Today we’re featuring Danielle Grandinetti on the blog. I love her reason for writing and her writing process.
Danielle Grandinetti’s Book & Writing Process
Q: What is the title of your book and when was it published?
A: Confessions to a Stranger
Publication date: March 14, 2023
Q: What genre is Confessions to a Stranger?
A: Inspirational Historical Romantic Suspense
Q: What inspired you to write your book, and how did you come up with the idea for it?
A: My background is in intercultural communication, so I find the idea that we are sometimes more willing to share our secrets with a stranger utterly fascinating.
Q: What are some themes and tropes that are included in your book?
A: This is a small-town story of strangers, secrets, and a fish out of water. Here’s a handy graphic I created so you could picture it.
Q: Who is the ideal reader for this book?
A: Readers who love inspirational romance laced with suspense and set in the early 1900s.
Q: What’s the one thing you want readers to take away from reading your book?
A: That no matter how dark the situation, we can have hope.
Q: Share a favorite quote or two from this book.
A: “He turned to stare at the horizon with the look of an experienced sailor. He seemed neither hurried nor uptight. It was as if this was his world and he was home.”
“In that moment, it was as if the shelter of God’s wings enfolded her … And there, in the middle of a humongous lake, she felt perfectly safe.”
Q: Plotter or pantser? Share a bit of your writing process.
A: I’m a pantser who uses what amounts to a plot scaffold to stay on track. I mark out my major plot turns using an Excel document (I’m a math nerd), then let the story go from there.
Q: What does a typical writing session for you look like?
A: As a mom of littles, writing is often done while my boys are playing. In other words, I write in small snatches with plenty of distractions around me.
Q: What was the most challenging aspect of writing and publishing? How did you (do you plan to) overcome it?
A: For me, the most challenging aspect of writing/publishing is putting my stories out there for others to read. What if people don’t like it? But I have been incredibly blessed by faithful readers who have told me to keep writing because they love my stories. If you have an author whose stories you love, drop them a note of encouragement. It will be more of a blessing than you may ever know.
Q: Why do you write?
A: I write because I cannot not write. I truly believe it is a gift God has given to me. Sharing the stories with others is over and above, an incredible blessing.
Writing Advice from Danielle Grandinetti
Q: What advice would you give to someone who’s just starting out?
A: Keep writing. Keep reading. Keep learning. And, if you have the chance to learn from another writer, jump at the chance!
Q: What’s the best piece of writing advice you ever received? How has it impacted your life?
A: I’ll never forget when a mentor told me I write good dialogue. That nugget of praise has stuck with me, giving me the courage to keep going through all the rejections because someone I respected thought some part of my writing was good.
Q: What’s the worst piece of writing advice you ever received? Why do you think this was not good advice?
A: That writing is just a hobby. Financially, that might be the case, especially at the beginning. But, for me, it is more than a hobby. It is a calling and a gift.
Q: If you could go back and change one thing in your author career, what would it be and why?
A: Patience and courage to stick with the genres I love from the very beginning.
Q: What is one writing resource that you couldn’t do without?
A: Plot & Structure by James Scott Bell and The Story Equation by Susan May Warren have shaped my plotting more than any other resource.
Just for Fun
Q: If you could have any superpower, what would it be? Why?
A: Teleportation. I love going on long car trips for the joy of the trip. But when the trip is about the destination, not the journey, then I’d love to save the energy of travel and just be there.
Q: If you could have dinner with any fictional character, who would it be and why?
A: Sherlock Holmes – or maybe Watson since he seems like he’d be a more conversational dinner companion who can tell me all about Sherlock.
Q: If you were not a writer, what would you want to be and why?
A: I spent twenty years in various educational fields before deciding to stay home with my young sons and focusing on my writing. I love teaching, especially in the areas of writing and communication.
Q: What are you reading?
A: I’m currently reading through recent Love Inspired and Love Inspired Suspense releases. They’re such fun!
Q: What’s the one question you wish I’d asked and how would you answer it?
A: Is Crow’s Nest a real or fictional town?
Crow’s Nest is a fictional town, but it’s nestled between several very real towns on the western shore of Lake Michigan. That allowed me to create fictional town dynamics while also staying true to the history of the area, such as the Two Rivers area, which has over 175 years of commercial fishing history.
Let’s Connect with Danielle Grandinetti
Q: What are you working on next?
A: Confessions to a Stranger is the first book of the Harbored in Crow’s Nest series. Book Two, Refuge for the Archaeologist, releases July 18. Then, on August 22, my debut Love Inspired romance, A Father for Her Boys, releases. It’ll be an exciting summer!
About Danielle Grandinetti
Danielle Grandinetti is the author of the Strike to the Heart series and has won the University of Northwestern Distinguished Faith in Writing Award. She’s fueled by tea and books, and the occasional nature walk.
Originally from the Chicagoland area, she now lives along Lake Michigan’s Wisconsin shoreline with her husband and their two young sons.
About Confessions to a Stranger
She’s lost her future. He’s sacrificed his. Now they have a chance to reclaim it—together. Wisconsin, 1930—While fleeing for her life, Adaleigh Sirland’s rescue of a child introduces her to a family who provides her safe harbor. When her identity comes under threat of exposure, she must choose between running once more or helping the man who teaches her to hope again.
First mate David Martins is intrigued by the mysterious woman taken in by his grandmother, but she wrestles with a troubled past. When his estranged father is arrested for murder, can David put aside his own struggles in time to discern which secret threatens Adaleigh before it kills them both? Welcome to Crow’s Nest, where danger and romance meet at the water’s edge.
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