I had the pleasure of meeting Desiree back in 2007 at the Romantic Times Booklovers Convention in Houston, Texas. We shared some small talk and she was so kind to an unpublished author. I have never forgotten how she encouraged me to keep trying! Now, lets chat with one sweetheart of a lady!
Please tell us a bit about yourself.
I live in Texas, in the Hill Country which of course
is why cowboys are so prominent among my heroes!). I live in a typical small
Texas town and you’ll find snippets of it in a lot of my books. I’m a voracious
reader and own more than 2,000 titles. I’m also an avid football fan. Oh, maybe
rabid would be a better word, especially where my Michigan Wolverines are
concerned. Maybe because my first writing job was as the first female sports
reports at The Michigan Daily. I love to watch movies, either action/adventure
or a good love story, and I love hanging out with my kids, all of whom are
adults making their own lives.
Have
you always wanted to write?
Yes, but I didn’t really get the chance until I
finally retired. I did some newspaper work, writing s a stringer for several
local weeklies, and for the magazine at both universities where I worked. I
also did a lot of public relations copy, but not much fiction. But I kept
notebooks with ideas scribbled in them, and as soon as I was retired I went to
work on them and haven’t stopped!
Was
it hard to write erotica?
Not as much as I expected. When the opportunity
presented itself my husband suggested I buy a few books, read them and see if I
felt comfortable. And I did, more than I expected. I think it’s because all my
stories are character-driven, and sex is a natural progression of the
development of a relationship. I don’t believe in gratuitous sex just for the
sake of sex. It has to be meaningful and part of the story. So if I concentrate
on my characters it’s a lot easier than you might think.
And
do you have a favorite genre you like to read?
Two,actually-contemporary romance and
action/adventure.
What
can you tell us about how you felt when your first book was contracted?
I was so excited I could hardly stand it. The word
came through an email from the publisher. I oriented it out and sat staring at
it for so long my daughter, who was at my house at the time, said, “Mom, it
won’t disappear. I promise.”
Is
there anything you would like to say to your readers?
I love all my readers. They are the people I write
for. I love hearing from them, talking to them, meeting them and getting
feedback. Even not for them, writing would be a very solitary, unrewarding
occupation. I want them to know I am always accessible and always listen to
them. I have actually written books based solely on requests from my readers so
keep those emails coming.
And
what advice would you care to give to aspiring authors?
Learn
your craft. Join a critique group and soak up the feedback. Search on line for
any sites that give hints on the do’s and don'ts of writing. Love what you do
and do what you love. But above all, stick to it, even if you only write a page
a day. This is a very competitive business and it’s very easy to get
discourage. But if you stay with it, set goals and keep to a schedule, success
can be yours.
What
is the one book you feel the closest to?
I’d say Do You
Trust Me. It’s set in San Antonio and uses a lot of background from the
city. It also has some great scenes in Maine, where I grew up, so I was able to
combine two of my favorite places. Plus I was able to combine my favorite
genres—action/adventure, romance, erotic romance. And I am still in love with
my hero, Connor McCall. I keep hoping he’ll show up at my front door.
And just in case you didn't know this about Desiree...
Referred
to by USA Today as the Nora Roberts of erotic romance, Desiree Holt is the
world’s oldest living published erotic romance author. A graduate of the
University of Michigan her earlier careers include agent and manager in the
music industry, public television, associate vice president of university
advancement, public relations, and economic development.
She
is three times a finalist for an EPIC E-Book Award (and a winner in 2014), a
nominee for a Romantic Times Reviewers Choice Award, winner of the first 5
Heart Sweetheart of the Year Award at The Romance Studio as well as twice a
CAPA Award winner for best BDSM book of the year, winner of the Ellora’s Cave
Golden Ankh and winner of the Holt Medallion for Excellence in Romance
Literature.
She
has been featured on CBS Sunday Morning
and in The Village Voice, The Daily Beast, USA Today, The (London)
Daily Mail, The New Delhi Times, The Huffington Post and numerous other
national and international publications. Currently she has signed on as a
blogger for The Huffington Post. She
is also the Authors After Dark 2014 Author of the Year.
And here are just a few reviews about her work...
“Desiree Holt is the most
amazing erotica author of our time and each story is more fulfilling then the
last.” (Romance Junkies)
“Holt knows what her fans will
love.”
(RT Book Reviews)
“Holt delivers with delicious love scenes, a
believable story and characters you care about. “
RT Book Reviews
“Well-written erotica filled with modern-day cowboys.—John
Rodzilla, Emerson Univ., Boston The
Library Journal
“Desiree Holt delivers smoking hot alpha heroes and red
hot romances.” Lea Franczak, USA Today
Happy Ever After blog.
“I
have read many stories by this author and she never disappoints. She knows how
to bring out the best in her characters that help you connect with them.”
Romancing the Book
“Ride
the Mustang by Desiree Holt is everything you come to expect from Ms. Holt.”
Sizzling Hot Reads
Learn more about her and her
novels here:
Twitter @desireeholt
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