Kim Gruenenfelder

Kim Gruenenfelder
Born
Kimberly Ann Gruenenfelder

October 24
St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Other namesKim Gruenenfelder Smith
EducationFountain Valley High School
Alma materUniversity of California, Los Angeles (BA)
Occupations
  • Author
  • screenwriter
WorksA Total Waste of Makeup
Misery Loves Cabernet
There's Cake in My Future
Keep Calm and Carry a Big Drink
Love The Wine You're With
Hangovers & Hot Flashes
My Ex's Wedding
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseBrian Smith (m. 2000)
ChildrenAlex Gruenenfelder
RelativesJ. Kenneth Campbell (uncle)
Websitekimgruenenfelder.com

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

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. Her next series began in 2010 with There's Cake in My Future, which was followed in 2013 by Keep Calm and Carry a Big Drink. 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. Her latest novel is 2020's My Ex's Wedding.

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. Through her mother, Gruenenfelder is the niece of actor J. Kenneth Campbell and a descendant of Screen Actors Guild founding member Clay Clement.[3] Gruenenfelder moved to Southern California with her family when she was seven years old. She graduated from Fountain Valley High School at age sixteen.[citation needed]

At age 16, Gruenenfelder began attending the University of California, Los Angeles.[4] At age 20, Gruenenfelder graduated with a B.A. in history, specializing in women's history, from UCLA.[5]

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, and went on to become a screenwriter.[2]

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.[6]

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. These were her first novels 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.[7][8]

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.[9]

Audiobooks

Under her married name Kim Smith, Gruenenfelder is a prolific audiobook director, specializing in celebrity reads. Well regarded among comedians, she directed The Jerusalem Syndrome: My Life as a Reluctant Messiah and Attempting Normal by Marc Maron,[10][11] Mustache Shenanigans by Jay Chandrasekhar,[12] Life Will Be the Death of Me: ...and You Too! by Chelsea Handler,[13] and Dear Girls by Ali Wong.[14] She has also directed audiobooks for dozens of other public figures, including Tyra Banks,[15] Jennifer Beals,[16] Lilia Buckingham,[17] Jaina Lee Ortiz (reading for Sonia Sotomayor),[18] Samira Wiley,[19] Curtis Armstrong,[20] and Robbie Rogers.[21]

As Kim Gruenenfelder Smith, she directed the audiobook for Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn's Tightrope: Americans Reaching for Hope, which was narrated by Jennifer Garner.[22]

Gruenenfelder directed the audiobook for Tara Westover's memoir Educated, narrated by Julia Whelan.[23] The audiobook was recognized by the American Library Association for 2019 Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults,[24] as well as being named Audible's 2019 Best Memoir of the Year. Most notably, Educated received the Audie Award for Autobiography or Memoir in 2019.[25]

Multiple other audiobooks directed by Gruenenfelder have been nominated for Audie Awards. Gruenenfelder directed Marriage Be Hard by Kevin and Melissa Fredericks in 2022,[26] which was nominated for the Audie Award for Faith-Based Fiction and Nonfiction.[27] Marriage Be Hard was also nominated for an NAACP Image Award in 2023.[28]

Politics

Kim Gruenenfelder for Congress publicity photo

In January 2018, Gruenenfelder announced a campaign for the United States House of Representatives, to represent California's 28th congressional district.[29] A member of the Democratic Party, Gruenenfelder challenged incumbent Adam Schiff on a platform that included single-payer healthcare, opposition to foreign wars, and the creation of a Federal Ballot Initiative to nationally allow for proposition-based direct democracy. She also expressed support for gun control, climate change mitigation, DACA, and public charter schools. On March 3, Gruenenfelder officially withdrew from the race.[5]

Gruenenfelder endorsed Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012, and fundraised for his campaign.[30] Gruenenfelder endorsed Seth Moulton in the 2020 Democratic primary.[31] A supporter of Black Lives Matter, Gruenenfelder participated in protests in Los Angeles after the murder of George Floyd.[32][33]

Bibliography

Personal life

Gruenenfelder's husband is writer and director Brian Smith. They have one son, Alex. Gruenenfelder lives in Los Angeles, California.[36]

