Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Wednesday Guest- Sarah Grimm


Sarah Grimm is an award winning author of contemporary romance and romantic suspense. She lives in West Michigan with her husband, two sons and three miniature schnauzers. Between mom's taxi service, parts runs, and answering the phone for the family marine repair business, Sarah can be found curled in her favorite chair, crafting her next novel.
How long have you been writing romance?

I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember. I have notebooks filled with poems, story ideas, and partial chapters from as far back as age five. Yes, thanks to my older sister, I could read and write by age five. And I did. I read everything I could get my hands on, usually re-writing the story in my head as I went. If you asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I always answered something different depending on the day. I couldn’t make up my mind. Then I picked up my first romance novel. Suddenly I had my answer: “I want to get married, have children and write romances.”
As a young girl, I always had a story to tell. At times they were funny, other times scary, but they were always, and I mean always, happily-ever-after. You see, I’m a romantic—a die hard romantic. I believe in love, not just as a fundamental part of human relationships, but as a force that really can heal emotional scars. I truly believe there is someone for everyone—the person they are meant to find. Their other half. Their soul mate.
I always say that NOT WITHOUT RISK was the first story I wrote from start to finish, but after being asked to put something together about my road to publication, I realized that it wasn’t. My first story wasn’t even a romance, it was a story about my best friend. A story I titled MY CAT SNEAKER, which won a Young Authors Award. I still have the award, and the story, packed away with a few momentos from my youth.
When I got married, I set my writing aside. I focused on my husband and building a family. Then my youngest son was born and the struggle to keep him alive began. He was healthy at birth, colicky, irritable even, but healthy—until he turned six weeks old and began showing symptoms of croup. Fast forward a few months to me, frantically rushing in and out of the hospital with my son. We made so many late night emergency visits that my oldest began sleeping by the door to keep track of mommy. I can’t tell you how many times we rushed to the hospital with a child who was turning blue, only to be told by the doctors that they didn’t know what was wrong with him. Most of them thought I was just a young, overreacting mother (I even got the condescending pat on the head from a few), but one believed there was something more going on than croup.

That man saved my child’s life. He found a birthmark in my son’s throat that obstructed eighty percent of his airway. By the time we were done, my baby had endured stomach surgery, throat surgery, and a tracheotomy with all the special care that entails. As you can imagine, all the hospital time left me desperate for a distraction, so I took pen to paper, yup, longhand, and wrote my first romance. Not just bits and pieces of a book, but the entire hero and heroine’s journey from ‘Chapter One’ to ‘The End’.

That book became my first release, a romantic suspense titled Not Without Risk, which recently took Silver in the 2011 Readers Favorite Awards.

What inspired your latest release After Midnight?
Teenage fantasies about meeting and marrying a rock star, combined with the maturity to know that a twenty-something musician is not happily-ever-after material. Add to that the picture in my mind of a woman alone in a bar, playing the piano. That picture spawned a series of 'what if' questions which led to After Midnight.

What is next from you?
While writing After Midnight, one of the secondary characters kept telling me he needed his story told, so I'm writing that one now. Midnight Heat is a reunion romance, and although I had no plans to make it so when I started, it looks like it may become a romantic suspense.


Blurb for After Midnight:

Thirteen years—that's how long Isabeau Montgomery has been living a lie. After an automobile accident took her mother's life, Izzy hid herself away, surviving the only way she knew how. Now she is happy in her carefully reconstructed life. That is until he walks through the door of her bar...

Black Phoenix singer/front man Noah Clark came to Long Island City with a goal—one that doesn't include an instant, electric attraction to the dark-haired beauty behind the bar. Coaxing her into his bed won't be easy, but he can't get her pale, haunted eyes nor her skill on the piano out of his head.

Can Noah help Isabeau overcome the past? Or will her need to protect her secret force her back into hiding and destroy their chance at happiness?

