Interview with Michele Griep and #Giveaway!!!

Today we welcome Michele Griep to my blog. Michele is very graciously giving away one copy of A TALE OF TWO HEARTS to one commenter in their choice of format. (Print is USA only).  Please include contact information.

 Glad to have you stop by, Michele. Tell us about the book – a brief blurb:

London, 1853: Innkeeper’s daughter Mina Scott will do anything to escape the drudgery of her life, for there’s nothing more mundane than serving customers day after day. Every minute she can, she reads and dreams of someday becoming a real lady—and catch the eye of William Barlow, a frequent guest at the inn.

William is a gentleman’s son, a charming but penniless rogue. However, his bachelor uncle will soon name an heir—either him or his scheming cousin. In an effort to secure the inheritance, William gives his uncle the impression he’s married, which works until he’s invited to bring his wife for a visit.

William asks Mina to be his pretend bride, only until his uncle names an heir on Christmas Day. Mina is flattered and frustrated by the offer, for she wants a true relationship with William. Yet, she agrees. . .then wishes she hadn’t. So does William. Deceiving the old man breaks both their hearts. When the truth is finally discovered, more than just money is lost.

Can two hearts survive such deception?

Do you create playlists for each book, write to the same music all the time, don’t listen to anything?

Great question! A resounding yes, I listen to music. In fact, I create a separate playlist for each book that I write and listen to it as I create the story. You can find my lists on Spotify under mmgriep.

Where is your favorite place to write? Pictures?

Recently I bought an antique roll top desk from the early 1900s and I adore writing there. 

Will complete this opening? “It was a dark and stormy night…”

…so windswept and chilling that Woodstock took a dive beneath Snoopy to keep warm. Hah! Sorry. I grew up watching Peanuts and Snoopy was forever beginning his Great American Novel with those same seven words.

What book do you admire do you wish you’d written?

Current day author: A Moonbow Night by Laura Frantz

Historical author: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

How do you find the balance of writing time and family time?

Really? There is s such a thing? Huh. Mostly when I’m under a deadline and I need to get writing accomplished, I run away to a coffee shop to write. Granted, that’s not very family friendly, but oddly enough, it gives me more time to spend with my family because when I get my work done, I’m fully there with them instead of inside a story in my head.

Share your bio and links for social media and to buy:

Michelle Griep’s been writing since she first discovered blank wall space and Crayolas. She is the author of historical romances: A Tale of Two Hearts, The Captured Bride, The Innkeeper’s Daughter, 12 Days at Bleakly Manor, The Captive Heart, Brentwood’s Ward, A Heart Deceived, and Gallimore, but also leaped the historical fence into the realm of contemporary with the zany romantic mystery Out of the Frying Pan. If you’d like to keep up with her escapades, find her at www.michellegriep.com or stalk her on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest.