I’d like to welcome Michelle Griep to my Summer Spotlight Series this week.

Michelle Griep’s been writing since she first discovered blank wall space and Crayolas. She is the author of historical romances: The Innkeeper’s Daughter, 12 Days at Bleakly Manor, The Captive Heart, Brentwood’s Ward, A Heart Deceived, Undercurrent and Gallimore, but also leaped the historical fence into the realm of contemporary with the zany romantic mystery Out of the Frying Pan. If you’d like to keep up with her escapades, find her at www.michellegriep.com or www.writerofftheleash.blogspot.com or stalk her on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest.

Her latest release, Of Rags and Riches Romance Collection, is available on Amazon now!

Journey along in nine historical romances with those whose lives are transformed by the opulence, growth, and great changes taking place in America’s Gilded Age. Nine couples meet during these exhilarating times and work to build a future together through fighting for social reform, celebrating new opportunities for leisure activities, taking advantage of economic growth and new inventions, and more.

Where do you find ideas for your novels and novellas?

Everywhere. No, really. Anything or anyone can send my now-there’s-a-story alarm into scream mode. A snippet of a news story. An overheard comment. A picture on Pinterest. Something funny a five-year-old says. Seriously, life is story, so stories can be found anywhere in your life.

When did you first know you wanted to be an author?

I started writing when I first discovered Crayolas and blank wall space, so I must’ve been about 3 years old at the time. I went through a short phase as a teenager, however, when I thought I wanted to be an astronaut. But, since I discovered I’d have to actually know how to do math and study science, I ditched that plan and went with my first love of writing.

Will there be more Romance Collections? If so, when can we expect them?

There will always be more romance collections to come. In fact my next one releases in November (The Regency Brides Collection).

Who is your favorite fictional character? And Why?

Mr. Rochester in Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre. Yeah, he’s kind of a jerk at first, but I adore his character arc. By the end of the story his anger has fizzled and he’s a far humbler man.

I hope you’ll take time to connect with Michelle and check out her books! They look so enticing!