Fallen Angel Reviews has the pleasure of speaking with one of Cobblestone Press’ rising stars. Emma Petersen is here with us this evening and I want to give her a big welcome from Fallen Angel Reviews!! Hi Emma, I want to thank you for taking time out this busy holiday season to allow our fans a peek into your world.

You’re welcome Rachelle and thank you very much for having me.

I want to congratulate you on being one of the top sellers during the month of October. When you heard you were tied for first place on the Cobblestone Press bestseller list what was your immediate reaction?

I was stunned and honored. It was the very last thing I expected, I’d gotten some very good reviews and responses to Dragon’s Mate but top sales? Wow! That was the icing on a very delicious cake.

As an author who just recently became published I was impressed when I read your blog and saw your comment about treating your writing career as a business and branding yourself. What made you take this approach vs. the “I just want to create, create, create and success will eventually follow” path?

Writing is one of the most important things in my life I want to make sure I make all the right decisions along the way. It’s a competitive market and a lot of people break in by chance and others work their butts off to get to where they are. I believe in chance, but I also believe in the value of planning.

I’ve had the pleasure of reading Dragon’s Mate and my first question is when can readers like myself, who were impressed with your dragonshifters, plan on reading the next installment? I’m sure I’m not the only one on pins and needles after that cliffhanger of an ending you left us with.

Oooh Rachelle. The cliffhanger doesn’t end with Dragon’s Mate. It might not end until the final installment. The second book, Dragon’s Captive introduces The Born for Earth Urmator’s brother, Ry. A powerful dragon warrior who can call fire and what could be more dangerous than a pissed off fire calling warrior? His mate.

Hehe. Enough teasing. I’m hoping to have the second book out by March. *crosses fingers*

You have a collaboration coming soon with author Crystal Jordan. Can you discuss this project and how did you go from being a solo writer to working on dual author project?

Crystal is my critique partner and partner in mayhem. We had started out writing individual projects for a contest we planned to enter. She was writing the first part of Finding Paradise and I was writing the then untitled, Dragon’s Mate. She got swamped and asked me to finish Finding Paradise for her and voila!

You’ve written since you were in high school I’m sure our readers would love to know what turned you toward writing back then and did you ever think when you started writing your name would be on the cover of book one day?

I started writing romance before I even knew with romance was. All throughout high school I haunted our local public library. I would spend entire Saturdays there with my mom, so by high school I spent almost every chance I got there. The first time I picked up a romance novel was when I was in the check out line and saw a bare chest man on horseback. Curious, I put it on the already enormous pile of books I had and took it home. That was the beginning of the end. I went back the next day and cleaned out the romance section and have been an unabashed aficionado ever since.

I noticed on your bio that you also review books. Do you find yourself being a softer or harsher critic now that you are releasing your own body of works?

Even before I was published, I’ve never been one to tear down an author or their work. I know how incredibly hard the entire process of writing a book can be. Not every book is for every person and if the book isn’t one of my favorites, that’s fine but I love the written word so much I can find the positive in almost everything.

Now that our FAR readers have a better idea about you the writer I’m sure they would love to know about the personal side of Emma Petersen. What is the first word that comes to mind when I say describe yourself and why?

Stubborn. Some can call it determination but I’d rather be honest with myself. I’m stubborn. When I want something there is no stopping me.

When you have a day off from deadlines, chats and your current plot what are your favorite ways to relax and unwind?

I love the Romance Divas forum and reading. Reading is still one of the biggest loves of my life and even though I write more than I read now, sometimes the bug bites me and I crave time alone with a good book.

In a nation running wild with music devices if readers were to listen to the top 5 songs played repeatedly on your Ipod what would they hear? Feel free to substitute the media device to any one you choose.

Sugar by System of a Down. Wait and Bleed by Slipknot. Du Hast by Rammstein. Hand that Feeds by Nine Inch Nails. Do What You Have to Do by Sarah McLachlan.

Emma, if you could meet any famous person in the world who would it be and why?

Oooh this is a hard one. It would be between Toni Morrison and Garth Brooks. Ms. Morrison has influenced my writing style and voice so much. And her books, my gosh her books have haunted me since ninth grade when I read The Bluest Eye.

And Garth Brooks because he’s Garth. *shrugs* Hee! We’ll leave it there.

I’ve taken up a lot of your time so far, but wondered if you could tell our readers about some of the upcoming projects you’re working on?

Seducing St. Nic, which is my first story from my Girl’s Guide to Dating the Evil Undead. It’s also one of my favorite stories because it practically wrote itself. SSN, as I call it, is about Barbara Jean Ruiz and Cypriano San Nicolo, or St. Nic as Barbara calls him.

Cypriano is everything a woman could want in a man. He’s tall, dark, handsome, rich, successful...

And oh yeah, the evil undead. After nearly a century of self imposed sleep he rises to find this new world with all of its technology baffling, but not as much as his irreverent, wise cracking assistant.

These two are like gasoline and matches so the Christmas flame this year is definitely going to burn very bright!

Seducing St. Nic is out now.

I’m wrapping up the second Dragon’s Mate book and another novella titled, Make Me Remember- Which is a reincarnation story about lovers who lost each other two hundred years ago. They’ve found each again but our heroine needs a little more to make her remember.

I have to say this before we close out and pray I don’t sound too much like a love-starved reader even if I am but I’m in love with your home page. The man on there can be my winter dream lover for as long as he wants the position. Did you select the images on your home page personally?

Actually, I did. When I was thinking of having a homepage built I looked around and found a lot of great designers, but I wanted my site to have a lot of me in it, so I deciding to design my site myself. So when I saw the image of the tattooed guy I knew it would totally work for the look I was going for. Also, he’s hot and that helped.

Emma, thank you for taking time to sit down with me this evening so our readers and your fans could get to know you better. Before we leave could you let us know where we can find additional information about your amazing books and any upcoming chats, appearances, or book signings?

You’re welcome Rachelle and thank you for having me. I’m winding down the year. Trying to close out a couple of last minute deadlines so I’m not chatting much. But my blog is update fairly regularly. As is my website.
www.emmapetersen.com
www.emmapetersen.blogspot.com

Interviewed by: Rachelle