I look at the places my life has taken me and hope that I was smart enough to enjoy them all while I was there. I had great experiences working as a reporter for weekly newspapers, covering everything from local political meetings, to the trial of a man who shot his wife because she wrecked his car, I once did a tour of thirty stores in one day interviewing Santa Claus. It’s a good thing I didn’t wreck my car! I’ve done things both sane and insane, like promoting the opening of a shopping center by sending a band up in a hot air balloon and stopping traffic for four miles in every directions.
But I think the real richness of my life came from my years managing rock bands.
Rock musicians are a breed unto themselves. The music is their life, and one of their first goals is to be able to move their practice sessions from someone’s garage to a real practice studio. Sometimes they’re lucky and they get to practice far enough out of civilization that only the cows and horses can comment. Other times the poor manager gets to field phone calls from neighbors and—if you’re not lucky, the police—about that “awful sounding stuff”. But wherever they practice, it’s all about the music.
The sound.
Their sound.
And the music is great. It’s good. It’s terrific. The success of a good song can give you the same high as really good sex. The success of your client can take you to orgasmic levels. And despite all the pitfalls, there’s nothing like being at the top, even if the bottom is always just a misstep away.
Last year I went to Johnny Depp’s Viper Room to see a performance by an excellent rock band, Run Devil Run. The moment I stepped into the room it was like stepping into my past, surrounded by memories, excitement and hot music. The person who drew my attention, however, was the bass player. Can you say sex on a stick? He was sooo into his music, and so “hawt” on stage you could feel the energy and electricity sizzling from him. I knew I had to write a story where the hero was based on him.
Check out this shot of him.
And so Joy Ride was born.
The traditional story of the good girl and the bad boy, set against the world of rock music. I hope you’ll come along for the ride with Emma and Marc.
Available at: Decadent Publishing, Amazon, Sony, All Romance eBooks.
Blurb:
Emma, the good girl poster child, is running from a life she suddenly sees as grey and suffocating. A life where she’s successfully buried all her hopes and secret dreams. Until the night she wanders into Aftershock and is immediately drawn to Marc, the hot bass player with the band. Marc doesn’t much care for the groupies who hang around the band. He wants a woman he can create a life with that’s a counterpoint to the craziness of the rock music business. When he sees Emma for the first time something inside him cracks wide open. Just one sizzling glance between them and he’s sure he’s found the woman he wants. But as the relationship grows, there’s a huge stumbling block: Emma won’t tell him her name. The sex is fabulous but he wants more. So does Emma but her fear of everything falling apart builds a barrier she can’t seem to cross. Marc is taking her on the joy ride of her life, but will her own insecurities destroy everything?
Excerpt:
Clutching the cold beer bottle in her hand, she wedged her way between gyrating bodies, hypnotized by the music until she reached the front of the crowd…and stopped at the edge of the stage, mesmerized. The bass guitarist stood with one foot balanced on the monitor in front of him, his body leaning into the sound. His head was thrown back, dark hair flying around his face as he pounded out the rhythm of the song they were playing. He was wild, uninhibited, totally immersed in his music. He moved with an incredible grace to the accented beat, hips thrusting as his clever fingers plucked the strings and slid on the neck of the guitar.
For one incredible moment, Emma had the feeling he was playing only for her and she realized she really had been struck by “Lightnin’.” Permanently electrified by it.
A surge of heat raced through her, and it wasn’t the kind that emanated from the tightly packed sweaty bodies. Instead, an electric excitement gripped her, sending a charge of unfamiliar sexual thrill to every nerve. Her breasts tingled and between her thighs, she felt a throbbing as deep as the sound of the bass. At first she stood stiffly, clutching her drink. People jostled and shoved her as they kept time to the beat. She took two quick swallows of the beer, grimacing at the bitter taste. But as the alcohol eased her tension, she found herself catching the rhythm of the music and trying to mimic the movements of the bass player, totally caught up in the seductive lure of the song. For one crazy moment, she was gripped by an uncontrollable urge to jump up on the stage, and bump and grind with him. Her! Emma, the good girl!
Clumsily juggling the beer bottle, she slipped the thin strap of her purse over her head so it lay crosswise between her breasts. Her focus still on the bass player, she swayed to the beat, hips moving, rocking. When the song ended, the bass guitarist threw back his head on a final note and then looked out into the crowd, peering beyond the glare of the stage lights.
His eyes seemed to find hers as if pulled by a magnet, and a fist slammed through her.
Ohmigod!
You can find her at
www.facebook.com/desiree holt
Twitter @desireeholt.com
Desiree's Bio:
Desiree Holt’s writing is flavored with the rich experiences of her life, including a long stretch in the music business representing every kind of artist from country singer to heavy metal rock bands. For several years she also ran her own public relations agency handling any client that interested her, many of whom might recognize themselves in the pages of her stories. She is twice a finalist for an EPIC E-Book Award, 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 for best BDSM book of the year, winner of two Holt Medallion Awards of Merit, and is published by five different houses. Romance Junkies said of her work: “Desiree Holt is the most amazing erotica author of our time and each story is more fulfilling then the last.”
13 comments:
Hi Desiree, Thanks for being here today. Enjoy the music, the open bar and the food.
I'm well aware of the band sound, one son is a guitarist for his band and his brother a budding drummer. Thank goodness we have a garage. :-)
I'm adding Joy Ride to my wish list.
Oh, I am so into the garage band thing. When I was in the business we often had our "economically challenged" bands rehearing in our garage. LOL! Thanks so much for having me today.
i do believe rock bands are in a league of their own...and wow the groupies are persistent thangs...believe i have seen the carnage of stepping "accidentally" in their way...not a pretty site
seachele71@hotmail.com
Then you'll really love the scenes with the groupies in this book.
Desiree, what a great job to work with rock bands! Its unique and sounds fun and not something the average person has done! Good music goes right to my soul and gives me the best eupohoria for life!
books4me67 at ymail.comgad
I agree, Wendy. That's why writing this book was such a work of love.
Stopping by to show my support and give ya a big WAHOO!
HUGS!
Leanne
I have to say Desiree you have lived an amazing life, so full. Oh the stories I bet you can tell. The best of all, you are still making great memories (stories - poor Allie). Keep up the great work!
tsteinerid(gmail)
Thank you, ladies. For stopping by and for the great comments.
Desiree,
Congrats on your new release!
You have been very fortunate to experience life wide open, and that's a gift in itself IMHO...*S*
I've loved rock n roll music my whole life, and it has carried over to my daughter Jess.
She's in early 30's now, and is the rock n roll queen as far as I'm concerned....*G*, and has kept me in the music since she was a teen. She took me to a concert when she was 16 after she won tickets & dinner backstage with the band before the concert. It was an awesome experience she could have shared with her friend, but she took me instead, and it was a blast. She now runs her own website in support of bands on all levels, and photograph's them when she gets the chance, The bands have been real good to her as they know she's their biggest support in maintaining the rights to their music. She interviews them and still hides her own musical gifts as a singer and song writer..the stinker...*S*
Thanks for the contest, and sharing your awesome life...*S*
Darcy
pommawolf @hotmail.com
Darcy, you are most welcome. And I am so there with you. TEll her to check out Run Devil Run. They are a real winner.
Thanks for having me here and being a wonderful hostess and thanks to everyone for coming out. Tonight's winner of a copy of JOY RIDE is wendydbooks. You'll be hearing from me and my publisher. Congrats.
This book sounds so good! I want to read this so bad! Its definitely on my wishlist! Thanks for sharing!
shadow_kohler(at)att(dot)net
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