Michelle Griep has been writing since she first discovered blank wall space and Crayola. She is a Christy Award–winning author of historical romances that both intrigue and evoke a smile. She’s an Anglophile at heart, and you’ll most often find her partaking of a proper cream tea while scheming up her next novel.
In this interview, Michelle talks with us about her latest novel, Of Gold and Shadows.
FF: Thanks for joining us. Your new book, Of Gold and Shadows, releases September 2024 and is the launch of a brand-new series. Can you tell us a little bit about this story and the new adventures you’re embarking on with your readers in Time’s Lost Treasures?
I grew up on Indiana Jones and have always had a soft spot in my heart for The Mummy. So I figured what could be better than siphoning the flavor of both and combining them for a story set in my favorite place? Hence Time’s Lost Treasures was born. I adore history of all sorts and thought it would be fun to take my readers along with me as I explored ancient Egypt, but that’s not all…stay tuned for another archeological adventure featuring Roman artifacts.
FF: While this may be the first time some readers are hearing your name and Of Gold and Shadows is your first book with Bethany House, your books have been gaining recognition in Christian fiction for some time now. Can you share some of the other projects you’ve published in recent years?
I recently finished a rollicking romp through Dickensian London in my Blackfriars Series. You can follow the feisty street-smart Kit Turner and the constable who tries to keep her in line—which is a tall order.
I have another series that pays homage to classic authors and their literary monsters in my Of Monsters And Men Series. Book one is Lost in Darkness, which features Mary Shelley of Frankenstein fame and what may have inspired her to create such a monster. In the second book, Man of Shadow and Mist, you’ll find Bram Stoker and a hero who is maligned as a vampire. Book three has yet to be written, but you’ll find out about Robert Louis Stevenson and what might have given him the idea for Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
FF: If you had to describe what defines “a Michelle Griep novel” in only one sentence, what would it say?
A Michelle Griep novel captures the essence of historical intrigue and romance with richly drawn characters and vivid settings that transport readers to another time and place, all with a dash of humor and witty banter.
FF: Over the course of your writing career, you’ve created novels set in several different times and places throughout history. What led you to return to England and the 1800s for this series?
While the Victorian era was still quite constrictive compared to today, by the late nineteenth century women did have a bit more freedom, which was what I needed for my spunky female Egyptologist. Surprisingly, though I have written colonials and even a few time travels, every one of my stories links to England in some way, shape, or form because I am an Anglophile at heart.
FF: You’re known for having plenty of intrigue in your novels, and this story is no exception, incorporating the black market of 1888, ancient Egyptian artifacts, and even a curse to up the stakes! What intrigued you about those subjects and led you to weave them into this story?
My youngest daughter and I share an affinity for Scooby-Doo, which frequently had cursed artifacts…or were they? I love a good mystery, so I wanted to play around with that concept. The hero is a businessman, and I thought it might be fun to mirror the heroine with the same sort of career yet with a twist. That’s where the shadow brokering came from.
FF: Can you tell us a little bit more about your main character, Egyptologist Ami Dalton? Why is she known as the Shadow Broker?
Ami has a huge heart not only for everything Egyptian but also for making sure the lovely antiquities of the Old Kingdom are kept for the public to learn from and admire. At the very least, that is. Preferably, she strives to return really unique relics to where they belong—in Egypt. With those parameters in mind, the best place to find Egyptian treasures that aren’t where they are supposed to be is on the black market. It’s her grand desire to safely rescue and restore those artifacts to museums—and yet there is nothing safe about it. Her life is on the line every time she meets with a smuggler, for they are ruthless characters indeed.
FF: What aspect of this tale are you most excited for readers to experience?
Both the hero and heroine have walls that need to be torn down, and it’s the witty banter that picks away at those bricks. I had fun with the dialogue, and I think the readers will too.
FF: Can you share with us what are you working on next?
Yes! I am currently penning another Victorian Christmas tale. Dickens is one of my favorite authors, so once again I took inspiration from him. There is no title yet, but the story will feature Belle, the girl who dumped Scrooge.
FF: How many additional books will there be in Time’s Lost Treasures?
Of Silver and Shadows is the sequel to Of Gold and Shadows, and it features Edmund’s friend, Bram Webb, a rogue of a Roman history professor at Trinity College in Cambridge. As far as I know, that will be the last book, but I have learned to never say never.
Of Gold and Shadows
Time’s Lost Treasures Series #1
Michelle Griep
Bethany House
Genres: Mystery/Suspense, Historical Romance
Release Date: September 24, 2024
ISBN-10: 0764242563
ISBN-13: 978-0764242564
Book Summary:
The shadows hold secrets darker than they ever imagined…
In 1888 Victorian England, Ami Dalton navigates a clandestine dual life. By day, she strives to establish herself as a respected Egyptologist, overcoming the gender biases that permeate academia. But with a heart for saving black-market artifacts from falling into the wrong hands, she is most often disguised as her alter ego, the Shadow Broker.
After eight years in India, Oxford’s most eligible bachelor, Edmund Price, has come out of the shadows to run for Parliament and is in search of an Egyptologist to value a newly acquired collection. Expecting a renowned Oxford professor, Edmund instead finds himself entangled with Ami, the professor’s determined daughter. As they delve into the treasures, their connection deepens, but trouble emerges when a golden griffin—rumored to bear the curse of Amentuk—surfaces, and they’re left to wonder if the curse really is at play, or if something more nefarious is hiding among the shadows.
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