Michelle Griep – Authorview

Michelle Griep
Michelle Griep

I’m a fan of humor, so when I stumbled across a few posts by Michelle Griep, I was hooked. I liked her Facebook page, I followed her blog, I found her books. Why? Because she’s pleasantly funny in a smart, down-home comfortable kind of way (my favorite). So I’m honored to welcome her to Authorview. I hope you’ll enjoy her answers as much as I did. I’m pretty sure you will want to get to know her better!

Michelle Griep:

I am a…Dreamer. A bubble-blower. A java drinking craze-o-maniac with a penchant for beautiful words and stories that feed my soul.

You would like me when I’m…Super angry . . . at least my kids always do because the most ridiculous things fly out my mouth.

You wouldn’t like me when I’m…Singing. No, really. Think rock badger with a sore throat. And a lisp. And possibly a fatal case of bronchitis.

What qualities I like to see in others:    Raw, unadulterated, honesty slathered with a coating of compassion.

Favorite way to spend an evening:   A tub of buttered popcorn and a movie that’s so engrossing, I feel like I’m one of the characters. Bonus if Jim Caviezel is in it.

Who I love to spend an evening with:  The man who’s been shaking his head at me for the past thirty years.

Am reading (or want to read):   Currently enjoying a dystopian binge and am just finishing up the Divergent series.

If I had a hammer…I’d bang a roll of caps on the sidewalk. Love that sulphery smell and the satisfying ear-cracking smack of ignition.

My favorite genre is:   Seriously? I can choose only one? Grr. All right then, I’ll go with door number three: historical romance.

My work-in-progress:   Ahh! Thought you’d never ask! Here’s a blurb:

Officer ALEXANDER MOORE goes undercover as a rogue gambler to expose a traitorous plot against the crown—and a master he is with his disguise, for JOHANNA LANGLEY believes him to be quite the cad. But when Johanna is swept up in the intrigue, Alex must choose between his mission and reputation as a crack lawman or the woman he’s come to love.

My favorite food is:   There is nothing I like better in my mouth than dark chocolate. Wedding cake is next on the list. Yep. I’m the one who elbows grannies out of the way when cake is served and have no shame whatsoever in going up three or four times. Oh? What’s that? You have cake left on your plate? Here, I’ll help you.

I’m a collector of:    Happy thoughts, if not quirky ones, tucking them away in the back of my mind for the days that are narrow and bleak.

My favorite happily-ever-after:    An eternity becoming one with the One who created me.


 

Betty: So now, I’m fairly certain you’re going to want to know more about Michelle. I’ve provided you more information right here:

Brentwood's Ward Cover PeekBRENTWOOD’S WARD

There’s none better than NICHOLAS BRENTWOOD at catching the felons who ravage London’s streets, and there’s nothing he loves more than seeing justice carried out—but this time he’s met his match. Beautiful and beguiling EMILY PAYNE is more treacherous than a city full of miscreants and thugs, for she’s a thief of the highest order…she’s stolen his heart.

Available in paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and other fine booksellers.

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 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.

She resides in the frozen tundra of Minnesota, where she teaches history and writing classes for a local high school co-op. An Anglophile at heart, she runs away to England every chance she gets, under the guise of research. Really, though, she’s eating excessive amounts of scones.

Follow her adventures at her blog WRITER OFF THE LEASH or visit michellegriep.com, and don’t forget the usual haunts of Pinterest, Facebook or Twitter.

 

Becky Wade – Authorview

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Becky Wade

Welcome to Authorview, Becky Wade. She is an award-winning writer of historical fiction and contemporary romance. Her latest novel, Book 3 of The Porter Family Novels, released May 5, 2015 –  A Love Like Ours (see below for details). I’m so excited to host one of my mom’s favorite writers! Can you tell I’m excited? I used an exclamation point to illustrate it. I know you will love her candid answers to my questions. Then read her bio, follow the link to her website and check out her books. If you’ve never read a Becky Wade novel, you’re missing out.

So Becky, tell us about yourself–

I am a…Mom, wife, writer, chocoholic. Just typing the word ‘chocoholic’ makes me wonder how many steps are currently separating me from the chocolate in my pantry….

You would like me when I’ve…Just finished a yoga class. I’m quite peaceful for the five minutes afterward.

You wouldn’t like me when I’m…Still trying to wake up in the morning. The process takes about two hours. It involves a lot of rushing around, trying to get the kids to school on time, and very little conversation.

What qualities I like to see in others:    Humor. An open, genuine spirit. Humility. Warmth. Kindness.

Favorite way to spend an evening:  At a show! It’s a rare treat for me, but I love to see musicals performed live.

Who I love to spend an evening with:  My husband.

Am reading:  A romance novel that I’m judging for RWA’s RITA awards.

