ROSE HOUSE - Tina Ann Forkner - Free Book

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

I like to examine various issues through fiction. I write women’s fiction because it allows me to delve more deeply into the lives of my characters.

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

The day my daughter was born. From the moment I saw her, I was in love!

How has being published changed your life?

Some things are the same. I still have to clean house, run errands, be a mom, etc. My life has definitely gotten busier. Since I have been published, I have to fight harder for my writing time.

I was really glad when I could stop work and stay at home and write. What are you reading right now?

I just finished reading an ARC of A Slow Burn, by Mary E. DeMuth. It is a wonderful book. I’m also almost finished with The Time Traveler’s Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger, which really has an amazing premise. On my nightstand waiting to be read is Wyoming Brides, by Debbie MaComber. She is going to be the keynote speaker at the 2009 ACFW conference, so I want to read a few of her books before hearing her speak. As you can see, I read a wide variety of books. I really lean more toward literary books, but I also like historical fiction, some suspense and the occasional romance.

What is your current work in progress?

I am working on two specific novels right now, but they are secrets! I am one of those authors who doesn’t like to let ideas out before they are ready. I think they are like little birds. If you aren’t careful when you open the door, they will fly right past your hand and out of the cage and be gone forever.

What would be your dream vacation?

There really isn’t just one place I dream of going. I have never been to Italy, so I would love to go there, but I am not picky. Any vacation will do if it gives me an adventure.

How do you choose your settings for each book?

My settings are based on places I have been, and then I fictionalize them using the best parts of my memory. I have never set a full novel in a big city. I am more attracted to small towns and small-town people.

What are your hobbies, besides writing and reading?

I really enjoy gardening, although I’m not very good at it. It’s difficult to garden in my part of Wyoming, but I do what I can. This is why I write a lot about gardeners. I love that in a novel I can make anything grow!

I hadn't thought of that. Maybe I could gain a green thumb that way, too. What is your most difficult writing obstacle, and how do you overcome it?

Confidence is definitely my biggest obstacle. I always feel like my writing isn’t good enough. There is nothing I can do to overcome it except to write, write, write for that audience of One. He is my only judge.

That is so true. What advice would you give to a beginning author?

To not worry about getting published and focus on the act of writing. Once publication becomes the sole goal in writing a story, the quality of writing becomes substandard. Beginning writers should focus on the joy that comes with writing stories.

Tell us about the featured book.

Here is a description from my publisher:

A vivid story of a private grief, a secret painting, and one woman’s search for hope. Still mourning the loss of her family in a tragic accident, Lillian Diamon finds herself drawn back to the Rose House, a quiet cottage where four years earlier she had poured out her anguish among its fragrant blossoms. She returns to the rolling hills and lush vineyards of the Sonoma Valley in search of something she can’t quite name. But then Lillian stumbles onto an unexpected discovery: displayed in the La Rosaleda Gallery is a painting that captures every detail of her most private moment of misery, from the sorrow etched across her face to the sandals on her feet.

What kind of artist would dare to intrude on such a personal scene, and how did he happen to witness Lillian’s pain? As the mystery surrounding the portrait becomes entangled with the accident that claimed the lives of her husband and children, Lillian is forced to rethink her assumptions about what really happened that day.

A captivating novel rich with detail, Rose House explores how the brushstrokes of pain can illuminate the true beauty of life

Wow. I can hardly wait to read it. How can readers find you on the Internet?

They can visit my website at http://www.tinaannforkner.com/. I would love to hear from them!
Thank you, Tina, for spending this time with us.

Readers, here's a link where you can order Rose House:

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Author Tina Forkner - RUBY AMONG US - Free Book

There's a lot of buzz going around about the new book by Tina Forkner - Ruby Among Us. I'm glad to host her on this blog.

Welcome, Tina. Tell us how much of yourself you write into your characters.

Probably quite a lot, but the final result is purely fictional. In the case of Ruby Among Us, several characters were inspired by experiences I have had or observed in others. For example, the mother-daughter concept was inspired by my own experiences.

It’s not that I have had every experience of the mothers and daughters in the book, but I can relate because of where I was at in my life when the book was first conceived. I was a single mom for awhile and so are Ruby and Kitty. How I got there was different than my characters, but I know what it’s like to be alone and feel solely responsible for another person’s life.

