Meet the Author! A conversation with Mr. Kind about Tina’s Trumpet

Tina’s Trumpet

Mr. Kind                    
Independently Published (2026)
ISBN:  979-8199477581

Mr. Kind uses a unique lyrical rhyme style paired with vibrant, imaginative artwork to create stories meant to last for generations. His books blend wonder, gentle life lessons, and memorable characters that inspire both young readers and the adults who share the stories with them.

Mr. Kind lives with his wife and his son in Nosara, Costa Rica.

Hi Mr. Kind. Welcome to Reader Views! What is Tina’s Trumpet about, and what inspired you to write it?

Hi Sheri, always a pleasure. I wrote Tina’s Trumpet for my wife in memory of her dog who was with her for about fifteen years before passing less than a year ago. She asked me to write a story about him so that he would always be remembered. The book is based on the true story of my wife as she grew and the puppy that she met who would become her best friend and protector in many different ways through his life.

The story opens on a narrow strip of land between two oceans, with a rain forest, volcanic mountains, and a small city in the valley. Why set a story about loneliness in a place that specific?

We live near a beach on the west coast of the Guanacaste Peninsula in Costa Rica. My wife was born in the Capital City of San Jose in the Central Valley. The description given is my poetic attempt at showcasing the geographical landscape that exists between the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of Costa Rica.

Tina is the smallest child in her family, and her grandfather’s affectionate nickname for her does not sit well with her grandmother, who insists she’s “just tiny.” That clash says a lot about the house she’s growing up in. Talk about those two reactions.

With Tina’s Trumpet a reader must understand that the dynamics, events, and here the nickname used are not products of my creative import. These are scenes based on the stories my wife has shared with me and yes, in this example they do help to identify the clear distinction between a loving, encouraging, understanding adult figure in contrast to an absolute authoritative figure lacking of explanation and how, in this context, those dynamics can expand loneliness and confusion for a child. My wife is small, the smallest of her family. The terms used and the behaviors portrayed by her grandparents are not strategic creations but more so an accurate recounting of a specific memory that intentionally delivers a dramatic recognition of the growth environment being represented.

Before the dog shows up, Tina spends breaks reading her Bible alone while the other children play. What should readers understand about her before Trumpet enters the picture?

This again, is a recounting of my wife’s shared memories and is but one of many examples of how loneliness and more so isolation as a social defense mechanism can become hugely significant for a child. Her knowledge of and relationship with God has been a consistent source of strength in her journey.

Their first meeting happens at a street corner, and Tina’s one word stops the dog just as a car passes. Why did you want their bond to begin with him listening to her?

When speaking specifically of “rescue animals” or the type of relationship that is described in the situation being presented in the book, there is a recurring phenomenon regarding the concept of an inexplicably unique and powerful (some would say spiritual, even pre-existing) bond between the dog and the owner. I am immediately compelled to recall a study that involved unleashing a rescue dog in the middle of several possible “recipients” and the dogs consistently appear to instinctively and immediately move to stand by and touch the new owner. The study went on to explain that these animal owner relationships almost always led to a lifelong companionship. The relationship between an animal and their owner is, at the very least, a magical thing and by having the moment that Trumpet and Tina meet involve that unspoken connection leading to a salvation followed by an embrace or unification I intended to exemplify that magic. The actual meeting of my wife and her dog was very similar, but without the car passing between them.

The grandfather is the one who names Trumpet, pointing out that he’s small like Tina but also loud and hard to ignore. What does that naming moment do for her?

Although the first appearance of the grandfather was based on an actual event, the second appearance and having him suggest the name is a literary deviation from the actual. By having the grandfather suggest the name of Trumpet as a protective archetype after having clearly presented the grandfather as the most empathetic, guiding voice in Tina’s life allows for an emphasized rationale regarding her decision to keep the name and to recognize what it was to represent. The entire scene was intended as something of a grand realization and moment of self-awareness: The sentiment that now, through her bond with Trumpet, Tina was allowed her own space, her own decisions, and ultimately her happiness.

When money gets tight and Tina is patching her shoe soles with duct tape, she makes a big decision on her own. How is she changing in this part of the story?

This is the growing. This is the part that hurts. This is the moment of movement from the “fantasies of childhood” to the “realizations of an adult.” These are heavy topics in that for a parent to experience this story with their child, they must be ready to answer those questions that have no soft answer.

A man starts showing up at the kiosk with gifts, and Tina makes a point that Trumpet’s opinion of him is what earned him a chance. Why is the dog the one she trusts to make that call?

I hope and believe that by the time someone has read to this point in the interview, whether or not they have read the book, they will have already come to the conclusion that there was no greater fulcrum or judge, guide, protector or voice in Tina’s life than the unspoken acceptance of Trumpet.

Tina starts out as the tiniest child in the room and grows into someone who designs spaces for other people to live in. What would you say to a young reader who feels small right now?

Your world is only as small as you make it. There is nothing beyond your reach or greater than what you are. Please believe absolutely in yourself. Be aware of those that recognize your shine and weary of those intended to push you down or hold you back. Angels are real, you are handed only what you can weather, and this too my dear… this too, shall pass.

So much of this story is about a small girl and a small dog making noise in a house that wants children seen and not heard. What do you hope young readers take from that?

This isn’t a story about breaking rules. This is a story about being heard, a story about resilience. This is a story about overcoming hardships and growing, with the help of her angel.

The dedication at the front makes clear this story is personal. How much of Tina and Trumpet came from life, and how much did you invent?

Other than the part where her grandfather gives the dog his name, this story is really rather accurate. Even the names of the businesses as displayed in the illustrations are real. My wife is not named Tina and her dog’s name was Terry, not Trumpet. The last pages of the book show candid photos of him and our family together and in the final illustration of our family I was able to render my son’s likeness upon the face of his character. So yes, this is a true story in everyway that it matters.

If you had to hand your reader one word or one feeling to carry out of Tina’s Trumpet, what would you want it to be?

Believe…

In yourself

In God

In love

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