This week, I have the pleasure of hosting author Danielle Grandinetti on my site, where we take a look at her new book, The Neighbor and the Gifts, currently on tour with JustRead Book Tours! Additionally, author Danielle Grandinetti shares why she consistently returns to writing historical fiction. Thank you for stopping by!
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About Danielle Grandinetti
Danielle Grandinetti is an award-winning inspirational romance author fueled by tea, books, and the creative beauty of nature. Her stories combine romance, mystery, and suspense against the backdrop of the 1930s to tell the tale of finding home and hope in hard times. With a master’s in communication and culture and a passion for intercultural communication, storytelling has been her heartbeat for as long as she can remember. 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.
Connect with Danielle by visiting daniellegrandinetti.com to follow her on social media and subscribe to email updates.
Why Danielle Grandinetti keeps writing historical fiction
When I was a pre-teen, my paternal grandmother came to live with us. I have fond memories of summers spent outside in our backyard, Grandma on the swing, me on the monkey bars, and her telling story after story. You see, my grandma is Italian and grew up in one of Chicago’s Italian neighborhoods during the 1920s-30s. Yes, that means I heard firsthand accounts of what it was like to live in Al Capone’s Chicago.
As fascinated as I was with those decades, I hadn’t planned to write stories set then. However, when I received my first rejection for the book now titled A Strike to the Heart, everything changed. It was a contemporary romantic suspense, one of my favorite genres, but the editor explained how, while my writing was good, something was missing. Then, during COVID, Wisconsin dairy farmers were dumping their cows’ milk because the supply chain was all wonky. I wondered … had this happened before? And it had, during the 1930s.
Taking that romantic suspense and setting it in the 1930s was like taking a black-and-white film and adding Technicolor. Everything made sense in vibrant fascination. It reminded me of how much I loved my grandmother’s stories, and I knew I never wanted to stop writing stories set in this decade.
Because I think of my stories as romantic suspense set during the 1930s, that allows me to use the historical details as if they themselves are characters in a book. One of my favorite sources for story fodder is archived newspapers from the time. The 1930s also witnessed numerous technological advances, which make it seem a lot more modern than many historical tales.
Most of all, I love writing in the 1930s because it was a decade filled with desperation. Since I tell stories of finding home and hope in hard times, it provides the perfect backdrop against which to show the light and love of Jesus. No matter how dark the world gets, there is still a happily ever after to be found in God. And I hope this shines in each of my stories.
About The Neighbor and the Gifts
Series: A Christmas Cabin Novella
Author: Danielle Grandinetti
Publisher: Hearth Spot Press
Release Date: July 15, 2025
Genre: Christmas, Historical, Romantic Suspense
Twelve days. Twelve gifts. One unlikely hero.
Wisconsin, 1930—When Manitowish Waters librarian Olivia “Ollie” Larson finds a package on the library steps, she expects the children’s books she ordered, not a taxidermied partridge. By the fourth gift from her unknown and unwelcome True Love, disappearing to her grandfather’s isolated cabin in the Northwoods is the only way she can escape him.
Deputy Titus Wilburn is happy to escort the lovely librarian to her grandfather’s house on his way to the neighboring Yarwood cabin. After all, he’s been smitten with her since they attended school together, and she needs his protection. However, the plan fails when Ollie’s uninvited suitor discovers her new location.
As the man’s actions become more desperate and his gifts more dangerous, an unexpectedly bedridden Titus decides to free Ollie from this menace, which puts the enemy’s sights directly on him. Ollie refuses to let her injured hero sacrifice himself, but with the days ticking closer to Christmas, she may have no choice but to accept whatever fate her suitor has in store for her if she wants to save Titus’ life.
One cabin in the Northwoods … a decade of Christmas miracles.
Find The Neighbor and the Gifts on Goodreads, Amazon, and Bookbub.
Tour Giveaway for The Neighbor and the Gifts
(1) winner will receive a paperback copy of both The Baby and the Guardian & The Neighbor and the Gifts, plus 1 set of series-inspired earrings!
Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight July 15, 2025 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on July 22, 2025. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.
Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.
Thank you for sharing my post and participating in the tour!
Thank you for sharing about why you continue to write historical Fiction!
This looks like an excellent novel. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for stopping by Michael. Her books are really fun 🙂