WELCOME AUTHOR TINA PINSON

WELCOME AUTHOR TINA PINSON
Sunday, April 21, 2013 by Patti Shene

TODAY I AM HONORED TO WELCOME MULTI-PUBLISHED AUTHOR TINA PINSON. I OWE TINA A BIG APOLOGY FOR THE LONG DELAY IN GETTING HER HERE. SHE WAS SCHEDULED TO APPEAR ON PATTI'S PORCH IN JANUARY AND I FAILED TO SEND HER THE INTERVIEW QUESTIONS IN TIME. WE RESCHEDULED FOR FEBRUARY AND I HAD TO SUSPEND MY BLOGGING DUE TO MY HUSBAND'S ILLNESS.

FINALLY, TINA IS HERE TO TALK ABOUT HER BOOK, TO CARRY HER CROSS, HER WRITING JOURNEY, AND HERSELF

Tina, welcome to Patti’s Porch. It’s such a pleasure to have you here. Tell us about your latest release, To Carry Her Cross.

To Carry Her Cross takes place in the Colorado high country, on the eastern slopes. There's a gold strike and those who come to Willow Creek are either looking for buried treasure or have come to bury their past and hope the hills hide them away forever. Harrison Caldwell comes to Willow Creek to be a doctor, but no one needs him or trusts him. When they have a need, they call the town recluse, Crazy Joe. They trust him to see what ails them, but otherwise, the old man's life is a mystery. Given the way he talks to them about God, and the fact that he's staying in the parsonage, the townsfolk believe Harrison is better suited to be the preacher. They figure he couldn't do any worse than Mitchell Grover who is already the preacher in Willow Creek. A preacher who wants to reach the town for the Lord, but erred in his past, so the town won't let him live it down. Together the two men commit to reach the town for the Lord and when they do, they uncover some of the deeply held secrets of Willow Creek. There are touches of Romance in To Carry Her Cross, but it is considered more a Women's Fiction story.

You’ve been writing since you were a youngster in grade school. What was the nature of your first published work?

My first published work was poetry. I worked on the school newspaper so I had several articles as well.

How old were you when your first work was published?

I was in my twenties when I had a poem published with a real house so to speak. I also had a song finish in the top twenty-five of a competition. While I sing and still write songs, I never really pursued it further.

You have almost a dozen published novels to your credit. To what do you attribute your success?

First of all, to the imagination God gave me and just to keep on writing. Believe me, there were many times I wanted to stop because it seemed like I would never get anywhere.

If you were asked to name a common element in all of your novels, what would it be?

It would be to show God's grace. While I don't want to preach at the reader, I do hope that in the journey they take with my characters they learn about how much God loves them and walks with them on their journey. I don’t think stories always have to be so neatly tied up and happy. Real life has obstacles and hardships, and I would rather you see their faith and God's as well.

Are you a plotter or a pantser?

I am a pantser who does a touch of plotting as I might write out a very brief outline at times.

Do you keep a writing schedule?

I used to when my children were younger and in school. Now I try to tell myself to work on a story at a certain time and don't always stay on task. Seems like my writing moments are more sporadic in nature.

On your website, you say “Don’t forget to dream.” What obstacles did you encounter while pursuing your publishing dreams?

I wrote seven stories and started sending off proposals during a time when most houses wouldn’t take you unless you had an agent. At the time, I couldn't get an agent and I got a bit frustrated. Perhaps I should have tried harder, but I decided to self publish, which wasn't so bright an idea. After the books were published I was embarrassed to sell them. The stories were great, but there was a bit more editing to do.

Vickie McDonough reviewed my book for me and told me the same thing. Then she invited me to a critique group and ACRW, soon to become ACFW. I did both, and learned that writing as I knew it was changing. They were now pushing for POV in the story. So I had to rewrite my books and learn the rule. I entered the ACFW Genesis Contest (the Noble Theme at that time) and place in my category. I thought the contracts would start coming. Not. I did get an agent and she started sending to the houses. Nothing happened for several years. Then I sent in to a new house that was accepting submissions and they accepted my stories.

At the time, Desert Breeze was only doing eBooks, but now they are putting some in print and my book, In the Manor of the Ghost will come out in print. Word of warning to those who self publish. My self-published books are still on the market somehow, and they rise up to irritate me many a time. Especially when I asked for them to be removed and someone buys them and makes a comment about how many mistakes are in the books. Oh well, always living and learning.

You list “building” as one of your favorite activities beyond writing. What do you like to build?

At our home in Colorado, we built our garage and did a couple of additions to the house. I like to build shelves and remodel. I also like to cut out little things with a scroll saw and wood burn and paint. I just get the whim to want to create. Sometimes I sit and draw, others I do wood work, or garden or sew, whatever the mood that strikes me, but I always have to find some time to write.

How is life different for you in Arizona than it was on the western slope in Colorado?

Arizona is a dryer climate. We lived in what they call the high desert in Colorado. So it could be dry, but our bones ached for months after moving here. They said that was the heat and dryness leeching the moisture from our bones. And while we could stay around 100 or even hit higher temps in Colorado, it cooled down much better at night there. The summers here are hot, almost miserable at times. Plus there is no real change of seasons or snow. Winters aren't bad here, but they were pretty temperate in Grand Junction too. Although Grand Junction was kind of a retirement area like here, there is a vast difference in the size of town and a lot more snow birds come to roost in the winter around here. Enough that the town practically doubles in number.

How can your readers connect with you?

My website

Twitter:@Tina_Pinson

Facebook

To Carry Hier Cross can be purchased here

Where can readers purchase your books?

Desert Breeze Bookstore

When Shadows Fall

Touched by Mercy

In The Manor of the Ghost

Shadowed Dreams

To Carry Her Cross

Amazon

Touched by Mercy

In the Manor of the Ghost

When Shadows Fall

Shadowed Dreams

Barnes and Noble

Touched by Mercy

In the Manor of the Ghost

When Shadows Fall

Shadowed Dreams

Christian Books Distributors

Touched by Mercy

In the Manor of the Ghost

When Shadows Fal l

Shadowed Dreams

Some fun questions:

Which do you prefer?

Rain or snow

Hmmm I like both, rain is fun to walk in and play in. But soft falling snow is soothing

Chocolate or strawberry

Again, both. When the mood strikes, I like chocolate covered strawberries.

Air travel or train?

Train. I kind of freak out on planes. Have flown quite a lot but still have to ease my brain into it so I can settle down.

Lemonade or iced tea?

Iced Tea. I married a Georgia boy, so it has to be Southern Sweet.

Dogs or cats?

Dogs. Cats are too finicky sometimes for my taste.

Thank you for spending time with us!

Patti, thank you so much for letting me visit with you. It's a pleasure.

Now that we know a little about Tina, let's take a peek inside her book, To Carry Her Cross.

We all have our Crosses to Bear. Willow Creek, Colorado is a town built on the dreams of gold and secrets. Whose life will change forever if their secret Cross is ever revealed?

Dr. Harrison Caldwell -- who hopes the mountains will shelter him enough his past won't find him?

Mitchell Grover -- who hopes to win the mountain for the Lord, and might, if the townspeople would let him live down his past?

Esther Warren -- who wants to be a doctor but can't forget the blood on her hands?

Crazy Joe -- a solitary figure, who goes about his business helping others like a finely tuned clock, only now someone is interested in the secret the old man of the mountains is hiding?

Cordelia Mason -- the town madam who knows many secrets, but her dreams just might put her out of business?

Excerpt:

The corridors closed like arbors of pitch around him. Snakes of black mist slithered along tar walls, melding until but a glimpse of their silken, lucid skin remained, but Harrison's small torch acted as a dismal beacon to their whereabouts. Real or perceived, his senses, riotous, confused, felt them. The fine hairs on his arms and neck alerted him before the light trapped the sinuous apparitions on the wall.

