Last night Neil Gaiman read chapter four of his newest release THE GRAVEYARD BOOK to a packed sanctuary at University Methodist Temple in Seattle. He has a marvelous reading voice, and it was truly a treat to see him. Sorry you missed it? Neil is reading a different chapter at each stop of his American book tour, which is being video taped and released (for free) on the internet for our viewing pleasure. Chapters 1 & 2 are up currently on his website, with more to come. (Please click here to watch!) The book is a macabre children’s story about a young boy who grows up in a graveyard under the tutelage of the ghostly inhabitants. It is, rumor has it, based on The Jungle Book. His style – omniscient, humorous and slightly tongue-in-cheek – brought to mind J.K. Rowlings. After listening to chapter 4, I am quite looking forward to reading the rest of it. Check out the book’s website.

After the reading, the audience was treated to an exclusive preview of the upcoming movie Coreline, based on his novel of the same name, under the direction of Henry Selick (of The Nightmare Before Christmas fame). Film clips of the movie are also available on Mr. Gaiman’s website. It’s an Alice in Wonderland tale of a girl who travels through a door in her house into an alternate version of her life. Personally, the movie looks quite scary.

Question and Answer Session:

Q: What is your favorite Prehistoric animal?

A: The Diprotodon, a giant Wombat the size of a Volkswagen Bug that lived in Australia.

Q: Of all your stories and plotlines, what is your favorite idea and why?

A: You can’t ask that. That’s like asking wich of your children is your favorite. Occasionally, I’ll look at my short stories and say “you are not some beautiful, shining thing. You are a short, crippled thing.” But like my children I love them anyway.

Q: What music was playing before the signing?

A: A collection of songs loosly inspired by something Neil wrote. Also The Dance Macabre played on a banjo by Béla Fleck, which will play at the beginning of the audio book THE GRAVEYARD BOOK.

Q: How many drafs and revisions do you normally complete before publication?

A: Normally I hand write a first draft, then type it up. This forces myself to get two complete drafts done. With computers there aren’t really drafts, just this long growing thing. I find it easier to delete crap when I’m typing up the second draft from the first handwritten one.

Q: Is is Banned Book Week. Have any of your books been banned?

A: Yes. One that comes to mind is a story from OUTRAGEOUS TALES FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT a comic for which I retold a story from the book of judges. It almost sent the publisher in Sweden to prison, and he was saved by his defense – the story really is in the bible. I do a lot of work with the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, which defends the first amendment.

Q: What is your favorite banned book?

A: I’ve seen the ALA list of “100 Most Frequently Challenged Books” and it’s a toss up between THE ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN and WHERE’S WALDO?

Q: When you started out did you have ideas that your publishers told you were too huge to publish?

A: No, though there were books I wrote that werer sometimes not good enough to publish.

Q: How did you get involved writing the liner notes form Amanda Palmer?

A: Through Jason Webley. (Seattle musician)

Q: What new movie are you working on now?

A: Writing the script for Anansi Boys.

Q: Is studying literature in college a requirement for becoming a novelist?

A: No. If that were the case we would lose 90% of the novelists in human history. Many writers are engineers. I was a journalist originally.

Q: Do you do school visits?

A: Yes and No. Only to the schools of my offspring, where I get the extra pleasure of embarrassing the offspring. School kids ask the most interesting questions. I was at one reading and a little girl raised her hand and asked, “Have you ever belched so hard it hurt?” I don’t remember what I said.

Q: How does your writing process change for Graphic Novels versus traditional Novels, in that the amount of text in one is succinct and the other elaborate?

A: You assume I don’t write long elaborate descriptions in Graphic Novels. I do, but they are for the artist, not the reader.

Q: How does writing young adult and children’s books differ from writing adult fiction?

A: I just write. The Target audience works it self out. For instance, THE GRAVEYARD BOOK is marketed in the US as a children’s book, but in Britain there are two versions–children’s and adults–with different covers and different placement. I don’t know. I just write them.

Q: Where do you write?

A: In a gazebo at the bottom of the garden. Sometimes I borrow houses from friends who have more houses than bodies. Until last year I wrote in a cabin, but I got a dog and the dog didn’t like going to the cabin. He likes it when I write in the garden.

Q: How did you learn to handle criticism when you first started?

