Welcome back,
Michelle. What are some of the spiritual themes you like to write about?
Forgiveness and compassion are two of my favorite themes,
probably because those are my favorite attributes of Jesus.
What other books of
yours are coming out soon?
The Captive Heart
comes out in October, but you can pre-order now at Amazon. Here’s a short
blurb:
Governess ELEANOR MORGAN flees to America , but the family she’s to
serve never arrives to collect her. She must settle for what’s left—an offer of
marriage. Backwoodsman SAMUEL HEATH is a survivor. He will find a mother for
his young daughter. The trouble is who would marry a murderer?
If you could spend an
evening with one contemporary person (not a family member of yours), who would
it be and why?
Wow. Tough question. There are so many! I’m going to go with
Ann Voskamp, the author of One Thousand
Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are. Her outlook on things, her
perspective of grace, continually blows me away.
What historical
person would you like to meet (besides Jesus) and why?
Charlotte Bronte. Yes, another author, and my all-time
favorite. How much of Jane Eyre is in
her? That’s what I’d want to discuss.
How can you encourage
authors who have been receiving only rejections from publishers?
Keep writing, whether you think you’ll get published or not.
It’s always God’s timing, not yours.
Tell us about the
featured book.
Out of the Frying Pan is a zany romantic mystery with a few
older main characters. The American population is aging, so why not include a
few seniors? Here’s a blurb:
Murder in Paradise whips
life into a froth for FERN and ZULA HOPKINS. When the retirement center’s chef
is found dead, the two ladies get folded in with the case. Their zany attempts
to track down the killer land them in hot water with Detective JARED FLYNN.
Should he be concerned about their safety—or the criminal’s?
But there are deadly ingredients none of them expect. Drugs.
Extortion. International cartels. And worst of all…broken hearts, especially
when the Hopkins
sisters’ niece KC arrives on the scene.
Life at Sunset
Paradise Retirement
Village will never be the
same.
Please give us the
first page of the book.
It always surprised Zula Hopkins when her eyelids opened to
another day. She should be dead by now. She’d outlived four presidents, a
beloved husband, and even her son. But she hadn’t outlasted Fern. Fern had her
beat by two years.
Probably for spite.
She rubbed away the negativity along with the sleep from her
lashes. Pre-dawn light filtered through the open bedroom blinds, and she
blinked. Would it be cool enough to wear her leopard print cardigan today
or…wait a minute. What day was it, anyway? Flipping through the pages on her
mental calendar, she landed on Tuesday, end of May.
End of May?
She flung the iris-print comforter off her body with such
force, Fifi rolled to the floor and yelped. Poor old girl. Hopefully the little
dog hadn’t broken a bone—no time for a vet visit on the day after Memorial
Weekend.
“Mama’s sorry, baby, but today’s special.” Humming her own
rendition of “Born Free,” she snatched her robe and crossed the room at a good
clip. Fifi followed, bumping and re-bumping against her lower calves like a
crazed ball-bearing in a pinball game. Evidently, the poor little dear forgave
her for the rude awakening.
The bedroom door rubbed against the frame as she yanked it
open, creaking worse than an arthritic joint. Hmm…it’d be a humid one today,
then.
Pausing, she shifted her gaze from Fern’s closed door to the
bathroom, then back. What to do first—begin her morning routine or awaken her
roommate?
Expedience mattered, though she’d never tell her
sister-in-law. Fern would for sure put a damper on her plans to hop the senior
shuttle into Ocala .
The day after Memorial Day was historically the best opportunity to browse the
discarded silk and plastic flowers that didn’t sell for the holiday. Her heart
raced just thinking of the booty in the dumpster behind Flowerama Gifts. No,
she couldn’t tell Fern.
But she would not be late and miss that shuttle, either.
“Oh, Fern,” she crooned.
Even with the shades drawn, the barren beige walls of her
sister-in-law’s bedroom glared at her. She clamped her lips against the decorating
advice bubbling up in her mouth like an Alka Seltzer gone bad. A simple pair of
floral-print valances would add so much color. She could whip up this
monochrome bear’s den into a swirling vortex of color in no time at all, if
only Fern would let her.
Which she wouldn’t.
No matter. She’d soon be up to her elbows in plastic
gardenias and silk fuchsias. Her lips unfurled into song. “Are you sleeping? Are you sleeping,
sister Fern? Sister Fern? Morning bells are ringing—” she ducked a pillow
projectile and whirled for the window “—Morning bells are ringing. Ding, ding,
dong—”
The second pillow nailed her in the behind, and she let
loose the shade she’d been opening to flip-flap a slap dance on the roller. “I
declare, Fern, you’re getting as mean as Irma Benton. Now, let’s uncover our
sunny dispositions and greet the day, shall we?”
Her sister-in-law grasped the blanket’s satin edging and
plastered it over her head. No matter how hard Zula yanked, the earth-toned
covering refused to budge from Fern’s skinny form.
Muffled words rumbled from beneath the barrier. “The sun’s
not even up yet, so why should I be?”
Zula straightened, weighing her options. Fight or flight? At
least if she flew to the bathroom, she could begin her beauty regimen. Careful
to sidestep Fifi, she retreated and finished her serenade, “—Ding, ding, dong.”
She scooted out the door to the whap! of Fern’s last pillow
smacking the oak veneer.
Sounds like a fun
read, as well as a cozy mystery. How can
readers find you on the Internet?
If you’d like to keep up with Michelle’s escapades, find her
at www.michellegriep.com or www.writerofftheleash.blogspot.com
or stalk her on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest.
Thank you, Michelle, for sharing this book with us.
Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.
Out of the Frying Pan - A cozy little romance ... with murder on the side. - paperbackOut of the Frying Pan - A cozy little romance ... with murder on the side. - Kindle
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15 comments:
angela in ky would love to win
I think this book sounds great and I would love to read it.
Melanie Backus, TX
This really sounds like a fun and entertaining book - a good escape. Michelle is a new author to me.
Cathy - TX
What a great title! Thank you for the chance to win a copy of this book.
Wendy in FL
wfnren at aol dot com
I enjoyed the first page thank you.
Mary P
QLD AUSTRALIA
I love cozy mysteries and I'm sure I'd love this one. Thank you for the chance to win a copy.
Blessings,
Cindy W.
from Indiana
Please enter me. Thanks.
Abigail
Clarksville VA
Sounds like a fun read. north platte nebraska
Sounds like a great read. I would love to win a copy. Thanks for the chance.
Brenda in VA
This sounds like FUN! Thanks for the chance!
Annie (MD)
Now that I'm "older", I like these books that have older characters in them. We can still get into things. This sounds like fun.
Linda in CA
lkish77123 at gmail dot com
I'd like to win the book!
Dianna in TN
Sounds great!
Connie from KY
cps1950(at)gmail(dot)com
Enter me!!
Conway SC.
Cute title and cover! You are right - there are more and more seniors out there and good to have some for characters in the book~
Beth from IA
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