Bio:
Tristi
Pinkston is the author of almost thirty books ranging from cozy mystery to
historical fiction to sweet romance and everything in between. She works as a
freelance editor and is the owner of Trifecta Books. She’s a popular presenter
at writers’ conferences and sits on the board of directors for iWriteNetwork.
In her free time (who are we kidding – she has no free time) she likes to spend
time with her husband and four children and take really, really long naps.
Welcome, Tristi. Please
tell us about your current release.
Taking the Floor is the third volume
in the Estelle Watkins Mysteries series. Estelle is a spunky older lady who
keeps finding dead bodies and stumbling upon mysteries, and she can’t help but
try to solve them. Her best friend Vera is her cohort as they snoop around and
try to ferret out the bad guy while keeping a hot dinner on the table.
In
Taking the Floor, Estelle and her
husband, Sam, are invited to take part in a local version of Waltzing with the
Wealthy, a ballroom dance competition. When the young woman in charge of
assigning the dancers to their teachers is found murdered, Estelle is in the
perfect position to investigate the crime.
What inspired you to
write this book?
I’m
a really big fan of Dancing with the Stars, and it was fun to write a spoof of
the show. Estelle and Vera always make me laugh, and I enjoyed putting them in
the middle of a setting I know well and could replicate easily.
What exciting story
are you working on next?
Taking the Reins, which is the fourth
Estelle Watkins Mystery, is currently being produced online by BigWorld
Network, and Taking the Cake, which
is the final book in the series, will be coming out in a few months. Right now,
I’m trying my hand at short sweet romance novels, which are new for me and very
fun. I’m still working on my other cozy mystery novels as well … basically, I’m
writing a little bit of everything.
When did you first
consider yourself a writer?
I
wrote my first poem when I was five, which totally thrilled my mother and she
started telling everyone I was getting a book ready to publish. Um, not quite,
but it was nice of her to be so proud of me. I tinkered with writing my whole
life, but I would say that I didn’t realize I actually could become published
until 2000. My first novel came out in 2002, and I’ve had nothing but tons of
fun ever since.
Do you write
full-time? If so, what's your work day like? If not, what do you do other than
write and how do you find time to write?
I
don’t write full-time, although I try to get in about an hour a day. I work as
a freelance editor and I run a publishing company, so those two things take up
the bulk of my work time. I find that I’m not happy unless I’m also working on
one of my own books, so that’s what keeps me finding time for my projects. I’m
very thankful that I have a career that allows me to work from home, as I do
have four children.
What would you say is
your interesting writing quirk?
I
can’t write without a glass of ice water, mostly ice, sitting next to me. I
know it’s not good for my teeth, but I am an ice eater, and if I don’t have
some, I have to go get some or I can’t work. I’d say I go through about thirty
pounds a week.
As a child, what did
you want to be when you grew up?
I
wanted to be a writer and a mother. And I get to do both. I feel very blessed.
Anything additional
you want to share with the readers?
My
writing is fun, off the wall, and clean – and I’ve been known to make people
crack up in public and spew water all over their computer screens. That’s kind
of a warning just so you’re prepared with paper towels and so forth.
Links:
Thanks, Tristi! Happy writing!
