Author Interview: Tristi Pinkston

I’m a stay-at-home mom, homeschooler, media reviewer, Cub Scout volunteer, editor, and LDS historical fiction author. My house isn’t clean and we only have real meals about once a day, but there are some things that must be sacrificed in order to accommodate others, and my kids make themselves a pretty mean sandwich. As long as they all have clean underwear, I’m good with that. I love to read, watch good movies, and take long naps. I’m a regular presenter at the LDStorymakers Writers Conference and have also presented for the League of Utah Writers and the American Night Writers Association. I do most of my writing late at night, which means I have peace and quiet, but not a lot of sleep. It’s a crazy life, but it’s mine and I love it.

Have you always wanted to be a writer?

Tristi Pinkston: I’ve wanted to be a writer since I wrote my first really terrible story at the age of five, which was about a dog named Sue. I illustrated it as well. It was very enthralling – Sue decides to become a ballerina.

Tell us a little bit about your book/s.

Tristi Pinkston: My first book is called “Nothing to Regret” and is about the Japanese internment camps during World War II, particularly the one here in Utah, called Topaz. My second book is “Strength to Endure” and also covers World War II, but this time from the German perspective. These books are both LDS historical fiction. My recent release is called “Season of Sacrifice” and is the true story of my great-great-grandfather, who was a noted Mormon pioneer who created the famous Utah landmark, “The Hole in the Rock.” I took most of the details in the book from his life history, but added fictional elements to it as well. I classify it as an LDS historical novel, as opposed to historical fiction, meaning it contains more elements of history than a regular historical fiction. This book is my most personal and my most favorite.

Are you currently working on any writing projects our readers should watch for release soon?

Tristi Pinkston: I’m working on a contemporary mystery/comedy right now, and loving every minute of it. I’m letting the characters just take over the story, and I don’t know when I’ve had so much fun. The working title is “Secret Sisters,” but I don’t know if I’ll get to keep that title or not. I don’t know when it will be released.

Have you ever won any writing awards? If so, what?

Tristi Pinkston: I received a certificate from the League of Utah Writers for “Strength to Endure,” but to be honest, I haven’t entered my books in other competitions. I need to think about that, huh?

How did you feel the day you held the copy of your first book in your hands?

Tristi Pinkston: The day “Nothing to Regret” came out, I was scheduled to have my first signing at a nearby high school fair. I walked in, saw the book, had a nervous breakdown (in a good way) and carried a copy of the book around with me all night. It’s safe to say, I was very pleased.

What type of music, if any, do you listen to while you write?

Tristi Pinkston: I can’t listen to music while I write. I don’t like music unless I can sing along to it, and I can’t sing and type at the same time, so therefore, I don’t listen to music while I write. The quieter, the better, which is part of why I write in the middle of the night.

What about your family? Do you have children, married, siblings, parents? Has your family been supportive of your writing?

Tristi Pinkston: I’m married and have four children. They’re all supportive, but I’ve been doing this long enough and they’re young enough that I’m not sure they’d know any other way to react. I’ve sort of brainwashed it into them, I guess. My parents have been very supportive, and so have my sisters. My biggest family supporter has been my husband.

The main characters of your stories - do you find that you put a little of yourself into each of them or do you create them to be completely different from you?

Tristi Pinkston: All of my main characters have a little bit of me. I’ve tried to make them different, but have found that I can’t. I’m not sure if that’s a huge writing flaw or what, but in order for me to really write that character, they’ve got to have some Tristi in there, otherwise, I can’t get along with them. I tried to make my main character in “Strength to Endure” very different from me, and she was flat and uninteresting until I let her take her head. Sure enough, there’s a little Tristi in there now.

When growing up, did you have a favorite author, book series, or book?

Tristi Pinkston: I grew up on L.M. Montgomery, Louisa May Alcott, Gene Stratton Porter, Lewis Caroll, Johanna Sypri – the greats. Some of my favorite memories ever are reading “Little Women” and “Heidi.” That was literature, folks. That was when books were good.

What about now: who is your favorite author and what is your favorite genre to read?

Tristi Pinkston: Today I enjoy cozy mysteries. I love Elizabeth Peters, for example. I enjoy the Mitford Books, the Elm Creek Quilts series, and the like. My favorite recent reads are “I Capture the Castle” by Dodie Smith and “Wildwood Dancing” by Juliet Marillier. I also loved “Peace Like a River” by Leif Enger. I enjoy gentle stories. As a media reviewer, I tend to read a lot of books, and these are the types I naturally gravitate towards.

