From Dream to Reality with Tina Ann Forkner

It's my great pleasure to introduce today's guest blogger, novelist Tina Ann Forkner!

“Is this a computer from the olden days?”

My daughter was pecking away at an old-fashioned manual typewriter that my daddy bought about forty-five years ago. Her words made me chuckle.

When I was a kid, I’d asked my parents why their typewriter didn’t have a plug. I’m sure they chuckled at that too, but one thing they never laughed about was my dream. They figured all I needed was a typewriter, so they gave me that old manual one to start out on. It still had some ink left on the old ribbon and it was my plan to use it to write my first book. Needless to say, it was slow going.

When I was sixteen, my parents gave me a typewriter that I could plug in and finally I made some headway. What I wrote is now safely hidden away in a trunk somewhere, but it was at least a good start. Having an electric typewriter seemed to make a difference, at least as far as quantity, if not quality.

These days I write on a laptop; a pink laptop to be exact. My daughter thinks it is pretty cool, but not as cool as the old-fashioned typewriter. Times have certainly changed, but I finally did finish a book and got it published. Thanks to technology the actual typing didn’t take all that long and a laptop has a few things that a manual typewriter just can’t give an author during the editorial process: Track Changes and Email.

That antique typewriter my parents gave me all those years ago is still around. It holds a place of honor on my writing desk in close proximity to my pink laptop. Every time I see it, or tell its story to my kids, I remember how it inspired me to dream. It still inspires me to dream.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tina Ann Forkner writes contemporary fiction that challenges and inspires. She lives with her husband, their three bright children and their dog and serves on the Laramie County Library Foundation Board of Directors in Wyoming. She is the author of Ruby Among Us, her debut novel, and Rose House, which releases in May from Waterbrook Press. You can visit her at her home page at http://www.tinaannforkner.com/



ABOUT THE BOOK - Ruby Among Us

Set in the lush vineyards of present and past Sonoma Valley, Ruby Among Us weaves a story of three generations of women and the memory that binds their hearts together. Journey with Lucy as she searches for a heritage long buried with her mother, Ruby, in this stirring tale of remembrance and redemption.

“Memorable…Characters well written and interesting. Readers will not want this story to end”
-4 1/2 Stars Romantic Times Book Reviews

“A multi-generational saga of hope, regret, and the grace that brings us home, Ruby Among Us evokes an invitational sense of place, a cache of characters you enjoy knowing, and a story that rips and mends your heart all at once.”
–Mary E. DeMuth, author of Watching the Tree Limbs and Daisy Chain

ABOUT THE BOOK - Rose House

Coming in May of 2009 from Waterbrook Press. A vivid story of a private grief, a secret painting and one woman’s search for hope.

“Tina Ann Forkner pens a compelling tale of betrayal and grief, of hope and forgiveness in Rose House. The unique setting and her lyrical descriptions enticed me into the scene, where I was captivated by the appealing characters and the story’s underlying mystery. I couldn’t put it down.”
–Ane Mulligan, Editor and Co-Owner of Novel Journey


WIN THE BOOK

If you’d like to be entered to win a copy of Ruby Among Us, just leave a reply to this blog. I’ll pick a winner at random on March 30th. (NOTE: Sorry, no international winners on this one.) Please leave an email address so I can contact you if you're the winner. (To prevent spammers from trolling for your email, please use this format with the brackets--you [at] yourmail [dot] com--or something similar.) Good luck!