Winnie Griggs

Just who is
The Proper Wife ?
Sensible, settled, steady... and not Sadie Lassiter.
Eli Reynolds knows what he wants in a wife, and the flighty Texas girl couldn’t be further from the mark. Eli has his nine-year-old sister’s welfare to consider - Penny deserves a mother who will give her proper care. But when bad weather strands Eli and Sadie together, he sees a new side to her character. She’s rash - but also resourceful. Instead of discipline, she has diligent faith. Her housekeeping skills are lacking, but she’s filled with humor and sweetness. She may not be a “proper” wife, but to save her reputation - and to take a chance on happiness he’d never expected to find - Eli will take her as his bride.

ABOUT WINNIE
Winnie Griggs is a small town girl born and raised in Southeast Louisiana’s Cajun Country who grew up to marry a country boy from the piney hills of Northwest Louisiana. Though her Prince Charming (who often wears the guise of a cattle rancher) is more comfortable riding a tractor than a white steed, the two of them have been living out their own happily-ever-after for 30+ years. During that time they raised four proud-to-call-them-mine children and a too-numerous-to-count assortment of dogs, cats, fish, hamsters, turtles and 4-H sheep.

Winnie has a BS degree in mathematics and is recently (and very happily) retired from a day job in the electric utility industry. She is active in several writing organizations and has served a number of years on the board of her local chapter of Romance Writers of America and her local chapter of American Christian Fiction Writers.

Her favorite activities, outside of writing and reading, are cooking, exploring flea markets and pretending the growing army of dust bunnies who have invaded her home will disappear if she just ignores them long enough.

I first met Winnie at a regional conference many moons ago. She was one of the first to encourage me, kept encouraging me through the years, and is one of the first to congratulate me on every success. She always has a smile for anyone near or far. I can't wait for you to get to know her just a little better.

NOW FOR THE Q & A . . .

ANGI: What’s the first book you remember reading?
WINNIE: I’ve always been a big reader and know I read lots of books in my elementary school years, but the first books I remember making a major impact on me were the Trixie Belden books. My godmother gave me the first three in the series when I was about twelve years old and stuck in bed with some ailment or other. I absolutely devoured those books and subsequently sought out the rest in the series. Trixie and the rest of the Bobwhite Gang became as dear as friends and when I couldn’t find new books, or had to wait until my mom would take me to the store to look, I would make up my own adventures for them to star in.

ANGI: What’s your favorite “love” word?
WINNIE: Cherish. It has all sorts of lovely, evocative nuances that speak of deep, tender emotions.

ANGI: What’s your favorite fairy tale?
WINNIE: Beauty and the Beast. I find the idea of looking below surface attributes to find a person’s inner beauty a fascinatingly rich premise, full of possibilities. I have, in fact, used variations of that premise in several of my own stories.

ANGI: What’s your favorite cartoon character?
WINNIE: For what is likely obvious reasons, I’ve always been partial to Winnie The Pooh.

ANGI: What was the first story you remember writing?
WINNIE: I used to write stories starring my favorite TV characters. I can remember writing one when I was very young starring Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, and of course Trigger and Bullet.

ANGI: Who’s your favorite villain?
WINNIE: Alan Rickman as the Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. I think Alan Rickman makes an absolutely fabulous villain. He plays a great good guy too, but he really steals the show as the villain in movies such as Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves, Die Hard and Quigley Down Under. It’s that little bit of tongue and cheek he brings to those roles that totally

ANGI: Be honest, when reading 1st person...do you miss the hero’s POV?
WINNIE: Absolutely.

ANGI: Is writing or story-telling easier for you?
WINNIE: Oh, writing definitely. I’m not very articulate with the spoken word and much prefer putting my stories to paper.

ANGI’S GOTTA ASK: So, Winnie, you've written one contemporary for Harlequin Love Inspired but most of your books have been historicals. I love the story of how your first contemporary inspirational came to the page - can you tell me how writing in this new genre went for you and whether you plan to write other contemporaries in the future?

WINNIE’S GOTTA ANSWER: I find that my voice naturally lends itself to the Americana/Western romance genres and my comfort zone is most definitely in the late nineteenth century period. As I wrote The Heart’s Song, however, I was surprised to find how easily I was able to slip into the rural, small town setting of today. I suppose that’s because I’m a small town girl myself and also because the slower-paced lifestyle and many of the core values are very similar to those you’d find in an Americana historical. Surprisingly, the thing that gave me the most problem was the fact that the page count for the Love Inspired contemporaries is much less than for the Love Inspired Historicals. Since I tend to push the word count limits anyway, it was a real challenge for me to get the whole story in. But I must have done something right, because that book received a 4-1/2 star top pick rating from RT and is a Romantic Times Reviewers Choice Award nominee. J And while my first love will always be historicals, I do have ideas for a few more contemporaries that I’d like to write some day soon.

GOT A QUESTION YOU’D LIKE TO ASK YOUR FANS?
I’ve told you about my favorite fairy tale, please tell me about yours. And do you like books that reflect at least a thread of that storyline?

WINNIE is giving away a copy of THE PROPER WIFE or any book from her backlist to a lucky commentator today. She loves to hear from readers. Email me or friend me on facebook. Oh, and visit my website to learn more about me, my books, sign up for my newsletter, and enter my monthly giveaway.

Til next week when I host debut author JS Nichols. ~~Angi


Note: Offer void where prohibited. Prizes will be mailed to North America addresses only. If an electronic Advanced Reading Copy (ARC) is available, the author may utilize that option for International participants. Odds of winning vary due to the number of entrants.

Don't forget to LIKE us on Facebook or FOLLOW us on Twitter to keep track of who's next to "Get Lost". Come back tomorrow when Donnell host Cynthia Eden & Friday when Heather hosts Robyn DeHart.