Tina's Writing Advice and Experience

How long does it take to "hatch" a book from conception to publication?

For me, I used to get a book done fairly quickly. I've slowed some. The road to publication was a lot longer. Several years of wondering if I would ever get there. I self-published back when because I got tired of waiting. Then I placed in a contest and thought, this was it. My call for a contract would be coming soon. It came seven years later. But I kept plugging away.

I would still like to get my books into print. As they are in ebook form right now. There is that dream of holding them in my hot little hands.

My biggest dream in writing though, is that my words and stories leave a legacy of life to others. To do that, I want to make sure I write with all the grace and imagination God has instilled in me. To do that, means I have to put myself out there and take a stand for Christ. Some people say writing fiction isn't really a way to touch lives, and I would beg to differ. And tell them they shook take that up with Christ himself, who for some reason thought parables were a fine way to reach people. That and giving all he had because of his love.

Any parting words of advice for would-be writers?  I would like to encourage other writers to keep plugging away and use what God has given them. Even if your words only touch one life, or maybe strengthen your own.

So where can the readers find your books and learn more about you?

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

Twitter:@Tina_Pinson
Facebook--http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=754617103
Purchase my books at:

Desert Breeze Bookstore.

Touched By Mercy - http://tiny.cc/0rgkm
In the Manor of the Ghost http://tiny.cc/we4ul
When Shadow Fall http://tinyurl.com/d93p77a

Amazon:

Touched By Mercy http://tiny.cc/k5tgw
In the Manor of the Ghost http://tiny.cc/doc8w
When Shadows Fall: http://tinyurl.com/6ogulhk

Barnes & Noble

Touched By Mercy— http://tinyurl.com/7ztzjno
In the Manor of the Ghost http://tiny.cc/oh767
When Shadows Fall: http://tinyurl.com/6pxcmmf

Christian Books Distributors

Touched By Mercy – http://tinyurl.com/72p4pml
In the Manor of the Ghost http://tiny.cc/4u5h9
When Shadows Fall

Excerpt from When Shadows Fall by Tina Pinson

Morning brought sunshine, and the pleasant sound of birds singing overhead. Rebekah hoped the rain would hold off, allowing her to make up some lost time.

Two hours on the road, they met up with another band of rebels. They wore ragged uniforms. The hair on their heads and faces was overgrown. Of the six men, only one wore shoes. She began to fear this ragtag group might be deserters. Trouble.

Hoping they'd pass like others had done, she moved on with eyes forward -- yet constantly watching. She feigned disinterest as they drew near the wagon, but they didn't pass. As soon as they were close, they fanned the road to block her passage. She tried to keep moving, but one big and utterly filthy, redheaded man grabbed the horse's reins.

She found herself missing the company of the rain.

"Whoa there," he said as he slowed the horse to a halt. He looked up at Rebekah and grinned. "Now that wasn't very neighborly of ya. We jest wanted ta talk ta ya's is all. We was hoping ya'll had some food ya might be willin' ta share."

"I ain't got much food, son," Rebekah told him, trying to keep her voice steady. "I got me some grain for the horse and some hardtack and jerky fer my grandson and me."

"What are ya doin' out here, ma'am?" Another, not quite so scruffy, young man asked.

"I jest got my son out o' one o' them Yankee prisons, and I'm trying ta get 'im home is all." Rebekah's impatience grew along with the sick feeling in her gut. "He's real sick. Caught himself something in that filthy place. I'm jest tryin' ta get 'im home."

"She tellin' the truth, Zeb?" the big redhead asked. The way he motioned a couple of men to the rear of the wagon, Rebekah believed him to be the leader. Pangs of fear rose as they circled behind her. "Does she got herself a sick man and a boy back ther', Zeb?"

The wagon rocked as Zeb jumped in for a closer look. "Shore nuff does." Zeb's voice sounded behind her. She looked over her shoulder just as Andrew backed up against his mother too terrified to speak. "He looks mighty bad off, Cal, and ther ain't much else in here."

