Richard: Where were you born and raised? Can you tell us something about your family?

David Petersen: Flint, Michigan. It was a fun place to grow up. It was also where my parents were born and raised, so there was a sense of connection. We would have family dinners at my Grandparent's house (where my Dad grew up), I attended the same high school that my Mom and her siblings went to. It was a mix of city life with just enough parks and trees and small-town living to be the perfect playground for a little boy.

My father (and his father before him) was an engineer for the auto industry. He is also a classic all-around handyman. He could do plumbing, electrical, carpentry, auto mechanics...jobs big and small. He built a few toys for me when I was a kid and did a lot to involve me in his projects.

My mother was a nurse but became a full-time homemaker when I was born. She was a crafter who did sewing and needlepoint crafts. She and I would work on my Halloween costumes together. I went through a puppetry phase where she helped me sew and make patterns.

Richard: When and how did you come to the conclusion you were creating a comic book?

David: Ha hah ha. Well, I thought about doing comics when I first came up with Mouse Guard, but didn't feel I had the drawing chops to handle drawing all those little panels. I tried working it as prose, figuring I'd add chapter illustrations. But I'm a better illustrator than a writer. So it became a very forced decision. After people responded so well to character sketches at a convention I was set up for, I promised I would have the book out for the next convention. That was the fall of 2004.

Richard: What is the Mouse Guard, why does it exist?

David: Mice are pretty low on the food chain, there is a whole line of critters waiting to eat them. So the mice build their cities hidden and spread apart.

That way in the instance of a predator attack and city breach, the entire mouse population isn't wiped out. This leaves mice prisoners of their own Cities, though, they can't trade between towns, they can't visit or have relations with neighboring mice in other cities. The Mouse Guard is a group of mice who act as path finders, escorts, guides, weather watchers and protectors to common mice in the wild.

Richard: "Mouse Guard: Winter 1152" is the next part in this story, but what is it about?

David: Winter will build on the relationships hinted between the guard mice in the Fall series. Food and medical supplies are low and Gwendolyn dispatches our heroes to deliver messages of good will and trade to some of the key cities. But the majority of the story is about their journey home. The party will split and more than one life will be on the line.

Richard: Will there be new characters and who are they?

David: There will be a few minor character roles and the Diamond Previews Contest Winner's mouse will be featured as well. Lori created a mouse, Roibin, who is an elderly poet and scribe with a beetle companion. Not only was the drawing lovely, but her story about him fit right into what I would need for future Mouse Guard stories.

Richard: Where does your inspiration come from?

David: Many of the characters in Mouse Guard are based on friends of mine. So the experiences and personalities that I know so well from our friendship help guide the characters. I'm also a fan of myth and legend, so everything from Aesop and Wind in the Willows to Star Wars and Dungeons and Dragons.

Richard: Do you have any professional training?

David: No, not really. I have a degree in Printmaking from Eastern Michigan University, but there was a lack of focus on illustration there in favor of a "fine art" curriculum. It took a few years away from school doing side projects and portfolios for role playing game illustration that I taught myself about sequential storytelling. It was more about finding the tricks and techniques that worked for my favorite artists and movie makers and seeing how I could apply them to what I wanted to do.

Richard: How has Archaia Studios treated you?

David: Wonderfully. It's a great support team. Mark has really pulled in a lot of great talent to make the ASP lineup and I'm proud to be a part of that.

They are always there if I need to talk about business or to help me work out rough spots in a plot, but they never seem intrusive. They let me make Mouse Guard the way I like to and I couldn't be happier with them.

Richard: Will there be a third installment of Mouse Guard?

David: I'm planning on it. There are two prequel stories I plan on doing with the Guard. The end of Winter will leave a little cliffhanger, or at least leave the reader excited about the future. I'll take that opportunity to redirect focus to the past and get back to the current time line later.

Richard: Would you like to create another comic?

David: Yeah. I have another creator-owned project on the back burner. It's a fantasy book as well, but more fairy tale-ish. The main character is a cousin to the leprechaun and is honor bound to do good deeds in order to make humans stop cursing the name of fairy folk.

Perhaps after I get that fifth Mouse Guard storyline finished I'll get to work on it.

Richard: Would you like to write and or draw a comic for the big two comic companies?

David: It would be a kick to do some small work on some of the iconic characters. The X-Men are what I started reading when I got into comics, so it would be fun to do something with the Giant-Sized team (best X-Men team ever!). But I wouldn't want to stay long. I have so many of my own stories to tell.

Richard: What pets have you had and would you like to have?

David: I have always had dogs. We had a dog growing up (and a few fish, but they didn't last long). My wife had a dog when we got married and we inherited a few along the way. We now just have one, Autumn. She's a Shepherd/Akita mix and she is a great play dog and cuddle dog. I have never been one for exotic animals or rodents as pets. In kindergarten I got to take home the class hamster for a weekend--- that was a disaster. I was bitten several times and eventually he got loose and found his way into my sister's room.

Richard: How can someone contact you?

David: Through my website www.mouseguard.net or www.davidpetersen.net

Richard: Any final words of advice?

David: Surround yourself with good people and listen to both your heart and their advice.