A wiser man wouldn't have taken the tunnel. Wiser, he wasn't. No, only a poor, stupid coward, running from his fears, from the snakes. He went into the tunnel without thought, plan, or a proper torch. The material on the stick flickered, nearly died, reminding Harrison of the latter. When it sputtered to new life, he nearly yelped for joy.

Joy was premature. He still needed to find his way out.

Flecks of light danced on the corridor walls in the distance, hastening his steps.

Near exhaustion and madness, Harrison glimpsed daylight far along the path. He stumbled toward its effervescence. Toward freedom. Unfortunately, freedom did not await him in the sunlight. Warm rays did not caress his skin, only the coarse binding of a noose. The taut, cruel hands of death.

He opened his eyes to face it.

"N-o-o-o." Harrison flailed against death. But Death's fingers wound about his neck, strong, unrelenting. No matter how hard he fought, they clutched harder, draining him of life. He fought for one last gasp and succumbed to its awesome power.

Unsure of his surroundings, or why his body felt detached from his head, Harrison followed the path of his mind and landed back in Topeka, Kansas. With someone he'd hoped to forget. Was this a dream, or reality? It felt real enough.

LEAVE A COMMENT BETWEEN NOW AND 6:00 PM SUNDAY APRIL 28TH FOR A CHANCE TO WIN A COPY OF TO CARRY HER CROSS.

Tina Pinson resides in Mesa, Arizona with her husband of thirty plus years, Danny. They are blessed to have three sons and six grandchildren with another on the way.

Tina started her writing in elementary school. Her love of writing has caused her to seek creative outlets, be it writing poetry, songs, or stories. Her WWII story Trail of the Sandpiper won third place in the Genesis in 2003. In the Manor of the Ghost, Touched By Mercy, When Shadows Fall and Shadowed Dreams, Books 1 &2 in the Shadows Series, and To Carry Her Cross are available through Desert Breeze Publishers.

To Catch a Shadow the next installment of the Shadow Series about the civil war and the Oregon Trail, will be available June 2013. Then There was Grace, a Sept 9/11 type story will be available Sept. 2013 and Christmas in Shades of Gray, an offbeat Dickens type tale releases December 2013.

Comments

Patti shene From Colorado At 4/27/2013 1:04:35 AM

Thank you for stopping by everyone! So sorry I was delayed in getting the comments approved.

Nancee Marchinowski From Grand Rapids, Michigan At 4/25/2013 5:16:40 PM

Thank you for featuring Tina Pinson! As always it's great to have an opportunity to win a copy of one of her books. Thank you for offering this giveaway!

Diana Montgomery From Valparaiso, Indiana At 4/25/2013 2:10:02 PM

The book sounds really good. I like you I loved poetry. As a little kid that was what I liked the best to read. Thanks for this giveaway. Blessings [email protected]

Linda Finn From NY At 4/25/2013 2:01:01 PM

I saw this book of yours when it first came on sites I was going on. It sounds very good. I look forward to reading it. Would love to win a copy. Blessings Linda Finn [email protected]

Cindi Altman From Pennsylvania At 4/25/2013 10:48:47 AM

Very enjoyable interview. Just reading about Willow Creek, makes me want to visit. ?

Tina Pinson From At 4/23/2013 11:43:10 PM

Oh and wouldn't you know it I hit the wrong letter. Sorry Davalynn

Tina Pinson From Mesa AZ At 4/23/2013 11:41:19 PM

Thsnk you for stopping by Darslynn. Where at in Colorado are you from? I moved from Grand Junction to AZ almost 2 yrs ago

Patti Shene From Colorado At 4/23/2013 10:52:43 PM

Thank you for stopping by Davalynn! Glad you enjoyed the interview.

Davalynn Spencer From Colorado At 4/23/2013 5:48:47 PM

What a fun interview and interesting preview of your story. Thanks for sharing!

Patti shene From Colorado At 4/22/2013 10:17:19 AM

Thank you, Tina!

Tina Pinson From Mesa AZ At 4/22/2013 8:24:25 AM

Patti, thank you so much for letting me visit at your site. No need for apologies, you've had a lot going on. I hope life is settling again for you. God bless