Zeb drew back the blanket and studied her husband. "Dear Lawrd," he sputtered when he saw the legs were missing. "Lawrdy, Lawrdy." Zeb couldn't quit staring. He finally laid the blanket back down -- taking care to cover Robert -- and apologized to Andrew for scaring him. "Damn Yankees," he muttered. The springs creaked as he jumped from the wagon.

"Ya got some money then, ma'am?" Cal called to her.

Rebekah returned her attention to the front of the wagon. "Son, if I had me any money, my son would be in some fancy hospital gettin' care right now." Her tone was angry, defiant. She regretted it when Cal's voice grew hard and cold.

"Maybe we orta just take yer wagon here?" Cal gave her a stern look.

"I think we should let 'em alone," Zeb spoke up, coming back to his side. He put a hand to Cal's chest. "She's jest trying ta get her son home. We got no cause ta hurt a fellow soldier."

"I'm agreed. Let 'em pass."

The sentiment echoed down the line. Only Cal stood silent. He took so long thinking it over, Rebekah feared he might not let them go. Then he relented and stepped back from the horse.

Rebekah shook the reins, urging the horse to go.

"Get your boy home so as you can care for him," Zeb said softly as she drove past. Her tears welled at the unexpected kindness. She was afraid to breathe. Afraid Cal might change his mind and come after her. Terrified, Andrew crawled up next to her. He didn't say a thing, just clung to her. She was shaking so badly, she could barely hold the reins let alone her son.

When a good half-hour passed without incident, Rebekah pulled off to the side, and allowed herself to cry.

So where can the readers find your books and learn more about you?

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

Twitter:@Tina_Pinson
Facebook--http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=754617103
Purchase my books at:

Desert Breeze Bookstore.

Touched By Mercy - http://tiny.cc/0rgkm
In the Manor of the Ghost http://tiny.cc/we4ul
When Shadow Fall http://tinyurl.com/d93p77a

Amazon:

Touched By Mercy http://tiny.cc/k5tgw
In the Manor of the Ghost http://tiny.cc/doc8w
When Shadows Fall: http://tinyurl.com/6ogulhk

Barnes & Noble

Touched By Mercy— http://tinyurl.com/7ztzjno
In the Manor of the Ghost http://tiny.cc/oh767
When Shadows Fall: http://tinyurl.com/6pxcmmf

Christian Books Distributors

Touched By Mercy – http://tinyurl.com/72p4pml
In the Manor of the Ghost http://tiny.cc/4u5h9
When Shadows Fall

How pets, people and most of all the Lord influence her books

So give us a quick blurb - what is When Shadows Fall all about?
The Civil War rages, and Rebekah fights to keep her world intact. Loss and sorrow seeps into her heart. Her sights on Oregon, she prays New Eden will be a place of peace for her and her son. A refuge. She travels to Missouri to start her journey and is denied the opportunity to join the train. Matthew battles his way through the war thinking of Rebekah, planning to help her west. He fears his biggest battle lies ahead. Will Rebekah open up her heart and allow him to be the one to hold her When the Shadows Fall?

Makes my heart beat faster, even thought I' know how it turns out. Rebekah is a favorite character of mine. Are there influences from family members, friends and/or pets that you can share? In most of my stories you will find the character has a pet. Because I have a pet. I love my dogs. The dog names in my stories Lady, Shadow and Buster were all names of some of my pets. Shadow was with us for 16 years. Our little teddy bear.

As far as family… I have four sisters, so several of my characters share some of their traits. And many share mine. I have three sons and hubby of course, plus all my nephew and nieces to give me a wealth of attitudes for my characters. And I like to people watch too.

Which character is the most difficult and why? Samantha in Touched by Mercy was difficult for me, because she hit close to home with my feelings. Writing her allowed me the time and perhaps grace to work through things that had happened in my past.

Rebekah is tough, because she reminds me of how hard life can be and what loss feels like. But she is awesome in the fact that she and Samantha too learn how to give their hearts over to the Lord. And the Lord the might just be the toughest ever. Because I so want people to know that he is the biggest Character in my books and the realest. If that makes any sense? And some people just don't want to hear. I can't always blame them, cause sometimes I don't want to have to deal with the truths he hands me either.

