My special guest today is author, Desiree Holt. Desiree is a writing machine and Downstroke, her recent Ellora’s Cave release is her 100th book. That’s pretty impressive. I asked Desiree how she keeps going, and this is her reply…
The realization that I was about to hit one hundred on my release list actually snuck up on me. My web mistress was revising my printable book list and asked me how many I had in release. Counting up to Romantic Times Booklovers Convention I realized that my first April release would be #100.
And I thought, Holy Cow! One hundred stories? I didn’t realize my brain was packed so full.
But for those people who wonder if my creative juices have stalled or my ideas are laying dormant, I say, nay, nay. I think I’ll be writing until my fingers don’t work anymore.
For one thing, almost every day a new idea comes to me. Maybe it’s in the newspaper, or from something I’ve seen on television. I have a very hunky UPS man and I’m considering making him the hero of one of my stories. Maybe he’s delivering a package with some kinky toys in it. Every single person I see or talk to or just pass on the street lights a bulb in my head.
I think it’s because I have such an insatiable curiosity about everyone and everything. Remember that old program, The Naked City? The opening gambit was a voice saying “There are seven million stories in the naked city.” Well, that’s how I feel. Everything and everyone becomes a nugget of a story to me.
One of my little tricks of the trade is that I work on more than one story at a time. That way if I hit a wall with one I can leave it for a bit and move to another. It also keeps the ideas in my head fresh and active.
I was a daydreamer when I was young and I think I still am. I carry a notebook in my purse so that no matter where I am, if the idea for a story strikes me I can jot it down. I no longer trust my memory for that. I tried that once and when I came back to the two lines I’d written I couldn’t for the life of me remember what I wanted to write.
Also, I’m an avid reader and I usually read genres different from those I write. That way I give my brain a rest and I also don’t let someone else’s thoughts bleed into my head. What do I do when I want to read anything erotic? I shut down my computer for a couple of days except for email and take a reading break.
Then, when I’m back at it, my mind is refreshed and my stories come alive again.
I think another point is that I never get tired of creating and never run out of ideas. And I get input from many sources. I have great writing partners and we bounce ideas off one another. For my action adventure stories I can always count on my son (although we never discuss s-e-x). My younger daughter gave me the idea for my Night Seekers series.
So how do I keep going? I do it with pleasure and a voracious appetite for creating. As long as that adrenaline keeps racing through my body, my fingers will keep pounding the keyboard.
And I hope you all will keep reading.
Here’s the blurb for Desiree’s 100th release, Downstroke
It’s been twenty years since security specialist Charley Roper and country star Dallas Creed had their bitter parting. Now a killer has brought them together again, but neither is ready for a reunion—despite signs that their explosive chemistry hasn’t waned with time. She can’t forget the feel of his hands on her body. He can’t forget the hot touch of her mouth. When they finally tumble into bed, the sex is just as good as they remember, hot enough to singe the sheets. But is it enough?
Thrown together during an exhausting, frenzied concert tour, with a killer nipping at their heels, Dallas and Charley find themselves on a hot, suspenseful, erotic roller coaster ride. Can he convince her to trust her heart to him one more time, to reach out for a richer, deeper, more mature love?
More importantly—can Charley keep Dallas alive long enough for either of them to enjoy a second chance?
Visit Desiree Holt’s website