A: I would have killed for criticism when I first started. It’s the being ignored that I can’t stand. My first graphic novel I was so proud of. We waited for reviews, any reviews. We got one: that the novel was too expensive. So we went to the publisher and asked to lower the price, then waited again for the reviews. Still nothing. Ever since then I’ve ignored all of them.

Q: What is your favorite ghost story?

A: My friend worked in a hotel in New Orleans that used to get complaints of kids running up and down the hallways, though no kids stayed there. It got to where the front desk would explain to people who called down with complaints that the accoustics were responsible for bringing the sounds of children from the building next door. Then one day a couple contacted the hotel after returning home. They hadn’t had any trouble with noise, but when they developed their film they found one picture taken from about two feet above the bed of the two of them. Asleep.

Q: How much does Dave McKean influence your work?

A: Not at all. Except Mirrormask, which was based on a dream of Dave’s. I write. He draws. That’s why we’ve worked together so well for 23 years.

Q: What is your next book after THE GRAVEYARD BOOK?

A: A children’s picture book: THE BLUEBERRY GIRL, which is a poem Neil wrote for his friend Tory Amos, a prayer for her baby daughter. Illustrated by Charles Vess (click here for some picture). Gaiman read it out loud to the audience and it was beautiful.

In addition to seeing Neil, I also ran into Team Seattle and posse (AKA Urban Fantasy authors Mark Henry, Caitlin Kittredge, and Cherie Priest) who were enjoying the Master and his work.

The Book Swede is hosting a contest to win a free copy of THE GRAVEYARD BOOK.

Seattle author Gerri Russell launched her new book WARRIOR’S LADY yesterday at the Bellevue Barnes & Noble. Highlights included a kilted bagpiper, photos of her trip to Scotland, and a dramatic reading of the book in costume. I was lucky enough to attend and meet Gerri. She will also be at the Emerald City Writers Conference Book Fair next week.

WARRIOR’S LADY is Gerri’s third book. She writes historical romances set in medieval Scotland, which means, ahem, Men in KILTS. Her first, THE WARRIOR TRAINER, won the American Title II contest. Her next project is Indiana Jones set in Braveheart. Please wipe your drool off the floor.

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Those of you just joining us might not know – I have a thing for men in kilts. Who doesn’t? Not Utilikilts. Real kilts. Gerri’s husband was at the signing in a kilt, and I have to say I was terribly jealous. Someday Mr. Wonderful will relent to wear the cloth of his ancestors, and it will be the happiest day of my life.

The photo to the left is the bagpiper who set the mood for the Scottish-style signing. He is playing either the Irish Ulliean pipes or the lowland/parlor pipers in this photo. They are quieter, indoor pipes, as opposed to the Great Highland pipes, which are Martial and intended to march the troops into battle and intimidate the enemy. Sadly, he was unfamiliar with the music from Rob Roy (best movie ever! well, second to Last of the Mohicans).

Members of Bellevue Youth Theater attended in period dress and presented a dramatic reading of WARRIOR’S LADY. It was lots of fun. Gerri donated part of the proceeds from the event to the troupe.

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Win a free book! Christina Arbini is hosting a givaway of Gerri’s trilogy today on her blog. Leave her a comment for a chance to win.

WARRIOR’S LADY

Camden Lockhart vowed to eliminate the Ruthven clan after they had destroyed his family. All he had left was a small niece and the legacy of the Charm Stone she carried, but no one knew where they little girl was. Rhiannon Ruthven came to the abbey to escape the brutality of her brothers and find solace. Instead she found the orphaned Violet Lockhart in need of an escort to her uncle’s castle. Rhiannon didn’t know it, but she would be walking straight into a nest of assassins. Watching Rhiannon nearly sacrifice her own life to save another’s, Camden knew he could not condemn her to death. He’d have to protect her from the very men he’d hired to kill her. Scottish legend said the Charm Stone had the power to heal, but was it strong enough to unite two wounded hearts?

Stop by the Book Smugglers today for a fabulous interview with Melissa Marr, author of the 2008 RITA winning book for best YA WICKED LOVELY. The Book Smugglers posted excellent reviews of WICKED LOVELY and the darker companion novel INK EXCHANGE. I’ve had the pleasure of reading Wicked Lovely and strongly recommend it.

(photo above: Melissa Marr at the Publisher Signing at the 2008 RWA National Conference in San Francisco)

WICKED LOVELY

Rule #3: Don’t stare at invisible faeries.

