Wednesday, July 25, 2018

FEATURED AUTHOR: MICHELLE STAUBACH GRIMES




ABOUT THE BOOK


In this sequel to Where is Pidge?, our young hero decides to audition for the school musical along with her canine buddy Maverick. Not everyone thinks Pidge can learn to sing or Maverick can be trained, but Pidge believes. Through their theatrical escapades, Pidge discovers that singing requires hard work, and that Maverick might not be ready for his stage debut after all. And by the end, Pidge understands that being a star is all a matter of perspective, and unconditional love matters more than fame.





Book Details:

Title: Pidge Takes the Stage


Author: Michelle Staubach Grimes

Genre: Children's fiction


Publisher: Pidge Media, LLC / February 2018

Print length: 32 pages







INTERVIEW WITH MICHELLE STAUBACH GRIMES


Who are you?
Michelle Staubach Grimes - a daughter, a sibling, a wife, a mother, a friend, an aunt, a cousin, a confidant, and an author/writer.

Do you have another job outside of writing?
Raising children.

Where’s home for you?
Dallas, Texas

What’s your favorite memory?
The birth of my first child – Jeffrey Michael Grimes.



What’s the dumbest purchase you’ve ever made?
Chocolates at the checkout line of the grocery store which claim they help with anxiety.

What’s the most valuable thing you’ve learned?
You must work hard in life if you want success.

Who would you pick to write your biography?
Emily Giffin.

What do you love about where you live?
We live close to my parents, siblings, and in-laws.


What is the most daring thing you've done?
Skydived
.

What is your most embarrassing moment?
My leather pants ripped when I did the splits recently.


What choices in life would you like to have a redo on?
I wish I started writing books earlier in life.

What makes you nervous?
I worry about my kids when they are away from home.


What makes you happy?
When all my kids and husband are home.

What makes you scared?
That I will never write another book.

How did you meet your spouse? 
Through his brother in New York City.

What are your most cherished mementoes?
My wedding ring and my journals.

What brings you delight?
Spending time with friends and family.

What’s one of your favorite quotes?
“Unspectacular preparation equals spectacular results,” by Roger Staubach.

If you could live anywhere in the world, where in the world would it be?
Italy.

What would you like people to say about you after you die?
She was kind and empathetic.

What’s your favorite line from a book?
“I lean in closer, kiss his cheek, and whisper, ‘You’ll always be my baby, Finch. And no matter what, I will always love you.’” From All We Ever Wanted by Emily Giffin.

What would your main character, Pidge, say about you?

She’s crazy.

Are any of your characters inspired by real people?
Yes. Pidge was my mom’s nickname, so the character is named after my mom, but she doesn’t have my mom’s personality. My middle daughter (Gracie) was a tomboy when she was young – I modeled Pidge after her. And we had a bernese mountain dog named Maverick.

Is your book based on real events?
In Pidge Takes the Stage – they aren’t real events. However, in Where is Pidge?, a child really did get stuck in the laundry chute as Pidge does in the first book.

Are you like any of your characters?
I believe my core story is Pidge’s experience in the first book – Where is Pidge?  I grew up with four siblings and often felt lost in the shuffle. It took me some time to find my way in life.

What book are you currently reading and in what format?
I’ve Been Thinking by Maria Shriver (hardcover) and Kidnapped - The Tragic Life of J. Paul Getty III by Charles Fox (paperback).

What would your dream office look like?
A very long desk, many built-ins for all my drafts and notebooks, comfortable chairs, and bright colors.

Why did you decide to self-publish?
I decided to self-publish because I didn’t want to wait three to four years for my book to reach the public. I am happy with my decision to self-publish, however it can be frustrating at times. Certain publications, etc. will not give you the time of day if you are self-published.

What steps to publication did you personally do, and what did you hire someone to do?
Self-publishing is like creating your own business. I incorporated my company as Pidge Media, LLC.  That of course requires the assistance of a lawyer. I had to hire an illustrator (Bill DeOre), design company, printing company, distribution company, PR firm, and part-time assistant to manage the bookkeeping and my schedule.

What are you working on now? Pidge Book Number 3. However, I have also pulled out from my notebook closet a novel I drafted a few years ago. I’m considering re-writing that novel.



ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Michelle Staubach Grimes was born in Pensacola, Florida in 1968 and moved to Dallas, Texas in 1969. After graduating from Ursuline Academy in 1986, she moved to Washington, D.C. and received her B.A. in History (1990) and J.D (1994). She returned to Dallas in 1994, practiced law for a couple of years, and worked for a year in sports marketing. Michelle married John Grimes in 1997 and became a stay-at-home mom with the birth of her first child, Jeffrey, in 1999. Two daughters followed, Gracie and Emma. Michelle began journaling years ago and enrolled in the Southern Methodist University Creative Writing Continuing Ed Program in 2012 to hone her writing skills. After falling in love with creative writing and studying “story” through the SMU program, Michelle launched her first children’s book, Where is Pidge? in April 2015.  Michelle launched her second children’s book, Pidge Takes the Stage, in February 2018.


Connect with the author:
Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter 

Buy the book:

Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble  |  Books-A-Million  |  Indiebound