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J.D. Hollyfield is on the mic this week. We talk about writing taboo romance for the first time and take a ride through in her contribution to the K. Bromberg’s Driven series. Plus we nerd out on The Fast and the Furious.
Find JD online:
Check out Junkie on Amazon
Transcript
Elle
Joining us today is J.D. Hollyfield. She is a creative designer, mother, wife, writer, part-time superhero, and best-selling author. When she’s not trying to save the world one happy ending at a time she enjoys the snuggles of her husband her sons and her three doxies. With her love for romance and head full of book boyfriends, she was inspired to test her creative abilities and bring her own stories to life. JD lives in the Midwest and is currently at work on blowing the minds of readers with the additions of her new books in series along with her charm, humor, and happily ever afters. Welcome to Steam Scenes. JD, it’s great to have you.
JD
Thanks. Thanks for having me.
Elle
My pleasure. Okay, so I’m going to jump in with the first question. When did you realize you wanted to become a writer.
JD
So I started writing in 2014. And just before that, I think as every other author, I just got really obsessed with reading romance. And I would plow through, jeez, probably about 10 books a week, maybe up to 15. And eventually, just, you know, these own characters inside my head started talking and they just wouldn’t shut up. So one day, I sat down and started writing it on paper, and all of a sudden, one book turned into two, two turned into 15. And now I’m on my 25th.
Elle
Holy shit. So you’re 25 books in how many years is that? Where are we? We’re 2020? So six years?
Yeah, it’s kind of crazy to realize it’s been that lie. It seems like just yesterday, I was struggling to write, you know, a proper scene and spill out what was in my head on paper. Yeah it’s crazy.
Like, that’s an absolutely extraordinary mind boggling output. I’m like, holy shit in the same amount of time, I have six books out. I feel like such a slacker.
JD
Yeah, it’s you know, it’s crazy to think about sometimes I’m like this, this isn’t real. I can’t believe I did this. And sometimes I’m like, you know, some books just come out easier than then some, you know?
Elle
I mean, you were like, before you started writing you were one of those super readers. You were one of those readers that went through like, it sounds like two books a day?
JD
Absolutely. I just couldn’t get enough. I mean, page after page. And this was before I even got into Kindle, too. So I’d be reading those mass paperbacks.
Elle
Wow.
JD
Yeah.
Elle
How did you even load up on those?
JD
I did a lot out the of library. I did a lot of Amazon. I have an insane book collection now that I’m running out of places to put.
Elle
Oh, my gosh, I’m sure, I’m sure. So what drew you to the romance genre, as the super reader?
JD
Well, I’m you happy that you asked that. I think I’m probably not the only author that’s going to admit this. But my first romance book was Twilight. And it was a book that was pushed on by my sister. I had no interest in reading it. No thank you. And finally, one day, I thought okay fine, I’ll do it. So I started at and I devoured it. I read all four books in a week. And I kept going, I just couldn’t get enough. If it had romance in it, I was gobbling it up reading it.
Elle
There have been other authors that have come on this podcast and said like their gateway into the whole genre was Twilight.
JD
Yeah that’s crazy. You know, and I see people admit that to you. And I was like, thank you. Thank you. I’m not the only one.
Elle
Well, I just think that the way that Stephanie Meyers was sort of slagged off on because of that series was super unfair. I mean, you know, at the end of it a successful book, a good book, is a book that a reader loves. You know, don’t talk to me about literary merits and all that other shit. Like, that doesn’t matter. It’s like a good book. A good book is a book that a reader loves. You know, and in her case, it was like millions upon millions of readers.
JD
Yeah, I mean, she grabbed a world out there that everybody just got sucked into. And, you know, I just wanted more from there. So it was like, I couldn’t get my hands on a romance book fast enough. I needed to be back in that angst, the curling of your toes of what’s going to happen next. Does he love her? Does he not?