If I had a hammer…I’d give it to someone interested in using it to repair my patio.

My favorite genre is: Romance.

My work-in-progress: Is a contemporary Christian romance that will become the fourth and final book in my Texas-set Porter Family series.

My favorite food is: Chocolate.

I’m a collector of:    Chocolate. I also collect Department 56 Dickens Village pieces and set them up each December for Christmas.

My favorite happily-ever-after:    My great grandparents had a wonderful, joyful, long marriage full of family and faith. I can remember them laughing together and the closeness and trust of their relationship. My great grandmother passed away first, my great grandfather soon after. It was almost as if, once she went to heaven, he was extraordinarily impatient to join her there.

I inherited their wedding band when I was a teenager. Years later, I had the inside of the ring inscribed with their initials and their wedding date in 1919. It became my own wedding band when I married and I’ve been wearing it ever since.

Betty: What a wonderful story! And readers, do you get the feeling she likes chocolate? I think the message is very clear. Becky, thank you so much for participating in Authorview. 

Now — more about Becky Wade:

Becky’s a California native who attended Baylor University, met and married a Texan, and settled in Dallas.  She published historical romances for the general market before putting her career on hold for several years to care for her three children.  When God called her back to writing, Becky knew He meant for her to turn her attention to Christian fiction.  She loves penning funny, modern, and inspirational contemporary romance!  She’s the Carol Award and Inspirational Reader’s Choice Award winning author of My Stubborn HeartUndeniably YoursMeant to Be Mine, and A Love Like Ours.

A Love Like Ours

LoveLikeOurs_mck.inddFormer Marine Jake Porter has far deeper scars than the one that marks his face. He struggles with symptoms of PTSD, lives a solitary life, and avoids relationships.

When Lyndie James, Jake’s childhood best friend, lands back in Holley, Texas, Jake cautiously hires her to exercise his Thoroughbreds. Lyndie is tender-hearted, fiercely determined, and afraid of nothing, just like she was as a child. Jake pairs her with Silver Leaf, a horse full of promise but lacking in results, hoping she can solve the mystery of the stallion’s reluctance to run.

Though Jake and Lyndie have grown into very different adults, the bond that existed during their childhood still ties them together. Against Jake’s will, Lyndie’s sparkling, optimistic personality begins to tear down the walls he’s built around his heart. A glimmer of the hope he’d thought he’d lost returns, but fears and regrets still plague him. Will Jake ever be able to love Lyndie like she deserves, or is his heart too shattered to mend?

http://www.beckywade.com/my_books.html

Diane Tatum – Authorview


Diane Tatum

Diane Tatum began writing in 5th grade. Diane and her husband Ken have been married 36 years. They have two sons , two daughters-in-law and two, grandsons. She’s a member of the John 3:16 Marketing Network (#John316authors) and American Christian Fiction Writers (#ACFW).
Nickname or “wannabe” name: Marion Uekermann of ACFW Scribes in South Africa has dubbed me the “Comma Queen.” (English teacher, what can I say?)
I am: Diane E. Tatum
My best trait: Flexibility – I taught Middle School Language Arts, ‘nough said! Now I teach college Composition and Literature. Not much difference.
My bad habit: Naivety, which is really wanting to believe the best about people!
Qualities I admire: Openness and truthfulness. Don’t tell me ‘you’re fine’ when you’re not. Let me encourage you if I can.
What I like to read: Historical fiction, bonus points for romance.
What I write: Historical romance, Bible study for youth, lesson plans for college English
What I watch: crime/spy drama, movies (no horror or blatant sex), Dr. Who, Downton Abbey
My family: husband Ken, sons Dan & Brad, daughters-in-law Becca & Julie, respectively, grandsons Kellan & Ethan, also respectively
My favorite food, snack, or beverage: pizza, almonds with chocolate chips & raisins, Café Mocha Frappe or frozen Coke
What I love to do: knit, read, counted cross-stitch
What I admire: coolness under stress, careful words to fragile persons
What makes me happy: my grandsons, my Jack Russell terrier Tyler, and a sunny day at about 70 degrees, no humidity, and a light breeze.
What makes me sad: bullying, violence
I believe: Jeremiah 29:11 God has a plan for my life which is for good and not evil to give me a future and a hope.
That I am His child and He has saved me for heaven with Him.
That He has called me to teach.
Gold Earrings by Diane E. Tatum
 
Daughter of a bordello madame and an Italian captain of the seas, Angelina Mercy longs for a new life, free from the condemnation associated with her mother’s home in Boston. A former navy man, Jonathan Thomson has accepted God’s call and become a minister of a small congregation. Adrift from his Yankee heritage in the Missouri plains, Jonathan longs for a family of his own. Pursuing Alice, the daughter of the town’s wealthy patron, Jonathan believes he can tame her wild ways and accomplish more as a preacher once so established. When Angelina’s guardian and Jonathan’s seminary professor learns of Jonathan’s misguided intentions, he seeks out a solution to aid both individuals, providing a new home for Angelina in St. Joseph, and Angelina and Jonathan are brought together with a strong initial attraction. Can Jonathan ignore Angelina’s Gold Earrings, a constant reminder of the implications of her less than pristine parentage? And will Alice succeed in keeping Jonathan from Angelina? The resilient heroine of Diane E. Tatum’s novel will inspire you in this touching tale of love against the odds.