And where can we get your books and learn more about you as an author?
My website -- http://www.tinapinson.com/
Twitter:@Tina_Pinson
Facebook-- http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=754617103
Purchase my books at:

Desert Breeze Bookstore.

Touched By Mercy - http://tiny.cc/0rgkm
In the Manor of the Ghost http://tiny.cc/we4ul
When Shadow Fall  http://tinyurl.com/d93p77a

Amazon:

Touched By Mercy http://tiny.cc/k5tgw
In the Manor of the Ghost http://tiny.cc/doc8w
When Shadows Fall: http://tinyurl.com/6ogulhk

Barnes & Noble

Touched By Mercy— http://tinyurl.com/7ztzjno
In the Manor of the Ghost http://tiny.cc/oh767
When Shadows Fall: http://tinyurl.com/6pxcmmf

Christian Books Distributors

Touched By Mercy – http://tinyurl.com/72p4pml
In the Manor of the Ghost http://tiny.cc/4u5h9
When Shadows Fall

Childhood Lying Grows Up into Writing?

Tina, I am so excited to have you here today. I enjoy your work and it will be fun to get to know you a little.

First let me say hello, Lynette and thank you for inviting me to your blog.

Tell me about who and what influenced you to write? Have you been writing long? When I was little girl, (many moons ago) I had a big imagination, which to the bane of my parents and existence I used to fabricate awesome stories. Okay, I lied. But I was good at it.

In elementary school I started to use my imagination to work on stories and doodling. I didn't sell any book until I was much older, but my doodling paid off. Because I could draw the human body pretty good at a young age… I made candy money drawing nude women for the boys in school in 4^th and 5^th grades.

I still doodle, (I gave up my sinful ways) and I still have my imagination, which takes me on flights of fancy through fiction and I don't even get in trouble for doing it. Unless of course I break a writing rule somewhere.  

Why this genre? Do you write in others?

I write historical fiction because I've always been interested in that time in our countries history. Such a hard time in life and yet, there was a simplicity.

I also have written some contemporaries and am working on some speculative fiction.

You are a Christian writer - how does that influence your writing?  I know my imagination was given to me for a purpose, I don't want to be preachy, but I want people to see that the truth is out there, and they've been handed a bill of goods that steals their joy. And only God can give that back.

 

How do you feel about authors of Christian lit writing flawed characters? I think flawed characters are more real to life than not. Everyone has flawsYes, everyone wants that escape story sometimes, but following a flawed character through the maze and showing how they reach the oasis, is oftentimes the escape they need. It gives them an answer. Shows them they don’t walk alone and gives them the opportunity to ask questions. Like what if I took the same path as the character in this book?

So where can the readers find your books and learn more about you?

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

Twitter:@Tina_Pinson
Facebook-- http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=754617103
Purchase my books at:

Desert Breeze Bookstore.

Touched By Mercy - http://tiny.cc/0rgkm
In the Manor of the Ghost http://tiny.cc/we4ul
When Shadow Fall  http://tinyurl.com/d93p77a

Amazon:

Touched By Mercy http://tiny.cc/k5tgw
In the Manor of the Ghost http://tiny.cc/doc8w
When Shadows Fall: http://tinyurl.com/6ogulhk

Barnes & Noble

Touched By Mercy— http://tinyurl.com/7ztzjno
In the Manor of the Ghost http://tiny.cc/oh767
When Shadows Fall: http://tinyurl.com/6pxcmmf

Christian Books Distributors

Touched By Mercy – http://tinyurl.com/72p4pml
In the Manor of the Ghost http://tiny.cc/4u5h9
When Shadows Fall

Tami, Congrats! Where the past and the present collide and Time knows no boundaries...

I am so excited to present the latest book of my friend and fellow author, Tami Dee.