Aislinn has always seen faeries. Powerful and dangerous, they walk hidden in mortal world. Aislinn fears their cruelty—especially if they learn of her Sight—and wishes she were as blind to their presence as other teens.

Rule #2: Don’t speak to invisible faeries.

Now faeries are stalking her. One of them, Keenan, who is equal parts terrifying and alluring, is trying to talk to her, asking questions Aislinn is afraid to answer.

Rule #1: Don’t ever attract their attention.

But it’s too late. Keenan is the Summer King who has sought his queen for nine centuries. Without her, summer itself will perish. He is determined that Aislinn will become the Summer Queen at any cost—regardless of her plans or desires.

Suddenly none of the rules that have kept Aislinn safe are working anymore, and everything is on the line: her freedom; her best friend, Seth; her life; everything.

Faerie intrigue, mortal love, and the clash of ancient rules and modern expectations swirl together in Melissa Marr’s stunning 21^st century faery tale.

INK EXCHANGE

Unbeknownst to mortals, a power struggle is unfolding in a world of shadows and danger. After centuries of stability, the balance among the Faery Courts has altered, and Irial, ruler of the Dark Court, is battling to hold his rebellious and newly vulnerable fey together. If he fails, bloodshed and brutality will follow.

Seventeen-year-old Leslie knows nothing of faeries or their intrigues. When she is attracted to an eerily beautiful tattoo of eyes and wings, all she knows is that she has to have it, convinced it is a tangible symbol of changes she desperately craves for her own life.

The tattoo does bring changes—not the kind Leslie has dreamed of, but sinister, compelling changes that are more than symbolic. Those changes will bind Leslie and Irial together, drawing Leslie deeper and deeper into the faery world, unable to resist its allures, and helpless to withstand its perils. . . .

The Sherrilyn Kenyon ACHERON Tour is coming to Seattle, WA, one of her favorite stops. If you have the time, please come out and visit Sherrilyn Kenyon and Dianna Love at Borders on Thursday, August 7th. Besides signing the long awaited ACHERON book, there will be doorprizes as well. (and most likely models playing Acheron.) Here are the details:

WHO: Superstar paranormal romance author Sherrilyn Kenyon
WHAT: ACHERON Tour talk and book signing, The much anticipated Dark-Hunter book 12
WHERE: Redmond Borders, 16549 N.E. 74^th Street (which is NOT in Seattle, I point out yet again.)
WHEN: Thursday, August 7th, 6:30 PM

The Acheron Tour is going to quite a few cities over the next two weeks and you can find the schedule by clicking here.

I am quite put out at missing this event (flying to Colorado tomorrow). My only consolation is that I met Sherrilyn in San Francisco last week at RWA (see photo below from Avon Publisher Signing). For those of you also missing the signing, apparently we can order signed books from the Redmond Borders. Call 425-869-1907 and ask for Andrea.

The Dark-Hunter series is one of the biggest and best-known Paranormal Romance series out there, but I wouldn’t recommend starting with Acheron if you haven’t read the series before. Acheron is the boss of the Dark-Hunters, undead warriors who have given their souls to the greek goddess Artemis in exchange for an act of vengeance. They battle for the survival of the human race against the soul-sucking Daemons. Since Acheron appears in almost every one of the eleven stories before he gets his own HEA, the build-up is part of the appeal. I don’t have my Artemis double-bow tattoo yet, but I’m a longtime fan.

PS: Early Bird registration for the Emerald City Writers Conference ends August 16th. Hope to see you there!

In case you missed my up-to-the-minute coverage of the 2008 RWA award ceremony for the Golden Heart and the RITAs, you can find the final award winners by clicking here. These were some of the highlights:

Seattle RWA member Joleen Wieser won the Golden Heart for Best Contemporary Series Romance for her book Under a Harvest Moon. CONGRATS!

Seattle author Julia Quinn won the RITA for Best Regency Historical Romance for The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever, which I lurved. She let me take my picture with her and her RITA (see above) and will be the keynote speaker at this year’s Emerald City Writer’s Conference in October. Julia wins the award for Most Creative Save for her sister’s use of a conference sticker to fix Julia’s award dress.

