The Indigo Heiress
An Interview with Laura Frantz
Laura Frantz is here this week to give us the inside scoop on a new historical romance you’re sure to swoon over — The Indigo Heiress, about a woman who enters into an arranged marriage with a Scottish merchant she loathes, leaving colonial Virginia and everything she knows for Scotland.
A brooding Scottish love interest, lavish estate settings, Revolutionary War era political intrigue (from both sides of the Atlantic), enemies-to-lovers storyline, and a heroine worth rooting for, this one has it all.
"Frantz's characters leap off the page, propelling an ambitious, twisty plot that draws energy from the tensions of the Revolutionary era. The results are captivating."-Publishers Weekly
I really enjoyed reading about this indigo heiress, Juliet Catesby. Did you base her story on any real women?
Juliet was inspired by the very real Eliza Lucas Pinckney who put indigo on the map in colonial South Carolina as the foremost indigo producer in America. It was fun and intriguing to create a heroine who was as business savvy as a man in that era yet entirely feminine, too. Indigo remains a celebrated color today though we don't often know its origins so it was really eye-opening to make Juliet an indigo heiress and take a look at the history behind that in this novel. While Eliza inspired Juliet's character there are some distinct differences. Juliet is not only an indigo producer but an abolitionist in secret, continuing the work of her mother before her. The anti-slavery movement was swelling during this time period, especially in England, and many people became involved in helping enslaved people to freedom in colonial America, too.
Several American characters make matches with people from England or Scotland. How common were these kind of marriages in this period right before the American Revolution?
Quite common, actually, especially among the "genteel" and aristocracy of the 18th-century. Since the American colonies were Great Britain's during that time period, people from both continents traveled back and forth freely with matrimony often in mind. Women had few rights then so often fathers had the most say. Arranged marriages were common and some were happy, others not so successful. Since I write historical romances, mine always have a happy ending.
This is such an atmospheric read. What was your process like for bringing the Buchanans' stately Glasgow homes to life? I loved being transported to that world.
I attended school in England & lived in a historic manor house & have also been to Scotland several times, visiting the great houses across Britain, so it was wonderful borrowing from & bringing those to life in this novel. It's truly another world, all that grandeur and magnificent architecture from another century. It's hard to imagine the wealth involved today. I always do a deep dive into the trending textiles of the period, so to speak, and what was being bought and sold for wallpaper, furnishings, etc. I love research almost as much as writing so this is an easy assignment for me.
There is a lovely slow-building romance woven throughout the book. What have you learned over time about creating relationships readers will root for?
Relationships in any century are much the same. Sometimes there are the lightning struck moments of falling in love but often there's a slow build from friendship. A favorite trope is arranged marriage or marriage of convenience in fiction and I like mine to be authentic with all the angst and uncertainty we can relate to today. A brooding, complicated hero also never hurts.
What is the last book that kept you up late turning the pages?
I'm actually reading Victorian mysteries, a first for me. Anne Perry's William Monk series is fascinating & opens a window on a time period in London I know little about. And the best part is there are over 20 novels featuring the savvy detective, Monk, & Hester, a Florence Nightingale-type heroine.
About the Author: Laura Frantz is a two-time Christy Award winner and the ECPA bestselling author of 15 novels, including The Seamstress of Acadie, The Rose and the Thistle, The Frontiersman's Daughter, Courting Morrow Little, The Lacemaker, and A Heart Adrift. She is the proud mom of an American soldier and a career firefighter. Though she will always call Kentucky home, Laura lives with her husband in Washington State.