Interview & Giveaway with Michelle Griep, Author of Writer Off The Leash

Today, I couldn’t be more pleased to introduce one of my close author friends to you: Michelle Griep. Michelle is a multi-talented author who’s penned several published novels (one of which is a VIKING NOVEL my friends! Link below). But today we’re highlighting her latest release: Writer off the Leash: Growing in the Writing Craft: a book just for writers. Let me tell you, I was blessed to be an early reader for this one and this little Padawan had a lot to learn from the Jedi writing master! 🙂 And today Michelle is generously offering a copy (winner’s choice of e-book or softcover) of her Writer off the Leash book to one lucky commenter! (Click to tweet!)

Here’s a little more about Michelle:

 

 

Michelle Griep’s been writing since she first discovered blank wall space and Crayolas. Follow her adventures and find out about upcoming new releases at her blog, Writer Off the Leash, or stop by her website. You can also find her at the usual haunts of Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest.

 

 

 

 

 

Interview with Author Michelle Griep

HG: Michelle, you are a friend after my own heart because you love VIKINGS!!! And you write about them, too (check out Michelle’s time-traveling Viking novel, Undercurrent). You have had several books published…can you tell me briefly about those experiences (highs and lows) before I ask some nosy questions about your just-released indie book?

MG: Highs:

Brutal honesty . . . it’s gratifying to have a traditional publisher want your writing. It validates. It soothes. And it’s a complete and total lie. But it still feels dang good.

Lows:

Sales numbers for time travel are dismal. Apparently hanging out with big beefy Vikings or medieval knights doesn’t draw as many readers as sweet Amish let’s-ride-in-a-buggy-with-our-bonnets-on books.

HG: Thank you for your honesty! No matter how we publish, for sure there will be highs and lows. I’ve followed your Writer off the Leash blog for years now and it never fails to make me smile. What gave you the inspiration to write a book about writing?

MG: My blog readers. I never would have thought of compiling all my blather about writing into one easy-to-read format, but then again, I never thought of reading the directions on a can of acetone before I poured it on top of a painted surface. Yep. I’m that kind of idiot. Thankfully, though, my readers are not.

HG: LOL! Okay, tell me more about your decision to go indie with this book. What caused you to decide to jump in and how did the publication process go?

MG: Peer pressure. No, really. I have this buddy who year after year nagged me to self-publish. Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore, so I shot back, “Only if you help me.” And he did. In the process, he discovered exactly why I’d shied away from self-pubbing . . . it’s a fat lot of work. For the most part, though, it ran pretty smoothly, leastwise for me.

I wrote the manuscript, found an editor, and picked all the nits out of the copy. Then I found a designer who came up with the cover. Wow. I had no idea the bajillion decisions I’d have to make. Color. Type-size and style. Feel and mood. Cover copy content, yada, yada. I also hunted down endorsers and sent them out ARC’s.

My buddy did all the grunt work: ISBN’s, Library of Congress, formatting for paperback and eBooks, putting it up on Amazon, finding a printer, yada, yada.

HG: I’ve read your Writer off the Leash book and really enjoyed it. You had all kinds of insights on the writer life and thought processes…what would be your best word of wisdom for today’s writer? I know when I got into the biz, the advice was “Blog, blog, blog! Every day of the week!” Glad that’s over with. LOL.

MG: I agree. Blogging is definitely not for everyone. But if I hadn’t felt forced into it, I probably wouldn’t have done it, and then look at all the fun I’d have missed out on.

My best piece of advice is going to sound like a cop out but it’s the one thing that sets apart the wannabes from the real deals. What is it? Write. (Click to Tweet!) Yep, that simple. Don’t talk about writing. Don’t even read about writing unless you’re actually spending some serious butt-in-chair time doing the deed. Push past the dry times and write even when you don’t feel like it.

HG: Brentwood’s Ward is your latest novel. Is this a series? Tell us more about it. Also, tell us what’s coming down the publication pike next for you!

 

MG: I always intend my books to be series. Getting the publishers to agree with me is quite another thing. Even so, I am halfway finished with a sequel to Brentwood’s Ward featuring a fellow officer in the Bow Street Runners . . . which is what Brentwood’s Ward is about. Here’s a blurb:

Place an unpolished lawman named Nicholas Brentwood as guardian over a spoiled, pompous beauty named Emily Payne and what do you get? More trouble than Brentwood bargains for. She is determined to find a husband this season. He just wants the large fee her father will pay him to help his ailing sister. After a series of dire mishaps, both their desires are thwarted, but each discovers that no matter what, God is in charge.

HG: Sounds so interesting, Michelle! Thanks so much for visiting today and thank you for sharing your years of writing wisdom in Writer off the Leash: Growing in the Writing Craft!

***Readers, please comment below for a chance to win your choice of an e-book or softcover of Writer off the Leash: Growing in the Writing Craft! (Click to Tweet!) Here’s my endorsement of it:

“Chock-full of down-to-earth advice for authors of all levels, WRITER OFF THE LEASH: Growing in the Writing Craft connects with writers where we live. Griep’s enthusiasm for the writing craft bubbles through the page as she offers solid tips on breaking through writer’s block, managing writing time, agent-hunting, and structuring novels. Lists and worksheets add to the takeaway value. A steal of a book that you will refer to time and time again.”

Please comment and share! I will choose a winner next Monday!***