Getting To Know Us With Fran McNabb

Yes, we all have bios on this website, but there is so much MORE to know about our Classic and Cozy bloggers. So the 2nd Friday of each month is dedicated to getting to know us better.  This month I'd like to introduce you to Fran McNabb.

Okay, inquiring minds want to know…why a writer? Certainly not for the fame and fortune…or maybe it is?

Writing books was a natural progression for me. I taught high school English and journalism until I took an early retirement. After raising two sons and teaching for twenty-three years, I was totally bored sitting at home. That’s when I got serious about writing. I had written a few pieces earlier, but after joining RWA, I knew what I wanted to do.

When did you first put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) to create your classic and cozy characters?

My attempts at writing books was way back in the early 1980’s. I wrote a couple of books, but after getting several rejections for them, I put away the idea of being an author. I knew nothing about publishing and didn’t realize that everyone got rejections! I had a lot to learn!

Do you have a set writing schedule?

 I’m a morning person so when I’m in the middle of a manuscript, I like to write after my two cups of coffee and my email check. I have a bad habit of getting so involved that I forget to change out of my pj’s until I have to leave the house. 

Is there a certain routine, food/drink, or location that summons forth the muses for you?

I have a chase lounge in my sunroom that overlooks a bayou harbor. If I don’t get too distracted with the activity on the water, I can write for hours.

What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

I have always lived on the Gulf Coast and I love the water. From spring until late fall my husband and I love being on a boat. I love to fish and my favorite type is wade fishing at the nearby islands or “floating the grass beds” along the islands. The boat floats with the tide and with no motors running, the time is wonderfully quiet. I also like to paint.

I imagine you’ve been reading all of your life (all great writers have.)  What was your favorite book as a child?

This might seem strange to most people, but I don’t remember reading as a child or seeing books in my house. I don’t think I started reading until junior high when I could walk to the city library. 

Do you re-read books?  If so, which one have you re-read the most?

My all-time favorite book is Exodus by Leon Uris. I read it in my early 30’s and was so amazed with the author’s ability to pull me into the story, that I think it’s the first time I fell in love with a character, and I think I write a little bit of Ari into all of my heroes.

But there’s more to life than reading, writing (and arithmetic)…what is your most memorable adventure in your life?

I’m not a very adventurous person. I like safe and peaceful!! I guess my most memorable adventure wasn’t by choice. I was a child living on Ship Island, a barrier island in the Gulf of Mexico.  My parents worked with my mom’s family, and my brother and I lived the “island life.” One day we were caught in a tropical storm and had to spend the night in Fort Massachusetts, a Civil War fort. I can still remember the feelings I had that night and have used the setting in several of my books.

If you were on American Idol, what song would you sing to WOW! the judges? 

First, singing in front of anyone would never happen, but if a miracle happened and I found a voice, I would have to sing an old classic, “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.”

What are you currently working on? What can we readers look forward to seeing from you?

I’m working on a book whose hero was introduced in my new book SAVING THE CHILDREN, the first in what I hope will be a series. SAVING THE CHILDREN was released on April 29 by The Wild Rose Press and is set in South America. I loved writing that book because I love having children in my stories. The first book has orphans, the second related book has troubled teens, and third one being worked on now has seniors in a nursing home. (Okay, they’re not children, but I love them too!)

Last question…movie rights…who’ll play your current main characters when Hollywood comes knocking on your door? 

I worried a long time over this answer because I don’t watch many movies so I asked my Facebook friends to comment and, wow, did I have a lot of gorgeous guys to check out. I couldn’t pick one, but if I had to choose, I’d have to have a sit-down meeting with these three guys: Jim Caviezel, Bradley Cooper, and Channing Tatum. I couldn’t go wrong with any of them!

Catch more of Fran McNabb the fourth Monday of every month here on the Classic and Cozy Blog.  

For a complete list of Fran’s books click on over to her website www.FranMcNabb.com