It boggles the mind but with Downstroke, Desiree Holt is celebrating her 100th release! Wow. What can I say. That is amazing. First up, here's an interview with Dallas Creed:
Today Desiree Holt will interview country rock star Dallas Creed, the hero of Downstroke, to find out how he got where he is and what drives him.
Desiree: Thanks for doing this, Dallas I know readers will be very interested to learn all about your life and how you got to be…well…Dallas Creed.
Dallas: Hope I don’t bore them to death.
Desiree: Oh, I don’t think there’s much chance of that. Good looking sexy guy with a voice that seduces all the women who hear it? They’ll love anything you say. So. Let’s get started. What made you get into the music industry to begin with? Everyone knows it’s a tough life and can chew you up and spit you out before you blink.”
Dallas: The music. I was writing music in secret from the time I was fifteen. And it seemed that the more I wrote, the more I wanted to.
Desiree: But your family has a big cattle ranch, right?
Dallas: Yes, and they expected me to run it with my brother, Morgan, when we both graduated college.
Desiree: Who’s older?
Dallas: Morgan by two years.
Desiree: So how did you get from ranching to the music business.
Dallas: (looking sad) Good and bad decisions. Dropped out of college and began playing ratty bars with my band. But it cost me my fiancée and my relationship with my brother.
Desiree: Even after you hit it big?
Dallas: (sighing) I hit it big because Sawyer Black, a flashy, clever promoter, discovered me in one of those ratty bars and took me to the top. But by that time neither Morgan nor Charley would have anything to do with me. They felt I’d sacrificed personal relationships for success.
Desiree: And do you feel that way?
Dallas: Unfortunately, yes. I missed both of them so much, especially Charley who I loved more than anything.
Desiree: But not more than the music.
Dallas: A hard lesson learned.
Desiree: You had a major accident three years ago and fell right off the top of the world, didn’t you?
Dallas: (nodding) Nearly killed myself. High on booze and drugs trying to fill the empty place inside me. About destroyed my leg. But one good thing came out of it.
Desiree: What’s that?
Dallas: Everyone else left me high and dry, sure my career was over. But Morgan showed up out of the blue, took me back to the ranch to heal and we repaired our relationship at the same time.
Desiree: It must be nice to be back on top again. And I understand Morgan’s on the tour with you. Is that right?
Dallas: It is. He seems to think Sawyer Black made light with a lot of my money before so he’s keeping an eye on the store.
Desiree: And did I see Charley Roper, your former love, backstage last night? Does that mean you two are back together?
Dallas: We’re trying to work through all the accumulated pain. I’m praying it works out.
Desiree: So how does she happen to be with you?
Dallas: (tight look on face) Believe it or not, someone’s trying to kill me. Charley runs a top security and protection agency. My brother hired her.
Desiree: Oh! Well, are you happy about that?
Dallas: Anything that brings Charley ands me together is a positive in my book. (chuckle) I just hope I live to see it work.
Desiree: So do I and all of your fans. I know Charley will take good care of you. Thanks for taking the time to for this interview. See you onstage tonight.
Here's a blurb about the book:
It’s been twenty years since Charley Roper and Dallas Creed parted with great bitterness. In that time she’s made a career for herself with the FBI and private security and he’s been a country rock music icon…tumbled to the bottom and risen again. Now someone’s trying to kill him and Morgan Creed wants Charley to protect his brother and find out who’s after him. When they meet again after all this time it’s obvious the chemistry is still there, stronger than ever. They’re older but are they wiser? Caught up in the bitter wash of memories and the tension of a killer in stalking mode, Charley and Dallas begin a roller coaster ride that is emotional erotic and suspenseful. Is their love strong enough after twenty years to pull them back together?
Twenty years ago Dallas Creed and Charley Roper were lovers with their entire future ahead of them. Until they split. Badly. Now he’s a country rock icon who made it to the top, hit bottom but is back at the top of his game. And Charley’s the private security specialist hired to protect him from an unknown killer in stalking mode. Caught up in the bitter wash of memories they begin a roller coaster ride that is suspenseful, emotional and erotic. Is their love strong enough to erase the past and bring them back together before the killer strikes again?
And here's an excerpt:
He’d dreamed about this moment, fantasized about it. With every new hit tune, every sold-out concert appearance, he wanted her there so he could show her what she’d missed. Wanted to make her eat her words. Wanted her to see the success he’d become. The success they could have shared.
The accident had changed all that. Made him take a good hard look at his life, at what he wanted and where he’d been going. With death flirting with him, he’d finally had to admit to himself everything was hollow without her. Years ago he’d tried to make a point with her but who had he proven it to? Certainly not himself.
He studied her as she moved fluidly into the trailer and stood to the side, next to Morgan.
Charley Roper had aged much better than he had. Her body was still slim although rounded in all the appropriate places, but now it was highly toned. Jeans hugged her legs and the soft material of her blouse draped over high breasts. Her rich, thick brown hair was still the same rich sable color pulled back into a no-nonsense ponytail. Her face certainly didn’t show the wear that his did, but her clear blue eyes reflected a bitter wisdom that bothered him. And she still gave off the same go-to-hell attitude with her walk and the way she stood almost defiantly in front of him, hands stuffed into the front pockets of her jeans.
Her familiar scent teased at his nostrils, giving rise to a wealth of memories. He remembered how that body felt beneath his, all soft and pliant. How those full lips felt on his mouth or wrapped around his cock.
His hands curled as he fought the urge to reach out and touch her. After all these years she still had the power to steal his breath. He knew if the two of them were alone in this room he’d have her naked and under him in seconds. His muscles tightened, his cock hardened even more and he was back to that last defining night.
You can get your own copy of Downstroke from Ellora's Cave.
It was a beautiful wedding. Prince William looked quite dashing in his uniform and of course Kate Middleton was positively stunning in her wedding dress. I was 5 years old when Charles married Diana and I remember how magical that day was. Of course, no one knew just how tragically that fairytale would end.
