Author Interview: Danielle Grandinetti

by Crystal Caudill | Oct 13, 2021 | Author Interviews

One of the great things about being an author is you get to meet so many other great authors. I met Danielle Grandinetti through an editing Facebook group and then through a Word Count Sprinting group this year. Yesterday she released her prequel novella, To Stand in the Breach, and in April, A Strike to the Heart will release. Both books however are already available to purchase/preorder for just $0.99 each.

I am so excited for you to meet Danielle and to get to know this wonderful person and author.

Danielle Grandinetti is a book blogger at DaniellesWritingSpot.com. Her short stories have appeared in several publications and her writing has won the University of Northwestern Distinguished Faith in Writing Award. Originally from Chicagoland, she currently lives along Lake Michigan’s Wisconsin shoreline with her husband and their two young sons. Danielle especially loves quiet mornings served with the perfect cup of tea.

You can check out her landing page for To Stand in the Breach here.

Connect with her through her newsletter, on Instagram, Bookbub, Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, her website, or her blog.

Now for the fun stuff! I have to admit I am partial to my Fast Five. 🙂 So settle in as I hit Danielle with rapid-fire.

CC: Milk or Dark Chocolate?

DG: Dark

CC: Print or E-book?

DG: Print

CC: Cat or Dog Person?

DG: Dogs (My dog’s name is Penny.)

CC: Morning Person or Night Owl?

DG: Morning 

CC: Spring, Summer, Fall, or Winter?

DG: Fall

Now for a couple fun personal questions:

CC: What are you reading right now?

DG: My next-up books include The Heart of a Cowboy by Jody Hedlund, Night Prey by Susan Sleeman, and Deadly Target by Elizabeth Goddard

CC: Oh! Those sound like good reads. I’ve actually never read any of those authors yet, even though I have a few of their books on my shelf waiting for time.

CC: What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

DG: I think of my first draft like a skeleton. It’s short of my word goal and needs much fleshing out, which I do during the second draft.

CC: I just giggled at the very punny image of a skeleton and “fleshing” it out. I’m familiar with the terms, but it never fails to amuse. 🙂

CC: What is your favorite Bible verse? Why?

DG: It’s hard to narrow it down to just one, so I’ll pick a whole book. The Psalms. They always express what my heart is saying better than anything else.

CC: I do love how the Psalms really show the unrestrained emotion of man, and yet how it is always brought back to God.

CC: What is your work schedule like when you’re writing?

DG: Since I’m a mama of littles, I snag writing time whenever and wherever I get a chance, but mostly during naptime.

CC: Bless you! Writing with littles is so hard. I am amazed you are able to do it.

CC: What is your writing Kryptonite?

DG: Description does not come naturally to me, but it’s fun to layer it in during the editing process.

CC: Praise the Lord for editing processes, and for your willingness and desire to layer it in, even when it is hard.

Since yesterday was your release, To Stand in the Breach, let’s talk a bit about that.

She came to America to escape a workhouse prison, but will the cost of freedom be too high a price to pay?

1933, Wisconsin – Large animal veterinarian Katy Wells takes her patients’ welfare personally, so it’s no surprise when she stands up to angry farmers planning a milk strike or takes in an injured draft horse to save its life. But after a visitor from the past discovers her location and reveals a threat, she must choose between her work and her freedom, and whether to trust a man to keep her safe.

To Stand in the Breach is the prequel novella to A Strike to the Heart, releasing April 2022 from Heritage Beacon Fiction/Iron Stream Media.

CC: Who was the most challenging character to create? What made them so difficult? 

DG: The bad guy. Making his reasoning logical when it … isn’t.

CC: Villians are so challenging because they always are the hero in their minds.

Which character was the most fun to create? What makes them fun?

DG: Katy. Her character began to develop while writing A Strike the Heart and I knew I had to tell her story.

CC: I love when side characters take on their own life and demand their own story.

CC: What was some of your favorite research you discovered while preparing for To Stand in the Breach?

DG: Cow health issues, such as udder infections, and the prevention and ramifications of them.

CC: That would be fascinating. . . and kind of gross.

CC: How did this story affect you as you wrote it? Did God teach you anything through the writing?

DG: Not so much taught as provided an outlet for my own wrestling through what it looks like to stand between those with power and those without in a given situation.

CC: Writing is a great way to wrestle through those tough topics!

CC: How do you select the names of your characters?

DG: In the case of the animals, Clover, Nessa, and Glenn, I purposefully chose Irish names as a nod to Katy’s Irish heritage.

CC: That is fun! I love looking up names for characters, and I love how you connected the animals to Katy’s heritage.

Thank you so much for joining me today and providing all of us with a wonderful distraction. As my final question, I have my usual “Fun Question”.

If you could travel anywhere without worry about cost, where would you travel?

DG: My list is too long! I’d probably pick New Zealand because it’s the only hemisphere I haven’t been to yet.

CC: I want to see the hobbit holes there!!! One day we will both make it!

You can purchase Danielle’s book at Amazon or other retailers.