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An Exclusive Interview With Tina Folsom:

~ with Jillian Stein of Read Love Blog

I adored Silent Bite and felt that while it was in fact a vampire story, it was easy for any young dating couple with strict parents to relate to.  Did you draw on any experiences from your younger days when you were writing this story?

My parents weren’t very strict when it came to dating. I grew up in Germany, and things are a little bit more relaxed there than in the US. But I’ve met enough people on my travels to have seen the different levels of strictness and interference parents can levy on their children. I was lucky that I didn’t have to go through this myself.

I appreciated and enjoyed all of the Chinese customs and beliefs you included in this story.  What are some other customs you find interesting and would like to incorporate into a storyline?

I really love all the traditions about using the red color for good luck. My critique partner, Grace Callaway, is Chinese, and I must credit her and her father for really giving me a bit of an insight into the Chinese culture. It was also interesting to find out that the names that Chinese parents give their children directly relate to their standing in society. That’s how I chose the names of Ursula’s parents.

What made you choose Ursula and Oliver for the characters for your 1, 001 Dark Nights novella?

I got many reader letters after Oliver’s Hunger came out asking why I didn’t have Oliver and Ursula bloodbond at the end of the book. The thing is, they were so young that I didn’t think it was realistic to do the “eternal love” thing. So I let a few months pass where they lived together and got to know each other and felt they were ready for this final step.

It’s truly amazing that you translate your books yourself into so many other languages.  Do you translate each book as soon as you finish into each language or wait a bit?

Actually, I only translate into German myself. I’m not that talented! For French and Spanish I have translators, though I do read the French before it gets published. Yes, I do make a point of translating every book in German as soon as I finished it in English. My German fans are totally hounding me down for those books, so I can’t really let them wait too long. With French, we’re still behind with the translations, but we’re catching up. With Spanish, I’m taking a break, since sales are not sufficient yet to cover the cost of any more translations.

What is your favorite thing about starting a new book?  Least favorite?

My favorite thing is that everything is possible. I can spin a story into whatever direction I like. It’s great creative freedom and that’s what makes writing so enjoyable. But my least favorite thing is staring with a blank page. It feel so daunting to try to fill those pages when you’re staring from nothing.

Is there any city you have visited in your travels that you’d like to write a book or series set in?

Venice, no doubt! And I actually set a series in Venice, Italy, right after my husband and I returned from a trip there in 2011. The Venice Vampyr series is, however, set in 1800 Venice, not in contemporary times. But I think Venice didn’t really look much different then than it looks now.

Speaking of your travels, what’s the one thing you cannot set out on a trip without?

You’re going to laugh, but I’m always traveling with teabags. I need to drink tea all day long, and I particularly like ginger and chamomile teas, so I always have tea bags with me.

Recently I noticed your posts about suffering from asthma and changing your diet to help manage your attacks.  I admire you opening up and sharing your experiences and can imagine you’ll be helping other suffering from asthma.  What has been the most difficult part about changing your diet?

I’ve suffered from asthma and allergies since I was three years old – so, about 45 years, and I’m lucky to be alive. I nearly died from an asthma attack when I was three. So for me it’s always been trying to live with a disease for which there’s no cure, and try to manage it as best I can.

The last three years have been very difficult for me, because my asthma flared up in a way I’d never seen before, causing daily attacks, often multiple times a day. When I stumbled across this diet only recently, the low-histamine diet which cuts out all foods that contain histamine and cause histamine production in the body, I was at first skeptical. But from the second day of sticking to the diet until now, almost 2 weeks later, I haven’t had a single asthma attack.

It’s not easy to stick to the diet, particularly because it cuts out everything with sugar and yeast (among other things), so no chocolate, not pastries, no bread. That’s the hardest part: I’m a sugar addict. But for the sake of my health, I’m quitting cold turkey. I hope it’ll last and I can lead a healthier and longer life by making this sacrifice.

One thing that the world may not know about you but you wouldn’t mind sharing with us?

I’m really a total scardy-cat, despite the fact that my characters are adventurous and brave. I freak when I see a spider; snakes give me the creeps; and I’m scared shitless when I have to walk somewhere on my own when it’s dark. Yeah, this vampire author isn’t all that brave!

And finally, the last guilty pleasure movie or T.V. show you’ve watched?

I’m a huge Frasier fan. And even though I must have seen each episode at least three times, wherever there are reruns, I can’t resist. It’s total relaxation for me. And I think the writing of this show is one of the most brilliant examples you can find on TV. I was so sad when the series ended.

 

Biography:

Tina Folsom is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. She was born in Germany and has been living in English speaking countries for over 20 years, the last 11 of them in San Francisco, where she’s married to an American.

Tina has always been a bit of a globe trotter: after living in Lausanne, Switzerland, she briefly worked on a cruise ship in the Mediterranean, then lived a year in Munich, before moving to London. There, she became an accountant. But after 8 years she decided to move overseas.

In New York she studied drama at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, then moved to Los Angeles a year later to pursue studies in screenwriting. This is also where she met her husband, who she followed to San Francisco three months after first meeting him.

In San Francisco, Tina worked as a tax accountant and even opened her own firm, then went into real estate, however, she missed writing. In 2008 she wrote her first romance and never looked back.

She’s always loved vampires and decided that vampire and paranormal romance was her calling. She now has 15 novels in English and several in other languages (Spanish, German, and French) and continues to write, as well as have her existing novels translated.

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