Today we’re interviewing Donna Fletcher Crow, who will be joining our group of frequent contributors to the ACW blog.
Mangoes or kiwifruit?
Love them both—but mangoes are the best—if only they were easier to get off the pit!
Cricket or rugby?
Cricket—not that I understand it, but I have great memories of a match I attended in England—complete with Pimms.
Books or TV?
Books—but I love TV shows based on favourite authors such as Austen, Dickens and Trollope.
Desert or sea?
Well, woods, actually, but since I live in a desert, the sea makes a lovely change.
Plotter or pantser?
Plotter—writing is scary enough even with an outline!
Getting to Know Donna Fletcher Crow, Novelist of British History
What’s something interesting or unusual about you that not everyone knows?
I am a former rodeo queen and runner-up for Miss Rodeo America. I grew up on a farm, and as an only child, I was my father’s son. That led to pretty much growing up on a horse—except when I was curled up reading.
Where are you from?
I grew up in Nampa, Idaho (USA), but moved 20 miles to Boise, Idaho’s capital city, in 1967. That means I’ve lived here longer than most of our residents have been alive.
What is your area most famous for?
Idaho is famous world-over for our Potatoes. Russet potatoes—which make fabulous baked potatoes (do not wrap them in foil!), but I have to confess to a great fondness for King Edwards—which we can’t get here.
What books are set in your town/city?
My own Daughters of Courage family saga trilogy is set in the Boise Valley. Book 1, Kathryn, Days of Struggle and Triumph, is set in the nearby farming community of Kuna. It’s a composite of both of my grandmothers’ stories, but also includes events from other pioneer journals. Book 2, Elizabeth, Days of Loss and Hope, is sent in Nampa and is broadly my parents’ story. Book 3, Stephanie, Days of Turmoil and Victory, is set in Boise, but isn’t based on my life at all.
About Your Writing
What do you write?
My passion is British Christian history. I get that into whatever I’m working on—whether it’s an historical novel, modern or historical romance, or one of my 3 mystery series.
Who or what are your main writing influences?
My love of Jane Austen and other English classics, Dorothy L Sayers and the Golden Age mystery writers, and my longing to see spiritual renewal in Great Britain.
Do you have any books published?
About 50. Glastonbury, The Novel of Christian England, an Arthurian epic is my best known. I am currently working on The Celtic Cross Series, novels of Scotland and Ireland’s past seen as a young American woman searches for understanding. My mystery series are: The Monastery Murders, Clerical Mysteries; Lord Danvers Investigates, Victorian True-crime; and the Elizabeth and Richard Mysteries, Literary Suspense.
How long have you been writing?
All my life, but professionally about 40 years.
What inspired you to start writing?
I was binge-reading Georgette Heyer—whose books I adore—but I got terribly frustrated that they are so completely secular, when I knew this was an age of great spiritual fervor. I wrote my first novel, now titled Where Love Triumphs, in response. That grew into a 6-book series which is now titled Where There is Love.
What’s your favourite part of the writing process?
I love, love, love doing the on-site research and I find rewriting very satisfying. Rough drafting is right up there with cold showers.
What’s your biggest writing challenge?
Besides rough drafting? Getting the facts right. Although I research diligently—always on-site—and have been fortunate to spend a great deal of time in Great Britain, the fact is that I’m an American, living in the west. I rely heavily on my English editor to keep out creeping Americanisms and historical solecisms.
How does your faith impact your writing?
My main goals in writing are: to tell stories that exemplify God’s Grace, to bolster believers’ faith by telling of spiritual triumphs in the past, and to exhibit to non-believers that sincere faith is a valid way of life.
Finally, where’s the best place to find you online?
Thank you for asking! Please visit my website to learn about all of my books, see photos of my research trips, and take a tour of my garden. I would be thrilled to have readers subscribe to my newsletter (and receive a free copy of a Lord Danvers mystery) And to follow my blog “The Authorized Version.” You can follow me on Facebook or Pinterest, and I occasionally post on Twitter.
I am so honoured to be part of this group! Thank you for all your help, Ilona and Jenny!
Hi! A new to me author to read! I love British history so I am sure to enjoy your books.
Penny I think Donna even has a book set in Canada. I am sure you will like her.
Thank you, Penny! What fun to know we share a passion! Do you have a favorite period? I think I’ve dipped into most of them somewhere in my writing.
Hi Donna, Penny is my Canadian friend. She enjoys reading.
Thank you for the intro, Jenny! Readers are my kind of people! Yes, Penny, Against All Fierce Hostility, Book 6 in my Monastery Murders is a train journey from Toronto to almost Vancouver via the Canadian–a bucket list event for me! https://donnafletchercrow.com/booksMystery.php#monastery
Hi Donna, It’s great to see you here. I’m now wondering, knowing your rodeo/cowboy background from living in Idaho, if you’ve considered writing westerns? Thanks for the fun interview. 😊
Hi Narelle. It’s lovely to be working together again! The closest I came to using my rodeo experience in a book is in Stephanie, Days of Turmoil and Victory, #3 in my Daughters of Courage series. It’s set in Nampa, Idaho in the 1970s and includes the rodeo and some of my memories through my heroine’s POV.
Thank you for this interesting interview. I love reading books based on British History.
Hello, Heather, how lovely to meet another lover of British History. Thank you for leaving a comment.