Kim Gruenenfelder

Kim Gruenenfelder (born October 24, 1967) is an American author and screenwriter. She became known for writing women's fiction, specifically romantic comedy fiction, novels.[1]

Kim Gruenenfelder
Born
Kimberly Ann Gruenenfelder

(1967-10-24) October 24, 1967
St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Other namesKim Gruenenfelder Smith
Alma materUCLA (BA)
Occupation
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)Brian Smith (m. 2000)
Children1
Websitekimgruenenfelder.com

Her debut novel, A Total Waste of Makeup, has been published in six languages and eight international editions to date, and is followed by a sequel, Misery Loves Cabernet. Keep Calm and Carry a Big Drink, is a sequel to 2010's There's Cake in My Future. Her fifth published novel, Love The Wine You're With, which details the adventures of a group of friends who open a wine bar, was released June 13, 2017. Her next novel Hangovers and Hot Flashes, released in December 2018, follows the lives of protagonists in their forties.

In addition to her published novels, she has written screenplays, a stage play, and was also a writer for the television show Jeopardy!.[2] In 2016, she created the word "Eciah", which refers to a moment in your life when your future gets a lot brighter.

Early life

Gruenenfelder was born in St. Louis, Missouri. Her father was Edmond Jacques Gruenenfelder III, a salesman. Her mother was Carol Campbell, a writer. Gruenenfelder moved to Southern California with her family when she was seven years old. She graduated from Fountain Valley High School at age sixteen.

At age 16, Gruenenfelder began attending the University of California, Los Angeles.[3] At age 20, Gruenenfelder graduated with a B.A. in history, specializing in women's history from UCLA.[4]

Career

Entertainment

Gruenenfelder's career in the entertainment industry started at the age of nineteen when she became a production assistant on the show Jeopardy!. She became a researcher on the show at twenty.[2]

Gruenenfelder became a screenwriter.

Novels

Gruenenfelder's first published novel was A Total Waste of Makeup, followed up by Misery Loves Cabernet. These are part of the Charlize series, focusing on a character named Charlize Edwards who starts the series by turning thirty. Depicting life in Hollywood and the entertainment industry, it includes characters like eccentric actor Drew Stanton.[5]

Gruenenfelder then started a series about a cake pull, with There's Cake In My Future and then Keep Calm and Carry a Big Drink. This was her first novel focusing on three central characters per book, a trend she has continued.

Her fifth published novel, different from the others in terms of series, is Love The Wine You're With, detailing the adventures of a group of friends who open a wine bar in Echo Park.[6][7]

Deciding not to have a second book in the wine bar series, she moved on to a series about characters in their forties. Describing that publishers continuously told her nobody would read books about characters in their forties, she went forward with the book anyway. In December 2018, Gruenenfelder released Hangovers and Hot Flashes.

In 2016, Gruenenfelder coined the term "eciah". She defines it as "moment in your life when your future suddenly gets a lot brighter", according to her website eciah.com. She is the curator for this website, founding and creating it. Her personal eciah was when she found out she was pregnant with her first and only child.[8]

Politics

Gruenenfelder ran for California's 28th congressional district seat in the 2018 June primary.[9] She announced her candidacy in January 2018. On January 4, she publicly announced that she had selected Leigh Helberg as her campaign manager. On March 2, Gruenenfelder began taking down pages related to the campaign. She officially conceded in the early hours of March 3.

Gruenenfelder is a Democrat. One of the biggest aspects of her platform was the Federal Ballot Initiative, which proposed a federal amendment to allow a form of proposition-based direct democracy. Gruenenfelder is also for gun control, legislation to combat climate change, is pro-DACA, and pro-public charter. She is anti-war. On health care, she supported a single-payer health care system which she called the United States Care Co-op. Gruenenfelder is pro-LGBTQ, and a feminist.[4]

Gruenenfelder endorsed Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012, and fundraised for his campaigns. Gruenenfelder endorsed Seth Moulton in the 2020 Democratic primary.[10][11] Gruenenfelder participated in protests in Los Angeles after the killing of George Floyd, and has openly supported Black Lives Matter.[12] She participated in Blackout Tuesday from June 2 to June 9, but continued to use this time to make posts related to the protests.[13]

Bibliography
  • A Total Waste of Makeup, St. Martin’s Press, 2005
  • Misery Loves Cabernet, St. Martin’s Press, 2009
  • There's Cake in My Future, St. Martin’s Press, 2010
  • Keep Calm and Carry a Big Drink, St. Martin’s Press, 2013[14][15]
  • Love The Wine You're With, St. Martin's Press, 2017
  • Hangovers & Hot Flashes, Geoghegan & Burke Publishing, 2018
  • My Ex's Wedding, Geoghegan & Burke Publishing, 2020

Personal life

Gruenenfelder's husband is Brian Smith, writer and director. They have one son, Alex. Gruenenfelder lives in Los Angeles, California.[16]

See also

References
  1. Jain, Anushka (3 March 2020). "Author highlights middle-aged women by offering personal, authentic representation". The Daily Bruin. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
  2. Flowers, Fifi (December 2, 2011). "Author Interview with Kim Gruenenfelder". Reading is Fashionable. Archived from the original on December 5, 2011.
  3. Filz, Elle (March 21, 2011). "Interview with Kim Gruenenfelder".
  4. "Kim Gruenenfelder". politicalcandidatedirectory.com. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
  5. "A Total Waste of Makeup". Kirkus Reviews. 1 November 2005. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  6. McKay, Peter (27 August 2017). "'Love the Wine You're With' details single women's days of wine and roses". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
  7. Cohen, Samantha (25 September 2017). "Kim Gruenenfelder Opens Up About How To Balance Darkness & Light In Writing". 106.7 Lite FM. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
  8. , ChickLitCentral
  9. Independent Staff. "June primary sets the stage for November election". Retrieved 2020-05-16.
  10. Kim Gruenenfelder endorses Seth Moulton
  11. Twitter - Kim Gruenenfelder references endorsing and fundraising for Seth Moulton
  12. Kim Gruenenfelder on Facebook - "Went to the protests today..."
  13. Kim Gruenenfelder on Facebook - Blackout Tuesday
  14. "Keep Calm and Carry a Big Drink". Kirkus Reviews. 1 December 2013. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
  15. McClurg, Jocelyn (22 December 2013). "Books: New and noteworthy". USA Today. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
  16. Melissa (December 13, 2018). "Kim Gruenenfelder's's Top Five of 2018...plus a book giveaway". chicklitcentral.com. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
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