolving around famous Christmas songs, is performed. There is a decorated Christmas tree event, in which numerous decorated trees are donated for sale - the proceeds go to charity.

    Other related charity functions include the annual Christmas tree Angels that provide Christmas for families; our church houses the local food pantry (which distributes special food baskets during holidays); also provides handmade/filled Christmas stockings for needy children in the community; a Christmas tea for the women in the church - in which women from a near-by jail have attended (via our prison ministry); fills shoeboxes for needy children in other countries (through Franklin Graham's program); provides Christmas gifts/goodies for the local nursing home occupants & "shut-ins" of the church; & numerous other programs.

    There are Christmas light displays around town, both indoor, & out- including an underground drive-through display, a foot tour of decorated Victorian homes, & drive-through tours of decorated parks. There are other events - too numerous to mention. The most meaningful to me are the Christmas Eve church candlelight service, & the time my family spends together observing Christ's birth. My birthday is Dec. 25th, however, it has never been a day about me - in my family, rather one about Christ & my total family.

    Thanks for the giveaway opportunity!!

    bonieroof60(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  33. Christmas sounds like a full-time job in your part of the world, Bonnie!

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  34. I must say that my Christmas memory is actually in my parent's town near me. Dominos Pizza delivery guys/gals can recognize their house by the Christmas lights on the house year round. They even have it in their system so that it prints out on the label for the pizza. When giving directions to others, I also advise them to look for the house with the Christmas light on it. Of course, the don't have the lights on all year round, just left on the house all year round. Love my dad, he's a great guy.

    princessdebbie1_2000atyahoodotcom

    or

    princessdebbie1underscore2000atyahoodotcom

    whichever works.

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