Name Desiree A. Cox
Age? Over 30 and less than 75, lol.
Where are you from?
[Desiree] I was born and raised in Iowa.
A little about your self `ie your education Family life etc
[Desiree] I’m an erotica/erotic romance author. I’m the author of the Lust, Desire, and Love Trilogy.
I live in Delaware now. I’m married to my high school sweetheart, and we are the parents of two sons, and a daughter. I have a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a minor in Computer Science.
I work full-time in addition to writing. I read several genres, but mostly erotic/romance type books.
Fiona: Tell us your latest news?
[Desiree] On April 23, the box set, Wickedly Exotic Spring Erotic Wonderland, release. I have a short story in the anthology titled Fantasy Come True.
On March 28, I release my second book in the Lust, Desire, and Love Trilogy ~ Jaded By Desire.
The first book, Twisted By Desire, released on December 13, 2014, when I made my writing debut.
Fiona: When and why did you begin writing?
[Desiree] I began writing nearly 3 years ago. I have always liked writing and I wanted to challenge myself to do something that I had only ever dreamed of.
Fiona: When did you first consider yourself a writer?
[Desiree] The day I received my first book review, I considered myself a writer. At that point, I knew I had a real reader, not just my family that felt obligated to read my book.
Fiona: What inspired you to write your first book?
[Desiree] I wanted to do something that could help me define myself. Something that was all mine – I wasn’t accepting credit for a child’s achievement, or an accomplishment riding on the coat tails of someone else. It was something I did, all by myself, for me.
Fiona: Do you have a specific writing style?
[Desiree] I try to let the story come to me. I want the story to be close to believable and not rushed. I think that’s how I found myself writing a Trilogy for my first work out the gate.
Fiona: How did you come up with the title?
[Desiree] I had several titles for my debut book, before deciding Twisted By Desire was the right fit. It was always a variation of that title. I had writing about half of the book when I selected this title. By that time I thought the book was filled with a lot of desire and was definitely twisted.
Fiona: Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
[Desiree] No, I just want the readers to get lost in the fictional world of Nikki, Jeff and Sky for several hours. My main character, Nikki, is conflicted. Sky is Nikki’s ex-husband, whom she loves, still. Jeff, is the new man. Their relationship is new and very physical, like a lot of new relationships. It’s a hot read, not for the faint of heart, or readers under 18.
Fiona: How much of the book is realistic?
[Desiree] I’d like to think it all sounds like it could be realistic. But for both of my books in the Trilogy, maybe 3-5% is derived from real situations, maybe. My short story that’s part of the Anthology is 0% based on real life.
Fiona: Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?
[Desiree] No. I don’t ever want a family member, friend, or anyone that knows me to read a book and say, ‘Hey, what the hell?’ I write fiction. Now, if someone said, fictionalize my story – I’d be all over it. Haha.
Fiona: What books have most influenced your life most? A mentor?
[Desiree] The biggest influence for me has been the Fifty Shades trilogy. As far as having a mentor, I have a few extra special author friends that have helped me with my writing and understanding the process along the way. Dorothy F. Shaw was there to help me before I started writing Twisted By Desire. I was actually writing another story at the time – Fantasy Come True (yeah, that was originally supposed to have been my debut novella.)
Cory Cyr and K.L. Silver have also provided a lot of guidance for me and have been fantastic to bounce ideas off of.
I have so many other authors I can reach out to for support, too.
Fiona: What book are you reading now?
[Desiree] I just finished Harper Miller’s The Sweetest Taboo, and am now reading Allyn Lesley’s Deeper. Both are new authors.
Fiona: Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?
[Desiree] So many have. And I’m going to list them because they are all so awesome.
Although Dorothy F. Shaw isn’t new-new. She has one standalone book out now – Spare Hearts, she has a story in the anthology Three Times Lucky, and she has a new release coming May 5 – Unworthy Heart.
Cory Cyr, she’s also not new-new, but I love her books (Bite & Release, Reviving Haven, and Acquiesce). I can’t wait for her next two releases to hit my kindle.
K.L. Silver, she is the mastermind behind Mastered. I read the books when they came out in a series, and again when they released under the title of Mastered. And might I say – O.M.G! She, too, has a new release coming soon – Trussed.
Natasha Blackthorne isn’t new, but was the author of my first Historical Romance read. She is now my favorite Historical Erotic Romance author. If you want to know why, pick up one of her books. She has a new release coming in June.
Elizabeth Lynx is a hilarious romantic author. Her books are sexy and sassy. I read her Him, Her, Them series. I’ve also read her new work, A Payne In The Blog. It started as a blog turned into a book, and it’s a crack-up with lots of eroticism. It also leads into her latest release, Rules of Payne.
- Asmara writes some very schmexy, dramatic reads. I’ve read When It Raynes and When It Raynes: Clear Skies.
