Across the Beer Bar with....Em!

OR:  Across the Beer Bar with yet another author who Doesn't Get It That This Is A BEER BAR...
jeez.


anyways, let me just say that Em Petrova is one of my heroes.  We share a couple of publishers and her stories are hot, passionate, and extraordinarily well-written.  But yeah.  BEER?! Okay. here we go...


Welcome to my Tap Room Em!
what can I pour you to start ...

Long Island Iced Tea please. I once put down way too many to count, and did some very bad stuff on a dance floor. That's all I'm sayin'. Liz Sighs Heavily and shakes head.  I have a microbrewer's license woman, not a Class A liquor license so...I'm gonna start you with my bourbon barrel aged Oktoberfest...it's the elixir of the gods. trust me.
Q: You are a very prolific writer. What has been the book you loved writing the most so far?
Oooh, good question. I love each for different reasons. Overall, though, I'd have to say TREFOIL-Book 2 of my Immortal Series. Though it's Book 2, it's the first book I wrote after a seven-year writer's block after my daughter passed away. I fell in love with my main hero Nathan Halbrook at that moment, and he'll always speak to me on a higher level. Also, I have a soft spot for a book that's currently in the hands of my Ellora's Cave editor--a sultry taboo story set in the exotic east. It reflects my passion for Anne Rice novels! ACK! Jealous! I'm still waiting for word from EC on a very cool mystery/sabotage/intrigue/sexy brewery story....pull some strings for me wouldya?

 Q: You've written several books featuring f/f relationships---do you think that sub genre is as hot as the m/m stuff that's flying off virtual bookshelves right now?
I think some readers are hesitant to pick up a f/f book, simply because they are afraid they might get turned on. But isn't erotic romance about exploring new possibilities? Pushing new boundaries? In fact, Liz...you're looking pretty hot tonight. ;) I always look hot sweetheart and I am all about pushing boundaries...just ask the folks who put the "Bi-friendly" sticker on me at parties. [image error]
The genre is definitely growing, and I love writing the f/f stories. My bestselling series The French Kiss Chronicles begins with the relationship of two women, who find love in unexpected places. Pssst--the latest book in that series is out Oct 17! Look for QUATRE.
 Q: We share a couple of publishers. Which was your first? Who have you enjoyed working with the most and why?
 My first publisher was Red Sage. They picked up my Immortal Series book, RUNES. Since then I have received twenty contracts--six of them with Red Sage. My latest release is a spanking story set in South Africa! 
To answer your last question, I like different publishers for different reasons. I'm kind of a publishing whore and I've learned a lot by submitting to a lot of publishers. Going forward, I know which house works for which type of story, and now I can better tailor to readers who frequent those sites.
 Oops, glass is empty. What's next?
 Err...you know I'm a cheap drunk, right? Feeling that heat sliding south...Oh yeah. Maybe some Southern Comfort? Jesus, you people.  I am going to ramp up the efforts to get more women to understand how amazing BEER is, that it to say: CRAFT beer...Here (shoves small glass under Em's nose). It's my brewer's Faustian Stout.  You will love it. Trust me. Q: What is your favorite genre to read? to write? [image error] I read a ton of erotic romance, and of course I love writing smut! Paranormals always pull me in, but I'm not a vamp/shifter kind of gal. I like paranormals bordering on horror. I like to bring a bit of macabre into every story in some way--leaving the reader with something that shocks them.

 Q: You write full time, if I'm not mistaken (jealous, me). Did you leave a "day job" to follow your passion to write or did you just fall into it for something to do?
Actually, I have many, many jobs. I am a mother of four very rowdy kids ages 9-4. Yes, that's a full-time job in itself! Part-time during the day, I clean houses for cash. Plus I am a marketing director for an e-publisher and edit for another small press. All of that on top of my writing and the mountain of laundry. Hell, grocery shopping is a full-time job, is it not?
 I bloody well HATE going to the grocery.  I once counted and figured out you have to touch each item you buy SEVEN TIMES before you're done.  I'm over it.
 Q: What are you reading right now?
At this moment I'm reading Northern Exposure by Jayne Rylon and Mari Carr. Hot cowboy ménage. Whew!
 Yippee kayay....ride 'em...save a horse and all that...
 Q: We've talked a lot about successful and less-so promoting techniques. What has been the one thing you'd do again (interviews, blog tours, ads, whatever) and one thing you'd NEVER try again?
 Hmmm. Tough question, especially when you're tipsy. Did you ask for me to take my top off? No. Well, there you have it. The girls like to play I guess. Darling you will have a fan club here. I work with all men. All my partners are men. Both brewers are men and the entire Tap Room staff are young stud muffins in their own way (did I mention I hired them). So go for it.
Okay, back to the question. My number one love when promoting is connecting with readers. Having a chat or responding to a comment on a blog. I live to talk on FB or Twitter. I want people to know I'm real and very accessible. And I love listening to people's fantasies. So, Liz, what's yours? Dare you to share!
It's fairly complicated if you must know. And involves a round robin of Alexander Skaarsgard, Jon Hamm, George Clooney (although I hear he's on Viagra--but he is nearly 50), Mark Sanchez, Xabi Alonso and Sam Calgione. And a shit ton of beer, a best seller list and some tv cameras. 'nuff said.
What I'd never do again? Submit to contests. Whether writing contests or cover contests, it's mostly political, and I don't have time for begging votes from my nearest and dearest! 
 Now the nightcap...what's your poison?
Nightcap? I thought we were getting warmed up. You know I'm going to be goofy in a little while, don't you? Give me a double of the Southern Comfort, because that warmed me up perfectly to write the next scene in my new work-in-progress...Again with the liquor! Hello? Ok, I'm gonna pour you something a little rare---we kept back some of the Double Fisted Doppelbock (a smooth black lager) for just such events as these...so...a little Double Fist my dear?
Thanks for hanging Em. And bringing your A Game. And the Girls. Good luck and keep up the great work (while you convince someone from EC to move my MS up the pile...)
We shall reconvene and learn more about BEER very soon.
cheersLiz