The miracle is that I am in Rome sitting in a lovely neighborhood cafe tucked behind the Vatican right down the cobbled alley from my apartment.  The reason it is a miracle is because I am traveling alone, David having been felled by vertigo 2 hours before we were due to leave.  Of course, now he is perfectly well, and assures me he will join me in Cannes where we dock on Sunday.  Meanwhile I am remembering how to travel alone in a foreign country, and aside from some minor disasters, I have amazingly landed on my feet.  My hips aren’t even sore.  I’m not staying in a hotel but in some mysterious person’s apartment.  The prior tenant took my money.  I hope that’s who I was supposed to pay.  Because of a number of things, I feel that my guardian angel is with me.  I sat next to a wonderful woman on the plane and after condoling over the fact there was nothing to read in the bookstores, I gave her Laurie’s Awakening Avery and she read it straight through and loved it!

The breeze is welcome here in my little outdoor cafe.  An artist is painting at the table next to me.  I am ready for my dolce.  Then I am going to bed!  At eleven o’clock tomorrow  morning I have an appt. with Michelangelo at the Vatican.  Can’t wait.  Thank the Lord I arrived safely!

St. Peter's Basilica - Rome

Technically, it won’t end until tomorrow night when I step off the plane in Rome.  Wow.  Rome.  I have the hateful habit of dissociating from good things.  I won’t believe it until I step off the plane and into a taxi and land in our B & B. 

Right now I am so worn out from writing non-stop that I have vowed not to take my ms.  Of course, I WILL have my netbook, and it WILL be on there, so if I get antsy on our "at sea" days on our cruise, I will be able to indulge my writer’s OCD.

This is a research cruise for my second Crazy Ladies book, to be set on a cruise to the Greek Isles and Italy.  At the end, I get to visit my beloved Florence and our friends there from last October.

David is doing his unbelievable gadget thing.  His latest is a clock by his bed that projects the time onto the ceiling in red light.  So when he wakes, he doesn’t have to turn his head to see the time.  I ask you!

The thing he’s most excited about is the light he gets to turn on in our bedroom (on a timer, of course) that mimics the light from a television.  He’s gone out to wash the car, which is suspicious.  I suspect him of combing the Home Depot for more gadgets.

I wonder if they have gadget stores on the Greek Isles?

I recently realized that many of the male characters in my novels were narcissists.  Most of us know that this type of person is full of self adulation and grandiose self love.  However, one the  most deleterious characteristics narcissists is listed on on HealthyPlace: America’s Mental Health Channel (http://www.healthyplace.com/personality-disorders/malignant-self-love/narcissistic-personality-disorder-npd-definition/menu-id-1471/)

"Feels entitled. Expects unreasonable or special and favorable priority treatment. Demands automatic and full compliance with his or her expectations"

I am well acquainted with this side of narcissism, as I was raised with it.  The problem was made more intense by the fact that my parents had opposing goals for me and so I was in constant danger of enraging one or the other of them.  However, this same article also claims that this kind of disorder is usually bred in people when they are very young as a protection against trauma or abuse.  I truly believe that that was the case with my parents, so I know rationally that I cannot judge them. 

The problem of many children of narcissists, including me, is that we confuse narcissism with love, as that is the only kind of love we are familiar with.  In my case, I was blessed with a husband who was as far from a narcissist as anyone could be.  However, it was an adjustment, because I was constantly looking to him for cues as to how he wanted me to behave.  He gave none, nor would he venture opinions on such things as how I dressed or wore my hair.  I had to adjust and find out who I really was apart from other people’s expectations.  It took me years to discover my own personality.

I suppose that is why narcissism always comes up in my fiction as a form of "false love."  However, my heroines are always strong enough to ward off the "love" of such men, continuing to be themselves.  And usually, though not always, the men guilty of this behavior, reform, learning over time to love the heroine more than their "ideal" of her. 

Romance novels are full of narcissistic men who are changed by their beloved objects.  Two of the greatest and most beloved classics, Jane Eyre and Pride and Prejudice, have the supreme narcissists: Rochester and Darcy.  And why do we love these novels?  Because they show the tremendous power of real love to redeem and change people for the better.  It has become formulaic. 

