FRANCES: okay, question # 1- When did you start wrting and why? It's very obvious to all of your fans you have real talent at this.

PETER: It's an amusing story, actually. When I was a kid, after seeing a movie, I would try to act out what I thought happened afterword. I would go to the park and pretend I was the characters, continuing the story. I didn't actually start writing until I first got the internet. I had just wanted the end of the third season of 'Dawson's Creek' and was, suffice to say, dissapointed. I found that a fellow fan had written her own continuation of what happened afterwords, so I decided to do my own version. Not only did it make me feel better, but made other fans feel better too. So, once it was finished, I did another story. Then another, improving as time went on.

FRANCES: That's very imaginative of you

PETER: Thank you.

FRANCES: So, I guess you could say reading fanfiction really helped to kick in your writing. You are a fan favorite among the fanfiction world.

PETER: lol...yep. But that's true of a lot of things. Every artist starts out because someone else inspired them.

FRANCES: Very true. I agree

PETER: Next question.

FRANCES: Okay. Do you have any advice or words of wisdom to those who want to start writing fanfiction?

PETER: My only advice is to use your imagination. Write what you wish would happen. Also, even if you dislike a character, do not write him or her off as a villain. Every character is someone's favorite, and by treating that character with respect, you could win over readers who wouldn't like your work otherwise.

FRANCES: That sounds like very good advice to me.

PETER: It took me awhile to realize that myself. But once I did, I found that certain characters do have their strong points. You just need to know where to look.

FRANCES: Well, let's get into the Virtual Season 7 shall we?

PETER: Sure.

FRANCES: First off, I must say that I think it is just excellent reading. I can picture everything happening just as if they were real episodes.

PETER: Thanks

FRANCES: So how many episodes are left?

PETER: Well, the plan is to have 24 episodes this season. It might shorten to 23, depending on how things go by then

FRANCES: I see. I and I'm sure many of the other readers will agree, that the way you reunited Dawson/Joey and Pacey/Andie was not only beautiful but very plausible. Could you give a little teaser about what's next for these two fan favorites?

PETER:My main goal for the first ten episodes was to ressurect what I loved most about Dawson's Creek. Let's face it..the previous writers really left things a mess.

FRANCES: Oh yeah they did...and you cleaned it up so nicely.

PETER: Dawson and Pacey, once the second-strongest relationship on the show, were at each other's throats once again, Joey still didn't know which one she wanted, Andie hadn't been seen or heard from for two entire years, the sole adult was suffering from a life-threatening illness, and all of them were virtually directionless. It may have been lazy to have Dawson and Pacey become friends again off-camera, but I would have had to spend another five episodes to do that otherwise. The former writers left a window open, so the best thing to do was make them friends again before Joey came back.

FRANCES: Wise decision

PETER: Confession time: I'm a Dawson and Joey fan. Not just because I like them together, but because I believe you can't really be a DC fan and not like them. That being said, I'm also a big fan of the Dawson/Pacey friendship. Dawson/Joey may be the heart, but Dawson/Pacey is the glue that holds the body together. That triangle wasn't going to be resolved unless one of them backed away under their own power. Otherwise, we'd just go through the same cycle all over again.

FRANCES: I completely agree. I'm glad that the dreaded triangle is over in this season

PETER: One thing I wanted to show was that, despite their differences, Dawson Leery and Pacey Witter are really a lot of like. Like Dawson, Pacey deserves happiness in his life. And, truth to tell, he was happiest when he was with Andie. She brightens up his world and challenges him.

FRANCES: Oh I agree. I have always been a Pacey/Andie. Anybody who watched Season 2 knows they belong together.

PETER: As for the future, except a few challenges to come their way from both their pasts. One of Pacey's mistakes from the past few years is going to come back to haunt him, and a ghost from their high school relationship is going to reintroduce itself very soon.

FRANCES: Uh oh... so omnious. I can't wait to find out what happens next!

PETER: For Dawson and Joey, you're going to see some things happen that should have happened a long time ago. These two know they love each other. Now they just have to make it work...which is easier said than done. Just because Joey's accepted her feelings for her life-long best friend doesn't necessarily mean she's done 'finding herself'. Expect Joey's journey of self-discovery to continue in the next few episodes.

FRANCES: Okay, next question...It's obvious that writing this whole season is a lot of work. Do you have any help at all or is it just you and your wonderful imagination?

PETER: Well, generally it's just me. A reason why virtually none of my other stories have been updated since the summer is because it takes up a lot of my free time. However, I do have a pair of co-plotters. One of them, Karen, may even write an episode herself before February sweeps. Stay tuned to find out how that turns out.

FRANCES: Awesome! Karen is another excellent writer.

PETER: I'll pass along the message

FRANCES: Well, after this season is over, what's next for you? I think a lot of fans are wondering if there will be a Season 8.

PETER: That, I have to say, is a little up in the air. As I've stated before, this takes up a lot of time solo. But I will say, and you didn't hear it from me, that the end of this season has a feel of finality to it. I'm not saying there won't be an eighth season, but if there is it'll be in a setting far different from the current one

FRANCES: Ooh, that sounds very intriguing to me.

PETER: Dawson's Creek has always had a personal connection with me. It started when I began high school, they graduated when I did, and they will be finished college when I do. So when I say I don't know what happens next, it refers to both the cast and myself. However, it's safe to say you haven't heard the last of me. As for future stories, I do have a few ideas. Namely a cross-over involving Dawson, Joey, Pacey, and a certain friendly neighborhood wall-crawler

FRANCES: Well, I certainly hope you'll be writing more fanfiction once the season is done. Perhaps some crossovers? Those are always fun to read.

PETER: Didn't I just mention that?

FRANCES: One of my favorite eps from this season was the one where Andy & Eprham from " Everwood" met the gang from Capeside. Will they be making a return appearance before the season ends?

PETER: I'd love for them to make a come-back. We'll see what happens. Can I be frank about cross-overs for a moment?

FRANCES: Sure.

PETER: Cross-overs are both the easiest and the hardest types of stories to write. On the one hand, they come almost natural. Who out there hasn't wondered what would happen if the casts of their two favorite television shows met? However, when you do a story like this, you have to remember that they can sometimes live in entirely different worlds, so to speak. A show like Everwood has a very similar atmosphere to DC. It should, seeing as former Dawson's Creek producer Greg Berlenti is in charge. It's fairly easy to transport the characters from one show to the other.

FRANCES: Yeah, well, in the ep, the crossover was seamless. It seemed very natural. And it was very fun :(to read

PETER: On the other hand, with shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Smallville, it's more difficult. Dawson, Joey, and the gang live in a relatively 'safe' world where vampires, aliens, and the like don't exist. That being the case, in order for the two to meet, you need to transplant the character into the other's universe. When that happens, they need to play by the 'rules' of that universe. Otherwise, it just doesn't work. My earliest example of this is on my first story I ever wrote. In it, the character Angel made an appearance in Capeside. However, throughout the entire story I couldn't mention that he was a vampire. I could hint at it, sure. But as far as Capeside is concerned, magical creatures like that just don't exist. Of course, then there's the whole pop culture reference thing. Kinda hard for the characters from Roswell to show up in Capeside when Jen has been shown to be a rabid fan of that show. But then again, Chris is a regular character...

FRANCES: Okay- Is there any show that you haven't wrote fic for but would like to? Say, that new guilty pleasue known as 'The OC'?

PETER: Oh, I'm a big fan of The O.C. Don't be too surprised if a reference to the show shows up on an episode. There seems to be a lot of similarities between it an the earlier seasons of Dawson's Creek. Ryan is like Dawson, Seth is like Pacey, Marissa has similarities to both Joey and Jen, etc... I wouldn't be surprised if the staff writers were old DC fans themselves.

FRANCES: As a big OC fan, I'd have to agree with everything you just said.

PETER: Another show I have never written for is Buffy the Vampire Slayer(or its spin-off, Angel), even though I have been a fan just as long as I've been a DC fan. I'd like to try my hand at those characters one day, if I can ever find the time.

FRANCES: Yes, writing fic is very time consuming but when you get feedback and people email you saying they loved your story, you don't mind all the time it takes up right?

PETER: Knowing that someone enjoyed your work is the best feeling in the world. Just the knowledge that you made somebody happy is its own reward.

FRANCES: And on that note- I would like to thank you for taking the time out to do this interview and keep up the great job on Virtual Season 7.

PETER: It was my pleasure. Just just hope the next half of the season is just as enjoyable