Emily Krat is new and has a nice contemporary romance with some heated moments – Flawed and Damaged.
Harper Miller – her debut, The Sweetest Taboo, is an intriguing D/S love story.
Autumn Grey has three books in her series available. I’ve read Havoc so far, and have Obliterate and Mend on my kindle.
Jules Dixon writes a variety of romance reads. She has 6 books available in her series.
Vernetta Odom’s latest book, Freakizm, nearly burned up my kindle. I really enjoyed her trilogy, Sleeping In Heaven, Waking In Hell, too.
Kelly Cozzone has Tropical Dreams and Tropical Nightmares that I’ve read. She’s also included in an anthology and an author cookbook.
Cathy Jackson writes sweet romance. As much as I love a good steamy erotica novel, I also really enjoyed her work. She has the 3rd installment in her series coming out at the end of May, and I can’t wait to get my hands on it.
Allyn Lesley, her debut, Deeper, just released. I’m nearly half-way done and am enjoying it so far.
Elaine Barris, writer of some seriously hot vampire erotica. Her 2nd book, Master For Tonight II is beckoning me.
In addition to them, I also love Elizabeth James, Melanie James, Addison Kline’s Breaking Black series, Janet Mota, Kennedy Kelly, Elle Emerson, Dylan Cross, Julia Sykes, Ker Dukey, Denise Garou, Kristina Canady, and Jason Luke. There are so many awesome authors to choose from – this is only the tip of the iceberg.
Some of the authors I really like aren’t new, but they are new to me in the past year or so; like, Chelle Bliss, Harper Sloan, Jaden Wilkes, Anita Lawless, Ava Michaels, Josette Reuel, Ethan Radcliff, Samantha Jacoby, Kendall Grey, Sylvia Day, and Cindy Tibbetts to name a few.
Fiona: What are your current projects?
[Desiree] I currently have two works in progress. I am writing a stand-alone story titled Unselfish Love to be included in an anthology, and am working on Reclaimed By Desire, book 3, and the finale, in the Lust, Desire, and Love Trilogy.
Fiona: Name one entity that you feel supported you outside of family members.
[Desiree] Outside of family, my biggest support had come from the online community. Bloggers, event coordinators, other authors, and of course, the readers.
I think one of the first events I attended was with Vicki Rose. I didn’t have my book complete and, honestly, wasn’t sure I’d actually finish it. But it was fun. Then I began doing events that were hosted by Ravannah Rayne (Melly). They have both been very big supporters for me and helped me find the avenue to build my confidence to continue writing.
Fiona: Do you see writing as a career?
[Desiree] I honestly don’t for two reasons. First, I’m a realist. I really like my job and hope and expect to keep it until retirement. Second, I know to reach that level of success takes an extreme amount of work and luck. I’m kind of in a catch 22. As long as I work full-time, my time is limited for writing and marketing.
I’m more than happy being where I am right now. If things take off, and the magic wand is waved over my head, I’ll be thrilled.
Fiona: If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?
[Desiree] No, not in my latest book, but I would change my debut, Twisted By Desire.
Fiona: Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?
[Desiree] I’ve always enjoyed writing. I’ve felt like I could communicate more clearly and convey my thoughts exactly how I wanted to in writing. More so than I could when speaking.
Fiona: Can you share a little of your current work with us?
[Desiree] Sure, I can, but then I’d have to kill you. Haha, just kidding.
I’ll share the unedited Prologue from Reclaimed By Desire. For those unfamiliar with the trilogy, they aren’t stand-alones, they are intended to be read in order. So although this may not make complete sense, hopefully it piques your curiosity …
My heart raced faster than Husain Bolts feet during the Olympics. My instincts were telling me something was wrong. Really wrong, I knew it. I could feel it. I had that all too familiar scratch in my nose that accompanied feelings of doom in the past, and it wouldn’t stop. My eyes burned, and I had a sinking feeling deep in my gut.
I had tried calling, and calling, but Nikki never picked up. And she never returned my calls. That wasn’t like her. I knew something wasn’t right, but I had no idea what.
Something had been preoccupying her thoughts for the past few weeks, but she had assured me it was nothing.
I just needed to get home to make sure she and the kids were okay. I held the phone in my hand, listening to it ring, then going to her voicemail, again. FUCK! It had only been one day since I spoke to her, but not hearing from her was eating me alive.
Wednesday night when we spoke, Nikki had told me she was going out to happy hour with her co-workers the next evening after work. I didn’t care. We didn’t argue. We had a nice conversation. I thought it would be good for her to get out of the house for a couple of hours after work. Everything was perfectly fine. I had talked to her earlier in the day on Thursday. Again, everything was fine. When I called Thursday night though, I got no answer. Friday morning, still no answer. Friday afternoon, you guessed it, no answer. I had tried to call her mother, but she didn’t answer her phone either. What in the actual fuck was going on?