However, one needn’t look far in today’s society to see that this form of entitlement has become rampant.  I dated far too many narcissists who were shopping, like men in a grocery store, for just the right delicacy.  In my forthcoming novel, Pieces of Paris, my very likeable, but narcissistic hero has to face a common problem: his wife is nothing like the image of her that he had fallen in love with.  He must face the decision, usually summed up as "I didn’t sign up for this.  This is not the person I married.  Do I stay or do I go?"  And we weigh his character by his decision, as we do Rochester and Darcy.

In complete contrast with this, is Christlike love.  What is its greatest characteristic?  That it is unconditional.  That He does not impose His will upon us.  That we are free to choose.  And He loves us so much, that even if we choose wrongly, even if we harm others in our choices, He still loves us and still wants us to come back to Him, and so He provided a way, through His atonement, for the penitent. 

When seen in this light, the Love of God is mighty miracle.  And yet, I have seen it in my life.  When I turned out to have a grave illness and to be a much different person than my husband "signed up for," he did not leave me.  As mentioned before on this blog, he chose instead the heroic choice of honoring his covenants.  He stood by me and helped me to find wellness.  This is Christlike behavior.

And so, as I have been nurtured and loved by a hero, it is now my turn to forgive those who were unable to nurture and love me properly as I was growing up because of their own problems with receiving true, redeeming love in their lives.  It is my turn to forebear and forgive.

And that is why this theme of the reformed narcissist is a recurring theme in my fiction.

There are so many people to thank, and when I was so stunned, it was hard to think at all during my speech.

First and greatest thanks are always to my Savior, Jesus Christ, for the enabling power of his atonement which led to my healing and also enabled me to learn to write again.  I had that part of my brain zapped by multiple ECT’s, and it is truly miraculous that it has regenerated to the point that I can write again.  Writing is so complex and involves so many different parts of the brain.  It also require elasticity of thought, which we naturally lose as we age if we don’t "exercise our brains."  It is absolutely a miracle that when writing I possess this elasticity, but when I’m doing normal things I’m a complete ditz.

Secondly, I must thank my wonderful husband.  There is not a virtue he does not possess and he has won a crown ten feet high for staying and not running from a relationship that entailed so much angst and trial for the twenty-five years of my illness.  Since I have been well, he has encouraged my writing in every way possible–even to the extent of taking a trip to Florence with me (I hired him as a photographer, otherwise of course I would have left him at home)  Seriously, he has read every word I’ve written and added his own perspective–often resulting in the very best of my writing.  A gifted writer himself, he has taken time from his own career to do this, as well as designing all my websites.  The one at http://last-waltz.com is a work of art.  Everyone simply must read his book I Need Thee Every Hour: Applying the Atonement in Our Daily Lives.  It is a life-changer.  Its stories tell of the miracles that have occurred in our lives and those of others because of this mighty sacrifice of our Lord and Savior.

Thirdly, I really need to thank my father, Robert V. Gibson, who is undoubtedly fuming in the Spirit World because I forgot to mention him in my speech.  Not only did he fund my Stanford Education which included my six months in Austria, he always pushed me when it came to writing Waltz.  I gave him sections of it for his birthday and Christmas.  We plotted together, and I’m sure that he considers it just as much his book as mine.  I am sad that he did not live to see this day.  In our last conversation, he decreed, while thumping his cane, that this book simply MUST be published.  Knowing him, he would have made certain that the news got into the New York Times, where he would have listed himself as co-author.

Next in line comes Suzanne Brady, my editor and dear friend who accompanied me to the Whitney Gala.  I am so glad she was able to see me win the award, because if it weren’t for her encouragement after my illness, I might not have gone back to Deseret.  Someone there had told me that they no longer wanted my fiction (during my ten year "vacation" from writing).  Also, she specifically encouraged me to submit The Last Waltz, and then had the daunting task of editing it.  It was too long.  I told her I simply could not take any more out of it.  Someone at DB believed me and lengthened the lines on the pages so that all my words would fit into the prescribed number of pages.

