Danielle Grandinetti is an award-winning author of 1930s historical romance, where mystery and suspense intertwine with hope. Her work has received recognition, including a Distinguished Faith in Writing Award, two National Excellence in Storytelling Awards, and finalist honors in the FHLCW Reader’s Choice, Selah, Holt Medallion, and Daphne du Maurier contests.
A second-generation Italian-American rooted in Midwest traditions, Danielle draws inspiration from tea, books, and the creative beauty of nature. Holding a master’s in communication and culture, and driven by a lifelong love of stories, she crafts tales that celebrate resilience, diversity, and belonging. Danielle lives along Wisconsin’s Lake Michigan shoreline with her husband and two sons. Find her online at daniellegrandinetti.com.
All links can be found at https://daniellegrandinetti.com/links
What do you remember about the Christmases of your past?
I’m originally from the Chicagoland area, and some of my favorite memories are going downtown to look at the Marshall Field's windows (it will always be Field’s to me), then visiting the Christkindlmarket. It was always cold, so warming up with cider or hot chocolate as we walked outside warmed with all the holiday goodness.
What is your favorite part of the holiday season?
I love everything about it! The carols, the traditions, the tree, the food, the snow, the movies, the Story. It’s my favorite time of year.
When did you first realize you wanted to write Christmas stories or stories set during the holiday season?
My first Christmas story was As Silent as the Night, and in it, I had the opportunity to delve into Italian and Wisconsin Christmas traditions. I fell in love with telling Christmas stories while writing that one, and the following year, I wrote Escape with the Prodigal.
From that moment
on, I knew I had to write at least one Christmas story every year for no other
reason than because I enjoyed it. And so, the Christmas Cabin series was born.
What is your latest book about?
My latest Christmas story is The Neighbor and the Gifts, the second book in the Christmas Cabin series. These are standalone romances with mystery, all centered around a cabin that seems to have a special Christmas matchmaking magic.
The Neighbor and the Gifts tells the story of a quiet librarian and a deputy who has a secret crush on her … and how they outwit a stalker to survive until Christmas.
What inspired you to write it?
As I mentioned, I love Christmas carols. The "Twelve Days of Christmas" is a popular one, and since it talks about a true love giving gifts, it’s often retold in Christmas romances. However, I had a question … what if … what if the bad guy was the one giving the gifts? And thus, The Neighbor and the Gifts was born.
Where can readers buy your book?
Readers can find The Neighbor and the Gifts in the usual places.
Paperback copies are available at all the major retailers and libraries, whereas signed copies can be purchased from my Hearth Spot Shop on my website.
From September to
December, the ebook is part of the Kindle Unlimited program, so it can only be
found on Amazon and in library systems like Hoopla and Libby. However, from
January to August, readers can find it in the other ebook stores, like Nook,
Kobo, and Apple, as well as through my website.
What is up next for you?
My next Christmas Cabin novella is already up for preorder! It releases July 2026 and is called The Robber and the Witness. Readers can find all the information at https://daniellegrandinetti.com/the-robber-and-the-witness/
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.
https://daniellegrandinetti.com/the-neighbor-and-the-gifts
