The Bookstore's
Interview with
Jenna Petersen
Jenna, Welcome to The Bookstore! We're happy you could come and chat with us!
I'm happy to be here! :) I always enjoy 'talking' to readers.
First of all, tell us a bit about yourself. Your background, family, etc….
Sure! I was born in Pennsylvania and came to Idaho when I was very young. I have a younger brother who is a musician in Seattle. My parents still live in Idaho. I married my high school sweetheart. We'll celebrate ten years of marriage in March 2007. He's also my best friend and biggest supporter. I have a degree in Psychology from University of Washington. I've written full-time since 1999 and sold my first book, an erotic novella to a small press in 2003, then sold to Avon in 2004.
Do you have children or pets?
No children, just cats who truly believe they are children. And let's be honest, they are spoiled like children. You can see pictures of them at http://www.jennapetersen.com/cats.htm
Do you write under more than one name and if so, what kind of books do you write under each name?
I write erotic historical romance as Jess Michaels. I write Regency-era historical romance as Jenna Petersen.
What was your first published work? When was it published and under what name? How many books do you have out now, and does this include your new upcoming August 2006 release, FROM LONDON WITH LOVE?
My first published work was actually a short story in the now defunct Arabella Magazine. But my first book was SECRETS, Volume 11 from Red Sage Publishing that came out in December 2004. It was an erotic romance anthology. My story was "Ancient Pleasures", a Victorian era historical erotic romance set outside of Cairo, Egypt.
Since then, I've gone on to publish 9 books and novellas under both my names (counting FROM LONDON WITH LOVE). They are:
"Ancient Pleasures" in SECRETS, Volume 11 (Jess Michaels); UNDENIBALE (Jess Michaels); "Aphrodite's Passion" in SECRETS, Volume 12 (Jess Michaels); SCANDALOUS (Jenna Petersen); WAGER OF SIN (Jess Michaels); THE SWEETEST SIN (Jess Michaels); SIN'S MISTRESS (Jess Michaels); "Fallen Angel" in PARLOR GAMES (Jess Michaels) and FROM LONDON WITH LOVE (Jenna Petersen).
I also have more books contracted under both names. You can check out my websites for all the details as they become available. :)
Your new release FROM LONDON WITH LOVE is the start of a new series called Lady Spies. Please tell us about it and when we can look forward to more of this wonderful series. How many will be in this series and are they connected in any way to any of your previous books?
The Lady Spies series is Charlie's Angels in Empire Waists. Each heroine is a female spy that is part of the group. Like in Charlie's Angels, there are three women. There will be three books in the series. They aren't connected to SCANDALOUS (my Jenna Petersen debut), but all three are connected to each other (though they can be read alone). The first is FROM LONDON WITH LOVE (August 2006), the second DESIRE NEVER DIES (January 2007) and the third is yet untitled and is scheduled for release some time in the Fall of 2007.
How did you get started in your writing career? Do you or have you held outside jobs before becoming a published author? Did you have a favorite or worst job? Was becoming a romance author something you have always dreamed of doing or something that evolved over time?
I'm afraid I started out as one of 'those people' who think writing a romance must be easy. I was cured of that misconception early and found I really enjoyed writing and reading the genre. I did have jobs beforehand. I worked in retail during college and worked with autistic children right after graduation in preparation for post-graduate work (I never ended up going back to school). But I loved writing and my husband was so supportive and told me to follow my dream.
Has the road to publication or any aspect of being a published romance author been different than you expected? Do you think it is better or worse than you expected? Would you do anything differently if you were starting over?
Well, there's no way to predict what is going to happen, especially in a business like this one. I think all the things that I've done or have happened, the good and the bad, have been wonderful learning experiences for me. I wouldn't change a thing. Some days I'm frustrated, but on the whole it's the only job I can ever see myself doing. I love writing and I love seeing my books get out to readers.
As Jenna Petersen, you write wonderful regency set historical romances, with such great storylines and characters, what drew you to write this genre of book and in this particular time period?
I wrote books set in the period I liked to read in. I started my romance reading diet with people like Elizabeth Boyle, Julia Quinn, Suzanne Enoch, etc. They wrote Regency-era romance, so that's what I wrote. Of course, over time I stopped trying to be 'the next... ' whoever and learned my own voice and style.
What kind of settings or time period do you use with your Jess Michaels name? Are they historicals or contemporary?
All my books under both names are historical. Jenna Petersen is all Regency-era. As Jess Michaels I have written both Victorian and Regency-era stories.
The books written under your Jess Michaels name are definitely hotter than those under the Jenna Petersen name. Do your readers ever want you to add more of that spice to your Jenna Petersen books?
Well, most readers find the Jenna Petersen stories pretty hot already. :) I write sensual romance, no matter what I'm writing. The Jess Michaels books may go further with language and the kind of set ups I create, but I love writing and reading sexy romance. In fact, Romantic Times called SCANDALOUS, my Jenna Petersen debut 'erotically written' and nominated it for Best Sensual Historical in their annual Reviewers Choice awards.
Have any of your books been issued as e-books or are they all in printed book form? If any were issued as e-books, can we look forward to having them re-issued in print?
UNDENIABLE, WAGER OF SIN, THE SWEETEST SIN and SIN'S MISTRESS (all as Jess Michaels) were published as e-books first. The "Sin" Series are all now available in print from Venus Press. In addition, Avon published PARLOR GAMES (in which my story "Fallen Angel" is available) as an ebook, as well as in print. In fact, PARLOR GAMES is currently a Fictionwise bestseller.
Tell us about the research you do for your books. Approximately how long does it take you to research each book? What kind of materials do you use and is research something you enjoy doing?
I've been writing mainly in the Regency period for the past seven years, so I have a fairly good base on that time period now. I don't have to do as much in depth research at least to get a general feel for the rules of the time. However, I do extra research for parts of every book. I did a lot of research on female spies when I was writing my Lady Spies (there wasn't much information on female spies during the Napoleonic Wars). Also on art and art houses for FROM LONDON WITH LOVE. Those little details make me feel like the story has more depth. I do enjoy research to a point, but I never want to let the research get in the way of a good romance.
How long does it take you to write a book? Are your Jess Michaels stories as long as the full length Jenna Petersen ones? Do you enjoy writing one style more than the other?
I am a quick writer in general. I take about 8 weeks to write a first draft of a full-length novel. Sometimes as little as a few days for a novella. I tend to get very excited about my stories and I just want to pour them out on the page. Then the editing process will take from a few weeks to a month or month and a half.
The Jess Michaels stories, up until now, have all been shorter than the Jenna Petersen books. They're all novella or short category length (25,000 - 45,000 words) as compared to the 90,000 - 100,000 words of the Jenna books. However, I'm hoping to change that soon. :)
I wouldn't say I enjoy one more than the other. Both styles have their charms. I like writing a novella between novels when I can just to stretch other writing muscles and clear my head.
Do you work on more than one project at a time? If so, how do you keep up with the important details of more than one storyline? Do you keep a log or something with all the basic character and storyline information in case you need to refer back to it?
I try not to work on more than one project at a time, though sometimes it's unavoidable, especially if I get say revisions for a book from Avon while I'm working on a book. Or copyedits. Or I just have overlapping deadlines (which hasn't happened yet). But I still try to finish one project before I return to another.
I do keep very detailed character sheets, which I refer back to during the writing of a book or when writing a related book. Also, because I am a plotter (and a detailed one at that), I do have story details recorded. When I was writing the Lady Spy series, I had a series 'bible' with details on every story and every character, along with a secondary character sheet. That helped me not to mix up names or forget hair color or whatever. :)
What was your reaction to seeing your first book on the store shelf? I bet it was a very proud and exciting moment for you!
Actually, any time you see a book on a shelf, it's a big thrill. Writers are solitary creatures for the most part (especially those of us who write full time). Sometimes the only other person I see for days at a time is my husband (which is okay by me!!). So when I go out into the world and see my book, it makes everything I do come home to me. It's so exciting to think of who will buy it and wonder if they'll like it. I hope that feeling never goes away. I'd hate to become so jaded that I didn't get excited.
Although you are relatively new as an author, you have gotten good reviews and developed a good following with many wonderful readers who love your books. Do you think the internet has helped the public become more aware of new authors and more willing to try out their books? Has it helped you in the promotion of your books and in your interaction with the readers?
Definitely the internet has been a big part in getting my name out there! First off, I had my site for aspiring authors for many years before I sold (more on that in your next question). That site gets over 12,000 visitors (visitors, not hits, there are many thousands more hits) every month. Those people know me on some level and I know their support helped SCANDALOUS become a success. Also, the Avon Authors have a cooperative website called www.avonauthors.com that has an active message board where we interact with readers. They're a wonderful bunch and I think getting to know them has also helped my career. Add to that my regular websites and it's a nice platform. Plus, the instant feedback from email means fanmail, which I love to get!
I understand that you have a website for aspiring authors, www.passionatepen.com
What prompted you start this helpful site? What can aspiring writers learn there? I know it has become very popular with many in the writing industry, not just aspiring authors. That is definitely something to be proud of!
Yes, I started The Passionate Pen in 1999 because there just weren't any sites out there that had the info I was looking for. It started out as a simple list of romance publishing houses and their submission guidelines and has grown to over 100 pages, including a romance agents list, facts about agents, articles on all kinds of writing topics, links to writing sites and my weekly diary of my journey toward and beyond publication. I really love helping other writers out. Certainly there have been and continue to be so many generous authors who have helped me. So passing that on seems just like a bit of karmic payback.
Tell us what you are working on now. Is it related to any of your previous books or possibly the Lady Spies series? When can we hope to see it on the store shelves?
Sure! I have been immersed in Lady Spies lately! I just finished up copyedits on DESIRE NEVER DIES, the second of the Lady Spy books. It will be on store shelves as a January 2007 release. And I'm about to turn in the third Lady Spy book, which is as yet untitled and will be in stores some time in the Fall of 2007. Then... well, I have several ideas that I'm very excited about and I'm sure one of them will pan out as what I'll write next.
Tell us about your writing style. Are you a plotter and outliner or more of a seat of the pants writer? Have your characters ever taken off in another direction than what you had originally planned? Did you rein them back in or let them go the way they wanted to? Do you feel this change of direction was helpful to the writing of your book?
I'm definitely a plotter rather than a 'pantser'. I start every book with detailed character sheets of the hero and heroine (you can find the sheet I use in the Articles for Writers section of Passionate Pen). Then I do a synopsis. Then I write up detailed 'scene sketches' that are really almost a handwritten skeleton of the book. By the time I'm actually writing, I have the twists and turns all laid out. But in the writing, the characters always surprise me at least once. And since the more I write, the better I know them and their motivations, I often let them lead. It can mean rewriting the plot points occasionally, but it almost always leads to a better book. The few times I've ignored them, my editor has often pointed out that section of the book in revisions. I've learned it's good to listen to my inner voice when she delicately clears her throat. :)
As you continue to grow in your writing career, is there any other genre of book you would like to write?
Really at this point I am very happy writing historical romance and erotic romance. I think they suit my voice best. I wouldn't totally rule out anything else because you just never know. But for now, I think I'll stay where I am. As long as they'll keep buying historical romances from me, I'll keep writing them.
Are you a big reader? What kind of books do you enjoy and do you have any favorite authors?
I want to be a bigger one, but I don't read as much as I'd like when I'm writing and right now I'm writing a lot. LOL But I do love books. I read historical romance most, but I also enjoy fantasy/sci-fi, graphic novels like Neil Gaimen's Sandman series, I loved Philip Pullman's HIS DARK MATERIALS series, which was YA fantasy. My literary agent actually makes great recommendations of fantasy, so I've been reading lots of it lately.
Some of my favorite authors are Julia Quinn, Lisa Kleypas, Maggie Osborne, Neil Gaimen, LM Montgomery, CS Lewis and Tolkein.
Do you think they have influenced your writing style?
Yes and no. Like I said earlier, I think I took up the Regency romance/historical romance pen because of the writers I was reading at the time. So they influenced me in that way. But I don't really write 'like' anyone (or I don't strive to at any rate). That's actually why I try not to read in my own genre while writing. I don't want to subtly pick up a voice that isn't my own. I'm starting to be comfortable enough in my own writing skin that I can read more while writing, but it's still something I'm very sensitive to.
Give us an example of a typical day in your life. Do you try to keep to a specific writing schedule?
Oh, I'm so boring. LOL I get up, do email and a few business things for a while until I'm semi-awake and coherent. Then I'll usually write for an hour or so. Take a shower, get ready, write for a while more until lunch. After lunch I'll go back to writing for a couple of hours. By then I've made my page count (usually), which is at least 10 pages a day (and often more if I'm on a roll). At that point I'll either continue writing or do more business things or actually... gasp!... clean my house. My husband is also nearing the end of getting his MBA, so when he's at school I'll sometimes write in the evenings, as well.
I don't have a set schedule of "Write from 11-12" or anything like that, but I do make page goals. That helps keep me on track or even ahead of schedule.
If you had a piece of advice to give to a new writer, what would it be?
Oh, that's tough because so often advice is really matched with a specific situation. I'd say learn your craft and keep learning about it. But don't avoid marketing and industry, either. Even if you have the best literary agent and editor in the world (and I'm lucky enough to have both), there is no one who will ever be as invested and committed to your career as you are. So consider that in all the things you do and in all the ways you present yourself. Once you're published, you become a product. So market your product in ways that are effective and enjoyable.
Jenna, thanks so very much for joining us here at The Bookstore! We have really enjoyed chatting with you! Please come again soon!
Thanks! I enjoyed being here! :) I hope I'll pass your way some time in the future and we'll get to meet. :)
You can learn more about Jenna Petersen and her wonderful books at www.jennapetersen.com
or
Come by the store or order your favorite by Jenna Petersen/Jess Michaels books online
