New School Year, New Novel: GHS Social Studies Teacher’s Second Book, “Grimwell” to Be Released Sept 2

Greenwich High School social studies teacher Michael Belanger wears many hats, and in his free time he writes across multiple genres.

“The story comes first. The genre will follow the story,” he said this week as he took a break from readying his classroom and lesson plans for three courses he will teach this year – American History, AP Psychology and Ethics.

In addition to the start of a new school year, Belanger is also anticipating the publication of his second work of fiction, Grimwell.

The book, which will be released on Sept 2 by Woodhall Press, takes readers on an unforgettable journey into the fantasy world of Grimwell, where books wield an unexpected power to shape destinies.

Michael Belanger in his Greenwich High School classroom. August 26, 2024 Photo: Leslie Yager

The protagonist, Derek Winnebaker, a barista-slash-bibliophile, who stumbles upon a novel detailing the adventures of a creature known as a grimkin, starts to identify with a character. As he is drawn into Grimwell’s fantastical world, Derek transforms from a downtrodden bystander into a courageous man, his journey mirroring the epic saga unfolding within the pages of his newfound literary companion.

Belanger has been teaching at GHS for 16 years, starting as an intern after college at the age of 22.

His mother, MaryAnn Belanger, is a longtime nurse at the school, and he joked that his original plan was to live at home and carpool with her since he didn’t have a car at the time.

Fast forward to 2024. Belanger is 38, and while he hasn’t left GHS in 16 years, he said teaching is still fun, with no two days the same.

Prior to becoming a teacher, Belanger had a job as a Starbucks barista, and those experiences informed some of his new book.

“I loved my Starbucks gig. It was so much fun,” he recalled with a smile. “It’s so much easier to write about things you’ve actually experienced.”

The most obvious question is how he finds the time to write. He said he steals an hour or two for himself from the overnight hours, typically around 4:00am –otherwise silent hours, but for the tapping of keys.

In 2018, Belanger’s successful debut young adult novel, a coming-of-age tale titled The History of Jane Doe, was published by Dial Press, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group. The book was was a finalist for the Connecticut Book Award and received a Kirkus starred review.

Set in a rural Connecticut town, The History of Jane Doe revolves around two teenage boys whose lives change when a new student, Jane, a girl with dark secrets, enrolls in their high school.

The constant chatter of Belanger’s GHS students has always been a lingering presence in his mind, and enabled him to craft teenage dialogue. At the time he said he did his best writing at school early in the morning before classes started.

Belanger’s real life students flocked to his local book signing event in 2018, chuffed at their teacher’s literary success. In fact, one of his students, Sarah Xu, was inspired to write about it.

Since 2018, Belanger got married, and he and his wife now have two sons, ages 1 and 3.

Let all that sink in.

All the while, Belanger has never stopped writing, including two books that did not find a publisher. He believes that his passion for writing makes him a better teacher, and his classroom more vibrant and interesting.

“That creative energy that I get in that early morning hour has made me a better and more interesting teacher – more in tune with the writing process and more in tune with how to coach students through their writing. It’s made me feel like an expert in a field, and I think, as a student, to see your teacher have a book come out is exciting for them too.”

Nevertheless, as a teacher, Belanger’s free time is limited, so writing novels that involve research or travel is out of the question.

“I find it much easier to have my creative space be purely imaginary,” he added.

Grimwell is targeted to adults, and is considered part of the Fantasy genre.

He said after Jane Doe had been selected by a YA publisher through the traditional route of finding an agent and securing a book deal. His second book found a publisher via a different route.

While getting his MFA at Fairfield University, the school held a student competition called the Fairfield Book Prize. Grimwell was selected to be published by Connecticut-based Woodhall Press.

“The book is fantasy, but it’s really a human story about a down-on-his luck barista who is looking for his next path in life and discovers a book that really connects with him,” Belanger explained. “It’s about this strange creature called a grimkin – my hobbit-esque take on a fantasy creature. Derek starts to identify with the main character, Eldrid Babble.”

Belanger said as the book proceeds, the reader beings to wonder what is real and what isn’t. Reality and fiction begin to blur.

“It shakes up Derek’s life in good and bad ways,” Belanger said. “I think we’re all looking for ways to shake up our lives sometimes if you’re in a rut. The book starts to helps him ask out his crush. He stands up to his boss. He starts to become more of a character than he would want to be – until the transformation goes too far, and perhaps becoming Eldrid Babble wasn’t as good a thing as he originally thought.”

Belanger said he took some inspiration from his now three-year-old son in coming up with his grimkin creature.

Though Belanger describes his son as a happy-go-lucky guy, who spins his own stories, he and his wife started calling him a “grumkin” when, like any baby, he had his occasional grumpy moments.

Acknowledging the moniker might be amalgam of grumpy and munchkin, he said, “So much of our creativity is inspired by our lives, so somehow that became grimkin and set the ball rolling for a fantasy-type creature.”

“I think when you get the right name for something – Like, how perfect is the name hobbit? – when you get some names that work, it makes the fantasy world feel more real.”

Once he changed grumkin to grimkin, the world became Grimwell.

Belanger said his 4:00am writing habit originally reflected his son’s sleep schedule.

When his son finally started sleeping through the night, Belanger continued the early morning pattern, and set about writing.

“I was excited to get up early,” he said. “When you get a good story, your novel just pulls you along. That’s what I like about novels. You start to have both your life in your novel and your regular life.”

“I knew I was onto something with Grimwell because I really enjoyed visiting this world,” Belanger said. “Hopefully readers will too.”

Website: https://www.michaelbelangerbooks.com/

Twitter: @MBelanger514

Instagram: @MichaelBelangerAuthor