See also

References

  1. ^ Jain, Anushka (March 3, 2020). "Author highlights middle-aged women by offering personal, authentic representation". Daily Bruin. Archived from the original on May 3, 2023. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  2. ^ a b Flowers, Fifi (December 2, 2011). "Author Interview with Kim Gruenenfelder". Reading is Fashionable. Archived from the original on December 5, 2011.
  3. ^ Frey, Emma (1969). The History of the Frey Family. pp. 8–14. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
  4. ^ Filz, Elle (March 21, 2011). "Interview with Kim Gruenenfelder". Archived from the original on April 18, 2023. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  5. ^ a b "Kim Gruenenfelder". politicalcandidatedirectory.com. Archived from the original on July 15, 2019. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
  6. ^ "A Total Waste of Makeup". Kirkus Reviews. November 1, 2005. Archived from the original on January 23, 2023. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
  7. ^ McKay, Peter (August 27, 2017). "'Love the Wine You're With' details single women's days of wine and roses". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on January 24, 2023. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  8. ^ Cohen, Samantha (September 25, 2017). "Kim Gruenenfelder Opens Up About How To Balance Darkness & Light In Writing". iHeart Radio. 106.7 Lite FM. Archived from the original on January 24, 2023. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  9. ^ Meyers, Tracey (June 8, 2017). "Raise a glass to Kim Gruenenfelder....plus a book giveaway". Chick Lit Central. Archived from the original on January 15, 2018. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  10. ^ Maron, Marc. The Jerusalem Syndrome: My Life As a Reluctant Messiah. Random House Audio. Retrieved January 30, 2024 – via Audible.
  11. ^ Maron, Marc. Attempting Normal. Spiegel & Grau. Retrieved March 2, 2024 – via Storytel.
  12. ^ Chandrasekhar, Jay (2017). Mustache Shenanigans. Penguin Random House. Retrieved March 2, 2024 – via Audible.
  13. ^ Handler, Chelsea (2019). Life Will Be the Death of Me: ...and You Too!. Penguin Random House. Retrieved March 2, 2024 – via Audible.
  14. ^ Wong, Ali. Dear Girls. Random House Audio. Retrieved January 30, 2024 – via Audible.
  15. ^ London, Carolyn; Banks, Tyra. Perfect Is Boring. Penguin Audio. Retrieved January 30, 2024 – via Audible.
  16. ^ Reid, Taylor Jenkins. Daisy Jones & the Six. Penguin Random House. Retrieved March 2, 2024 – via Audible.
  17. ^ Shepard, Sara; Buckingham, Lilia (2021). Influence. Penguin Random House. Retrieved March 2, 2024 – via Audible.
  18. ^ Sotomayor, Sonia (2018). The Beloved World of Sonia Sotomayor. Retrieved March 2, 2024 – via Audible.
  19. ^ Brooks, Max (2018). Minecraft: The Island. Penguin Random House. Retrieved March 2, 2024 – via Audible.
  20. ^ de Semlyen, Nick (2019). Wild and Crazy Guys. Penguin Random House. Retrieved March 2, 2024 – via Audible.
  21. ^ Rogers, Robbie; Marcus, Eric. "Coming Out to Play". Penguin Audio. Retrieved January 30, 2024 – via Amazon.
  22. ^ Kristof, Nicholas; WuDunn, Sheryl (2020). Tightrope: Americans Reaching for Hope. Random House Audio. Archived from the original on January 25, 2023. Retrieved January 25, 2023 – via Audible.
  23. ^ Westover, Tara. Educated: A Memoir. Random House Audio. Retrieved January 30, 2024 – via Audible.
  24. ^ Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) (January 10, 2019). "2019 Top Ten Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults". American Library Association. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  25. ^ Katz, Danielle (March 5, 2019). "Audies Press Release Winners Final (2019)" (PDF). Audio Publishers Agency (APA). AudioFileMagazine.com. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 27, 2020. Retrieved May 17, 2019.
  26. ^ Fredericks, Kevin; Fredericks, Melissa. "Marriage Be Hard: 12 Conversations to Keep You Laughing, Loving, and Learning with Your Partner". Penguin Random House Audio Publishing. Penguin Random House.
  27. ^ "2023 Audie Awards Finalists". Audio Publishers Association. Penguin Random House. 2023.
  28. ^ Baruch, Yolanda (February 14, 2023). "Social Media Influencer And Author Melissa Fredericks Explains Why 'Marriage Be Hard'". Forbes.
  29. ^ Independent Staff. "June primary sets the stage for November election". Archived from the original on April 19, 2021. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
  30. ^ Lank, Barry. "Meet Alex Gruenenfelder: The Echo Park 20-year-old running for mayor". The Eastsider. Archived from the original on May 16, 2022. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
  31. ^ Gruenenfelder, Kim (May 20, 2020). "I endorsed you for President. I hosted a fundraiser. I love what you're doing for this country. But high speed rail before #Medicare4All in the middle of a pandemic? I just can't get behind this". Twitter. Archived from the original on May 21, 2020. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  32. ^ "Facebook". www.facebook.com.
  33. ^ "Kim Gruenenfelder - In order to amplify the voices of the Black Lives Matter movement, I will not be posting from 6/2 - 6/9. #BlackoutTuesday | Facebook". www.facebook.com. Archived from the original on January 8, 2024. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  34. ^ "Keep Calm and Carry a Big Drink". Kirkus Reviews. December 1, 2013. Archived from the original on January 23, 2023. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  35. ^ McClurg, Jocelyn (December 22, 2013). "Books: New and noteworthy". USA Today. Archived from the original on June 19, 2021. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  36. ^ Melissa (December 13, 2018). "Kim Gruenenfelder's's Top Five of 2018...plus a book giveaway". Chick Lit Central. Archived from the original on February 9, 2023. Retrieved July 15, 2019.