Q&A with S.A. Stolinsky, author of Hot Shot

Now available from Fiery Seas Publishing, LLC is the thriller Hot Shot by author S.A. Stolinksy.

The author has taken a few minutes out of her busy schedule for a Q&A about her newest novel.

When did you become interested in storytelling?

From the time I could talk I was always devising little stories to tell my friends and my parents. I finally got a chance to tell all of San Francisco when my story, “The Little Pottery Wheel” was published in the Examiner. I have also been steeped in comedy. I did improve and stand up and usually enjoyed a great time performing. I loved plays and when I became a forensic psychologist, the stories just sprang out. The things people will do without any compunction of other people’s space, trust, or even awareness.

What was your first book/story published?

My first story, “The Little Pottery Wheel” was published by The Examiner newspaper in San Francisco when I was 13. It was a comedy about a Pottery wheel that took on a life of its own during the night when all the other little pottery wheels lay dormant, waiting for their operators to come back in the morning. My teacher, Anee, died of leukemia that year and I imagined she came back to life at night as that pottery wheel.

What inspired you to write HOT SHOT?

I love gambling and I do it for sport. Luckily, I’m not addicted. But one of my friends lost everything he had including his savings and that triggered interest about why someone could get so hooked. My friend lost fifty thousand dollars and then began borrowing from everyone he knew. He owed so much money that law suits sprang up from people he didn’t think he’d even met. During alcohol blackouts, he’d roam the streets late at night to make money and finally put himself in rehab just to get some boundaries. Hot Shot is a tome for him. A hope that he replaces this horrible addiction with love and connection to people.

What character in HOT SHOT is the most/least like you, and in what ways?

I think Tyler’s mother is probably most like me. She kind of squishes a Kleenex in her hand and throws it in the air when she gets frustrated and I like that she’s cool, but definite with him. She wants to help so badly, but she has her own relationship problems which she probably modelled for Tyler and from whom he learned out-of-control behavior. She can’t forgive herself for that, so she joins with him, so that they can both heal—but in a funny, hopeful way---I hope.

What is your favorite part in HOT SHOT?

Of course I like the whole book, but the part where they are confronted by the FBI and exchange marked bills for real ones is intriguing to me. I also love when the old ladies teach Eddie, one of the group’s main helpers, how to unlock, fix, then lock again an antique slot machine in the casino.

What was the hardest part to write?

I think the exchange between Tyler and his mother was difficult, because it was serious, but needed to be funny as well. A lot of my own relationship with my own mother slipped in and she tried to normalize crazy behavior coming from me on more than one occasion.

What would your ideal career be, if you couldn't be an author?

I couldn’t imagine not being an author, but if I weren’t, I’d probably be a chef, or continue with acting in films and plays---someone who makes something immediately and garners the excitement and satisfaction of creating something right then and there. I have little ability to sustain a wait and see attitude or delayed gratification. I cannot delay any gratification.

Do you read reviews of your books? If so, do you pay any attention to them, or let them influence your writing?

Early in my acting career, I learned to read the New York Times reviews of plays. Late, great director Harold Clurman alerted all of us in his acting class that this was the best way to see how the “arc” to a piece is created and what contribution each actor as a character has to that “arc.” I think it’s the same in any artistic field and I value constructive criticism that isn’t bent on cutting someone down, but really enhancing the piece of art presented.

What well-known writers do you admire most?

I love a lot of the artist/writers from FierySeasPublishing. They are a conglomerate of mystery, romance, horror and just fun. We are all probably on the verge of becoming well-known and I think writers on the way up really put in the work, before they get laid-back and have made it. But to answer you question, I love Robert Parker, Ross McDonald, Dashiell Hammett, Ray Chandler and Mikey Sillane and Max Allan Collins. They make me happy when I read them. They make me laugh and that’s what I’m hoping for my readership here.

Do you have any other books/stories in the works?

Yes, I have a three-book series called the COUNTERFEIT series coming out about Lily Handy, a gorgeous 33-year-old would-be actress who solves crimes by using her acting skills, often to crazy and unbelievable results. The crimes always get solved, but often leave Lily wondering what the heck she did and how she did it, not to mention the law enforcement professionals who really haven’t a clue as to her ways and means of solving these things. She still wants a “speaking” role and hopes all the publicity garnered from these crimes will help her in that respect. She also finds that reality trumps fantasy and is much more interesting in the end.

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About the Author: Stefanie Stolinsky, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist and forensic psychologist with a private practice in Beverly Hills, California. She specializes in trauma, adults sexually, physically and emotionally abused as children, and PTSD. She is an international speaker and has taught training seminars in overcoming the aftereffects of child abuse. She has also taught licensing examinations to candidates for both marriage, family and child counseling and for the psychology licenses.

She began her career as an actress in motion pictures, television and stage and created a unique therapy combining acting exercises with psychodynamic psychotherapy to help survivors of all kinds of trauma overcome the aftereffects of abuse. The first edition of "ACT IT OUT" was a top seller for over nine years. A second edition of the popular book was launched in April of this year and is available on Praeclarus Press, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble.

She is also the author of several award-winning short stories including her newest short story anthology, DATE NIGHT, and numerous comedy mystery. Dr. Stolinsky lives with her husband in Los Angeles.

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