T. Lloyd Winetsky
T. Lloyd
Winetsky grew up in Los Angeles. He has taught
English, Spanish, and ESL to people of all ages. After surviving
a brain aneurysm and stroke, Winetsky retired from full time
teaching and began writing fiction. Currently he teaches English
part time to adult farm workers in Wapato, Washington. He is the
author of three collections of verse, Belaganna, On
Utopia Creek, and Hell. Grey Pine is his
second novel, the first to be published. He lives near Moxee,
Washington.
Visit the
author at
http://www.greypine.com
"One hell of a tale, skillfully told. Winetsky paints a
mesmerizing portrait of a young man's struggle to
overcome the abuse of an alcoholic father and the
chilling effects of his own depression. A brilliant
debut novel." --- Carl Kleinschmitt , veteran screen and
TV writer, an Emmy nominee and Writers Guild Award
winner whose credits include The Dick Van Dyke Show,
M*A*S*H and The Odd Couple.)
PageOneLit.com: Where did you grow up, and was reading and writing a
part of your life? Who were your earliest influences and why?
T. Lloyd Winetsky: I was born in
"that" neighborhood of Los Angeles known as Hollywood. I left when I was
17; the only reason I ever returned was to visit family. My father
moonlighted as an actor in legit theater in L.A. until he died; my love
for literature was definitely influenced by his example and by a couple
of precious teachers who told me I was a writer.
PageOneLit.com: Why do you write?
T. Lloyd Winetsky: I began with
poems as a kid for the fun of it and never stopped writing, though the
practical exceeded the creative for many years. I rediscovered the
passion in my fifties and now feel like I have wasted my day if I
haven't written some "story."
PageOneLit.com: Your new novel is GREY PINE (Based on actual events) -
Where did the plot idea come from?
T. Lloyd Winetsky: The
"actual events" in GREY PINE are based on my personal experiences in
Central Washington from the 1980 Mt. St. Helens ash fall, as well as
subsequent research. In the novel, the ash fall is initially a serious
complication in the main character's life, but its presence, apropos of
Phillip's struggles, is felt throughout the story.
PageOneLit.com: Who is Phillip Stark? Describe this character and what
you think makes him interesting. What are some of his internal demons?
Is
he based on any one person?
T. Lloyd Winetsky: Phillip is
a young science teacher who lives with his alcoholic father's two
personalities, the sober Stephen whom Phillip still loves, and the
inebriated alter-ego he detests. The ash fall sets in motion events that
lead to Stephen's death, but Phillip perceives that he is to blame; he
descends into suicidal depression. His attempts to climb out of his
mental abyss form the heart of the story. While much of GREY PINE's
setting is derived from a historical event, the fictional characters
are, of course, amalgamations of my experiences. I couldn't have written
the novel without personal knowledge of alcoholism and suicidal
depression.
PageoneLit.com: How much research did you do and how did you do
regarding the eruption of Mount Saint Helens?
T. Lloyd Winetsky: The eruption of
Mt. St. Helens in l980 and the destruction that followed in Southwestern
Washington is essentially a separate story from the ash fall and its
aftermath on the the east side of the Cascades. In fact, that eerie
separation was an aspect that I sought to portray in the novel. Since I
lived the event and took notes and photos (see the book's cover), much
of my research centered around the the cultural and historical events of
1980, in order to make my characters believable "residents" of
post-Vietnam America.
PageOneLit.com: GREY PINE would make a great motion picture - If
Hollywood called and asked you to cast the film who would you cast and
why?
T. Lloyd Winetsky: Sorry, hometown,
no "stars" could be part of that film. First, celebrity actors and
Hollywood screen plays often ruin good characters. Next, such a
production would be a dubious moneymaker at best, (Where's all the sex
and violence?) so the players in such an enterprise would have to be
"unknown" talented stage actors willing to perform for the love of it.
PageOneLit.com: What did you learn from writing GREY PINE?
T. Lloyd Winetsky: Too much
to list here. The negative and positive interactions with my editor
definitely helped me to refine my take on the craft. The time-consuming
interactions with the publisher and the rest of the "business" have
taught me to value even more my time with the proverbial pen in hand.
GREY PINE took many years to finish, so I definitely learned about
persistence. My next novel has only taken a year so far, so I have
apparently learned something about focus.
PageOneLit.com: What do you hope to achieve with GREY PINE ?
T. Lloyd Winetsky: I've
already achieved it. I heard from a reader with clinical depression who
found Phillip Stark's story to be "compelling." Not to be glib, but that
makes me a successful writer. It also feels like an achievement when a
reader of my sometimes grim novel tells me about when they laughed with,
or at, the characters.
PageOneLit.com: What's next?
T. Lloyd Winetsky: My novel,
MARIA JUANA'S GIFT, will be submitted to my editor for its second
critique within a month. It is the story of a young teaching couple
living near the border with Mexico during the Bicentennial year. Their
lives are complicated chiefly by a "Preventable Human Medical Error"
that threatens the life of their child.
PageOneLit.com: What was the last book you read?
T. Lloyd Winetsky: THE
HUMMINGBIRD'S DAUGHTER by Luis Urrea. Incredible research, fascinating
characters, wonderful writing; I highly recommend it.
PageOneLit.com: Do you have any hobbies? What are they? How do they
enhance your writing?
T. Lloyd Winetsky: For most
of my life teaching was my career and writing was my hobby in places
such as Puerto Rico, Mexico, Navajoland, Alaska, and Washington State,
which provide settings for my work. Now, I write during the day and
still teach a couple of nights each week. The five novellas and two
novels I've written all have some characters who are teachers and/or
students. Like any writer, I am a constant reader. I skim non-fiction
but savor believable, character-driven fiction. If I find myself reading
a novel quickly, I quit and go onto another.
