"I am ready to meet my maker. Whether my maker is prepared to meet me is another matter."
-Winston Churchill

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

At the Round Table with Tina Folsom - Part I & Giveaway

Today I'm joined at the Round Table by my newest favorite author - Tina Folsom.  Thank you so much for stopping in to chat with me today Tina,  it is such an honor to have you here.  May I offer you a drink from the menu?


Tina: A Vampire’s Wine please.



There is your glass of wine Tina,  great choice *grin*.  Tina is the author of Vampire Erotica and you can see all the books she writes and find out more information at her website - Tina Folsom

First a little bit about Tina:

A native of Germany, Tina Folsom immigrated first to England in 1991 and then to the USA in 1999 where she lived in various large cities before she made San Francisco her permanent home.

While writing has always been her passion, the trained CPA knew she had to get a "real" job first. She now splits her time between a small Real Estate Brokerage she operates and her writing, while still finding time for her American husband and her many friends.

Tina is a member of the San Francisco Romance Writers of America. She also meets regularly with her two critique partners who write historical and paranormal romance.

BK: What inspired you to pen this novel?
Tina: My husband and I travel to Europe every other year to visit my family back in Germany. But since visiting family doesn’t really qualify as a vacation, we always add another country into the mix. So, after visiting my parents in Germany in October last year, we took the train down to Italy. I’d been to Venice before - twice in fact - but for some reason, this visit was different. Maybe it was because this time I was with my husband and it was a very romantic trip.

One night, we got hopelessly lost. It was dark and the further we walked, the more deserted the area became. We had no idea where we were. I had a map, of course, but you try and find a tiny street name on an even tinier map. It’s hopeless. My Italian language skills amount to being able to order food, but somehow I managed to ask a young man, who turned out to be Lebanese, to show us on the map where we were. Turned out that we were hopelessly lost in Castello, a residential area of Venice. The man was so nice to walk with us for a few blocks to lead us to the right bridge and toward the right area so that we managed to get back to our hotel.

But while we were walking, I could really feel the shadows on us, the dark, the secrets of the city. I decided there and then that Venice was the perfect place for a vampire novel.

BK: What draws you to write in this genre?
Tina: I just love everything dark and goth. I think it’s because the creatures of the dark are the things I fear most. I used to jump into bed when I was a kid, because I was afraid if I just climbed in, somebody from underneath it would grab my leg and pull me under. While I now know what’s really under my bed (a bunch of dust), I still have that fear of the dark. It’s almost an obsession to write about it, because in my books I can create heroines who have no fear. I can be brave in a book.


BK: How do you keep your writing different from all the other novels in this genre?
Tina: I think that’s a really hard thing to do. When I compare my books to those of other authors in the genre, I see that many have very intricate plots and lots of supporting characters. I try to limit that a little - particularly in a novella - so that I can really concentrate on the romance. I also really turn up the heat level in my books, more so than others who write paranormal romance. I think only true erotica is probably hotter. It’s what I like my books to be known for: a really hot read with a satisfying ending.


BK: Who is your favorite character and why?
Tina: Considering that there are only a few characters in Venice Vampyr, I must choose Raphael. I love alpha heroes especially when they come with fangs. And I also like men who show their vulnerability and aren’t afraid of it. That’s what Raphael does in the bondage scene.


BK: What is your favorite part about writing?
Tina: I love plotting. You should see my boards in my home office. They are all laid out in eight sequences just like a movie is. Then I pop scenes into the various sections, and slowly, but surely, a book emerges. Once I’ve plotted the book, the hard work is done. Now it’s the writing. And when it comes to writing, I do love writing the love scenes. So, there are actually two favorite things for me: plotting and writing love scenes.


BK: Did you learn anything about yourself as a result of writing this novel?
Tina: The less I have to worry about a complicated plot and allow the characters to take over, the more words I can write really quickly, and the hotter I can allow the novel to become. That’s what happened with Venice Vampyr: I wrote the entire novella in two weeks, when normally it would take me about double the time to write 30,000 words.


BK: Are you currently working on any projects?
Tina: Yes, frankly, there isn’t ever a time I’m not working on another book. At the moment, I’m writing book #4 of the Scanguards Vampires series. It’ll be Yvette’s story. The plot is a little more involved, so the writing is going a bit slower at the moment. Once I get to the sex scenes, I’m sure it’ll all flow a little faster.


BK: Any advice for new aspiring authors?
Tina: Get a couple of critique partners, join the professional organization for your genre, and write as much as you can. A lot of it is practice and learning from your mistakes. Listen to what other people tell you about your writing. Not everything might be useful, but you can often filter out what will help you grow. I work with two fantastic critique partners who have helped me tremendously improve my plots and characters. As a writer you are just too close to your story, and you often don’t see the glaring problems.


BK: Where can readers find you? (Facebook, twitter, website, blog, etc.)
Tina:


Tina was kind enough to offer a giveaway today.  One lucky winner will receive 1 Ebook copy of Venice Vampyr in PDF, Mobi or Epub format.  Simply leave a comment for Tina telling her what you enjoy about Vampire Erotica novels along with your email address so I have a way to contact you if you should win.  Although it isn't mandatory,  following the blog would be greatly appreciated.

 
Want Extra Entries?  Do one or all of the following and include each in a separate comment so it gets a number.  Winner will be drawn using Random.org on February 14,  Valentine's Day:

  • Share this post and leave the link
  • Like our Facebook Page - in the right side bar
  • Become a Follower of my new website - Express Yourself

Check out my review of Venice Vampyr HERE.

Thank you so much for stopping in Tina,  it has been such a pleasure.  Stop back on February 20 to see my review of Gabriel's Mate by Tina,  and then again February 23 for Part II of my interview as Tina comes back to the Round Table for some Fun Fact questions.















Until next time,

14 comments:

Belinda said...

Great interview :) I think the thing that excites me most about vampire erotica would be the biting. LOL I can't imagine anything more erotic than being caught up in the passion and having the man you're with bite you. You read that the vampire bite heightens the intensity and to me that just blows my mind *blushes*

thebookishsnob(AT)hotmail(DOT)com

Theresa said...

Fantastic interview, BK! Tina is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors and I can't wait to read more of her work!

(not entering btw... just wanted to comment!)

stacie williams said...

http://twitter.com/#!/smw2485
http://lilkitty16us.blog.com/2011/02/09/giveaway-2/
i am a follower of express yourself

lilkitty16us@yahoo.com

RFTC Blog said...

I love vampire books. Vampires were the first supernatural beings I ever read about. I love vamps because they are fierce, dark, and forbidden.

iqb99@yahoo.com
blog follower

Carol L. said...

I really would love to read this book. I love reading about Vampires. They just come off as so sexy, alluring and erotic. And like Belinda said, to be in the heat of passion while being bit by your lover...sigh... Too hot for words. GFC follower under Lucky47.
Carol L
Lucky4750@aol.com

sim only plans said...

I really would love to read this book. I love reading about Vampires.

MadamMarsee said...

The thing about Vampire Erotica & romance is that its out of the ordinary.. and apparently vamp senses are wayyy higher than ours :D

missmarsee@gmail.com
Thanks for the Giveaway!

Nora Chipley Barteau said...

Hi Tina! I love this type of genre because it combines two very erotic ingredients that makes up a great book to curl up with--vampires and sex! When I think about vampires, I automatically think about sex because their magnetism is what makes them so attractive and I love to get lost in the fantasy of it all...and please please keep writing them !! LOL

Nora
msnorabarteau@att.net

Sara said...

Hello, I'm now a follower of your blog. :)

I'm a long-time fan of vampires, vampire stories and vampire erotica and plain erotica. LOVE the vampire erotica because vamps are the ultimate bad boys and experts at mental bondage. So hot that they have the ability to give pleasure with the mind and the body.

I'm at sweetbrier at shaw dot ca

Sara said...

Hello, I'm now a follower of your blog. :)

I'm a long-time fan of vampires, vampire stories and vampire erotica and plain erotica. LOVE the vampire erotica because vamps are the ultimate bad boys and experts at mental bondage. So hot that they have the ability to give pleasure with the mind and the body.

I'm at sweetbrier at shaw dot ca

Sara said...

Sorry for the duplicate posts above, I was having trouble posting.

I posted and shared the link on facebook, at the following link: http://www.facebook.com/search.php?q=emily+march&init=quick&tas=search_preload#!/profile.php?id=667495134

Sara said...

I "liked" you on facebook.

P.S. Forgot to mention in my first post, that I'm following you as sweetbrier. I'm on facebook as Sara Dee.

Sara said...

I'm now following your new website, Express Yourself, as sweetbrier.

Sara said...

I checked out you Venice Vampyr review...wow, 5 stars! I would love to read this book. :) Thanks for the giveaway!

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