Getting to Know… Winnie Griggs
© Laura E. Gawronski, 2002
Scheduled to be released in December, 2002, WHATEVER IT
TAKES is Winnie Griggs current project. It is the story of a
woman who needs something that will lend her an air
respectability, at least temporarily, to offset the effects
her unconventional household has on her reputation. Her
solution - hire a reputable, handsome stranger to court her.
Set in the fictional 1890s town of Pepper Cloud Missouri,
the story has a determined heroine, a lethally charming
hero, and a really fun set of quirky secondary characters.
The story is a historical romance. When asked why she
decided to write historical romances, she said that,
"historicals are what I love to read." Indeed, she found her
"voice" in this type of subgenre. She also claims that the
era reflects a slower pace and people tended to stay in a
"small geographic area because it was more difficult to
travel great distances." Aside from historicals, she also
enjoys writing pre-school picture books and middle school
fantasy books, though she hasn't found a market for any of
these works yet.
Winnie finds writing to be very rewarding, despite the
fact she has four (though nearly grown) children, a
full-time job, and a "stuffy-sounding" degree in
mathematics. She says that her household is hectic, but
everyone helps out around the house and her children are
independent for the most part.
When does she find time to write? After she has supper
out of the way and everyone has scattered to do homework or
watch TV, she can usually find a block of time. She also
takes advantage of the occasions that she is away from home
due to business travel. She says that "she usually spends
one week a month in Columbus and my laptop goes with me on
the plane and in the hotel." She jokingly admits that it is
amazing how much work you can get done when there are no
household chores "clamoring for your attention."
Winnie's full-time job is that of an IT (Information
Technology) Professional for American Electric Power. She is
based at one of their operating subsidiaries, SWEPCO, in
Shreveport, LA, but her boss and work team are located in
Columbus. Aside from Columbus, she does occasional travel to
the other corporate offices in Dallas and Tulsa. She says
she loves Louisiana where she grew up in a small town called
Marrero, right across the river from New Orleans. She
currently lives in the opposite corner of the state, in the
small town of Plain Dealing, a community that bears a strong
resemblance to the towns in her books. As for hobbies, she
collects trinket boxes, works on her website, and she loves
to read.
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