Hi all, my name is Emma Petersen. I am an author and reader of erotica and erotic romance and their sub-genres. I could be called somewhat of a connoisseur, but since I’d be the only calling myself that…Anywho, I love erotica & erotic romance. I love writing it, reading it, and promoting the genre.

I’ve been writing for about five years now and have grown to love Romancelandia (That’s what I call our romance community) and its inhabitants. And while I love you guys I’d really appreciate if you’d stop emailing and asking why I have a gay Viking on my cover for my latest release, Reign of Pleasure.

Le sigh. I’ve heard it all. “What’s up with the nude lipstick?” “Couldn’t he come up with his own look, why did he have to steal Bluesteel from Zoolander?” “Does he model in his spare time?”

O_o Cruel. Completely and unnecessarily cruel. In my opinion, Sven, that’s what I like to call him, DOES NOT look like a gay Viking. *shrugs* But opinions are opinions and everyone has one. Do I get offended? The first time, yes I was a little offended. But that is life.

And part of that life is cover art and we get to the point of this post. (Yes, I took the roundabout way, just hush and continue to read.) Making the best out of the less than ideal. I like my cover but have gotten several emails from readers and authors, who don’t. As the majority of us know, some authors have very little say when it comes to cover art. (I’m not here to debate that because I’ve been on both sides of that fence, as an author and as a cover artist.)

Q: So what do you do if you get a cover, unlike me, that you don’t love.
A: Appreciate it for what it is. The cover artist more than likely spent a good deal of time on it and feels about it the way you feel about your writing.

Q. What do you do if someone emails you about your cover, “totally killing their girl wood” because it’s hideous?
A. One, thank them for buying your book despite the fact they didn’t exactly care for your cover. Two, ask them never, ever, ever, ever tell you about their girl wood again, it hurt your soul just a bit.

Q. What do you do if Romancelandia butchers your cover?
A. Take it in stride, it’s all in good fun. And remember, bad reviews and cover snarks are part of the deal. They come along with the territory and believe it or not can help sales.

Now let’s cover what you should NEVER ever do:

1. Take it personal.
2. Insult your cover artist and/or publisher and blame them for your cover.
3. Argue with someone in email and/or a public forum about your cover.
4. Write a long blog post about how the world sucks at large and has absolutely no taste because your cover is the most beautiful cover in the world. (I know that one was a little specific and I totally swear I did not write such a blog post. Even if I did you have absolutely no proof.)

Thank you for having me over Miss (soon to be Mrs.) Pixie. I’ve had a wonderful time.

If anyone would like to read an excerpt from Reign of Pleasure, you can read one here, here and here. Please be over 18 if you read them, they do have adult content. And spanking.

If you leave a comment on this post from today until Wednesday at midnight, you’ll be entered to win your very own copy of Reign of Pleasure AND Make Me Remember. (Or another title of your choice if you already have Make Me Remember)

All the best, Emma
www.emmapetersen.com