A Cup of Tea with Michelle Griep

1) Have you always wanted to be an author? If not, what made you decide to write, and how long have you been at it?

I’ve always wanted to be a writer, except for a short season when I kicked around the idea of becoming an astronaut. Two problems with that, though. First off, I hate science and math, both of which are somewhat necessary to succeed in an aerospace career. Secondly, it was a total deal breaker when I found out that astronauts don’t actually wear super cool Lt. Uhura uniforms.

Honestly, I first started writing when I discovered Crayolas and blank wall space, but seriously for the past ten years. My writerly journey began after a long day cooped up with four kiddos (yeah, mine) and I needed to run away from home. So I did. Every Thursday night, I ran straight over to Panera for a mug o’ joe, a chocolate chunk cookie, and four hours of letting my imagination run off the leash.

2) After becoming a published author, what surprised you the most?

The freak magnet effect. When people hear I’m a published author, suddenly I’m their bff. I’m convinced that 99.9% of the population are wannabe-writers with not only novel ideas, but entire epic trilogy tales.  And trust me on this one, they’re not afraid to share.

On the plus side, I’m always surprised when a reader takes the time to email me with their thoughts on what I write. So far they’ve all been great, but I suspect that at some point in the future I’ll get a snarky step-away-from-the-keyboard type of note. Even so, that someone would take the time to contact me is still amazing.

3) What do you love about being a writer, and what do you like the least?

Getting paid for penning down my daydreams is the best part of being a writer. Seriously, other than lawyers, who else do you know that makes money off of making stuff up, trying to convince people they know what they’re talking about?

My least favorite is marketing. There’s a reason I’m not a salesman. I stink at it. I’d much rather shut myself in a room for hours at a time than stand on a street corner and toot my own horn. Unfortunately, in this day and age and economy, you will find me kazooing my way to sales on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.

4) What do your kids think about your being a writer?

My oldest son thinks it’s great but only reads audio/technical textbooks. My second son reads my rough drafts, cutting out scenes that are too sissy and/or adding in some sweet moves to my fight scenes. My oldest daughter is too busy fixing her hair to notice that I write. And my youngest daughter is pretty sure Hollywood will make blockbuster movies of my stories, and can I please get her into a starring role?

5) How do you get your best ideas?

There’s a reason I write fiction: my life is a sitcom. Not. Even. Kidding. Come on over to the Griep household for a day or two and you’ll walk away armed with enough writerly fodder to pound out at least seventeen novels.

I also get ideas from reading. I mentally tick off things I like in other books and then shamelessly reshape them and stick them in my own. Is that wrong?

6) Writing is a sedentary occupation. What do you do for exercise?

I’ve developed some serious biceps simply by the repeated action of lifting brownies from a plate into my mouth…which isn’t so good for the ol’ abs. So, I toodle off to the gym 5 days a week. I’m one of the blessed few who can read while sweating away on an elliptical. That’s where I get most of my reading done.

7) What fun fact would you like your readers to know about you?

If I could live anywhere in the world, I’d be running a B&B in England. Near a castle. On a moor. With Mr. Rochester as my neighbor. Wow. Did I mention I’m an out-of-the-closet Charlotte Bronte fan-a-maniac?

Other quirky facts are that I don’t like fruit (except for the occasional apple), I love to rollerblade, boxers are my dog of choice, and while I’ll never turn down any kind of chocolate, dark is my favorite.

Thanks, Michelle, for taking the time to make us smile!

Readers: Don't forget to stop by tomorrow to enter to win a free copy of Michelle's latest release, A Heart Deceived. 

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5 Tips for the Wannabee Writer by Author Michelle Griep

I hate to burst your bubble, but writers aren’t wizards. They’re everyday Joe Shmoes who simply have a little velvet bag of writerly tricks hidden beneath their desk. Want to peek into mine? Don’t worry. There’s no fee. 

Trick #1: Saving isn’t just for cheapskates.

Any time, every time, you take a break for anything—eating a pint of Ben & Jerry’s, tweeting that you ate said pint, Facebooking a picture of ice cream dripping out your mouth, or any other ‘ing’ you can think of—that’s when you should hit save. Just do it. Ingrain the movement into your body’s muscle memory so that it turns into a strange and freakish nervous twitch. Trust me. You’ll thank me later.