Excerpt:

   “I’m not the type of woman men fall for.”
   “I’ve fallen for you.”
    Heat flooded her system. She forced herself to breathe, to keep her eyes locked with his. “No you haven’t. You …”
   He pushed off the mantel and stepped in her direction. “I, what?”
   “Never mind.”
   “Finish the sentence, Isabeau.”
   “I don’t think so.”
   “Then let me.” He closed the distance between them. “You were going to say I haven’t fallen for you, weren’t you? You actually believe him? That you’re nothing more to me than convenient?”
   Her pulse throbbed thick and hard. Heat radiated off his body. The scent of him filled her head. She wanted, more than anything, to press herself against him and relive the pleasure of his mouth against hers. Instead, she lifted her chin. “Maybe.”
   He leaned in close. So close his breath brushed across her lips. “You believe him, but not me?”
   “You are here only temporarily.”
   “Yes.”
   “And I am just down the street.”
   “I suppose.”
   She ran her tongue over her dry lips. “So the whole thing does seem rather—”
   “Don’t say it.”
   “—convenient.”
   Something dangerous came and went in his eyes. “Now I’m getting angry.”
   His hands skimmed down her sides, slipped under her shirt and settled on her lace-covered bottom. Her breath went uneven. Searing need swarmed her.
   “You want something to believe, believe this.” He pulled her into the solid ridge of his erection. She lost her concentration. “There is nothing convenient about the way I feel about you.”
Where to find Sarah:
Website: http://www.sarahgrimm.com/

Blog: http://www.authorsarahgrimm.blogspot.com/

Group Blog: http://www.smutwriterssoapbox.blogspot.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SarahGrimm.Author

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/SGrimmAuthor


Find out more about Sarah’s blog tour here:

http://authorsarahgrimm.blogspot.com/2011/09/after-midnight-blog-tour.html


Sarah’s Spread the Word Contest Featuring 3 prize packages:

http://authorsarahgrimm.blogspot.com/p/contest.html



Buy After Midnight here:

The Wild Rose Press (http://bit.ly/o2Lkwi)

Amazon (http://amzn.to/p1SG3s)

19 comments:

Sarah Grimm said...

Paty-

Thanks so much for allowing me to visit with you today!

Every time I stop by your blog I mean to ask you what your horses name is? I like putting a name to a face, you know. :-)

Have a fantastic day!

Calisa Rhose said...

With a bronchial asthmatic baby, the turning blue, rasping for air resonates with me Sarah. I struggled with my youngest daughter for years until her asthma eased and became manageable when she a teen. My heart felt happiness at your son's healing.

As for the books- I have Not Without Risk and hope to read it this winter. Not saying I'll get to, but I have high hopes. lol I'm also excited about After Midnight. Not just because you indie published it, but I love rock star heroes- well country musicians these days. But a rocker brings back fond memories of my youth. Congrats!

Caroline Clemmons said...

Sarah, both my daughters were severe asthmatics, but the youngest's battles were the most frightening. She could go from fine to critical in a flash. Still can as an adult, but has learned to avoid those things she knows cause an immediate reaction--like eggplant, cantalope, sweet potatoes, etc.

Debra St. John said...

Hi Sarah,

Oh, I SO wanted to marry a rock star when I was a teen-ager. I was definitely a big fan of the eighties hair bands. In fact, the bigger the hair...the better!

Paty Jager said...

Hi Sarah, Thanks for being here today. My horse's name is Bud or Buddy depending on how sweet he's acting. ;)

Christine Warner said...

Hi Sarah, enjoyed reading your guest blog and hearing about a bit about you and your work!

I'm from Michigan as well and also won the young authors writing contest when I was in school...forgot all about it until you mentioned it.

Your books sound like awesome reads....and I love the rock star premise. What girl doesn't want to marry a rock star? Or in my duaghter's case, want to be one...lol

Harlie Williams said...

