Meet author Danielle Grandinetti

Danielle Grandinetti is an award-winning inspirational romance author fueled by tea, books, and the creative beauty of nature. Mixing romance and suspense, she brings history to life, showing the discovery of home and hope in hard times. Married to her hero, Danielle is a second-generation Italian-American, a dairy farmer’s granddaughter, and a boy mom from Chicagoland who now lives along Lake Michigan’s Wisconsin shoreline. Find her online at daniellegrandinetti.com.

Tell us about your newest book.

Eden Cove, England, 1931—Margherita Vicienzo flees Italy pursued by her former fiancé, a member of Mussolini’s Blackshirt. Smuggled illegally into England, Margherita is a foreigner at the mercy of strangers. Her limp from an improperly healed broken leg means she has nothing to offer the Ferryman family, who offer her sanctuary, and nothing to appease their son who resents her presence.

Luke Ferryman needs a wife. He wants to marry for love, but carries the weight of his family’s generations-old expectations on his shoulders. Though he inherited the role of both baker and ferryman, he knows he can’t fulfill both needs once his aging grandparents retire. A wife would help, but not an illegal one like the refugee his matchmaking grandmother is harboring.

As opposite as night and day, Luke and Margherita forge a tentative friendship that grows despite the constant threat of Margherita’s discovery. But when strangers appear in the close-knit seaside town, threatening Luke’s livelihood and Margherita’s safety, the choice between justice and mercy becomes harder. And sacrifice proves the only answer.

What inspired you to write The Italian Musician’s Sanctuary?

As I wrote Sheltered by the Doctor, the fifth book in my Harbored in Crow’s Nest series, I researched the anti-Italian prejudices that occurred in America and how actions in Italy affected Italian-Americans during the 1930s. When Anna Jenson reached out about whether I’d like to join the Our House on Sycamore Street multi-author series, the timing worked perfectly to write a novella that showed the Italian side of the research I had done for Sheltered by the Doctor. And Margherita’s story was born.

What genre do you focus on?

I historical romance with intrigue, or, more specifically 1930s romantic mystery/suspense. It was such a pivotal era, with plenty of ready challenges for characters to face before they reach a happily ever after. The Italian Musician’s Sanctuary is my first foray outside of the US, and into pre-WWII Europe, and now that I have a taste of it, I’d love to write more!

Who is your main character, and how did you choose that name?

Margherita is my female main character. Her name is Italian and means daisy. With all the trouble she faces, she needed a name that represented something beautiful.

What is your work schedule like when you’re writing a book?

I’m always working on a book in one form or another, but I’m also a stay-at-home mom. So I grab snatches of writing time in between school drop-off and pick-up, while my boys are playing in the house, or on a quiet Saturday when my husband takes the boys with him on errands.

What’s the best part of your author’s life?

The best part is showing my boys my accomplishments. They cheer when I finish writing a book and love helping me unbox my latest novel. Seeing them writing their own stories to “be like mama” makes my heart so happy.

What’s one unusual fact about you?

I come from a line of Italian musicians, so it was fun to show a piece of that in this story.

What is your favorite pastime?

Besides reading and writing? Taking nature pictures. I never seem to have enough snapshots of Lake Michigan. Or fall leaves.

Do you have other books? We’d love to know.

I do! I mentioned Sheltered by the Doctor earlier, it is part of the Harbored in Crow’s Nest series. Of course, I recommend beginning with Book One: Confessions to a Stranger, but you could also begin with Book Two: Refuge for the Archaeologist. Fun fact … the Archaeologist in that story worked at a dig in the town where Margherita is from, and both were injured in the same (historical) earthquake.

What are you working on now?

I just finished writing book six in the Harbored in Crow’s Nest series, and it’s off to editing. Investigation of a Journalist is the grand finale of the series and releases on November 19.

Website: daniellegrandinetti.com

Link to book: daniellegrandinetti.com/the-italian-musicians-sanctuary

Social media links:

instagram.com/danielleswritingspot

facebook.com/danielleswritingspot

amazon.com/author/daniellegrandinetti