SHADOWED DREAMS - Tina Pinson - One Free Book

Welcome back, Tina. Why do you write the kind of books you do?

I write what touches my heart. I feel that God lays the ideas on my imagination and when they persist, I have to write it down. Usually I dream about my stories. I tend to write about the late 1800s because the time frame intrigues me. I often wonder how my life might have been had I been alive then. I have also been writing some contemporary fiction. Then there was Grace, a 9/11 catastrophe type story releases next year. And Christmas in Shades of Gray, a offbeat Dickinson's Christmas tale releases as well.

Besides when you came to know the Lord, what is the happiest day in your life?

Well after three tries, because my husband to be was in the military and kept getting extended, when I finally walked down the aisle to say "I do" -- nearly thirty-three years ago -- was pretty special. Of course there is having my children. Each one rates up there on the joy meter. And my grandchildren. Just welcomed a little boy, Gunner Liam and now we are looking forward to another little girl. My son is threatening to name her Pepper Pots Pinson since my grandson loves Ironman.

How has being published changed your life?

Not too much, except I probably spend more time on line trying to get some marketing done when I should be writing. I guess it has also helped me take a closer look at my stories and see if I can out do myself.

What are you reading right now?

I just finished The Merchant's Daughter by Melanie Dickerson and A Merry Little Christmas by Anita Higman. Both were good reads.

I thoroughly enjoyed both of those books, too. What is your current work in progress?

I have a few WIPS, but I have been focusing on trying to get one done at a time now and Finding Middle C a Civil War yarn is first up. Although I did get somewhat sidetracked by a There's A Monster Beneath My Bed. A children's picture book.

What would be your dream vacation?

I would love to go to Australia and do some sightseeing. Would also love to go on a cruise to Alaska. Might sound silly, but just getting back to Colorado for a respite is wonderful.

How do you choose your settings for each book?

A lot of times I can write about a place I've visited. But many times the setting comes with the dream and where the story takes place. Of course my latest series starts in the east then the characters travel west on the Oregon Trail and that is a specific trail.

If you could spend an evening with one person who is currently alive, who would it be and why?

I would like to sit down with George and Laura Bush. I would love to talk to them about what they went through as the first family, and what happened in their home on 9/11. Then there are a couple of actors and authors that might be interesting to dissect in conversation.

What are your hobbies, besides writing and reading?

I like to sing, draw, garden, (although Arizona is much harder than Colorado I'm finding) and run power tools. Actually I like to build. Power tools and I can be questionable cause I'm a klutz, drilled my arm last year.

What is your most difficult writing obstacle, and how do you overcome it?

I suppose my biggest obstacle beyond social networking or TV and family, is me. I find ways to procrastinate and ways to critique myself right out of writing a chapter. Sometimes I really need to shut my inner editor up and just write. When I do, I get more accomplished.

What advice would you give to a beginning author?

First and foremost, write your heart. Write your voice. It's all fine well and good to write what you know, but then you might never write anything. Think outside the box. Create new worlds with the imagination God has given you and use it to His glory. Research if necessary. But don't tuck yourself in someone else's mold and lose the wonder of who you are as a writer.

Tell us about the featured book.

Shadowed Dreams is the second in my Shadow Series. It is the continuing story of Matthew and Rebekah Cavanaugh. Book 1 When Shadows Fall, followed them through the battle and loss of the war, and on to Missouri where Rebekah planned to take the train west to Oregon. In book 2, Matthew has convinced Rebekah to marry him, under a contract of convenience, so he can help her west, with the understanding that they can call it quits once they reach Oregon. But Matthew doesn’t want to let Rebekah go ever, he hopes she'll become his wife in more than name. He hopes to win her heart. And he has six months on the trail to do so.

The Shadow Series is written much like Hunger Games, Harry Potter, The Dreamhouse Kings, and Divergent, not that its dystopian or fantasy but the story continues to follow the main characters and an ensemble cast throughout.

Please give us the first page of the book.

Life is a mixture of joy and sorrows,

Wwhere darkness and light mingle to cast shadows upon your soul.

These shadows, often fleeting, touch us far deeper than their hazy essence ever deemed  possible.        Rebekah St. James

Rebekah looked at the man she was marrying. He was so handsome just a look from him sent fingers of hope and desire skittering down her spine. She closed her eyes. It seemed like such a dream. Yesterday, after being told she couldn't join the train, she'd all but given up having any dreams come true and now... it looked like her dreams might just take flight.

She sighed. She wanted to share this day with her parents. She wanted to tell them she was all right. She was here because of war, but she was still standing.

She closed her eyes, and prayed they heard her heart.

Mother, Father,

I wish I could see you now. Wish you could be here. No, I wouldn't call you from Heaven to come to a land of chaos and war.

War. I hate war. With every fiber of my being. How could I not? War has taken so much from this nation. So much from me.

War and the sickness and need that rose from it, took my baby, Cassandra. Is she with you now? I often wonder how much you see of my life.

War and the horror of it stole my husband, Robert Montgomery as well. You never met him. All this happened after I saved him from a Yankee prison with help from my Godfather, Abraham Lincoln, and brought him home to West Virginia to heal after he lost both his legs.

Robert's war-ravaged body mended, but his mind was lost in a battle all its own. Lost in an unseen war I couldn't win for him. A war he wouldn't try to defeat. Not for himself, for me or our son, Andrew. I am afraid to ask if he is with you as well.

War and the necessity to live uprooted me from my home and brought me, along with Andrew, and my cousin, Caroline St. James, and my son's great uncle and my dear friend, Elijah Montgomery, to Independence, Missouri, with a dream to head west.

West... to Oregon. To the new Eden. Far from the war dividing the nation. West to peace.

I am not alone in my desire to find peace and rest. War has ravaged us all. That is the nature of war.

Nothing good can come from it.

Yet... look at me. Without this war and the losses in my life I wouldn't be standing here today marrying Matthew Cavanaugh, my friend, my childhood dream.

Such irony. War has dredged up enough sorrows to last my lifetime, but war has brought me to this moment. To Matthew.

I only hope that once he learns the truth about me, about the attack... oh I don't know what I hope...

Kiss Cassandra for me, and if Robert is there, tell him... tell him...

How can readers find you on the Internet?

My website -- http://www.tinapinson.com/

Twitter:@Tina_Pinson

Facebook-- http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=754617103

Purchase my books at:

Desert Breeze:

When Shadows Fall

Touched By Mercy

In the Manor of the Ghost

Shadowed Dreams

Amazon:

Touched By Mercy

In the Manor of the Ghost

When Shadows Fall

Shadowed Dreams

Barnes & Noble:

Touched By Mercy

In the Manor of the Ghost

When Shadows Fall

Christian Books Distributors:

Touched By Mercy

In the Manor of the Ghost

When Shadows Fall

Thank you for stopping by my blog to share your book, Tina.

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