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 Eden
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
Purchase my books at:
Desert Breeze:
Amazon:
Barnes &
Noble:
Christian
Books Distributors:
Thank you for stopping by my blog to share your book, Tina.
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