An Interview With Estelle Pinney

Today, I thought you'd all like an exclusive interview with Estelle Pinney.  Now, Estelle is an old friend of mine who I met while singing in the Southern Cross Singers.  We were voice-placed in the same section, right next to each other; so it had to be fate that we were bound to become friends.  I've since quit that choir for personal reasons, however, Estelle still sings in it and loves doing so; as well as writing.

Estelle Pinney is a jill of all trades. The Brisbane author has been a photographic colourist, cake shop assistant, hand-grenade manufacturer, ambulance driver, nurse, mother and wife - all before turning 21.   However, not one to run from adventure, Estelle has found she drew her best writing and characters from life itself.  

I e-mailed her recently and asked her some questions about her books and publishing; and was delighted when she replied.

Did you know from a young age you loved to write?  Or was it a passion that came later on in life?

English at school was always a favourite and later in life letter writing to soldiers and sailors World War 2 was a pleasurable hobby.  An avid reader from seven years onwards it never occurred to me that one day I'd be a published author.

How long does it normally take to publish one of your books? 

Too many Spears. co-authored with my late husband Peter Pinney and including research over a long period of time took up to nearly ten years with lots of non-writing in between.  Net Full Of Honey(young adult fiction): about one year/ Time Out For Living: two years/ House On The Hill: eighteen months/ Burnt Sunshine: nine months.

How many books have you published overall?

Six. Too Many Spears/ Net Full of Honey/ Time Out For Living/ House On The Hill/ Burnt Sunshine/ reprint by Penguin of Time Out For Living

Which one of your books is your favourite?  Why?

Burnt Sunshine... I enjoyed my characters/ the timeframe and locale. Maybe because I was in familiar territory which brought back memories of my own time in the Torres Straits and the Orimo River PNG.

Do you include real people in your books, or are all your characters fictional?  Or are they based on real people?

Characters are mostly fiction. Perhaps shades of people met and lived with, linger in the mind but the only real live character I brought into the HOUSE On The Hill- was my photographer grandfather Steve Dublo. And I must admit Belle had a touch of my Mum in her.

I must thank Estelle for this wonderful interview.  She's a lovely person to know and I hope to read more of her books soon to review here on My Reading List. 

(NB:  Some of this article came from another online article written by The Courier Mail from 2008).