And where would I be without Jana Erickson, my enthusiastic product director?  She has supported me gracefully in all my angst and intensity about my work, despite my numerous, frantic e-mails.  She has many more books than mine to handle, but she always makes time for me.  I am also thankful to Gail Halladay and the PR staff at DB, as well as my wonderful cover designer, Sheryl Dickert Smith, who always seems to pull off a miracle when designing my covers.

Aren’t you glad I didn’t say all that last night?  But it needed saying! 

A final thank you to all my wonderful fans who voted for my book!  This award really belongs to you!

By G.G. Vandagriff

Tristi Pinkston, Author of Secret Sisters always reminds me of the stories about the Pinkerton Agency—the first independent detective agency in America. Perhaps she is aware of this, for she writes delightful mysteries, and her specialty is quirky characters.

Imagine Miss Marple as a Relief Society President, aided by a beloved eccentric nephew and her sometimes less than able-bodied and occasionally astringent counselors. Okay. Now, they have taken up spying on one of the R.S. sisters by way of her nephews secret devices: a video cam disguised as a refrigerator magnet, a listening bug designed as a . . . bug, and a camera hanging from the trees surrounding the unfortunate sister’s house.

Why is Miss Marple/Ada Lou Babbitt spying? Because, of all the dastardly things, the sister has no food in the house and Ada Lou doesn’t want to offend by bringing in food where it isn’t wanted. She ascertains, through her devious means, that the husband comes into money unexpectedly and there is food, but being Ada Lou Babbitt, she doesn’t stop there. She wants to know where the husband got the money, who belongs to the suspicious Jaguar that turns up every two weeks in this sister’s driveway, and, of all things, who dropped the burger king wrapper in the garage?

One thing leads to another, and before she knows what she’s doing, a murder occurs. Of course, she must solve it! And where is the Bishop while all this is happening? Nursing his high blood pressure. You can see why.

Pinkston’s ever ready sense of humor sparkles through this book, and you can almost hear her reading it. Secret Sisters is a fun read for anyone who loves humor, Agatha Christie, cozy mysteries, and, of course, Tristi Pinkston.

When we think of this word, I imagine most of us think of the firemen who lost their lives saving others in 9/ll.  If we are of an historical frame of mind, we may think of the prototype—Odysseus in Homer’s, The Odyssey.  Or we may think of a president we admire, a person who has mentored us, the founder of an orphanage in an underdeveloped country, an astronaut, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Jr., Ghandi, Winston Churchill, or General Eisenhower.  These people are all undoubtedly heroes.  When we study their lives, we are influenced by their courage, their optimism which refused to lie down in the face of great odds, their ability to rally people and change their hearts—giving them courage.

I have a personal hero who dedicated the best part of his life to me and my survival.  He came into my life unexpectedly and didn’t look like a hero at all.  In fact, he was not even a member of the church and was somewhat tipsy at the time.  But, he listened to a little voice which, oddly enough, told him that I was the woman he was going to marry.  He came right over, and in a manner which I have since found to be totally antithetical to his character, introduced himself and laid all his life’s innermost secrets at my feet.  I was a bit overwhelmed, thought him way too intense as well as far more handsome than anyone had a right to be (I had an innate sense of distrust toward handsome men), but used the opening to bear my testimony of the Gospel.  He asked me to church.  I declined.  (The only church he knew of was a Presbyterian Spanish-speaking church, which may explain my reluctance.)  However, since I lived in a distant city and had returned there, he began a letter-writing campaign and I learned that he was 1.) possessed of a quirky sense of humor, 2.) a devoted correspondent, 3.) trustworthy and completely honest, 4.) a poet, 5.) to be relied on in any crisis, 6.) a wonderful artist, 7.) for some unknown reason completely intent on my happiness.  His presence was not intrusive, like that of a stalker, he was just making himself known and, after about six months, his letters became a fixture in my life.