This is nostalgic for me because it is the first book I read in an on-line critic group as I was getting started. The first of Tami's who has published five others with Desert Breeze Publishing. This book is how we met, and now we are writing a six book series together. Fun, huh?

Tami is a creative, fun writer, and her stories will all draw you in.  Four of her books are Viking time travel, with some recurring characters as each story unfolds.

Innocent Deception gained my attention for its hero, who is a man with a disability.

But Chameleon's Shadow has always been there in the back of my mind, a haunting, powerful story of a woman whose life is wrest from her, and who is resourceful and savvy as she makes friends and creates another life for herself as she looks for her brother, who was also cast out of their home.

She has her secrets, as does the man she falls in love with. Their life journeys connect only occassionally at the beginning, but neither can forget the other.

http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-304/Chameleon%27s-Shadow-Tami-Dee/Detail.bok

AVAILABLE – June 11, 2012

Lady Elisabetta Mitchell, a pampered daughter of a murdered English Marquis, is forced to flee the only home she's ever known. She now lives in poverty on the unfeeling streets of Southwark, London 1623. Caught between two worlds, she will do whatever it takes to survive.

Lord William Hunter, a Nobleman with a secret. When an unknown woman rushes into his startled embrace, battered and afraid, he vows to protect this fair-haired beauty.

Yet he cannot protect the girl who runs from him and his probing questions. He has to find her again first. And find her he will, no matter how long he must search.

---

EXCERPT

Will took a step forward, their bodies so close he could feel the heat of her. "If I ever do catch you with another man," he ground out, reaching a hand out to cup her nape, he threaded his fingers into her silken hair. "Be forewarned, wench, you will feel the heat of my wrath!"

Her breath caught and those lovely eyes, dark pools of black in the moonlight, went wide, he bent his head and captured her parted lips.

Now it was her turn to be stunned into inactivity!

Elation swam through his blood stream when the moment his lips touched hers, she went boneless in his arms. He caressed her head, marveling at how perfectly it fit into his palm.

How many nights had he longed to do just this? And in this moment in time, all his fantasies paled in comparison.

With his free arm he pulled her so close he felt the erratic beat of her heart as held her prisoner against his chest. His fingers brushed over the thick bulge of her braid, tucked into her shirt, then slipped to the curve of her slim body, roving over the binding which she had wound around her breasts, and he found himself coveting its intimate position.

The smugglers surrounding them forgotten, only the woman in his arms and the soft crashing of the waves filled his senses.

Her breath came out of her nose and brushed his cheek in short, rapid bursts. A moan slipped from somewhere deep in her throat and filled him with need.

He tasted innocence in her sweet mouth, and budding passion upon her lips. Her startled, unguarded response to his ministrations suggested she had never been kissed before, putting to rest any thoughts that she may have sold her body for coin in order to survive.

Someone shouted from the shore, bringing him back to the present. Reluctantly, he lifted his head and broke the kiss.

Through hooded eyes Will watched as she stumbled back a step and placed her fingertips to her lips. Slowly, shyly, she raised wide eyes to his.

Unable to resist just one more touch, he brushed a reassuring finger across her moist, slightly trembling bottom lip.

Returning her gaze, he was awed, and humbled, by the violet pools shimmering with surprise and desire. Laughter broke out from the smugglers surrounding them, startling her from her trance.

She nodded to two of her three young escorts. "Get 'im out of 'ere." Her voice broke and her chin shot up.

"Now!"

The boys looked as if they were going to protest being sent away from the activities at hand, but before they could voice their complaint she had already remounted her steed.

A sharp flick of her wrist got the horse moving and as the moon once again slid behind a thick cloud, she made her way back to the clearing and the band of waiting smugglers disappearing from his view.

Check out these other books by Tami on her author's page at Desert Breeze Publishing:

http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-template/TamiDee/Page.bok

Visit her website at

http://www.tamidee.com/ 

or on Facebook at

https://www.facebook.com/tami.dee.7

And follow on Twitter at

 http://twitter.com/authortamidee

 

Gardening and Other Books by Janis Lane

Janis Lane is a gardener and more.