Elle
So with Twilight now, and I’ve only read the first book and she’s clean, right? She writes clean. She doesn’t
JD
Yeah, yeah. You know, it wasn’t because there was a lot of you know, slapping and moaning around that, you know, that draws me to it. Honestly, it’s it was the angst it was the oh my God, what’s gonna happen now, the way he feels for her you just want you know, you just put yourself in that, that same position and you want Edward just to be obsessed with you, he wants somebody to say I want to die for you, you know, and it’s, you know, it just builds from there and you just get obsessed.
Elle
So in terms of like, sort of more graphic content, do you remember like, the first book that you did read that had that?
JD
Yes. So it was actually a book from Linda Howard if you’re familiar with her, and it was called Cry No More. And it was a romantic suspense. But it was a build up. It was angst. He hated her. She hated him, but they had to work together to solve something. And finally, it was like over something devastating that they just broke down and went at it and it was like, the tearing of clothes, the mouths. And I was like holy shit! I think I read the scene twice. And I was like, anymore of this? I need more of it. Give it to me.
Elle
Why do you think you had that sort of reaction, like, Oh my god, I need to I need more of this in my life?
JD
I think it has to do with, you know, if the book is good, and it creates this world around you, you know, you’re in there, you know, you’re that person doing the heavy petting, you’re the one that’s feeling the angst, you’re the one that’s just dying to have something go a certain way. And like I felt that I felt this woman that just was so you know, ripped out of her own world and needed the affection of this just hunk of a man and it’s just you lose yourself in it like you want to, like be in that like, fantasy land and you know, feel his hands on you and it just it does do something for you. It’s it you know, it creates this just worldview that you just want to lose yourself in and it was awesome.
Elle
So then to you what makes a good sex scene? Like what needs to be there?
JD
So, I guess I am a huge fan of angst. I love the build up. You know, in a sex scene, not everything not every scene requires, let’s say foreplay. You know, that’s not always the main factor when you really want to get a reader hooked in an intimate moment. So I always say the angst just the build up until they finally just have that like detonating moment. And they just, you know, hands on each other flesh to flesh just gripping, scratching, just like a nail biter of a of a moment. And it’s all because they just have this. This time to build up, you know.
Elle
Yeah, yeah, I guess the pressure, right?
JD
Absolutely.
Elle
Pressure building, building, building. And then they finally it’s just like, it’s like a volcano.
JD
Right. You know, sometimes they always say with novellas, or when you do these anthologies, the hardest part is to create enough of that build up and that angst so when you really give it to the reader, like they feel it. You know, sometimes it’s hard to write a sex scene and the second chapter in, have a reader saying, oh, wow, I totally connected with it. I’m with the characters and stuff like that. So, you know, for me, it’s just the biggest thing for me is the build up and the angst, so you can just, just really just give it to your readers.
Elle
When when I got my first publishing contract, it was with an E book, romance publisher and I don’t think they’re around anymore. And I was given, you know, very specific instructions about what to write in terms of not necessarily like, the storyline or whatever, but it would be like, okay, we want taboo, bla bla bla bla bla, but one of the things that was like, like there had to be sex in the first chapter.
JD
Oh, boy.
Elle
So So would that be like, would that be a no for you? Because you did not you had to either put that, you know, figure out a way to get that build up in the first chapter. Like you had to like get there really, really fast.
JD
You know, I could do it. And that’s, it’s not something that I can say that I’ve, if I look back on all my books, I don’t think any of them have started with a sex scene. But I think I could sit down and creatively do it, you know, it’s just, it just takes some thinking on how you’re going to really, really grab those readers. So they stay along for the ride with you.
Elle
Right? Yeah, yeah. Because I think the idea was like, you get to look inside and you give the readers exactly what they what they want straight. Right. Yeah, you know, but, but I do think that you do end up missing the build up part of it. Which is sort of delicious.
JD
I mean, you can’t have dessert before dinner.
Elle
Well, I mean…
JD
Just kidding.
Elle
Sometimes you can. So, so now we’re gonna go back 25 books. I will I should say your first book did that, was that door open? Or was that a little bit more like Twilight? Like, not on the page or sort of like the door is closed? Or did you just go for it? You’re writing steamy off the bat.