Then he started calling.  Every day.  Several times a day.  Then, seven months after our first meeting, he flew to Washington, D.C. from Chicago for our first date.  It lasted all weekend.  Oddly enough, I had broken a date with the man I was planning to marry to go out of town and check internship locations for the next year, just to meet this friend who had intrigued me.  (That was the end of the other relationship!)  My visitor went home, and in an action he had thus avoided in his long dating life, wrote a letter declaring his love.  I fell apart.  This could not be. When he asked innocently, “Why?”, I told him it was because he was not a member of my church.  His reply was, “You don’t know that I’m not going to join!”  And that he did.  Ten minutes into the first discussion, he gained a never wavering testimony of the First Vision.  I was the first LDS person he had ever met.

What neither of us knew at the time of our marriage was that I carried the genes of a very serious illness.  This man, my husband, David Vandagriff, was destined for a heroism that would try him to his very core (see I Need Thee Every Hour: Learning to Apply the Atonement in our Daily Lives, Covenant Communications).  In the years before and during my illness, he served as a bishop twice and the member of a Stake Presidency with huge geographical bondaries.  No one who has seen me ill, and then seen me well in the past four years (the woman he married) can believe that he had the compassion, the generosity, the strength, and the courage to descend into the bi-polar Valley of the Shadow of Death with me, many, many times, always gently pulling me back to some semblance of safety.  This is not what he signed up for.  He was married to a woman he didn’t know.  This is how he describes it: The depression began to change her.  The illness did not appear suddenly.  G.G. was the sun in my life, and the onset of her illness was like an extended sunset.  First, the color of the sun changes, turning slowly to red as it drops lower in the sky.  Then, the horizon begins to take slices from that sun, one after another, and the sun grows smaller an smaller until it disappears from sight.  In the sky, there is a glow, a memory of the sun, but soon that glow begins to fade.  Shadows collect in ravines and behind rocks.  Those shadows grow and spread, slowly covering the landscpe.  Soon the world is dark, then black, and a long night begins. (I Need Thee Every Hour: Applying the Atonement in our Daily Lives,( Covenant Communications, 2010, p. 44)

That darkness lasted twenty-five years.  Certainly, long enough for him to forget that little whisper, “That is the girl you’re going to marry”–the girl with the long brown hair in the ugly bridesmaid dress.  It took him to places he never thought he’d go—psych wards, emergency rooms, therapist’s offices.  He had to practice law, provide for his family financially and emotionally as I was sick most of my children’s years at home.

During those twenty-five years, he evolved from a happy man to a man of many sorrows and acquainted with grief.  It was an Abrahamic trial.  But, he did not overcome this trial on his own.  After years of endurance, and times when he would have given up, but for timely intervention from the Lord and his helpers here on earth, David and I were both finally witnesses to my miraculous healing.  I came back to him, not the woman who had left, but a woman much stronger and closer to my Savior in every way, having fought “tooth and nail” to stay alive.

But, the Lord gave me a hero, because he knew that’s what I needed.  David didn’t see himself as heroic material.  He definitely would have opted out if the choice had been given him before marriage.  But he believed in covenants.  He believed that if he did his part, the Lord would perform his—he would enable David to go on.  And David did go on.

And we both learned that heroism comes, not from what we do ourselves, but for what we allow our partner and Elder Brother in suffering to do for us.  Though there is an element of heroism in both our stories, for us there is one overarching Hero—our Savior, Jesus Christ.

To read more about my hero go to http://davidvandagriff.com or http://atonementblog.com

If I were to die in the next few minutes, the things I hope I would be remembered for are that: 1.) my grandson thinks I am Supernana and that my stated purpose on earth is to wield a mean light-saber; 2.) that fed my children, even when in the midst of creating an earth-shattering plot twist; 3.) that even though it took a thousand rewrites, I succeeded in finally producing The Last Waltz: A Novel of Love and War.