Nature is a favorite subject and is tucked into most of her stories. Lane is an experienced bird watcher. She is also part owner of a small "Herbtique" and can be found in summer assisting in the creation and design of beautiful gardens. Be sure to buy Gone To The Dogs at http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-303/Gone-to-the-Dogs/Detail.bok and check out Lane's other releases.

In addition to her new release, Gone to the Dogs, Janis has a prior release with Desert Breeze Publsihing, Sandpiper Affair, available at http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-202/Janis-Lane-Sandpiper-Affair/Detail.bok a contemporary romance. Besides falling into mutual admiration and maybe even into love, Wildlife photographer, Abby Neycomb and wealthy, Adam Rawlings, agree on one thing. Environmental work is both exciting and important. While capturing shots of mating/nesting birds in middle Florida, Abby is surprised to find herself with urges toward nesting herself. She is stunned when she finds the body of a local town councilman and is apprehensive when the sheriff asks for her assistance in finding the killer. She is even more surprised at the warm support of the local townspeople and the friendships they offer. Could Abby give up her life as a roving photographer to settle down as the mate of native son? Is her love strong enough to carry her through to a fairy tale ending, or will she end up like the tiny sandpipers running along the shore, evermore flirting with but never diving directly into the waves.

Under the name of Emma Lane, she has also published Dark Domino. How would you react if the man you loved went away to war for 6 long years and never wrote you a single letter? Sarah Louise is faced that exact dilemma and could not understand why Ethan, the man she loved, could treat her so cruelly when she never doubted he loved her. Find out why when you read my short story , a sweet romance about young love and steadfast loyalty.

Excerpt: “I know your mother is looking for you. She sent me to find you. She is upset that you are reluctant to leave for school.”

“She called me a hoyden. She said it was time I put up my hair and became a lady. As if that would somehow make me a different person.” She ran her hands underneath her thick curls, held them up and then let them fall in a luxurious cascade. Ethan held his breath, then let it slowly out. He could see clearly the beauty she would become soon, although he knew how she would resent the change. He smiled at her, saying farewell with his heart. (A sad goodbye between Ethan and Sarah Louise from DARK DOMINO.) Available as a 1.99 ebook today at http://musapublishing.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=14&products_id=231

Funny Dog Stories from Author Janis Lane

Dog Stories-I could tell you a FEW        

When I first married, I couldn’t cook, but I was determined to try. My husband owned a shepherd mix who hadn’t taken kindly to me as yet. Name of Fritz. I made corn bread from scratch. Don’t ask me what happened, but it was a soupy mess. I took it out to the back yard and buried it in one of the many holes left in the lawn by you know who.

 When newly-wed hubby came home, he was playing in the back yard with his dog and you know the rest. That dog dug up the mess and I swear took my hubby over to look at it. He squealed on me. I got even. I swore it was dog vomit. 

 My brother-in-law was noted for spinning yarns a mile long. He claimed his lab could climb a tree. He swore he wasn’t lying. We all enjoyed the joke laughing heartily until he whistled for his dog. It was one of those sprawling oak trees covered with Spanish moss. The lower limb wasn’t very far off the ground and that dog jumped on it and climbed from limb to limb until he was more than ten foot off the ground. Then he turned around and, I swear, laughed at us. Just because you are mostly a liar doesn’t mean you can’t occasionally tell the truth. Just that you’ll need to prove it.

We owned an alpha male Aussie shepherd who had energy to spare, but he was totally neurotic. He would go down to the pond and chase the ducks. When they flew away he would stare at his reflection in the water and bark until he was hoarse. He would never take a walk with us. He would go a short distance then bored, I guess, return to the house. The cat would go with us. Perhaps the Aussie disdained to join the group because of the cat or we walked too slow for him.  

When I was a teenager, my younger brother owned a pack of beagles. When I tried to sneak into the house after breaking curfew, they would give me a lot of love at the top of their voices. It certainly alerted the household to my presence. Good doggies. 

Buy Gone to the Dogs today at http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-303/Gone-to-the-Dogs/Detail.bok