Jennifer Greene won the RITA for Best Romance Novella for “Born in My Heart” in Like Mother, Like Daughter. She wins the award for Best Tearjerker Speech for telling the story about how her novella came out last year for Mother’s Day and was dedicated to her 87-year-old mother. Her mother asked her to read it out loud, and two weeks later her mother passed away. I doubt there was a dry-eye in the entire room.

Debut author Deanna Raybourn won the RITA for Best Novel with Strong Romantic Elements for Silent in the Grave. She wins the award for Most Teary Speech, and it was lovely to see someone so incredibly overcome. She told the audience that her friend had asked “Did you write a speech?” and she responded, laughing, “No, I’m up against Nora Roberts!” Kensington editor Hilary Sares (who is NOT Deanna’s publisher) was pimping her book big time in the Selling Historicals workshop that I attended. The Lusty Wenches Book Club has Silent in the Grave on the To-Read list for upcoming months.

J.D. Ward won the RITA for Best Paranormal Romance for Lover Revealed, and her critique partner (and fellow awesome paranormal author) Jessica Andersen accepted it on her behalf. Ward wins the award for Funniest Speech, thanking everyone who helped bring Butch “out” and the letter V (a la Sesame Street).

Kristan Higgins won the RITA for Best Contemporary Single Title Romance for Catch of the Day. She wins Best Thank You Speech, saying “Thanks to my husband for great sex.”

La Nora presented the 2008 Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award to Vicki Lewis Thompson, who thanked “Nora ‘I don’t need no stinkin name tag’ Roberts” and shared the secret to her success with the audience: It’s all about having three names.

There were beautiful dresses galore and fancy deserts at the reception after the award ceremony. Kensington editor Kate Duffy warned me many people get diabetes just looking at the chocolate offerings.

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I met the lovely and delightful Meredith Duran, whose debut novel THE DUKE OF SHADOWS won the gather.com contest (it is teh awesome!), in the hotel bar and asked her to share what six books she would bring if stranded on a desert island. Her next two books come out back to back next summer from pocket. Why do we have to wait so long?

Paranormal author Sherrilyn Kenyon held a special invite-only party to celebrate the upcoming release of ACHERON. Thanks to Jane and Angela I was able to attend, meet the fabulous Ms. Kenyon (who is very funny in person), and get my picture taken with none other than Acheron himself. lol.

One fan won a copy of the much anticipated book. Ms. Kenyon has rabid fans along the lines of Jacqueline Carey. I shall know I have really “made it” as an author when I have fans tattooing bits of my book on their bodies.

(left) Acheron was a lot shorter and skinnier than I pictured him. And not nearly as intense and goth. Isn’t he supposed to be 7 foot tall, ripped, with long colored hair? A model impersonating Nick Gautier was also wandering around the party. (right) A fan dressed as Simi for the costume contest.

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Exclusive interview from the 2008 RWA National Conference Literacy Signing.

If you haven’t yet read THE SPYMASTER’S LADY, hie thee to the book store immediately. It is one of the best books I’ve ever read. Ms. Bourne is a genius.

Fantasy author Jacqueline Carey stopped by University Bookstore in Seattle today to promote her new book Kushiel’s Mercy, the third and final book in the Imrial Trilogy. Fans were sad to hear that this is the last book, but Ms. Carey said “I’m a believer in graceful exits, and I want to let them pass carefully into legend.” At the book signing one of the attendees showed off her full-back tattoo of Phadre’s rose. Now that’s devotion. Someday I hope to have fans as rabid as Ms. Carey’s. I know I won’t have made it until my fans tattoo my book art on their bodies. Where is Patricia Briggs’ gallery of fans tattooed like Mercy Thompson?

I admit I was intimidated by the rabid fans, having only read Kushiel’s Dart (book 1). I talked about books with the girl next to me before Ms. Carey arrived, and made the mistake of asking if she read romance novels. Why is a simple “no” never enough? Oh no, one needs the eye roll and moue of distaste, as if I had asked “do you eat dog poop?” I thought to myself, “You’re obsessed with a BDSM fantasy novel, for goodness sakes. Where do you get off criticizing an entire genre?” But I didn’t say it. Sigh. My skin is too thin.

The Kushiel’s Legacy series is divided into two trilogies, the first that follows Phedre no Delauny and the second that follows her adopted son Imrial. Click here for a complete book list.

