Today we’d like to introduce you to Ginsa Michelle
Hi Ginsa, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Reading has always been my strongest subject in school growing up. I loved doing the Accelerated Reading Program, writing short stories, and challenging myself in creative writing in my youth. I love getting lost in stories, escaping to a world that someone created with their minds where you can envision it however you perceive it from the page. Essentially, they become movies in my head.
I dreamt of writing my own full-length novel for as long as I can remember, locking that dream away in a secret part of my heart I’d never thought in a million years would see the light of day.
Fast forward to November 2023, after decades of keeping this dream hidden, I decided to finally put those thoughts to paper and draft my first book. Romance has always been a favorite genre of mine to read, so naturally I set out to write a romance novel that had been living in my brain for weeks and weeks when it would come to me in frequent dreams as I was asleep (true story!).
On June 4th, 2024, I achieved a goal I’d never thought could be possible and published my first romance novel through Amazon and Kindle Unlimited, Meet Me in the Vines.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The road to publishing a book is never smooth, but that’s what makes it exciting. The struggles are where I found my strengths, and where I truly started to believe that my life had a much bigger meaning.
I had my first child in 2020, during the height of the pandemic. Being pregnant, giving birth, and raising a newborn during peak Covid was one of the greatest challenges I’ve ever faced in my adult life. Three years of dedicating my entire life and purpose to my daughter became exhausting, losing myself in the process. I feel as most first-time moms do, it’s hard to find yourself after birth. You are grieving the life you had before kids, and feeling guilty for having that grief in the first place.
I jumped from career to career, hoping it would somewhat fill my soul. Turns out, those opportunities I had all fell short from expectation, leaving me emptier than before. October 2023 was my lowest point, only feeling like the only identity I had was being a mom. My soul craved so much more, but the answers weren’t clear just yet.
But that low point is what brought me to writing my book. I wrote a vulnerable story about my personal experience with domestic violence. The words poured onto the page because for the first time, I had an outlet to express a deep trauma that had haunted me for many many years.
That struggle brought me immense joy and healing. I was no longer afraid to share my story with the world.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a romance author for audiences 18+. My first series, The Oakwood Valley Series is four interconnected stand-alone novels based in a fictional small town called Oakwood Valley in the Napa Valley Region.
My first book in the series, Meet Me in the Vines follows two young characters named Audrey and Donovan who have been secretly pining for each other most of their childhood and into their high school years. Upon high school graduation, they finally confess their feeling for each other with a promise to spend an unforgettable summer together before they leave their small town for university.
Tragedy strikes after their encounter, separating them for an entire decade. The story then picks up ten years later when Audrey returns to Oakwood Valley, where she has to face the boy she loved who ghosted her after their unforgettable night together.
This story is a love letter to domestic violence victims and survivors, and their friends and families who have suffered through these relationships as well. It’s the most proud I’ve ever been of myself to share my book with the world.
Book 2 of the series will be released in 2025.
Books 3 and 4 are TBD.
We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
People who grew up with me or know of me are probably shocked that I wrote a book in the first place! It wasn’t like I was known for being a future author in high school or anything. I don’t think people looked at me back then and thought, “Ginsa will definitely be someone who ends up being an author or something.”
Well, surprise! I love writing books and don’t plan on stopping. I finally found a passion and a fire in me that I want to stoke for the rest of my life.
Although I plan to stay within the romance genre, most people don’t know that I’d love to add a dark or thriller-esque element to future stories.
Pricing:
- Meet Me in the Vines Paperback $15.99 on Amazon
- Meet Me in the Vines E-book $4.99 on Amazon
- Meet Me in the Vines FREE with a Kindle Unlimited Subscription
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ginsamichelle.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorginsamichelle/
- Other: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/210302324-meet-me-in-the-vines
Image Credits
Book Cover Designer: Anya Walsh
