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Interview with Michelle Griep

Michelle Griep’s been writing since she first discovered blank wall space and Crayolas. She seeks to glorify God in all that she writes—except for that graffiti phase she went through as a teenager. Her website claims she's "A Writer. A Woman. And a little weird," hinting at a wry sense of humour (spelled as a nod to her love of Great Britain). Brentwood's Ward is her fourth novel.

What message do you hope readers take away from this book?
Besides enjoying a rollicking adventure from ballrooms to dockyards in Regency London, I hope readers learn from the heroine that human love will never satisfy us in the way God’s love does.

Reflecting back, what do you see as most significant to your publication journey?
Perseverance. If at first you don’t succeed—and trust me, you won’t—try, try, and try to the tenth power all over again.

How do your faith and spiritual life play into the picture and affect your storytelling?
My faith fingerprints are all over my stories but not in a slap-you-upside-the-head-with-a-Bible kind of way. My end goal is to share Biblical truths via the medium of story, but I do that by taking my characters on a faith journey of their own—usually one I’ve already traversed.

Who/What spurs you to write? Where do your story and character ideas come from?
Writing is a way to empty out on paper the voices I hear in my head, plus it’s way cheaper than therapy. I write because it’s how I make sense of the world.

Ideas come from pretty much anywhere . . . a snippet of overheard conversation, an old family story, a curious news clipping, history books. I’m also a huge fan of Pinterest. I get a lot of inspiration from pictures and you can check out my boards here.

Music is a great inspiration as well. Spotify is my go-to and I always make playlists for each of my stories.

What is your writing routine? Any quirky habits or must-have snacks?
Routine? HAHAHA! Sometimes I wish I had one. When my kids were little, I used to run away one night a week to go write, but now that three of the four have flown the nest, I have no excuse.

It’s easier for me to pack up and go write at a coffee shop. At home there’s always laundry, or dishes, or the dog brings me her leash, yada-yada. Caramel macchiatos are my beverage of choice when I’m at the coffee shop.

What is the funniest thing that has happened to you as an author?
Sitting in front of an editor that I asked to meet with and then totally forgetting her name. Yeah. That was real hilarious.

What do you think makes your style of storytelling unique?
Though I sing like a rock badger with one leg stuck in a trap, my writing voice is pitch perfect. Hang with me here. I’m not tooting my own horn. The thing is that every writer has their own God-given voice. Mine just happens to have an extra dash of snark in it, which is not often found in Regency romances.

What led you to choose the genre in which you write?
I started out writing time travel but that’s a hard sell, so I switched over to straight historical (no zipping between centuries involved). I’m an Anglophile at heart, so writing Regency was a no-brainer.

What do you enjoy doing when you are not writing?
Reading. Cooking. Running off to England. Binge-watching entire seasons of a favorite show in one weekend.

Any parting words?
Go for the dark chocolate. It’s healthier.

Thanks for sharing with us, Michelle !




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