We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Christina Sinisi. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Christina below.
Christina, appreciate you joining us today. What sort of legacy are you hoping to build. What do you think people will say about you after you are gone, what do you hope to be remembered for?
Over the years, I’ve taught psychology at various colleges for almost forty years. I’ve also taught every possible age of Sunday School student, from nursery to adult. I’ve taught high school and young adult the most, though.
I think it’s because I wanted to hold myself up as a role model–not because I’m perfect, but because I rose above my circumstances. You see, I was the poor kid who wore hand-me-downs from strangers and learned to sleep on my stomach because the pressure eased the hunger pains. I was the kid who got bullied at school and the one whose parents had the kind of marriage no one wants. My grandparents had an education ranging from third grade to eighth grade.
Yet, I not only graduated from college, but earned a Ph.D. I am so very blessed to celebrate my 38th wedding anniversary this August. and I take food to the blessing box at church every week.
Yes, I teach how to conduct research and psychology content, but I hope, more than anything, to teach that you can, if you work hard enough and trust in the Lord.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
For the purposes of this interview, I’m going to focus on my writing side. I began writing as soon as I knew how–poems in third grade, a play in fifth grade, and a novel in eighth grade. In high school, I read Sylvia Path and The Three Faces of Eve. I decided to major in psychology so that I might know more about people and write more in-depth characters. Thus, I majored in psychology at Hollins University, a school known for producing Annie Dillard and other Pulitzer-Prize winners. I minored in creative writing.
When I graduated, I wrote another novel, submitted it and was summarily rejected. Fast forward through years of rejection and learning about who I am as a writer. In 2019, I finally had a novella published–Anaiah Press (now out of business) put out a call for a Christmas novella due at the end of June and I wrote it in less than a month. Since then, I published four more books with Anaiah and was contracted for another when they suddenly announced they were going out of business. Through it all, I write books which intersect these two loves of mine–psychology and faith. Each of my heroines is fighting some mental health issue–whether it be minor or severe. Each finds help in her faith as well as discovering the strength to reach out for professional care as needed. I also try to infuse the humor and joy in life–and love.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
Writing is not for the weak, or at least writing with the hope of being published. I won’t even talk about being “successful” at it (I put successful in quotes because the term can be defined in so many ways).
I first submitted to a publisher after the first year of graduate school–I’d married right after graduation and my husband was in the Army so I had a bit of financial freedom that summer–and the book was rejected. I didn’t know where to go from there–my college taught us how to write but nothing about the business.
So, I focused on graduate school and raising babies. Then, when my daughter was in kindergarten, I started writing again. Since then, I have had countless rejections. At one point, a friend stated she could never keep going like I was. My answer was “what else was I going to do? Make candles?”
Nothing against candle making, but writing is part of who I am. A rejection or two or twenty isn’t going to stop me.
Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?
Are there ever! When I submitted that first novel, I had no idea about the many writer’s groups available to help even the least experienced writer.
When my daughter enrolled in kindergarten, I happened to see an ad for a book-signing at the local mall. A local author whose book I’d found in my town’s library (I later found out she donated a signed copy of every one of her books). was part of the signing and I wanted to meet her. I did! And I also met several other members of the local LowCountry Romance Writers of America chapter.
I was a member of that chapter for fifteen years. I learned so very much from their monthly speakers, attending conferences, and finding mentors. After my focus changed to write more about faith, I switched to the American Christian Fiction Writers and was a charter member of the LowCountry chapter.
So, my advice is–find a group. Before you know it, every resource imaginable will be at your fingertips.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.christinasinisi.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/csinisi123/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChristinaSinisiAuthor
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christina-sinisi-0908b4133/
- Twitter: https://x.com/SinisiChristina
- Other: GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19758490.Christina_Sinisi
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/christina-sinisi
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Christina+Sinisi&i=stripbooks&ref=nb_sb_noss_2
Image Credits
Laurie Sibley.
Kara Leigh Miller.