Interview with Danielle Grandinetti and a Giveaway!

Welcome to Readers Write to Know! I asked you, my readers, what questions they would ask their favorite authors if given the chance, and the authors visiting my blog answered them! This week, I’m excited to have historical author Danielle Grandinetti as my guest! I enjoyed reading about what inspired her to write. I’m always happy to find another author who develops stories around characters like I do. I hope you enjoy her interview as much as I did! Read on to see how you can win a paperback of her latest release! (U.S. only)

Tell us a little bit about yourself: I’m the author of historical romantic suspense A Strike to the Heart and its prequel novella To Stand in the Breach. I’m also a book blogger at DaniellesWritingSpot.com. Originally from the Chicagoland area, I now live along Lake Michigan’s Wisconsin shoreline with my husband and our two young sons. You can find me online at daniellegrandinetti.com.

Tell us about your current release: She’s fiercely independent. He’s determined to protect her.

Wisconsin, 1933―When a routine mission becomes an ambush that kills his team, Craft Agency sniper Miles Wright determines to find the persons responsible and protect the woman he rescued. But the fierce independence that led Lily Moore to leave her family’s dairy business for the solitary life of a dog trainer and the isolation of her farm don’t make that easy. Neither does his unwanted attraction to her. Meanwhile, escalating incidents confirm that she’s far from safe.

Lily fears letting the surprisingly gentle retired marine into her life almost as much as she fears whoever is threatening her. As Wisconsin farmers edge toward another milk strike, one that will surely turn violent, it becomes clear that the plot against Lily may be part of a much larger conspiracy. When the search for her abductor leads close to home, she must decide whether to trust her family or the man who saved her life.

With all those characters in your head screaming to get out how do you write fast enough to get it all down? I love this question because it’s so true! Fortunately, I’m a fast writer—a skill I learned to hone in grad school. I’m grateful because as a mama of two little boys, my writing time tends to be short and scattered. It also means writing in sprints tends to make me the most protective.

Whats the first major news headline that you can remember and what do you remember? This is a good question. One of my first major news headline memories is the casualty counts from the Gulf War. I vividly remember seeing those on the TV.

What inspired you to start writing, or did you always want to write? I’ve always wanted to write, but one memory stands out to me. In third grade, after a visiting speaker at my school spoke, we were asked to write a short story back in our classroom. I can still remember writing that story and knew then that I would always want to tell stories.

How did you determine whether to self-publish or seek a traditional publisher? As a hybrid author, I’ve done both. For me, it’s about timing. Traditional publishing tends to take longer than I can write a book, especially since I love writing novellas, so independently publishing allows me to publish additional books at my writing pace.

Do you have pre-determined length in mind when you first begin a book? I do because it helps me structure the book.

I’m always intrigued by how writers get started…did you always have these books inside you and knew that you wanted to write them or did the idea just pop into your head one day and you decided to put pen to paper? I love this question. For me, I usually start with a character. As that character comes to life, the other characters, the plot, and the (historical) setting fill in around them. Once I have an idea of where I am to begin, and where I hope the story will go, I start writing and let the character’s story unfold.

Do you talk out plot lines with others, and if so, who? Yes, with my friend, critique partner, and fellow historical romance author Ann Elizabeth Fryer.

Find Danielle online:

Website/Blog: daniellegrandinetti.com
Newsletter: bit.ly/FiresideNews
Instagram: instagram.com/danielleswritingspot
Facebook: facebook.com/danielleswritingspot
Twitter: twitter.com/dgrandinetti
Pinterest: pinterest.com/danielleswritingspot
Goodreads: goodreads.com/danielleswritingspot
BookBub: bookbub.com/authors/danielle-grandinetti

Danielle is giving away . Find out all of the ways you can enter to win!