Pen Name: A.R. Grosjean
Genres you write in, including sub-genres:
Fantasy, Romance, Mystery, Science Fiction, Thriller, Paranormal, Women's Fiction, YA/NA, Children's, Inspirational, and Horror (coming soon). Oh, and Non-Fiction (the first coming later this year).
When did you start writing?
I was eleven years old and it was the middle of summer. I was staring at the clouds, searching for an idea to draw and an idea for a story popped into my head instead. I was hooked. The rest as they say is history lol. I've shared this story a tons of time on social media.
What's in your writing space?
It's kind of funny, but everything is in my writing space. For a few months, I was able to have a writing room, but that didn't turn out so well so now I'm back to living in a hotel room. It's a small room so I had to be creative in getting it organized. My writing space is in the front of the room, right in front of the window. In this space, I have my desk with laptop, lamp, my books that I wrote, two decorative boxes for storage, a nana mug for my pens, notebooks, planners, and a few other things hidden away. Next to the desk, I have a drawer set where I keep everything from silverware, pens, printer paper, lighters that we've found cleaning rooms (those come in handy), office supplies, and more. Next to that is my printer, which I keep on in case I need to print something fast. And I do lol. Besides being a housekeeper, I am a "secretary" for the hotel lol.
What is something about you that makes you different?
I did a lot of traveling while I was homeless. It's a long story, but after the traveling began I took advantage of it by learning about the homeless and meeting a lot of different people for my writing, one of which told me to write a book about the homeless and my experiences. It's on the list to be written. People who got to know us started calling us the Traveling Homeless Couple--that was cute but was spot on. I left a lot of my adventures out of Broken so I could tell them in Homelessness Across America. It'll be a Memoir style book.
Got a routine? How would you describe it?
My routine is I don't have a routine. Over the years, I have taught myself to be self-motivated with my writing, but I still have days when I don't write. I could spend three hours at my laptop and only write for five minutes one day, and write for three hours the next. While in my "writing time" I will also work on research, marketing, watching videos to learn, and edit when it's time for editing. I write at different times of day although I do prefer to write at night when everyone else is asleep (I'm not getting bothered then lol).
Any pet peeves?
I have a few. Some people can say "I've never written a book in my life, I just felt like writing one...", have a mediocre cover with a some-what okay blurb, not lift a finger in marketing, and sell thousands of copies. It's like they sold their soul to the devil or something. I don't know about you, but I bust my butt for the little sales I get and still don't break even. It makes writing look easy when it's not and marketing is even harder. It just drives me nuts. I will still cheer that person on, but still, throw a little of the pie in my direction why don't ya lol. It's the same for all the others which is why I have my BookTour site. I want to lift up other writers too.
Name the titles you've published. What's the most recent and do you have any new releases coming out?
I have 24 books published so far. Hidden Agenda is the most recent. Before that:
Mother of the Dragons, the Peterson Estate series 1-7, Cursed Blood: Bloodline Curse, Spawn of the Curse: Bloodline Curse part 2, Stolen, Mistaken, Murder Through Time, Missing Through Time, The Fairytale Adventures series 1-4, Home, The Dead Life, Murder in the Wind, Escaping Her Past, and Alien Taskforce. Not in that order. I do have a new release coming soon. It's called A Mother's Pain. It will be released in Feb, 2024. You can find that here: https://www.amazon.com/Mothers-Pain-R-Grosjean-ebook/dp/B0CN...
For your new release....What are 5 reasons someone should read the book?
A Mother's Pain...1--The story is about overcoming strife and failure. 2--The characters are relatable. 3--It's a river of emotions, good and bad. Learning to control them is hard but doable, esp for the Main Character. 4--People change, this story has no exceptions to the rule. The journey is amazing. 5--You can have fun yelling at the "bad guy" in this story, the mother. You can pretend it's someone you know and give them the what-for. I sure did lol!
Do you have any crazy quirks? Name them.
I think I do. I'm not great at socializing but I talk to myself like I'm another person in the room. Okay, not quite like that, but I do talk to myself a lot lol. I also talk in my sleep, and have been known to "beat up" my husband while sleeping lol. I used to sleep walk, but I outgrew that. I have been seen yelling at the characters in a movie and heard yelling at them while writing lol.
Your favorite book. Why is it your favorite?
Fairytale's Truth, the first book in the Fairytale Adventures series. My oldest granddaughter is the main character in this story, so I was able to use all the traits about her that I love and some of the ones only a mother could love lol. I was able to bond with her on two levels and make her live forever. And the story was just too cute for it not to be my favorite. The way the story was told was different from all of my other stories so it feels like it stands out.
Who is your favorite author? Did this author inspire any of your writing?
Stephen King, 100%. I love how he merges his personal life with his writing. I love how all of his characters relate to each other across the books. I love how he gets involved when the stories go on the screen. And he's not an actor lol. The first horror story I attempted to write was Cursed Blood. I wanted to write horror like he did, so yes, he did inspire me on that side. The story wound up having too much Romance (unplanned) for it to be horror. But I didn't give up. There is another idea that came from a dream just like Cursed Blood did that is perfect for Horror. I can't wait to finally write it. That is called Buried House and there's another one in the series that came from two separate dreams.
You are in a room filled with inspiring writers. What would you tell them before they write their first book.
Believe in yourself, believe that you have what it takes to write and finish that book. Do not give up. Don't listen to people who say you can't do it. Show them you can. Show yourself you can. Join the writing community, there are a lot of supportive people out there. Ask a lot of questions, read a lot, and never throw anything away. You never know when you'll need that unused scene for another story. Write at your pace, use your voice, and stay true to who you are. Now write.
Your ideal audience. Who is she/he?
It depends on the book/genre. Overall, she is someone who has been through a lot and survived it. She's strong whether she knows it or not. She loves adventures in various fields of the written word. She doesn't stick to one genre, but will read books across the playing field. She's smart and not too smart for her britches. Okay, maybe a little. She has a good heart, often wearing it on her sleeve. She's forgiving and has been hurt by it, but it doesn't stop her from caring so much. She has an open mind and sees good in people.
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