Sarah, I'm so glad that a doctor took the time to figure out what was wrong with your son. I would have been screaming, yelling and begging. Our son had to have tubes put in his ears when he was a year old. He was never a fussy baby, never pulled on his ears but on his actual 1st birthday, he had 104 temp and I rushed him to his doctor's. The doctor (love her) told us what the problem was (burst eardrums and an infection) and the next week, we had tubes put in. If not for that doctor, who knows where we would be right now. Because of this, our son has had speech issues and has a 35% hearing loss in his left ear. He's is doing very well now but if it wasn't for that doctor and ENT doctor I don't know where we would be.

I'm glad he is better, too.

Lynne Marshall said...

Hi Sarah!
Sounds like a great book.

My son had asthma as a baby/toddler, and we were always heading to the ER at 3 a.m. so on that part, I can totally relate. However, wow, the rest of your saga scared the heck out of me. So glad you found the doctor with compassion to know that not all mothers are overreacting to their babies. I'd like to give that doc who patted you on the head a strong kick somewhere else!

So glad your son is doing well now. As they say, becoming a parent isn't for sissies! (that attitude comes in handy with our writing pursuits, too.)

Loved your blurb and excerpt.

Sarah Grimm said...

Calisa-

After Midnight is with TWRP. Isn't indie publishing self-publishing? I could be wrong, I'm so stressed at work, when what I want to be is at home and on the internet.

Thanks for visiting with me!

Sarah Grimm said...

Caroline-

Yikes! I can't imagine having two children with severe asthma. How terrifying! So, so glad you discovered your youngest daughter's triggers. :-)

Sarah Grimm said...

Debra-

I think we all wanted to either marry or become a rock star. LOL If you read AFTER MIDNIGHT, you'll see that I made my hero older - he had to be mature enough to be done with the whole "I'm a star' thing. :-)

Thanks for visiting with me!

Sarah Grimm said...

Paty-

I totally understand what you mean about your horse's name. Great answer!

Sarah Grimm said...

Hey Christine! Can you see me waving over here? :-) I only remembered my Young Authors award a month ago when I was asked to write my road to publication.

Good 'talking' with you!

Sarah Grimm said...

Harley -

As a woman who suffered terrible ear infections as a child and has hearing loss because of it, I know just what you went through. Yay for good doctors!

Sarah Grimm said...

Lynne-

3 a.m. ER visits is where that doctor patted me on the head. He's LUCKY I was so stressed out I didn't kick him. :-)

Parenting is definitely NOT for sissies.

AJ Nuest said...

SARAH! I had no idea this happened with you and your son! How terrifying. Scott and I made several 3:00 a.m. trips to the ER with Jack when he was a baby, suffering with the croup, but usually by the time we got there the cold night air had lessened the swelling in his throat. THANK GOD you finally found a doctor that listened to you! OY!

Now to totally change subjects... AFTER MIDNIGHT IS A ROCK STAR STORY THAT BROUGHT ME TO TEARS! EVERYONE SEEING THIS, READ IT! You will NOT be disappointed. Whoo Hoo!!

LaVerne Clark said...

I believe the truly great writers are the ones who've gone through huge emotional upheaval in their personal lives. You can FEEL it in their words. And I can hear that in your excerpts Sarah. Can't wait to read the whole book! I'm so glad your own personal heartache had a happy ending : )

Sarah Grimm said...

There she is, my biggest fan, AJ. :-) Well, Ames is pretty darn nice to me, too, but she's probably at work still.

Because when Seth was awake he breathed normally, and he was always awake by the time we reached the emergency room 40 minutes away, the doctors just kept telling me it was 'simply' croup. Yeah, right. Us moms always know, don't we? In actuality, it took more to get his doctor to listen than there's enough space to type, but he finally DID listen. And Seth is healthy, happy and drives to nuts on a daily basis because of it. :-)

Sarah Grimm said...

So am I, LaVerne! I can't imagine what we would have done if they hadn't saved Seth. After it was all over, the ENT looked at me and said, "Ten years ago we couldn't have saved him. Five years ago...it's questionable." Oy!

I can't wait to hear what you think of After Midnight.