In interviews, Hinton has stated that she is a private person and an introvert who no longer does public appearances.[12] However, she has revealed that she enjoys reading (Jane Austen, Mary Renault, and F. Scott Fitzgerald[7]), taking classes at the local university, and horseback riding. Hinton also stated in an interview with Vulture.com that she enjoys writing fan fiction.[13]
She resides in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with her husband David Inhofe, a software engineer,[8] after meeting him in her freshman biology class at college.[8]