The Reading

Anticipating the rabid fans, many of whom had already read Kushiel’s Mercy, Ms. Carey surprised us with a sneak peek of her Work-In-Progress, tentatively entitled Naamah’s Gift. The book is set in the world of Kushiel’s Legacy, but on the island of Alba, which corresponds to Scotland. The heroine, Moirin, is a member of a dark-skinned native race close in approximation to the Picts. She grows up with only her mother, and her mother teaches her to mask her presence in the shadows with magic and to hunt. She never knew her father, a pale-skinned stranger with bright green eyes whom her mother slept with at the direction of her goddess (Naamah, I presume).

Question and Answer Session

Q: How long does it take you to think up these books?

A: The gestation period varies, but for Kushiel’s Dart it was a few years. I finish all my research before I begin the writing process. I am an edit-as-you-go writer, and can only move on once the previous scenes have been perfected.

Q: One man thanked her for leading him to a very interesting lover and entertaining previous lovers and asked if Ms. Carey was aware of any communities built around her world.

A: No, though the BDSM life style is close enough and is exceedingly well built up.

Q: Do you get writer’s block?

A: I have the architecture of the plot set very clearly before I begin writing, so don’t get writers block in a plot “what happens next” way. But I do get stumped by very simple things, such as clothing. “I cannot write the fete if I cannot see the gown!” Sometimes people look closely at the dresses on the covers and ask “where would the stays be?” My answer is that I cannot guarentee that what I describe obeys the laws of physics. A lot of writing has to do with building solid foundations on which to build one’s plots.

Q: How much of the lyrical measure of your prose is intentional, and how much of it is a product of the rhythm in your head?

A: I write rhythmically because I like to. I’m conscious of it. The way I execute it is deliberate, but not premeditated.

Q: Which book is your favorite?

A: Someone always pulls out the Sophie’s Chose question. I don’t have a favorite. All of them have different challenges inherent to them. None will I get the shock of new as I did with Kushiel’s Dart. Kushiel’s Chosen has a mystery plot in the first half. Kushiel’s Scion is a classic coming of age story. I love the climax of Kushiel’s Justice so much. It tears me up every time I read it. Kushiel’s Mercy is probably one of the most fun boos to write. Super fun! It’s my crack book.

Q: Tell us about your language research. Do you have a favorite?

A: No favorite. I love words: The way they look, the way they sound, the way I think they sound. I like playing with them.

Q: How do you name your characters?

A: Sometimes I think “I want it to start with an R” and sometimes I have a meaning in my head. It’s usually a combination.

Q: Do you have any books set in other worlds?

A: Yes, The Sundering duology: Godslayer and Banewrecker. They are The Silmarillion to Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. I need to do different things between massive projects. (Ms. Carey wrote them between the first trilogy of Kushiel’s Legacy and the second.) And I’m working on a “super secret” project to come out in May 2009 under the psudonym Madalon Easton. Santa Olivia is a post-punk novel set in a desert border town with boxing and two girls in love.

Q: Do characters create the world or does the world create the characters?

A: Neither. The creative process is a mystery with a capital M, and the characters are a part of that. World building is more deliberate.

Q: How much of the series plot architecture do you know in advance?

A: I wrote Kushiel’s Dart as a stand-alone book, leaving the door open for future books. I got an agent based on the manuscript and the first thing he asked was “Are you gonna write a sequel?” I know the overarching plot of the character romance, but the individual plot I work on book by book.

Q: Do you outline or is it all in your head?

A: My outline is in my head. I can pin point the moment it all came together in my head for Kushiel’s Dart: I was crossing a bridge at sunset. I got home and started jotting notes, then said “Screw this I gotta start writing the book!”

Q: Would you ever write short stories such as when Delany first met Melisande?

A: At this point I have no plans to do so, but I will never say never.

Q: Has anyone approached you about tole playing game rights? (asked by the man with the Kushiel-inspired lover)

A: Why does that question sound more loaded coming from you? (laughs) Nothing serious.

Q: Was fantasy always the genre you wanted to write?

A: The fantasy genre has been a long time love of mine, but I didn’t start out writing in it. One of my early manuscripts was a total coming of age story about seven college graduates in a cabin in the woods. It will never see the light of day, but it taught me to write smooth dialog.

Q: Who do you read?

A: Guy Gavriel Kay, but I’m too busy researching to do much pleasure reading. On the way here I read Steinbeck’s Travels with Charley.

Q: What has been your writer’s journey?

A: I started writing when I was really bored in high school english class. I kept a journal in the back of my notebook, and I wrote all through high school and college. When I graduated from college I took a year off to do a work exchange program and I worked in a bookstore in London, where I realized that the only thing I really like to do is writ. When I got back I took a job that wanted a three year commitment, and I said, “well I can only give you one year, cuz see I have this book I’m writing…” I worked there for ten years. The first thing I wrote was derivitive. I knew it, but I had to do it.

Luck is only part of getting published. Persistence is the most important.

Q: Is it difficult to switch between male and female perspectives?

A: Phedre (narrator of 1st Kushiel Trilogy) and Imrial (narrator of 2nd Kushiel Trilogy) are so different that switching between between female and male was only a small part of the difficulties involved in switching perspectives. I read a lot from the male perspective to prepare for Imreal, because I didn’t want to write a woman in drag.

Q: Where did the idea for Kushiel’s Dart come from?

A: From so many things. A trip to the south of France. A freaky dream I had. I was doing Angelology research and I mis-remembered an entry. When I started writing there was not much fantasy with sexuality in it. Sexuality is a big part of the human experience, and I thought it was missing in the genre.

Q: What’s your sign?

A: Libra.

Please join me in welcoming regency author (and one-time Seattleitte) Jenna Petersen! In her Lady Spies series, Jenna writes about tough chicks who use brains, instinct, and wiles to uncover conspiracies against the crown. It’s James Bond meets Regency London, and it’s a hoot! Jenna and I met at the 2007 Emerald City Writers Conference book signing (see photo). We are getting lunch in July at the RWA National Conference, so if you have questions I didn’t cover in this interview, let me know!

Jenna’s latest novel LESSONS FROM A COURTESAN comes out in 3 days: Monday, June 24th.

About Jenna:

Jenna Petersen knew she wanted to be a writer at a very young age and had a very specific image of what that meant. In her mind, she would live in Los Angeles (why not New York… who knows?), attend book signings, drive a very expensive car and date endlessly (and apparently, unsuccessfully). There was little actual writing involved in the fantasy.

Instead, she got a degree in Psychology from the University of Washington, married her high school sweetheart and moved to Central Illinois. There was much actual writing involved in the reality and she learned a lot in the years she waited to hear she sold a book.

Jenna enjoys travel, history, live baseball, Bears and Eagles football, and of course, all things related to reading and writing. She runs a website for aspiring authors called The Passionate Pen, which has become a popular resource in the romance writing community. She also writes erotic romance under the pseudonym Jess Michaels.

And now for the Interview:

Ciara: You write historical romance as Jenna Petersen and erotic romance as Jess Michaels. Is the writing process similar for these two genres? How would you differentiate erotic romance from traditional romance?

Jenna: I follow the same basic set up as far as creating character sheets, writing a synopsis based on key turning points in the book and then doing scene sketches, so my process is pretty similar. The difference for me as a writer is that my erotic romances tend to have a sexually charged conflict (a sex bargain or blackmail or Penelope’s seduction and resistance, that sort of thing). Versus while my historical romances may be super steamy, their core conflict isn’t necessarily a sexual one (though sexual conflicts may be part of the book). I actually have a little primer about what I think the differences are between sensual romance, erotic romance and erotica on my http://www.jessmichaels.com site, too, to help the reader.

Ciara: What was the first romance novel you read and how old were you?

Jenna: I came to romance very late in life. (Ciara: lol, like 31 is ancient!) I think I browsed a few that I don’t remember for the “good parts” as a teen, but the first one I really READ was Julia Quinn’s MINX and I would have been… 21? It was right when I started writing romance seriously. Reading her prose really made me realize how GOOD romance could be and what a fine tuned craft it was.

Ciara: If you were stranded on a desert island, what 6 books would you bring?

Jenna: Oh crap. Only SIX??? Shoot. Okay, I’ll try: Kathryn Smith’s BE MINE TONIGHT, Julia Quinn’s THE DUKE AND I, L.M. Montgomery’s ANNE OF GREEN GABLES, Neil Gaimen and Terry Pratchett’s GOOD OMENS, something by Jacquie D’Alessandro (I can’t pick one) and probably a survival guide of some kind (I’m on a desert island, I’ll need that guide).

Ciara: If you were stranded on said island what 6 heroes would you bring?

Jenna: My husband (he’s my personal hero). Then we get to have fun…. Okay, I’d take Justin Talbot, the hero of my upcoming book LESSONS FROM A COURTESAN because he’s really smokin’ hot and I would guess he could take care of things in a pinch. I’d take Lucas Tyler from DESIRE NEVER DIES because he’s the funniest hero I ever wrote and he would tell good stories and keep me entertained (and he’s hot). I would take Simon Basset from Julia Quinn’s THE DUKE AND I because he made me cry (and he’s hot). I would take Temple from Kathryn Smith’s last Brotherhood of the Blood book (which yes, I’ve read haha!!) because he’s a vampire leader and he would definitely know how to survive (and he’s hot). We’d just have to find him serious shade during the day. And I’d take… oh…. Max McCord from Maggie Osborne’s SILVER LINING because he’s a cowboy and he’d not be adverse to working amongst all this nobility (and he’s hot).

Ciara: Do you have a lucky eraser or other rituals to tempt the muse? Does your muse have a name?

Jenna: I don’t really believe in “the muse”. It feels too much like depending on some mysterious outside force to write. For me, I write because I put my butt in the chair and I push through the hard parts. But I do like to have Diet Vanilla Coke. I also like having my desk totally clean before I start a new book (though it gets quite horrible throughout the process).

Ciara: Do you do extensive plotting, character interviews, collages, or other pre-writing exercises? Or are you a pantser?

Jenna: I’m most definitely a plotter. I do character sheets (which you can find at Passionate Pen under the Articles For Writers link). Then I plot a synopsis based on turning points in the story. Then I do scene sketches, which are really prewriting the scenes, sometimes with dialogue and description if I’m really into a scene. Plotting helps drive me forward.

Ciara: Why do you think the Regency period is so popular with readers? How did you decide to write Regencies? Have you ever considered writing in another genre, say, paranormals or thrillers?

Jenna: I really loved reading Regencies, which is why I started writing in that time period. I think readers respond to it because it’s the closest you can come to a fairytale without a godmother. Think about it! Dukes, Earls, balls, a war! It’s like the perfect storm of romance. Plus, I’ve always liked the dichotomy of rules that if you broke them you’d be ostracized, and yet many of the gowns were so formfitting that the women couldn’t wear undergarments. It’s a very odd time socially!

I really love historical, so I intend to stay here, but I can’t say I haven’t ever had a couple of paranormal ideas. I don’t know that I’ll ever pursue that, though.

Ciara: Tell us about your experience with writing contests. You have had great success finalling in recent months: SEDUCTION IS FOREVER in the Detroit RWA Booksellers Best Contest and in the First Coast RWA Beacon Award, DESIRE NEVER DIES in the Orange County Chapter RWA Bookbuyers Best Contest, EVERYTHING FORBIDDEN in both the Detroit RWA Booksellers Best Contest and the Orange County Chapter RWA Bookbuyers Best Contest. How many contests do you submit to? Do you submit all your books? Did you submit to contests before you became a published author? Do you recommend that unpublished authors submit to contests?

Jenna: I’ve become such a contest whore, but I NEVER entered contests before I was published. I always felt like it was too many cooks spoiling the pot and you never know whether you got a judge who was a multi-published author or someone who just started writing last Tuesday and is certain they know all the “rules”.

But the published contests feel different to me. First off, they aren’t about correcting your writing, which is good. I tend to submit my books to contests that feature readers or booksellers as judges. The reasoning behind this is that those are the two groups that buy books (either for the stores or for home) and I’m exposing myself to them and that can’t ever be bad, even if I don’t final or win in a contest. I do tend to enter all my books from a particular year, so it can get expensive, but there’s also a nice ego pat when you win (I’m totally overwhelmed right now with all these finals, it means a lot to me). Plus, there’s something to be said for being “Award-Winning Author, Jenna Petersen”.

But really, when it comes to be unpublished and entering, that’s really got to be up to the writer. Some people SWEAR by the contest system through the RWA chapters. They love the feedback, they love the opportunity to get in front of editors and agents if they win, etc. It all depends on what experience you are looking for and how much money you have to burn.

