Author Q&A

Author Q&A: Tina Volpe

By Jennifer Pullinger, WIW Member

Sometimes it's hard to reign in the passion of our words, especially when we feel deeply about a cause. Freelance writer Tina Volpe , author of Fast Food Craze , clearly writes from a place of personal belief and hopes her book will shed light on what she believes is a fast food industry that is detrimental to our health. Volpe's written her book at the right time, as the fast food industry is facing scrutiny for some of their menu ingredients.  

Volpe grew up in Lakeview, Calif., a suburb of Los Angeles, surrounded by farm animals, which she says were eventually slaughtered for food. Witnessing these events led Volpe, a vegetarian, to become an ardent animal rights advocate. Volpe's Fast Food Craze includes research she compiled over several years. Volpe hopes that her book will convince consumers to be more aware of what they put into their bodies and consider what animals go through during the factory farm production process.

When WIW interviewed Volpe, she pointedly explained why she believes the book's message should have an impact on the fast food industry and how she couldn't wait to get it out. Above all, Volpe, who believes "knowledge is power," hopes that it becomes a medium for raising awareness, much in the spirit of any writer-slash-advocate rallying behind a chosen cause.

Why did you choose to write a book about the fast food industry?

I focused on the fast food giants because of the high demands they place on the meat industry. In my opinion, they're what put the small farmers out of business and gave way to these huge factory farms, or agribusinesses that mass-produce animals like commodities. KFC [Kentucky Fried Chicken] kills 740 million chickens a year to fill their United States stores. In the United States alone, 500,000 animals die every hour . It wasn't as much an issue in the 1950s, before the fast food giants put thousands of stores in each city. That was where we went wrong.

Did you self-publish Fast Food Craze and if so, why?

I self-published and I used an editor. I didn't want to wait to release this important information. Typically, when you present a manuscript to a potential publisher, it could be up to two to three years before the book is completed and released. Self-publishing allowed me to release it within one year of completion.

How did you conduct your research?

Five years of animal/health-related research. I visited a slaughterhouse and factory farm and had dreams about it for over a year. I contacted many vegetarian groups and animals rights groups for information and endorsements, and they have helped me tremendously.

What is most harmful about the fast food industry based on your research?

What bothers me the most is that they carefully and, quite successfully, target children. The lawsuit demanding that they place "May Cause Cancer" labels on their french fries has been delayed, fought and literally ignored by these fast food giants. They continue to serve our children chemical-laden french fries and fried foods. One in three people will get cancer. Every town that they inhabit puts the smaller, more caring restaurants out of business. People need to realize the industry is consumer driven. If we could just stop giving them our hard earned dollars for food that is killing us slowly, they would not exist to the extent that they do now.

What sort of business challenges have you faced as a new author?

This business is a lot like the entertainment industry. It's who you know, believe it or not. Being from an animal advocate background, I had some contacts who really helped me with getting the book out there, finding distributors and people who helped me in this field. Luckily I had an extensive background in accounting and real estate, which made developing a marketing plan not to difficult. With the Internet as a research device, I saved a lot of money doing the research myself.

What have you learned about how to market yourself as a new author that you can share with WIW freelance writers? Any advice?

Stick with your niche market to begin with. They are your allies and can give you ample advice and support. Never let any contact slide. When you have contacts, keep in touch with them, they will eventually get you that book review or interview. My best advice is to find a great publicist. I've used PR By The Book. They've led me to some very interesting connections. They've arranged for all of my published articles and television interviews.

What are your future projects?

I'm working on book two at the moment. I'm also writing articles, speaking at events and doing a lot of radio and television trying to enlighten America. My second book is focused on the churches' contribution to all of this suffering and asking them to become accountable for what is now a situation being compared, by experts, as something similar to the holocaust.