Interview with Jenna Petersen / Jess Michaels

Happy Birthday to Me... Ahh and what a wonderful way to hit 29 again! Oh, forget it! I'm 41 today and what better way to celebrate then to have one of my favorite authors over for an interview.

Please welcome Avon Author Jenna Petersen AKA Jess Michaels.

A few years ago,when I started pursuing my writing, I stumbled upon Jenna Petersen on her web-site The Passionate Pen.

Her passion for writing and desire to share her journey on this site enchanted me. A lover of historical romances myself, it was a given that I would pick up her novels and dive in.. And then it happened... I discovered erotic romance... And yes, Jess Michaels popped that cherry with Everything Forbidden.

After burning a perfectly good tri tip, I promptly logged on-line and sent Jess an E-mail praising her ability with the all mighty pen. I was hooked.

Thank you for joining me today, Jenna... or do you prefer Jess? I suppose I'll start with the pen name question that often hits peoples tongues when they hear you have two. Why two names?

Aw thanks, though sorry about the steak. LOL I’m glad I could help introduce you to the wonderful world of erotic romance! LOL

So I have two names mostly because I sold two stories to Red Sage Publishing, a small publisher, first. When I sold to Avon they didn’t love the name “Jess” and wanted to launch me as a new author in historical romance. They also hadn’t started the Red line yet, so they weren’t doing erotic romance. So we all decided it might work better to just have a new me. Now I write the erotic under Jess and the regular historical under Jenna and if people don’t want to read erotic it’s very easy to gently steer them away. :)

I really want to dive into Taboo-- by the way-- LOVE that title. Tell us about your latest erotic release.

Thanks! Here’s a little blurb about TABOO, which is out now:

Cassandra Willows has taken adversity and turned it into wild success. Not only is she one of the Empire’s most sought after seamstresses, servicing the very wealthy ladies of the ton, but in secret she creates erotic toys for high class courtesans and randy gentleman. Cassandra has but one regret: The Earl of Blackhearth, Nathan Manning, who once wished to marry her and will never forgive her for not showing up when they were to elope.
Nathan has been living in India and has returned to London at the behest of his ill father. His one duty is to find a suitable bride, but a chance encounter with Cassandra wipes that thought from his mind and replaces it with both desire and a need for revenge. So he blackmails his former love into a passionate affair. But the closer the two become physically, the harder it becomes for them to block out the feelings they once shared. And the closer Nathan comes to the devastating truth that tore them apart.

Not only do I love the title of this latest erotic... but oh, la, la... that cover!

Most writers were readers first... how about you? How long have you read the genre and how long have you been writing?

I actually came very late to the genre and started reading it about the same time I started seriously writing it, which was 1999. I had the silly idea that it would be “easy” to write. And quickly learned otherwise, as well as fell in love with the genre.

"Easy" **snort! Ya, right! Writers like yourself make it 'look' easy.

With such a busy writing schedule, do you make time to read?

I try, but it’s hard. I try not to read what I’m writing at the time, so I read a lot less of my favorite romance sub-genre, historical, though I do still have my must-have favorites like Jacquie D’Alessandro or Teresa Medeiros. And I read outside the genre. I’m currently reading a historical mystery called SILENT ON THE MOOR by Deanna Raybourn.

How do you answer the ever annoying question or comment... "Oh, you write that kind of book?"
I generally say, “Yes I do.” If I say it with enough conviction, it seems to end the conversation. It’s also good to quote that over half the mass market books sold are romance.

What do you love about writing? What would you change if you could?

I love the real act of writing, of telling a story. That feeds me in so many ways. It’s the “safe place” for me. The publishing part is the scary part, worrying about how the book is doing, waiting to hear about numbers, that sort of thing. I would probably insulate myself from that better if I could, but my personality doesn’t seem to allow it.

What will we see next from Jenna Petersen or Jess Michaels?

Well, this year I have four books out. Three are already out, A RED HOT VALETINE’S DAY (Jess Michaels), HER NOTORIOUS VISCOUNT (Jenna Petersen) and TABOO (Jess Michaels). My next Jenna release is in November, WHAT THE DUKE DESIRES and that starts my “Billingham Bastards” series. And in February you’ll see my next Jess release, which is NOTHING DENIED and the last in my “Albright Sisters” series that I started with EVERYTHING FORBIDDEN and SOMETHING RECKLESS.

*clapping* I love a series... and to know that all the Albright Sisters will find their men. Awesome!

Where can we find you on the web?

My author site is http://www.jennapetersen.com/ . I’m also at http://www.passionatepen.com/, which is my site for writers. You can find me on MySpace and Facebook, as well!

Thanks so much for having me!!

No, the pleasure is all mine. For those of you who love to learn more about the authors you read, check out Jenna's web-sites. A play-by-play account to Jenna's sucess is spelled out in her diary archives. For writers, The Passionate Pen is a must on your favorite list. It is full of links and valuable information about the craft. So check it out.