Author Interview with Jesse Petersen (Includes Contest)

My guest this week is author Jesse Petersen!

Now I am not a huge zombie fan but I loved Jesse's Living with the Dead series! I don't think I have read so many books in the same series in such a short time frame before. They were so much fun!

I hope you all enjoy this interview and check out Jesse's books. Also make sure you enter the contest for your chance to win one of Jesse's Zombie fun filled action books ;)

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Amber - Welcome to Amberkatze's Book Blog! It is great to have you here as a guest! Could you start things off by telling us a little about your Living With The Dead series?

Jesse - The Living With the Dead series is about a couple on the verge of divorce who get caught up in a zombie outbreak started in Seattle (where they live). In the first book they use their marriage couselor's advice to escape the city, in the second they start a small business and in the third they pretty much try to save the world.

Amber - How did you come up with the idea for the series? Was
it a long process or did it just come to you?

Jesse - I actually just had the idea for the scene where Dave and Sarah realize their marriage couselor is a zombie and sat down and wrote the book.

Amber - Are Sarah and David based on a couple you know? Was it easy working with them or were they high maintenance characters?

Jesse - This was a book I wrote to entertain myself since it is something far out of the genre I normally write and published under. I wrote it to have fun and I did, no real struggles from it. It was a golden book in a lot of ways, one that just wrote itself and I just tried to keep up.

Amber - Did you always wanted to be an author?

Jesse - I have always wanted to write and have been lucky enough to be able to live that dream since my first book was released in 2005. And this series (which came out in 2010) just continues that dream.

Amber - I am not a huge fan of zombies but I am loving this series. Are you a huge fan of zombies?

Jesse - I love zombies! I love zombie movies with a funny twist best like Shaun of the Dead and Zombieland, but I'll take a good creepy zombie movie, too.

Amber - Did you have to do a lot of research for the books? Watch a lot of the Walking Dead?

Jesse - Because of the production time it takes to get a book from the author to print, all three books were done by the time The Walking Dead came out (though I did do a series review of each episode of the show on my blog). I watched a ton of zombie movies, though, since Dave and Sarah also use some of their zombie movie knowledge to help them out.

Amber - How about the marriage problems Sarah & David face? Research or more personal experience?

Jesse - Research. I have a great husband.

Amber - I was a late starter but you are already three books into the series. Are you done or will there be more?

Jesse - The series is, unfortunately, over at this point. My publisher doesn't want more books. But there is a short story collection out set in the same world called IN THE DEAD that you can get for just 99 cents. And I'm getting lots of requests to write more, so if I do I would publish those works independently and offer them on Kindle/Nook. My Facebook/Twitter and website are a great place to keep up with all that news.

Amber - What else are you working on? More zombie's? Something completely different?

Jesse - I'm writing a monster story currently (monsters in a therapy group in New York). And I'm still writing in my other genre. So I'm busy, busy!

Amber - What books do you enjoy reading? Do you have any favourite authors/series?

Jesse - I read across the board but to me saying something is my favorite book is like trying to pick a favorite movie! It is so dependent on mood and genre and so many other factors.

Amber - What are you listening and watching lately? Is there any music or other media that influences your writing?

Jesse - I don't actually listen to music while writing. With the zombies being set in a comtemporary world, I definitely sometimes get sparks of ideas from what I watch (anime, news, reality tv, etc).

Amber - Favourite Zombie movie? Why?

Jesse - Probably Shaun of the Dead. It's funny, touching and captures everything a zombie movie should be while also making me laugh. You really can't ask for more.

Amber - If you could be any paranormal creature, what would you be and why?

Jesse - I think I'd always choose to be more hunter than monster. Too much hair/blood drinking/itchiness/scaling for me.

Amber - Thank you for being a guest on the blog! I hope you will stop by again sometime.

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Living with the Dead

#1 - Married With Zombies
#2 - Flip This Zombie
#3 - Eat Slay Love



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Contest Time


I am giving away a copy of one of Jesse's books, winners choice! The winner can pick from any of the three Living with the Dead books or In The Dead as their prize. Kindle or paperback.


How To Enter


Jesse has a cool quiz on her website. See HOW LONG WOULD YOUR RELATIONSHIP SURVIVE IN THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE and post your result!


No Result = No Entry


'Please enter me' posts will not be counted as an entry!


Earn more entries for each link you place about this contest on the net. You can post on Facebook, Twitter & MySpace but make sure you add links here for me to confirm your entries! However please do not make individual postings for each entry. Please post all your entries in one post.

Advertise Amberkatze's Book Blog on your site and get an extra entry for this and every other contest!

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Have you 'Liked' Amberkatze's Book Blog on Facebook?


You can also earn extra entries by emailing your friends about the contest. Just make sure you send a copy of your email or receipt to me at Amberkatzes_book_blog at gmx dot net.

Make sure you post your links here so I can confirm your entries.

Keep the contests going by using the Bookdepository.com and Amazon.com links/Banners below and around the site!





The contest will stay open until Sunday 23rd of October 2011 4pm CET and the winner will be picked by a randomizer. Entrants should check back to see if they have won. I do not hunt down winners and will pick new winners for any prizes not claimed within 7 days.