Deanna Klingel – Authorview

Deanna Klingel

 

I am: Deanna but you could call me Jan Karon if you’d like.

My best trait:I’m totally transparent.

My bad habit: I’m totally transparent.

Qualities I admire:Integrity

What I like to read:Good literature, especially historical fiction well-written

What I write:Everything; short stories, picture books, middle grade historical fiction, YA nonfiction biography and fiction

What I watch:You mean on TV? Uh, sometimes I watch the listings scrolling. The first of the year I’ll watch Downton Abbey.

My family: My husband Dave (married 52 years), our seven children and their spouses and our eleven grandchildren and one great grand, and my mom, 92 years.

My favorite food, snack, or beverage: I like eggs. I love Coke. 

What I love to do:be with my dog, write, read, walk

What I admire:Selfless acts and kindness

What makes me happy:Getting up each day, going to bed every night and everything in between.

What makes me sad:Some of what happens in between

I believe: the words I profess in the Nicene Creed 

Betty: Thanks, Deanna. Some of your answers left me giggling. 

For more information, keep reading!

Deanna’s Bio:
Deanna K. Klingel was raised in a small town in Michigan. She left for college, married, and spent the next twenty years moving every two years with her IBM husband Dave. Their family grew with each move. They eventually settled in Atlanta with their seven children where they put down roots for nineteen years. The children grew up, left home, and Dave retired. They moved to the quiet mountains of western North Carolina. It was here, in the quiet remote setting that Deanna returned to her love of writing, and began the life of a writer.

Her books include Beth’s Backyard Friends, and Rebecca & Heart, both eBooks on Storyrealm.com, and published award-winning short   stories that can be read on her website. Other published books are Just for the Moment: The Remarkable Gift of the Therapy Dog, (Dog Ear Publishing, Oct 2010); Avery’s Battlefield, (Journey Forth BJU Press, March 2011); Avery’s Crossroad, (Journey Forth BJU Press, Sept 2011; Bread Upon the Water, (Rafka Press, spring 2011.) Cracks   in the Ice, (Write Integrity, Oct. 2012.) Deanna writes primarily for young adults.


Discover more about Deanna here:
Cracks in the Ice, by Deanna Klingel

“We skate deliberately over the wide dangerous cracks, where lesser skaters might fall and never recover …”

Gina Mangalli, niece of a mafia don, has dreams of Olympic gold as a figure skater. When tragedy strikes, her life spins out of control, and then a rash decision changes Gina’s life forever.

The burden of guilt causes a spiral that carries her further from the life she had always dreamed for herself. Have things gone too far? Can her hopes and dreams be restored or is it too late? 

Victoria Bylin – Authorview

Victoria Bylin

 Welcome, Victoria!

I am:  Victoria Bylin
My best trait:   Loyalty
My bad habit:   Ugh. It’s kind of gross.  Picking at my dry cuticles. 
Qualities I admire:   Courage.  Endurance in the face of trials.  Generosity.  A good sense of humor.  (I think I just described my husband!)
What I like to read:    Inspirational romance, both contemporary and historical.  My favorite devotional is My Utmost For His Highest by Oswald Chambers. I’ll occasionally read Dick Francis, Lawrence Block, Michael Connelly and other “crime” writers. It’s a nice change.
What I write:  Currently: contemporary inspirational romance. In the past: western historicals
What I watch:  Very little, though I’ve gotten hooked on Dancing With The Stars. 
My family:  Married to my husband for 34 years. Two sons, both married.  Two adorable granddaughters–twins!  
My favorite food, snack, or beverage:  Pistachios.
What I love to do:  Write. Chat with friends. Take in the Kentucky skies. 
What I admire:   Blessed are the peacemakers.  
What makes me happy:  Sunrises. 
What makes me sad:  Violence. 
I believe:  I’m a Christian. The story is on my website under “Personal Journey.”  

Victoria Bylin is a romance writer known for her realistic and relatable characters. Her books have finaled in multiple contests, including the Carol Awards, the RITAs, and RT Magazine’s Reviewers Choice Award. A native of California, she and her husband now make their home in Lexington, Kentucky, where their family and their crazy Jack Russell terrier keep them on the go.

Learn more at victoriabylin.com or find her at one of the links below: