Thank you so much for taking the time to answer a few questions.


You said that you love cats, how many own you and what are their names?

I have two cats. Both are female. Harley is the oldest. Quinn is the youngest. Harley is named because she's a beautiful black and white long hair with a face like a Harlequin doll. And once we had a Harley, Quinn was a perfect choice when she joined our family. You can see pictures of them at http://www.jennapetersen.com/cats.htm where I do a "Cat of the Month" photo each month.

What made you chose romance and erotica as your genre?

I really love romance. It's great to put a couple through the ringer, but ultimately give them the happily ever after they deserve. I've always written very sensual romances, so the leap to erotic romance wasn't that big for me to make. If you read a book and I wrote it, it will pretty much be sexy. How sexy will depend on which of my pseudonyms you pick... but more about that next question. :)

I noticed that Jess Michaels is a pseudonym, you also write as Jenna Petersen. Can you tell us why you use a pseudonym?

It's the sexy thing. :) I sold my first romance to Red Sage Publishing, an erotic novella called "Ancient Pleasures" that appeared in SECRETS, Volume 11. Jess Michaels was the name I chose to write under. When I sold a historical romance that was not erotic romance to Avon a year later, we decided that in order to reduce confusion about what kind of book was what, I'd write my historical romances under my Jenna Petersen name and my erotic romances under my Jess Michaels name. So if you pick up a Jess Michaels romance, it will be erotic. If you pick up a Jenna Petersen romance, it will be sensual and sexy, but it won't go as far sexually.

As for why I chose a pen name in the first place... my 'real' name is not particularly marketable. In addition, there are more and more instances of writers needing protection or being stalked. I chose a pen name as a way to give myself a little bit of a buffer between my real life and any one who might be overzealous as a fan.

How do you write? In silence or with music? Computer or pen and paper? Outlines or by the seat of your pants? Is there any kind of ritual you go through before writing?

I am a full-time writer, so I usually get up, check email over breakfast and then I will write for a while. Take a shower get ready and then write the rest of the day. I write between 6-10 hours a day when I'm really working on writing new material. And I give myself a minimum of 50 pages a week to write, though I've been going way over that lately, so I think it's time to re-evaluate my schedule.

Generally, I don't write with music. Music with words tends to disrupt my writing and I'll even sometimes end up writing the lyrics down, so that's no good. I will generally plot and do character work on paper long hand. I do all my real writing on my computer upstairs in my office unless I'm really, really stuck. But I haven't had to write a chapter longhand for a few years now. I used to be a seat of the pants writer, but I'm definitely a plotter now. In fact, my plotting is incredibly detailed now. I usually do a long character sheet, then write a synopsis, then start outlining each scene. Sometimes I'll even include dialogue and such in the outline. So it's really become the first layer of writing for me.

You've chosen to write historicals, why is that? Is there a lot of research involved?

I love historical romance. It's what I read the most of in the genre. And I love the whole idea of being lost in another time. I write mostly in the Regency period, so there's a wonderful additional layer of the manners and rules of the time. Whether your heroine is strictly following them or flouting them, it's something you have to be aware of as you write. There is a lot of research involved, especially when you're involving yourself in events of the day. Getting timing right and trying to stay true to the period is important.

I have read your short story, Ancient Pleasures in Secrets 11, what a refreshing story! How did you come up with such a unique story, in fact, how do you come up with all of your ideas?

Oh thank you! I'm so glad you enjoyed "Ancient Pleasures"! Actually, it came about through a 'what if' game I sometimes play. I was watching "The Mummy" with Brenden Frasier and Rachel Weisz and I starting thinking... What if my hero and heroine were trapped in an Egyptian tomb? What if the tomb were cursed? What if the curse were an erotic one? At that point, it took off. :)

How I come up with ideas really varies from book to book. Sometimes it's a What If scenario like the above. Sometimes it's a compelling character I want to explore. Sometimes it's a line or a scene that really sticks in my head.

You also run a website for aspiring authors, The Passionate Pen, how do you balance writing three different styles and your daily life?

You know, I don't really consider my styles all that different. My voice is pretty much my voice whether it's in my historical romances, my erotic romances or in my diary at Passionate Pen. As for balance... it's something I've struggled with for a long time I'm very passionate about my writing and my site for authors and I do have a hard time letting go and doing outside things. But it comes down to trying to expand my horizons and do other stuff while I continue to focus on my career. It's easier for my right now since I do write full time and we don't have any
children.

Could you please give us a sneak peek into about your upcoming release, Scandalous?

Sure! Scandalous is a Regency-era historical romance that will be available from Avon Books in October 2005. In it, my heroine Katherine Fleming is about to be married when her fiancé reveals a shocking secret. His former wife, who everyone believed to be killed at sea, is actually alive! Her reputation in tatters, Katherine is forced to marry his brother, dark and dangerous Dominic Mallory. But Dominic has agreed to the marriage for more reasons than just his overpowering desire to have Katherine in his bed. And pains and lies from the past may keep them from having a future together.

I actually have an excerpt up at http://www.jennapetersen.com for those looking for a sneak peak. :)

I see that you have A Devil's Bargain in the works, Could you please tell us a little about it?

Actually, the name has now been changed to The Sweetest Sin. It will hopefully be out in August from Venus Press. It's the second in a series started by WAGER OF SIN that was out in June 2005 from Venus. WAGER OF SIN has Lucius "Hawk" Hawkins as the hero. In THE SWEETEST SIN, my hero is Hawk's older brother, Landon Hawkins. Landon is known for being a proud and proper man, but beneath his exterior, he has a secret. He was once married to Juliana Russell, a woman who lied in order to be granted an annulment. But now Juliana is back in his life, asking for his help to find her sister. He decides to take the opportunity to get revenge for his broken heart and to purge his desire for Juliana forever by demanding payment for his help. Payment of a most pleasurable and sinful nature.

August 1st I ought to have an excerpt and more details about the release date at http://www.jessmichaels.com

Is there anything else you'd like to add?

Just thanks to Fallen Angels for allowing me to do the interview! :)

Thanks again for taking the time to answer our questions. If you'd like to find out more about Ms. Michaels, you can check out her website at: http://www.jessmichaels.com. You can also see her websites at:
http://www.jennapetersen.com and http://www.passionatepen.com. Her books can be found at http://www.venuspress.com and http://www.redsagepub.com.

Thanks Serena

Interviewed by: Serena