So, there are many aspects of my characters that are born out of reality, but once the big picture of the story opens up for me, everything is fictionalized. It has to be since my life just isn’t all that interesting.

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?

Some of my friends think that my being a writer is quirky. I do like putting potato chips on my sandwich. Does that count?

Sounds interesting. When did you first discover that you were a writer?

I have always known as far back as I can remember that I am a writer. I was a little kid when I told my parents I wanted to be a writer and they said, “Okay.” Much of that early writing was really bad, but my parents’ tendency to brag only encouraged me.

Tell us the range of the kinds of books you enjoy reading.

I love a variety of authors, including Elizabeth Berg, Sue Monk Kidd, Jane Kirkpatrick, Amy Tan, Lisa Samson, Kim Vogel Sawyer, Colleen Coble, and others, but I am more of a favorite book person than a favorite author person. Some of my books are The Mark of the Lion series, as well as Redeeming Love, by Francine Rivers, Open House by Elizabeth Berg, The Hundred Secret Senses and Saving Fish From Drowning by Amy Tan, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, Watching the Tree Limbs by Mary DeMuth, The Trophy Wives Club by Kristin Billerbeck, and Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. On occasion I like to read a good fantasy. My recent favorite is Auralia’s Colors by Jeffrey Overstreet.

What other books have you written, whether published or not?

My next book, Rose House, is due from Waterbrook Press in 2009, and I am working on three other books right now.

I'd love to feature an interview with Rose House. How do you keep your sanity in our run, run, run world?

Pray desperately. Really! Sometimes it helps to just take a walk and get away from everything.

How do you choose your characters’ names?
Honestly, I just pick names I like. As the story unfolds, names change. I misnamed one of my characters in Ruby Among Us and my editor and I worked hard to rename her. I ended up consulting some Latino friends who helped me come up with a name (Maria Lucero DiCamillo) that reflected the character’s heritage and the feelings of her mother when she named her. She eventually became Lucy.

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?

Besides being a mom? It would have to be finishing my first novel and having it published.

Yes, that is a special accomplishment. If you were an animal, which one would you be, and why?

My daughter and step-sons play this game too and they are always things like monkeys, raccoons, and puppies. The last time they played it, my daughter told me I was a fawn deer. I don’t know why, but I hope it’s because I’m her mommy and I’m nice.

What is your favorite food?

I love Italian and Chinese, but I think my favorite has to be Mexican. My sister and I love to find the closest Mexican restaurant and have chips and queso any time when we are together. And when my sister-in-law and mom are there, it’s even better.

What is the problem with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it?

I have to admit that as far as the act of writing itself, I have not had any big roadblocks, but I think time is the biggest challenge for me when it comes to writing as a career. I am only in my thirties, but I have been writing my whole life, so it seemed like I would never be able to even finish a novel, let alone have it published. I’d already had so many other things rejected, that I just expected to continue to be rejected forevermore. Maybe that’s why when I wrote Ruby Among Us, I told myself I would just write it and not worry about publishing at all.

What advice would you give to an author just starting out?

Not to ever lose site of the act of writing. Blogs, conferences, writing loops, etc., etc. are great networking tools, but can take a great deal of time away from writing. Doing too much of it before you are published seems to me a little like putting the horse before the cart. Work on your craft first. The only way to get better at it is to write as much as possible.

What would you like to tell us about the featured book?

Ruby Among Us is about grace and the redemptive power of faith and mother-daughter love.

I hope readers will enjoy this first novel of mine and I would love if Ruby Among Us challenges some and brings hope to others. It’s a story from my heart and while I keep saying I didn’t have an agenda when I wrote it, sometimes the heart of a writer is a funny thing and manages to say things we didn’t know would surface in the story. But mostly I just wanted to tell a good story.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

www.tinaannforkner.com or email me at atforkner@yahoo.com

Tina, thank you for spending this time with us. I just love your cover.

Readers, as always, leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book.

Tomorrow I'll choose winners of three other books, so come back or sign up for FeedBlitz under my profile so you won't miss a single post.