Breathless Press Author S. E. Holden

Why don't you start with telling us a little about yourself? What genre do you write in and why?  My name is S. E. Holden and I'm a brand spankin' new author with Breathless Press. I spent quite a few years stomping around the corporate IT world before reaching escape velocity to pursue my dream of writing full time.  I've been an avid Fantasy reader for a long time so when I committed to writing, I expected elves, dwarves, wizards and dragons to swarm across the page.  Instead, I found the words aligning themselves in stories about contemporary couples dealing with whatever life threw at them. The characters strive to overcome the issue at hand and explore their sexual relationship in the process. 

 My first story, The Presentation, is coming out in November. It's a contemporary erotic romance and part of my Thursday Night series…anything can happen on Thursday Night.  This entire series of short stories is about committed couples overcoming the vagaries of life.  Thursday, to me, is one of those everyman nights, acting as a placeholder between hump day and TGIF. So, when focusing on how everyday couples solve their problems, it made sense to have them resolved on a nondescript Thursday that was simply minding its own business.

 Ultimately, I'm a romantic at heart.  I love to see couples work through challenges to emerge stronger on the other side.  The fact that they have steamy, mind-blowing sex along the way doesn’t hurt either.       

 What comes first for you when you sit down to write a book? Plot or Characters?   When I'm working on a short story, the plot comes first.  I see what needs to happen then fit in the right characters.  For my novel, though, I developed the characters first.  I have to live with these characters for a lot longer than in a short story so I need to make sure they're fleshed out and interesting.  If I don't find them interesting, how will my readers?

 Do you "cast" your characters using pictures or actors to help inspire you when you're writing?  No.  As I create the characters, they take on their own persona, their own look, which is built from scratch. Perhaps in the end they share some common traits with major actors or public figures, but it doesn't start out that way.

 How long does it take you to finish a book from start to finish? I'll let you know when I finish the novel.  The stories vary.  Some take about a week, while others need more time for the plot to come together. I may get an idea in the shower or driving around town, but it needs to percolate and simmer for a while before it resolves enough for me to start writing.     

 

Excerpt from The Presentation:

I don’t see any movement. Are they still breathing? I know this stuff is dry, but come on…something!

A little, neon-green Christmas tree blinked at her from the last row. After the third blink, the words “Merry Xmas” turned red. Oh my God, he came. Her breath caught and she stammered.

She paused to regroup, hiding her distraction behind a pull from her water bottle. The tie was a gag gift she gave Matt last Christmas, but he hadn’t worn it yet. Until now. Seeing him brought the night before in the tub into sharp focus. "Just remember this feeling," he had said as she squirmed in the water under his torturous, yet wonderful ministrations.

She shook her head to clear the images. Once under control again, she continued, "We’ve been watching our corporate expenses very carefully over this time." 

Sheila flushed, unable to ignore the blinking lights off the tie, but it wasn’t embarrassment that tinged her cheeks and prickled her skin. This heat emanated from deep inside—from somewhere only he could reach.

    Here's the blurb for, The Presentation, available on November 19^th from Breathless Press.

Not one for public limelight, Sheila, the new VP of Operations must face her greatest fear: the presentation to her future. Overridden with anxiety and nerves, she could only turn to one person for help—Matt, her husband of eleven years. But his innovative ways pose possible threats to her job. Can she risk endangering her career for the sake of fulfilling her forbidden fantasies?

 Having been in corporate America for many years, I've seen the stress and panic public speaking strikes into the hearts of some presenters regardless of their professional level.  Not only does the presentation impact the presenter, but also the circle of friends and family around them as the impending event draws closer.  In writing this story, I wanted to showcase a way in which a supportive spouse might affect the situation.       

 How much does reader reaction mean to you as an author? Do you read your own reviews?   Being a new author, I'm very curious as to what both reviewers and readers will think of my work.         

What are you working on now? Anything you want to tell us about?  I continue to write new stories for the Thursday Night series.  My second story, Back on Track, will be coming out from Breathless in the not too distant future.