The journey to the latter accomplishment is a microcosm of my adult life. The bare facts, the research, and the consuming need to tell the story of Austria between 1913 and 1938, had their birth in the Austrian Alps, 50 miles from Vienna at the Semmering Pass, where I dwelt in a hotel only partially restored from damage incurred by the Russian occupation. I lived with 79 other Stanford students, far away from urban Austrian life (except on our 3-day weekends) concentrating on the study of German language, Austrian art and architecture, Austrian music, Austrian history, and Austrian politics. Surprisingly, I knew very little about these things, as do most average Americans. I didn’t even know that seventy years earlier, Austria had been the center of European art, science, medicine, and music. In spite of or maybe because of this, large forces were at work to drag it out of its glittering past as the Waltz capital of the world into a new century where international socialism would enfranchise every man and there would be no poor. This made Austria’s aristocracy, stranded between past and future, extremely nervous and quite neurotic. Austrian historian, Frederic Morton has called this period a time of “Nervous Splendor.”

So I learned this when I was twenty. It became part of me, more so than the rest of my education because I had seen the art, listened to the Vienna Philharmonic, heard the stories of the survivors from that time, and most of all because I had visited Auschwitz. A personal quest was born to figure out the dynamics of a world where such an unimaginable horror could happen.

During a very hated job as an international banker while putting my husband through Law School, I had an hour and a half bus commute to and from Los Angeles through the slums of East L.A. This is when I personalized all the forces of that Austrian age into the characters of my novel: the debutante turned democrat, Amalia Faulhaber, the German Lieutenant with the soul of a violinist, Eberhard von Waldburg, the naïve but charismatic socialist, Uncle Lorenz, the proud aristocratic grandmother, Eugenia von Hohenburg Reichart, the passionately nationalistic Pole, Doktor Andrzej Zaleski, and the outwardly misogynistic Baron von Schoenenberg. In a single bus ride, I outlined the plot that was to be built upon and developed as I learned to write during my three children’s growing up years.

The time came when they were all grown up, and I realized I knew next to nothing about the kind of suffering that would occur during a World War in the trenches, the loss of an empire, the loss of status, and nearly all physical possessions. At best, my novel was only a superficial rendering. So I set it aside and wrote light fiction—my Alex and Briggie genealogical mysteries—for nearly fifteen years. Then I suffered a serious medical condition that resulted in my inability to write and eventually sapped all my hard-won skill.

Ten years later, I miraculously recovered, and slowly rediscovered myself as a writer. But there was a change. My soul and awareness of suffering had deepened. I now understood what it took to be a survivor.

I also remembered that my writing idol, Tolstoy, had not written his epics from the point of view of one person, and certainly would not do so from the point of view of a nineteen year old debutante. And so I went into the heads of all my major characters, which finally gave the depth to my work that I had been seeking for so long.

My years of development as a writer, to this particular juncture, owe all to the learning process of writing The Last Waltz. I can only hope that my next book: Pieces of Paris (Fall, 2010) will continue that process.

My oldest son christened our household “V-City” and published a regular newspaper about our fascinating existence in our small Ozarks community many years ago.  This newsletter contains all our recent news in the scaled down Provo V-City!

First of all, Happy Easter!

Easter is my favorite holiday, because there is such an abundance of things to be grateful for at this time of year.  I am most grateful for the atonement of my Savior Jesus Christ that makes redemption through his infinite love.  I am also thankful for Spring in Utah which is always amazing when seen from my office “The Cranberry Tower” that looks over Utah Valley.

In writing news, I am pleased to announce the forthcoming publication of Discovering Annika , (working title) this fall.  It used to be called The Only Bright Thing, but my publisher disliked the title and the name (Sigrid) of the main character.  So, I’m hoping that they go with this one.  Am also hoping that they come up with a cover as nice as my other books.  This is not a mystery or an historical novel, like my previous offerings.  It is straight women’s fiction.  However, it does have a minor mystery, and a good deal of romance.  The real kind of romance that readers of The Last Waltz will expect from me.  It digs deeply into the origins of romantic feelings and demonstrates different kinds of love.

The story was begun 25 years ago in the Ozarks, when I was mentored in the craft of writing by an outstanding editor, who taught me the art of cutting away the dross and allowing the true story to shine.  It was a painful process and took about five years.  Since that time, the novel has undergone many incarnations, but when I submitted it to my product director last year, she said, “You need to go deeper with this.”  So I began digging once more into the psyches of my characters.  I was surprised at how much my perspective on love has changed from my first writing of this tale.  The waiting was good, for I learned a lot in those many years of letting it simmer.

Annika is living a double life, plagued by flashbacks to a former very passionate relationship and a career as a concert pianist in Europe.  Her husband knows nothing of that Annika.  He thinks she is his stoic, Scandanavian Eve and that he has found Eden in the Ozarks. Annika has never given him the slightest clue about her past, because she is determined to begin a new life with Dennis.  But, as most of us know, if we don’t deal with our emotions properly, they will hold our bodies and our lives hostage until we have let ourselves feel the feelings we have been shutting down.  Dennis must piece together Annika’s real personality, while Annika must decide whether she is the past Annika or the Annika that is living with her husband and three and a half year old son on the Peach Tree Farm.  I can promise you that if you like character-driven fiction, this will be a good, and perhaps even an enlightening read for you.

So, you ask, what about The Crazy Ladies? Well, that book has turned out to be an amazingly wonderful and difficult project.  I have never written any serious fiction this fast and it is a challenge.  I am on my second draft, incorporating the ideas and edits of my three alpha readers.  I will need to add a lot of new material at the end.  Hopefully, you will see it in 2011!

David’s book I Need Thee Every Hour: Applying the Atonement in our Everyday Lives, is steadily climbing the bestseller charts.  You will see it on page one of both DB and Seagull.  In the Seagull retail stores, it is currently #8 in the bestsellers.  It is wonderful Easter read, and his reviews have shown that many people find it to be a life-changing book. You can read daily postings on http://www.atonementblog.com/.

Meanwhile, I am preparing for our second Crazy Ladies research trip–this one a cruise to the Greek Isles.  It promises to be fascinating and exhausting.  Am trying to up my capacity for both aerobic activity and walking and climbing after more than a year of little or no exercise due to my orthopedic problems.  I have a brand new stationary bike, and plan to resume my neighborhood walks.  I have also bought an impressive array of shoes.  I think I may need to take an extra bag, just for shoes!  Everything from silver sandals to Sketcher orthopedic walking shoes!  Wish me luck!

And for goodness sake, if you are an Alex and Briggie fan, be sure to enter the great contest on the contest page of my website: http://ggvandagriff.com/contest!

Interview of Michele Ashman Bell

GG: Most readers know that you are a very popular romance novelist. Is Summer in Paris the first YA novel that you have written?

MB: It is my first honest-to-goodness YA. Some of my other novels have a youthful tone to them, but are not genuine YA category. Summer in Paris is targeted directly to a YA audience, although I think adults are going to enjoy it also.

GG: Do your writing plans include future YA novels?

MB: I hope so! I love writing for this age group. I feel drawn to youth and want to provide reading material that will do more than just entertain them. I want to give them something to think about and maybe even inspire and uplift them.

GG: It seems to me that the dialogue and thought processes of teenagers would be a particular stretch. It appeared to me that you got both spot on! What is the most difficult challenge you face writing for Y.A.?

MB: I have teenagers at home so I am very keyed into issues and concerns kids are facing today. I also see the influences around them that are pulling these kids so many directions. I biggest challenge/goal is to write stories that will resonate with them and connect with them emotionally. Teens are a tough audience but fiercely loyal.

GG: Which genre of fiction do you most enjoy writing and why?

MB: My writing reflects my mood and what’s going on in my life. I wrote a children’s series which I absolutely loved and had so much fun with, but on the other hand I really like getting into issues for women and digging deep for emotion. Romantic suspense is my favorite genre, but seriously I feel like I reinvent myself with each book.

GG: Do you have any other books coming out in the near future?

MB: I’m so excited that the second book in my Butterfly Box series is finally coming out in July. It has been a long wait and I’m working hard on the third and final book in that series. After that I will launch in the sequel to Summer in Paris.

GG: What is your favorite part of the writing process?

MB: Typing “THE END.” J Seriously, I enjoy pretty much everything. I love research. I can get carried away doing research so I have to be careful. I really love it when I’m writing and I find myself in a completely different spot than I thought I was going. That’s when I know the characters have become real and have taken ownership of the story.

GG: Would you call your novels character driven or plot driven?

MB: Mostly character driven, but most of the time both. Stories usually happen as a result of some type of inspiration or trigger from an idea I get about a character, or from a specific setting I happen to find fascinating or fall in love with. But it’s the characters that really give me the passion for my stories.

GG Did you know the end from the beginning of Summer In Paris?

MB: I did, but I wasn’t sure how I was going to get there. I had to revamp my outline quite a few times, but I ultimately knew where I wanted things to end up. I work better that way. It’s like going on a road trip and having a destination in mind. Without a destination who knows where you’re going to end up!

GG: What is your favorite character that you have ever written? Why?

MB: In my book Without a Flaw I wrote about a woman named Isabelle who was in an abusive marriage finally found the courage to leave her situation and get her life back. I cared so much about her and loved the growth she went through in the novel. I wanted to see her succeed and find joy and happiness. She was awesome!

GG: Do your ideas come to you in the night? In the shower? While chauffeuring your children? What is your most important “composting time?”

MB: That’s a fascinating but very descriptive way to describe the process of mulling over an idea. I have paper and pencil in every nook and cranny of my life because I have to write ideas down when they come or I’ll forget them. Because, ideas come at every possible moment, usually when I’m doing some brainless activity and my mind wanders. I’ve always been a daydreamer and that seems to still be my most creative time.

GG: I know you have tremendously talented children and are extremely involved in their lives. Have you thought about that future (which comes all too fast!) when you are an empty nester? Are your writing goals different for that time of your life?

MB: I still have seven years until my youngest graduates from high school, so I haven’t really even looked that far down the road (probably denial). When I am in that phase of life though, I hope to be with you, GG, traipsing around Europe and doing research. That would be amazing!

GG: Most writers are very hard on themselves about their writing ability. You have achieved great success in your career. But, knowing you as I do, I know that, like most writers, are dissatisfied with some aspect of your work. How would you most like to develop yourself as a writer? Do you have any plans to make this happen.?

MB: I am ashamed to admit that I am terrible with grammar. I could kick myself a million times over for not paying better attention in English classes in high school (although I got great grades – go figure). I know my editor would appreciate me submitting cleaner manuscripts but right now I don’t have plans to take classes to improve this. I’m too busy writing, to learn how to write. Makes no sense to me either.

GG: We have a challenge as LDS writers to “bring people to the light.” How do you feel we can do this most effectively?

MB: I feel this obligation very strongly. Very strongly! I don’t take this lightly either. No matter which market I publish for, no matter which genre, I will always, always, make sure that my stories are consistent with the gospel and appropriate for anyone to read, especially my children and grandchildren. I don’t believe I was given this opportunity to have a voice in the LDS community, the inspirational market, by chance. Our stories can inspire without being preachy. There has to be fundamental truths involved in our characters lives and the plots. It’s the fiber of who I am and what I write, the two are intertwined.

GG: Most people don’t realize that writers serve an “apprenticeship” where they are practicing and learning to write, just like musicians and dancers learn their crafts by practicing and learning specific skills.. How long was your apprenticeship before you were published? How did you go about the task of learning to write?

MB: It took me forever. I wrote for ten years before getting published. I took advantage of community education creative writing classes, went to workshops and writer’s conferences, and joined a multitude of critique groups (I have the scars to prove it). For a while I was an evaluator for Covenant Communications and really got a feel for the LDS market. Learning to write was a long process and it was only because of persistence that I got published. I am not the most gifted and talented writer, but I am very hardworking! I don’t regret any of that time because I learned so much on that journey to getting published.

GG: What advice do you have for aspiring writers who are now serving their apprenticeship (and doubtless experiencing rejections)?

MB: I kept every rejection letter I ever received and I think I have around sixty-seven of them. I believed that one day I would look back and see all the effort I put into my goal of getting published and knew I would feel a great sense of accomplishment. It was so worth it! My advice would be to believe in yourself and never give up. If you want it badly enough it will happen, but you have to keep working and improving your craft and putting your work out there.

Click HERE to purchase Summer in Paris.  Michele’s website is HERE and she also writes a great blog, HERE.