My heart raced with anxiety thinking something horrible had happened. Was she in the hospital? Had something happened to one of the kids? I’d like to think if something had happened to Alexander or Abby, she would have called me.
I couldn’t get on the plane fast enough to get home so I could find out what was taking place. My thoughts were leading me down a dark, tragic path. I tried desperately to trick my brain into thinking of positive thoughts, but fuck if I could come up with any.
While I sat in the airport, I had tried to call her, only to get her voicemail … a-fucking-gain. I took Tylenol for my throbbing headache that I knew wasn’t going to go away until I knew everyone was okay. The blood was rushing through my veins harder than I’d ever felt, crashing in my ears. My heart beat felt like it was thumping so hard it should have been visible through my shirt. A tingling radiated through my chest and body. One minute, I’d felt like I was going to hyperventilate, the next it felt difficult to take a breath without actually talking to myself, telling myself to breathe. And I was drinking ginger ale, to settle my stomach. I hated ginger-ale, but my gut was doing some massive flip-flops.
Jesus fucking Christ, just get me the fuck home.
Fiona: Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
[Desiree] Concentrating and staying on task is the hardest thing for me, especially now. I have a full-time job that can be demanding, my youngest son is home and he’s super needy, and then there are all the new releases that call for me to read them.
Fiona: Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?
[Desiree] I can’t even begin to name a favorite author, honestly.
Fiona: Do you have to travel much concerning your book(s)?
[Desiree] I haven’t traveled at all for my books or promotions, yet. I have some tentative plans for 2016.
Fiona: Who designed the covers?
[Desiree] Kellie Dennis at Book Cover By Design. She did my covers for the Trilogy. She’s awesome!
Fiona: What was the hardest part of writing your book?
[Desiree] The amount of emotion I wrote, especially in book 2, required very crafty wording. I wanted it to feel like the readers were part of the story, like they were sitting right there, watching the story unfold. It took a lot of rewriting to get to a point where I felt it, then I let my sister-in-law read it to get her opinion.
Book 3 will be every bit, if not more, difficult to write because of that same reason.
Fiona: Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?
[Desiree] I learned that my family truly supported me, that I could achieve a goal I never expected to achieve, and that success is how I define it. I don’t have to always hit the homerun or reach the top of the mountain to have succeeded.
Fiona: Do you have any advice for other writers?
[Desiree] Write and enlist a good proofreader/editor. Don’t doubt yourself.
Fiona: Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?
[Desiree] Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! You have no idea how much I appreciate your support.
Fiona: Do you remember the first book you read?
[Desiree] See Spot Run, lol.
Fiona: What makes you laugh/cry?
[Desiree] I laugh at a lot of the stupidest things. I have a very warped sense of humor. Sometimes my laugh is a disguise to cover another emotion, and can be misinterpreted as insensitive, but it’s really not. We all have different coping mechanisms.
It takes a lot to get me to cry. I can control my emotions pretty well.
When I think back to two really devastating life events, ten years ago, my Dad passed away unexpectedly. And six years ago my husband had his heart attack. Those memories make me extremely upset and can cause me to tear up.
So we won’t talk about me crying, I hate being sad. It’s not a good place for me to be.
Fiona: Is there one person pass or present you would meet and why?
[Desiree] There is only one person I’d like to meet again one day – that’s my Dad.
Fiona: What do you want written on your head stone and why?
[Desiree] I’m going to be cremated. I don’t want my kids to spend money any on all of the expenses for a funeral. I want them to keep as much money in their pockets as possible. Plus cremation is better for the earth.
They can inscribe my urn to read – motherfucking Mom, you still suck! Trust me, they would crack up laughing at that because all three of them know what that means.
Fiona: Other than writing do you have any hobbies?
[Desiree] I enjoy coin collecting, listening to music, exercising, and I occasionally play the guitar.
Fiona: What TV shows/films do you enjoy watching?
[Desiree] I love shows like Forensic Files, Law & Order, and I’m addicted to Investigative Discovery. I also like watching Marriage Boot Camp, Modern Family, the reruns of Two and A Half Men with Charlie Sheen, RuPaul’s Drag Race, and my new addiction, WWE Total Divas.
Fiona: Favorite foods / Colors/ Music
[Desiree] I love 80’s music, almost all genres, but no country though. Food is my favorite food, lol. And my favorite color is blue, preferably navy, but royal is fine – just not powder or sky blue.
Fiona: If you were not a writer what else would you like to have done?
[Desiree] I would have enjoyed being a criminal psychologist. I never really thought of that when I was in college, so I picked Business Administration.
Fiona: Do you have a blog/website? If so what is it?
[Desiree] I have a blog on Facebook – Would You Like A Book With Your Wine.
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8326258.Desiree_A_Cox
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DesireeACoxAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DesireeACox
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Desiree-A-Cox/e/B00QODW54G/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1430243840&sr=1-2-ent
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