JD
So I did romance off the bat. You know, I wrote the book. And when I came to the sex scenes, I was like, I could do this. You know, I mean, I want to be like everybody else. I want to like express the visual that’s inside my head that I’ve created for these characters. And I want to put it on paper. I mean, did I like cover my eyes and become all bashful that I you know, ready? Writing the thrusted deep inside me? Yeah. I mean, I’m like, Oh, my God. I hope no one reads this. All these strangers know that I write such filth, you know. But I wrote it. I hid, I hoped nobody that I knew would read it. Because I think when I started writing, it took me years before I admitted to anybody that I wrote books, because I didn’t want somebody to be like, oh, wow, that’s what you write. You know what I mean? I think I just felt that romance was a little bit on the judgy side. I mean, now it is what it is. And now I’m like, screaming from the rooftops. Read my romance! When I first got started, and I wrote it, I was like, whoo, I just wrote that. I’m gonna go hide on under the table now.
Elle
So how long did it take you to write your first intimate scene? Were you able to sort of get it out pretty quickly? Because you were rushing through it? Or did it take you some time to like, be able to sort of sit down and really get it get?
JD
I just did it. No pun intended, I pounded that shit out. I mean, it was super easy. Obviously, it needed a lot of tender loving care, like in the editing, you know, but just getting it out on paper. It wasn’t hard at all, which is kind of okay. And cool.
Elle
Do you have a particular process when you’re sitting down to write them? I had one author on who uses scent a lot with their characters, she gives a character a scent, and she’ll then when she sits down to write – I loved it was Patricia Edie, she’s phenomenal. She goes to the store and buys whatever with the scent, whether it’s a perfume, or soap or whatever, she’ll pick up the item and smell it. And that’s how she gets into her intimate scenes. So do you have any sort of like, moments that get you there that get you into it? Or you just you just sit down and write?
JD
You know what this is going to probably be a really vanilla answer. But I honestly I just sit down and write you know. Sometimes I’m feeling more jazzed up about it than I am other times, and I’m not a straight shooter. I don’t start from the beginning and write straight through. Sometimes if I’m feeling a little frisky, I’ll actually go and write the sex scene and add it in later. You know, and, you know, move the book around a little bit so and tweak it so it fits. But like, if I’m feeling like today’s the day I’m going to write that I’m going to write it and they’re going to like, really get it on because today’s the day, then I’ll just write it and I’ll fit it in. Get it? No, I’m sorry.
Elle
That took me a minute, but yeah.
JD
I didn’t mean to say it either. But yeah, I don’t really have any rhyme or reason. It’s just, you know, if we’re if they start talking to me, and that’s what they want to do that day that’s going to happen.
Elle
That’s fascinating because I’ve heard like some authors, I’m guilty too, where I will get to the point of having to put the intimate scene and will be like insert sex scene in here because at that moment, right. But I’ve never had somebody say I get I’m in it and I write it and then I and then I sort of like tweak things so that I can fit it in and I’m like, wow. Like, maybe I need to try that, like, get up and just do it. As opposed to get there and get stuck, you know?
JD
Yeah, you know, I tell myself sometimes not to do it because then I’m rushing it, but sometimes it’s fun to write the good stuff first and then deal with like, the boring stuff later. But yeah, I enjoy it.
Elle
So do you have a favorite steamy moment in literature? Is there one that stands out for you?
JD
Steamy moment in literature? Oh, boy. So I’ve obviously read a ton of books. So trying to pinpoint one. You know, I can’t say that it’s steamy, but it’s something that always sticks out for me. And it’s a series I don’t know. It’s a three book trilogy on the bronze horseman. Are you familiar with it?
Elle
No, I’m not.
JD
So it is a gigantic book, and it hits a historical and it’s not that it’s steamy. But again, with this build up, it’s about these two characters. They’re so damaged, they’re so hurt, they’re struggling the world that they live in, but they love each other. And they’re literally dying, but their love is just so, so strong. And when they like finally get together, it is just like, I mean, it’s so hard to read it, but it because it’s so powerful. And it’s more beautiful than it is steamy, and I know that doesn’t fit. But it’s great. I mean, they’re just struggling to survive. So when they like, like, they’re like dying moments or like to be with each other, you know, so Right,
Elle
Right. Steam doesn’t have to necessarily be like, raw sex. It’s sort of more, I guess, maybe the promise of it or because, you know, I’ve definitely talked to authors who Close the door. You know, they don’t actually show the deed in their writing, but their work is still super hot. Have you ever written a fade to black I never have I’m tempted to.
JD
I will tell you that I just wrote one.
Elle
What made you decide to do with it to black?
JD
Well, I wanted to just test it out in regards to how book sells with visual sex scenes to how book sells without it.
Elle
Okay, so this is a test project. That sounds good. It does sound good. It sort of like, slides me into the next question, because I was digging through your backlist. And you’ve got like this really great kind of very broad and almost expansive back list of tropes. So you’ve got your paranormal, you’ve got your mantic suspense, you’ve got your romantic comedy, do you gravitate more towards one or the other?
JD
When I started writing, I did romcoms. That’s normally my go to. I just have a witty sense of humor in life. So it really grabbed it really shows in my writing. Throughout the last couple of years, I’ve started picking up different tropes. My favorite book to read is romantic suspense. It’s what I started on. It’s what I just absolutely love. So actually, beginning to write in that genre. I love it. I feel like I can’t get enough in it. And there’s not enough time in the day to write. And so I switch off I, I have a few romantic comedies coming up. But I have a lot of romantic suspense because it’s just really where my passion is right now.
Elle
I’m curious, how do your readers like? Do you have readers that only read your comedies? Or they kind of pretty much will read whatever, as long as it’s romance.
JD
I think I want to say all of the above, I have a great fan base, I have a lot of readers that do only read my romantic comedies, and I have a lot of readers that have found me through some of my darker stuff, and then we’ll stick to that. I actually have a duet coming up. That’s taboo. And that’s new for me. And I’m doing the double fingers crossed that, you know, my readers stick with, stick with me because it’s something new for me. It’s super steamy. And there’s not too much comedy in it. But you know, it’s it’s where my It’s where my head took me at the time and I wrote it and it turned out really spicy and steamy. And I love it. So, I mean, yeah, I am pleased.
Elle
It was something that I was going to ask you about that you have this dirty little secret. When is it coming out by the way?
JD
So the first book Bad Daddy comes out December 7. And the second book, which is Sweet Little Lies comes out December 21.
Elle
Okay, so what? What taboo Are you working with here?
Unknown Speaker
It is age gap.
Elle
Okay, how big is the age gap?
JD
45, 18.
Elle
Okay, that’s an age gap. What made you decide to do taboo?
JD
You know, I think it was just another one of those outlets that I wanted to play in. I think there’s a great, great world of readers out there that love that stuff. And I just wanted to tap into it and see, you know, another I guess another test duet on my part.
Elle
I have stepbrother in mine. My first in my rock star series was actually written for this publisher, so it had to have the sex in the first chapter. It had to have the taboo element. So I had the step sibling taboo because there were certain conventions that I had to follow. Although I changed the sex in the first chapter so that it’s just not full on sex. It’s just a tease of it. And so taboo is like a really interesting place to play.
JD
It is. It is. You know, it’s not my norm. So when writing, I have a lot of questions with my editor that says, Is this okay? Can I write this? Can this really happen? Because, you know, this is not, you know, my normal playground and I just need to make sure a) I’m writing it right because I don’t want to disappoint anybody that loves taboo and says, Oh, she totally missed the mark. Or somebody says, whoa, she went there.
Elle
Can you give an example of where you felt like, Oh, this might be too far, or I’m not going far enough?
JD
Well, if something is general as just how big of the age gap you know, you always know don’t do anything under 18 you don’t want get flagged, or, you know, shunned for being you know, somebody under age so where do you do the age gap? Just to clarify Bad Daddy is a roommates best friend. So they’re in college. It’s not any, like, actual, like daddy issues or anything like that. And Sweet Little Lies is my daddy’s best friend. So it was just making sure that I did, you know, I didn’t cross any, like boundaries that readers would find offensive.
Elle
Yeah, you walk a very fine line when you’re working taboo. You know, giving the reader what they want, but then you can it can so easily go down a very wrong dark road.
JD
It is so the truth and you just have to be careful. And, you know, I had a lot of questions, and I had a lot of betas. And I just made sure I, you know, like, did it right. And so far, I’m very pleased with it. I think readers will be too. So we’ll see.
Elle
Yeah, I had another taboo same publisher, booth, I’m trying to rework that now. But they wanted it, you know, not age gap. But under age, like, it was like, I couldn’t let them have sex until she turned 18. But it started at 17. And even then, when I sort of picked it up again, and looked at it to republish it, you know, it was a very different world in 2014, or whatever it was when I originally wrote that to now and I’m like, looking at this, and I’m like, I can’t put this out in the world now. Like, she needs to be over 18 like, this just doesn’t, you know, doesn’t play anymore.
JD
With publishing nowadays. Even with Amazon, I mean, so much stuff is, is being banned and pulled off. And you know, you definitely want to don’t want to, you know, write your heart and soul out for it to get taken down and you know, hidden from the world either.
Elle
But you know, even beyond that it was just this sort of like ick factor with the #metoo movement sort of happened in between and you know, all of these, you know, Jeffrey Epstein and then you sort of are like, yeah, this is kind of, like, this is kind of ick so we’re just gonna, we’re gonna fix that.
JD
It’s a challenging world sometimes when it comes to writing and what’s right and wrong, and what can you get away with and,
Elle
Yeah. Yeah. Okay, so, um, the steamy scene that we’re going to talk about is from your book Junkie, which was a driven world novel. So you wrote this in another author’s world is that correct?
JD
So Junkie is written in K. Bromberg’s Driven series world. She has a fantastic series, it takes place in the indie racing industry. And so I jumped in her world and wrote Junkie. It is loosely based around the indie racing scene. But it’s not something that you have to read her series to read my book.
Elle
Gotcha. It’s like a standalone. So how did you get involved in another author’s world?
JD
So Kristy had offered her world up to authors to join and I had signed up and got accepted. And in the series, so I went ahead and binged all of her books to get myself like, into her world. And, you know, waited and waited and waited for my own characters to start speaking to me. And finally it clicked, and I decided I said, Hey, I’m going to take this side character and your side character from this book. I’m gonna throw them in mind and this is going to be my story and viola. There goes junkie.
Elle
What was it like writing in somebody else’s world?
JD
It was a little stressful, I’m not gonna lie, because you know, you’re taking a USA Today New York Times bestseller’s characters and trying to write them as your own. And I was more nervous of not portraying her characters right, or their voices sounding off. And that I actually reached out to a lot of betas that were huge fans of Kristy’s and said, I need you to read this. And I need you to tell me if those characters sound okay. Because God forbid if they don’t, I don’t want to be like, Oh, God, she didn’t nail that one.
Elle
Right.
JD
And, you know, I got great feedback. They said, Yeah, you know, there was a little tweak here, a little tweak there. And eventually, I just mastered it. And I was happy with it. And now it’s out in the world.
Elle
Did you change your writing process at all for writing in somebody else’s world? Or no?
JD
No, you know, I had never written in that type of sports genre before. So that was my struggle. I’d had to do a lot of research on Indy Racing, and the terminology and stuff like that. So that was my biggest challenge. The story itself flowed nicely, I thought, and it wasn’t hard to write it. It was just knowing what I was talking about, because I knew nothing about racing.
Elle
So how did you crash course it? That’s kind of amazing.
JD
I did a lot of Googling.
Elle
And you were comfortable. You were and you were comfortable enough that you got the information that you needed.
JD
I was and you know, I will admit that I did have a beta all the way at the end, read it and say, listen, I am a lover of racing. And this part right here, this wouldn’t match, I would change it to this. And so it’s nice to have people out there that that are fans that say, Hey, listen, I would change it to that. So there were one or two little glitches that I ended up, thankfully, taking their advice. But other than that, I had a lot of readers that said, Oh, man, love racing. You nailed it. And I was like, thank you. Because if I have to never read any terminology on racing again…
Elle
That’s funny, because I did. I also write urban fantasy under a different name. And I work with a lot of like, you know, magical weapons, but I also work with guns. Right? So I was doing some really heavy research into guns to make sure that I got it right, you know, and then I got an email. And this was like, after the series had been out for a while, and some guy like, picked up that like, one of the guns that I was using didn’t have a safety. And I was like, Fuck, I was so mad. Because l did all of this research, you know. I really did my research to make sure I had it, right. And I screwed up, and then he sent me all this information back, which was just like, my head made my head spin, because I was like, whoa, about the gun. I was like, wow. But it was, but I actually then decided I was like, you need to go learn how to shoot guns. And like, you know, and I’m by no means an expert, but like, you know, now I can actually like, I’m gonna, you know, I own a gun, and I’m gonna, that’s the only one that I’m going to use from now on whenever I about guns. At least that’s the one I know. And I’m never going to screw up the safety ever again.
JD
I’ll tell you what. Never underestimate a reader. I had in Junkie, actually, there is a scene where I won’t give anything away but somebody has to spit off some latitude longitude for her to find a certain location or race. And I did my research and I put it in. And surprisingly, it was supposed to be somewhere in California. And an early reader comes back to me and says, I don’t know if you meant this, but I looked up the latitude and longitude that you put in there and it’s somewhere in Argentina. I don’t know if that’s supposed to be right or not. Like that’s dedication, you know! I was like thank you and I fixed it because I was like, wow. But that’s dedication. I mean for somebody to stop and say, hold on, I’m actually gonna look up this latitude longitude. I was like, wow, okay.
Elle
That’s kind of crazy. I would never do that. But I’m lazy.
JD
That’s dedication.
Elle
That’s pretty awesome. All right. So we are going to dive into the snippet that you sent me from Junkie. I mean, I highlighted things here that have nothing to do with steam just in this first page because we kick this off. We kicked off this chapter or that, like, where, the two main characters, the hero or the heroine are going back and forth about the Fast and the Furious. And I was like, I applaud you. I love this. I love this. In my last book that just came out, I had a whole chapter that was completely loving on action movies. And one of them was Fast and Furious. And I had to cut it.
JD
No!
Elle
I had no Fast and Furious love in my book that was supposed to be there. And so I was like, yay! And it makes so much sense, because it’s a book about, you know, the racing scene. And is that, is that why you put it in? Or are you a fan of the franchise, I was just kind of curious where that came from.
JD
So both. First off, we are a huge fan of Fast and the Furious. We’ve seen all of them a billion times. In here, a part of me was like, you know, I don’t think the entire world is obsessed with this series, this franchise as we are. So a lot of people might not get it. But the people that do are going to be like, Yes, I love this. But also, you know, it’s hard to pick out, it’s hard to pick out a scene, like in the middle of a book and have people understand what it’s about. So just, he’s trying to teach her racing, and his version of it is making her watch this marathon of all Fast and the Furious movies, kind of as a sarcastic way of flirting with her. And so the scene is basically them doing a marathon and him trying to be serious, whereas she’s just like this, this guy, he’s just got to be kidding me.
Elle
Which I kind of love it. And he’s like me, he’s like talking about Tokyo Drift. And she’s like, sheezus, Tokyo Drift was the worst what’s wrong with him? And I’m like, I like wrote a note on like, hard agree right there.
JD
Everyone is like Tokyo Drift is the worst ever, they should never have made the movie. So when I’m putting all these puns in it, I’m just dying myself, because we say it all the time.
Elle
Because I hated it. And it’s not because like, I recognize that it was like, super important because Oh shit, who was the character that they do introduce that. I love the Asian guy.
JD
Chen Li, right.
Elle
I know. And I’m like, I know what I’m like looking for it.
JD
No, I can’t even like my brains like that. And that is that answer.
Elle
That’s like the only reason to watch Tokyo Drift because they didn’t want Paul Walker to come back. That’s why Tokyo Drift exists. They thought Paul Walker was too old for the audience. And they wanted a younger lead character. And they ended up with a guy who seemed to be twice Paul Walker’s age. And he was terrible. And he was and I was like, they traded off and it was like when you remember that disaster movie that Jake Gyllenhaal starred in and he like, you’re supposed to believe he was a high school student. And he was like, and I was like, watching it like, what did he got left back 10 years? Like the same response I had with Tokyo Drift. I’m like, you’re replacing Paul Walker with it with this dude. I mean, come on! The worst, the absolute worst. So anyway, I just had to go there. Alright. Now I’ll get into the seamy stuff.
JD
Everybody listening is probably like let’s go.
Elle
No, we got to dig into some Fast and Furious shit. I mean, honestly, just last night, my daughter was like, let’s watch Too Fast, Too Furious. I was like, Oh, my God said nothing to her about this podcast. I was like, this is great. So I just watched it last night. Okay, so here we go. We’re gonna get steamy now. He doesn’t answer. He offers me a better response. Oh, wait, maybe I’m gonna jump back a little bit just so that makes sense. I can’t hide the shiver that runs through me at the way his sinful eyes devour me the heat between us. It becomes so electric. It’s dangerous. Who? Who said it in the movie? He doesn’t answer he offers me a better response. His head dips until those memories transform into reality as his lips slammed on mine. He’s hard and ruthless. I sigh into his mouth parting my lips and letting his tongue meet mine. Urgency, lust and need flow through us as we claw at one another, trying to get closer. His lips are punishing and demanding and still I feel I need more. I reach around his neck, bringing him even closer our bodies brushing against one another. His hands are wild and I welcome it, skating down my sides pulling up my shirt tugging at my pants. My back shoots off the couch when a hand disappears into my jeans. Okay? This was so like real life to me. Like, or I should say, the real life, I’d love to have. You’re kind of having this day and you’re just like, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And suddenly, like all that sexual tension just completely goes, boom, and it is on, right? So where were you as a writer, like in this moment? Where did this one sort of come from?
JD
What do you mean?
Elle
I guess as you were writing this were you like, like, at what point were you like, yeah, it’s time. Like, it’s time for them to go for this.
JD
So when I was writing this… There is a scene before that. They share, they share a first kiss in the speedway. And it’s kind of along the same lines, where it’s just super, like, they just snap and go at it. But it’s only a kiss, they get broken apart. And then with this one, I think it was just it was right, like, you know, when you read a story, all it takes is like, just the locking of the eyes and just that stare down that knows, Oh, shit. It’s happening. And I just wanted that for those two. And it was like their humor all of a sudden just died. And just you just see that spark. And you’re like, boom, and they just, she just lets go. He just gives it to her. And it’s just they get it.
Elle
Yeah. It was like, one minute they’re watching the movie. And the next minute, all the clothes are off.
JD
It like that sexual tension that they were fighting and fighting and fighting? While son it’s like, boom?
Elle
And I guess because. Because I just read like the snippet, like I’m pulling snippets out. But if you’re reading like before, right, and this is like a few pages before, they are like two pages before we get to this. And there’s a lot of banter and a lot of back and forth. About the movie and then about you know, there’s some Twizzlers stuff going on. And then there he is. And he’s quizzing her on the movies, and she knows her Fast and Furious. You know, she knows her cars. And and there was just like all of this going on between them and you can feel that. Like the tension I guess is being ratcheted up every single moment. And then all of a sudden, it was sort of like I mean, I guess like, like a race car opening up.
JD
Yeah, I think I was even biting my nails like waiting for it.
Elle
I’m gonna keep going. Jesus, Luna, he murmurs against my lips finding the moisture between my thighs. I almost bite down when he opens me wide and thrusts a thick finger inside me. I’m just as greedy, my hands digging into his hair and gripping it with fierceness as I clench around him. His predatorial growl is the fuel that burns me straight to my core. He takes no mercy inserting another finger pushing himself deeper. His knuckles breached my center and I ride out each thrust as he drives into me. There’s something primal in the way he kisses me touches me, claims me stealing each moan and whimper as I fly over this edge. He’s put me on my walls crash and I convulse under him, his mouth never leaves mine still savoring our kisses, I ride out my orgasm. But even as my body starts to settle, more need arises my hands drop from his hair reaching for his zipper. I’m frantic, hungry and desperate to feel the thickness of him filling me. He shares in the same urgency leaning up and ripping off his shirt. We claw and tear until we’re both naked. Awithout thought of protection, he’s thrusting inside of me. Totally frantic and I loved how you really captured that in the writing. My only note is tell me how you did this.
JD
Can I just stop and say how awkward it is to listen to somebody read? Sitting here with like, my head is covered. Be like, oh my god.
Elle
Oh my god. I did a podcast once where the podcaster made me read my own work for 20 minutes. That was awkward. That was awkward.
But I thought this was deliriously good. So there was so much again like drive going on here. I think that’s what’s really impressing me is that again like, Oh my god, the racing metaphors were full throttle. How do you I like that? And that is like, so amazing that you sort of captured that. And in a racing sport book to like, you know what I mean? Like this feels like driving a racecar to me as I’m reading it, but you know, sexual.
JD
So the book itself, it’s a lot about adrenaline, right. So, you know, I got the title junkie, because they’re both general and junkies, they like, he loves speed, she loves the thrill of it. And they’re just addicted to it. And in any sense of the manner, like they crave it. And when they get together, it is no different because they want something so bad. And she does it like her purpose is illegally and he does it professionally. So you know, them trying to stay away from each other is, it’s like, almost like, you know, she does it because she’s not supposed to. And he does it because he wants to win. And when they do come together, it’s just so much in the same sense as racing, because they’re just like, they’ll do anything to get on top and win and just… I don’t know, the right word to say just be together, I guess.
Elle
Right, right. So I think that that’s really kind of really fascinating, because I do think that that adrenaline underscores this whole scene. Like there is adrenaline here in the writing. And that really is really cool, too. Like, I mean, were you aware of this as you’re writing it, or is this just something that came through simply because of who these characters are?
JD
I think a little bit of both, I think throughout the writing and throughout the scenes, there are some intended words in there, but I would honestly have to say that this one specifically. I think that just is how it came out, to be honest.
Elle
Okay, all right. Okay, one more a little bit, and then your torture is over. Something feral in him breaks and a low thunderous growl erupts from his chest. His composure shatters and a beast inside him releases. My nails scraped down his back the pain feeding his powering me demanding anything and everything I have to offer. His hands dig tightly into my hair and we both lose ourselves. indescribable pleasure resonates in the core of my sex, and I Hold him tight as we both freefall into this unchartered territory of undeniable fulfillment. We’re silent for some time our hearts hammering against one another. I’m trying to catch my breath fearing I’ll never be able to. What just happened was you unsteady breaths are going to kill me. My eyelids heavy from the aftermath of the best orgasm ever widened at his words. Oh my god. Was that bad? His chest rumbles against mine his head tilting back as he bellows out a laugh Jesus, Luna. ad? That was so good. I think I’m going to have I’m about to have a heart attack. I can’t get my breathing back to normal. We need to keep doing that until I die. Yes. die because that was…Marry me.
Oh my god, I love this exchange. I thought this was adorable. He alfa-esque but not He’s also kind of giving up a lot pretty quickly, even though it was kind of like, I guess the, the glow of…the post-coital glow, maybe. You know, so I’m kind of curious. