Six questions with. . .Author Michele Grant

Michele Grant is that author, the one who tells stories that are real, sexy, and classy. She's also the brains and wit behind BlacknBougie.

And she's a Dallas Cowboys fan! It doesn't get any better than that.

1. Who is Michele Grant? And I'm not asking in a crazy Basketball Wives LA way. LOL

I really am just a Southern Bougie Chick with a keyboard, an imagination and a sense of humor. I shop, I garden, I cook, I covet purple things. I grew up in the Northern suburbs of Dallas with parents who stressed education, achievement and excellence in all things. I grew up thinking I wanted to be a lawyer but half a year of law school cured me of that. I ended up working in Human Resources until finally landing a publishing deal a few years ago.

2. Can you pinpoint a book that inspired you to start writing?

 

I started writing when I was 8. So as much I’d love to say Shakespeare or James Baldwin, it was really just a love of story-telling. Reading Nora Roberts and Maya Angelou inspired me to be a better and published author.

3. I loved Sweet Little Lies, what was the process for writing that book?

Sweet Little Lies was crazy to write. I had the entire plot in my head for over a year and it refused to come out on the pages. Finally, when up against a “do or die” deadline, I wrote the whole book in six weeks’ time.

4. Your characters are always smart, ritzy and complex, how do you do it?

I write about people that I would love to hang out with. For instance in Sweet Little Lies, I would be friends with Christina and I would date Steven. So I create an ideal and then I break them down and make them human. I think characters who are flawed but loveable make the best kind.

5. Tell the readers what's next on the horizon for you.

Well, I just finished writing the sequel to my first book Heard It All Before. It will be called Pretty Boy Problems and will be out in late summer of 2012. Beyond that, I plan to spend the next few months getting into the promotional side of publishing. I’ve been touring a little bit visiting with book clubs and attending book fairs and festivals. I plan on more of that this year.

6. How can readers contact you in the world of social media?

I’m everywhere, you can’t miss me. I have a personal blog www.BlacknBougie.com as well as an author website www.MicheleGrant.net. You can catch me on Twitter as @OneChele or @MGrantAuthor and you can find on Facebook as well.