Gretchen was a bookworm as a kid. When she ran out of book space she single handedly built and installed TWELVE FOOT HIGH shelves in her childhood bedroom (which had a vaulted ceiling). This also required a repurposed attic ladder to reach them and very trusting parents.
After high school she attended Oakland University. She started out as an English major and wanted to pursue a career in writing and publishing. However, as a sophomore her Brit Lit professor advised her to “pick a more realistic career because writing wouldn’t pay the bills.”
Disappointed and floundering, she took a Communications class and fell in love with the subject and its teachers. She changed her major and temporarily shelved her writing dreams. In 2012, she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Communications and a minor in English.
Five months after graduation, her grandmother passed away. They had shared a close bond and the treasured memories of their time together would ultimately reignite Gretchen’s original aspiration of becoming a writer.
Ten years later, Gretchen published her first book, Strong Strings, in 2022 and dedicated it to her grandmother. She continues to write while working full time in the technology department of the K12 school district she grew up in.
She lives in Metro Detroit with her husband and dog and does not have any children due to unexplained infertility.
Follow Gretchen on social media and subscribe to her Blog: Books I Can’t Recommend (to the daughter I don’t have).