Ciara: Your new book LESSONS FROM A COURTESAN comes out June 24th. What was your favorite part about writing this book?

Jenna: I really liked returning to my “roots” as a writer. My debut, SCANDALOUS, was dark and sexy and emotional (lots of people told me it made them cry, which was awesome!!). Then I wrote the Lady Spies and although I think all of them have a highly emotional, dark element, the concept (Charlie’s Angels in Regency England) was definitely lighter. But LESSONS FROM A COURTESAN takes me right back to very dark, very (VERY) sensual and highly emotional. My two characters are damaged by each other and it’s a struggle for them to come back together in a healthy way and find love again. That challenge was highly enjoyable. Plus, Justin (my hero) is HOT. Have you noticed a trend here?

Ciara: My friend Sarai bought LFAC solely on the cover. How much control do you have over the covers of your books? What has been your favorite cover so far? Do you buy books based on the cover?

Jenna: Okay, isn’t LESSONS FROM A COURTESAN the most beautiful cover in the history of mankind?? I adore it and I worship the Avon Art Department because they’ve never given me a bad cover. I have excellent cover karma, I guess (I must have been nice to an Art Director in a past life).

I don’t have a lot of “control” over covers, but I do get some input. I can only speak to the Avon experience, but here’s how it works for us. About a year before the book comes out, the Avon editorial staff and the Art Department have a cover conference for each book. So April 2009 books had a cover conference at the end of April 2008. My editor contacts me and asks me for title suggestions, info on character appearance and suggestions for particular scenes or poses I’d like to see depicted on the cover.

Now I send that info and I like to send pictures, too, of covers or images that I love. LESSONS happened a bit differently, though. I was actually writing SOMETHING RECKLESS and I had a great picture of the actor Julian McMahon from a GQ shoot. It was very sexy, with him slouched down on a couch holding a woman’s leg. I forwarded it to my editor and said, “Here’s a glimpse of my inspiration”.
She must have forwarded it to our art department because a few months later when I saw the cover for LESSONS, I could definitely see some similarities. But I’d definitely found that sending pictures really helps. I’ve always gotten something close to what I’ve described and my covers have always been better than I pictured.

It’s hard to pick a favorite, but I think it has to be LESSONS FROM A COURTESAN, really. I mean, it’s eye catching, it fits the book perfectly and it’s really sexy. I also love FROM LONDON WITH LOVE’s cover a great deal. I hear the cover for HER NOTORIOUS VISCOUNT (April 2009) is also going to be awesome!

Ciara: What are you working on next?

Jenna: I have a lot coming up, actually. In January 2009 I’ll be a part of A RED HOT VALENTINE’S DAY, an anthology with three other erotic writers. My story is called “By Valentine’s Day” and is about friends turning to lovers when they are trapped together by a storm. Then in April 2009 my next historical romance, HER NOTORIOUS VISCOUNT comes out. My hero is a former champion pugilist (boxer) who is forced back into Society when his twin brother dies and he inherits the title. My heroine agrees to “tutor” him in the ways of good manners if he helps her. Then next summer my next full-length erotic romance will be released. I just finished it. It’s called TABOO (at least for now). My heroine is a seamstress… oh and on the side she designs sex toys for the gentleman of the ton. The hero is the man she threw over (or so he thinks) four years before.

And then I’ll be starting a brand new historical series that I can’t say much about because I’m not past much more than the synopsis. But it will feature five different heroes who are all… well, they’re related in a very special way. I’m SOOOO excited to start writing this story! The first book has really captured my imagination. I hope I’ll be able to translate that on page.

Ciara: What advice do you have for aspiring authors?

Jenna: Most of my best advice can be found at Passionate Pen http://www.passionatepen.com . Mostly I’d say study your craft, don’t sweat the small stuff and WRITE.

Ciara: You went to the University of Washington here in lil’ old Sea-town. Why do you think the Pacific Northwest breeds/attracts so many authors? (Is there a scientific link between rain and creativity?)

Jenna: It seems like we authors tend to flock in several places. Seattle does have a huge showing for authors, but I know Southern Cali also has a huge group, so does Columbus, even Chicago. And the entire state of Texas seems to be romance novelist central. Weird.

I do like your idea of the rain breeding creativity. There are only a couple fun things to do inside when it’s raining all the time. Writing is one of them. Researching erotica is another.

Thank you so much Jenna!