           In addition to the short stories, I'm also working on my first novel.  Being engrossed in reading the high fantasy and paranormal genres for so many years, I had no idea that the worlds of romance and fantasy or paranormal could so closely mesh.  As I started writing erotic romance, I expanded my reading list and found a whole new world of possibilities.  I'm working on a contemporary paranormal romance novel set in and around Tampa, FL.  The writing is in progress, but no end in sight just yet.        

 What books are currently on your nightstand/bedside? Anything coming you are dying to read? I'm reading through J.R. Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood series after just finishing Terry Brooks' latest Shannara novel, Bearers of the Black Staff.  I'm always anxious for the new Kim Harrison and Jim Butcher books to hit the shelves.

 If someone hasn't read any of your work, what book would you recommend that they start with and why? This is an easy question since at this time I have a very limited number of titles (one).  Please read The Presentation coming out in November from Breathless Press.

 If you could have been the servant to any famous person in history, who would that be and why? Jacques DeMolay, the 23^rd, and last, Grand Master of the Knights Templar.  I've always been fascinated by the ideals espoused by the Templar teachings, whether the flesh and blood knights actually lived by those creeds and vows is another story and has been the subject of many books and even some recent movies.  Regardless, since I'm not a historian nor do I play one on TV, I subscribe to a more romantic view of the Templars in that they embody the essence of the warrior monk.

While being a Templar, or even associated with the Templars, under the leadership of DeMolay in the final days equated to a death sentence, it would have been fascinating to have been a part of the history of that organization and to see that history unfurl.      

 What so you see for the future of publishing and e-books? The e-book market will continue to grow.  I see the global availability of e-books as an easy way to reach more readers than ever before.  In this age of instant gratification, readers can simply download a book or story at the precise moment they are in the mood for it instead of having to wait for delivery or get their pajama-clad butts dressed and out to the bookstore.  With the smaller overhead in publishing e-books, it also gives new authors (like me) a chance to break into the business.

 Most of the traditional publishing houses will need to, if they haven't already, give their consumers the option of paper or digital, providing them the kind of flexible service to which they are quickly growing accustomed.          

     Which of your characters do you love/hate/fear/pity the most and why?      This is a tough question for me because I don't have a host of characters to choose from as of yet.  Ask me again in a year and I'll have a good answer for you. 

 Do you get along with your muse? What do you do to placate her/it/him when she/he/it refuses to inspire you? Usually we get along very well.  I never know when she'll strike, but I'm always grateful for the visions.  Over the summer, however, she was lazy and easily distracted by the kids being home from school.  We spent more time playing with the kids than writing, but I can't really fault her for that.  How many summers do you really have with your kids where they want to play with you?     

          During the productive, school-year months we spend time playing computer games or some other distracting digital enterprise to not obsess on any given WIP.  A short break to clear the mental palate usually does the trick to outline a plausible solution.  

 Where can readers find you on the ‘net for more information on you, your books and other fun stuff?

Email: seholden@verizon.net

Facebook: Se Holden

Web: www.seholden.com (coming soon)

Twitter: @SEHolden25

Excerpt from The Presentation:

I don’t see any movement. Are they still breathing? I know this stuff is dry, but come on…something!

A little, neon-green Christmas tree blinked at her from the last row. After the third blink, the words “Merry Xmas” turned red. Oh my God, he came. Her breath caught and she stammered.

She paused to regroup, hiding her distraction behind a pull from her water bottle. The tie was a gag gift she gave Matt last Christmas, but he hadn’t worn it yet. Until now. Seeing him brought the night before in the tub into sharp focus. "Just remember this feeling," he had said as she squirmed in the water under his torturous, yet wonderful ministrations.

She shook her head to clear the images. Once under control again, she continued, "We’ve been watching our corporate expenses very carefully over this time." 

Sheila flushed, unable to ignore the blinking lights off the tie, but it wasn’t embarrassment that tinged her cheeks and prickled her skin. This heat emanated from deep inside—from somewhere only he could reach.