Hey, let's get morbid. When they write your obituary, what do you hope they will say about your book/s and writing? What do you hope they will say about you?

Tristi Pinkston: I like morbid – morbid is fun. The most beautiful statement I ever read in an obituary was, “She was a woman without guile.” I loved that, but I’m afraid I’m not that good. Let’s see. I want to be known as a teller of truth. I want them to say that I never sold out.

Bring us into your home and set the scene for us when you are writing. What does it look like? On the couch, laptop, desk? Music? Lighting, handwriting?

Tristi Pinkston: I used to have my desk set up in my bedroom, where I had a quiet corner, and it was great. But then I noticed that my children tended to try to kill each other when I was out of the room, so now I’m in the corner of my living room. It’s not nearly as conducive to the writing process, but if I still have four living, breathing children at the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about. I’m at a desk, sitting on my Gaiam yoga ball chair, using my ergonomic keyboard (which, by the way, they will have to pry from my cold, dead fingers). No music. Overhead light, except for when my three-year-old decides to turn it off. I actually did write my first book longhand and then transcribed it, but ever since then, I do everything on the computer. As far as what the rest of the house looks like, you don’t get to see it – it’s a mess.

Do you watch television? If so, what are your favorite shows? Does television influence inspire your writing?

Tristi Pinkston: I do not watch a whole lot of television. My kids have their favorite shows, so if it’s on, it’s on for them. I’m writing while they’re watching. However . . . I do have a few weaknesses. The first would be “American Idol.” I can’t help it, I’m a total addict. The second is “Dancing with the Stars.” Same there, and I’m still trying to recover from Mario Lopez’s loss, which was unfair, people! Unfair! Did you not see that tango? I also really like “What Not to Wear.” None of these shows have really influenced my writing, but I do have to say, because of watching “What Not to Wear,” I’m lookin’ a lot cuter when I go out to promote. I’m finally learning what looks good on me and what doesn’t. When I go clothes shopping, I can hear Stacey and Clinton in my head, and that helps me bring my appearance up a notch.

How long did it take you to write your most recent (or first) book? When you started writing, did you think it would take that long (or short)?

Tristi Pinkston: It took me eighty hours of research and eighty hours of writing to complete “Season of Sacrifice.” That’s a record for me. My other historicals have taken me much, much longer, but with “Season of Sacrifice,” I was using family histories and journals and I had immediate access to those, and didn’t have to hunt them down. I didn’t keep track of writing the other books, but I know it had to have been over six hundred hours.

Many authors have said that naming their characters is a difficult process, almost like choosing a name for their own child. How did you select the names of some of your lead characters in your book/s?

Tristi Pinkston: I love naming characters in my books! I like to check out baby name books from the library or hit the baby name sites on the Internet. I make a list of all the names I like, and then whenever I need to name a character, I go over the list until I find a name that “fits” that character. You can also find great names in the credits of movies or television shows. If you’re naming a character who lived in the 1940s, you can hit the Internet and find out what names were popular back then, too. It’s a lot of fun. I’d say it was much harder to name my own children.

Have you ever had a character take over a story and move it in a different direction than you had originally intended? How did you handle it?

Tristi Pinkston: Like, every minute of every day! I deal with it by letting them have their way. If you’re fighting with a character, the story won’t flow. And in the end, the story will turn out better if you let the character do what they want. It’s just not worth the battle.

Now, use this space to tell us more about who you. Anything you want your readers to know?
The best place to find my books is my website, www.tristipinkston.com In fact, it’s the only place to find “Season of Sacrifice.” I self-published that one and don’t have it in with a distributor yet. The coolest thing about getting the books through my site is that I can sign them for you.

You can read my blog at http://www.tristipinkston.blogspot.com I spend time squawking about the unfairness of judging on my favorite reality shows, sharing writing tips, talking about my different appearances, and basically just sharing my life.

I’m also a media reviewer for Families.com. http://members.families.com/tristipie/blog If you come visit me here, you’ll see my book reviews, author interviews, and you’ll also see articles I’ve written that are of interest to Latter-day Saints, of which I am one.

Thanks for this interview – it’s been a lot of fun!