Trick #2: Stuff happens.

These two little words—stuff happens—should become your new best friends. They are versatile, quick little rodents who are excellent at preventing writers block. Working on a synopsis and are unsure about what happens right after the mutant rock badger eats Detroit? Just type in ‘stuff happens’ and move on. Or are you pounding away at a scene and don’t have a clue how your heroine should respond when the hero tells her, “I’m leaving you for my mother?” Stuff happens. Next scene. Don’t get me wrong; you can’t slap this phrase everywhere and expect to sell a manuscript. You will have to come back and fill in what exactly happens with that stuff. This little trick is simply a way to keep your writerly momentum going when you’re in the midst of the writing battle.

Trick #3: Save the cliffhangers for your readers.

At the end of your writing session, the last thing you should type is a sentence or two of what you’ll write next time you sit down. There’s nothing worse than pulling up a finished scene and trying to remember what that stellar idea was to begin the next. You faintly recall it had something to do with a feather boa and a toaster, but doggone if you can’t even remember what you ate for breakfast. 

Trick #4: Google it.

Most writers have a limited budget. Translation: they’re too broke to actually visit the towns they set their stories in, unless of course, it happens to be within walking distance. Even then it’s a little iffy. Fortunately, every writer has a new best friend called Google Maps Street View. This is tricky if you’re writing historical, though, in which case you’ll have to rely on your imagination and/or a written description of the place (tip to the wise: if you’re using Wikipedia, verify, verify, verify). 

Trick #5: Tweetable thinking.

You’ll need to be able to describe your epic blockbuster novel in a sentence or two. Even better if you can chop it down to a 140 character Tweetable size.  Here’s an example from my latest release, A HEART DECEIVED…

Lies were born in a garden and just may be the death of Miri Brayden.

Intrigued? Ahh, you’ve fallen into my trap, my pretty. Here’s the full blurb:

Miri Brayden teeters on a razor's edge between placating and enraging her brother, whom she depends upon for support. Yet if his anger is unleashed, so is his madness. Miri must keep his descent into lunacy a secret, or he'll be committed to an asylum—and she'll be sent to the poorhouse.

Ethan Goodwin has been on the run all of his life—from family, from the law ... from God. After a heart-changing encounter with the gritty Reverend John Newton, Ethan would like nothing more than to become a man of integrity—an impossible feat for an opium addict charged with murder.

When Ethan shows up on Miri's doorstep, her balancing act falls to pieces. Both Ethan and Miri are caught in a web of lies and deceit—fallacies that land Ethan in prison and Miri in the asylum with her brother. Only the truth will set them free.

If you decide to pick up a copy, you just may discover a few more of the tricks I’ve got buried in my writerly bag. Feel free to use them.

Michelle’s been writing since she first discovered blank wall space

and Crayolas...professionally, however, for the past 10 years. Her recent release is A HEART DECEIVED, a gothic regency put out by David C. Cook (June 2013). If you’d like to keep up with her escapades, you can find her at www.michellegriep.com or www.writerofftheleash.blogspot.com or feel free to stalk her on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest.




REVIEW of A Heart Deceived

Book Summary: Miri Brayden teeters on a razor's edge between placating and enraging her brother, whom she depends upon for support. Yet if his anger is unleashed, so is his madness. Miri must keep his descent into lunacy a secret, or he'll be committed to an asylum—and she'll be sent to the poorhouse. 

Ethan Goodwin has been on the run all of his life—from family, from the law ... from God. After a heart-changing encounter with the gritty Reverend John Newton, Ethan would like nothing more than to become a man of integrity—an impossible feat for an opium addict charged with murder. 

When Ethan shows up on Miri's doorstep, her balancing act falls to pieces. Both Ethan and Miri are caught in a web of lies and deceit—fallacies that land Ethan in prison and Miri in the asylum with her brother. Only the truth will set them free.

An excellent book full of twists and turns. Set in England, the book is rich with history while giving insight into both the troubles and trials of the time period (opium, asylums). Ethan is a strong, though flawed hero, and Miri is a heroine torn between her world and the one her brother only thinks he sees. 4 1/2 stars

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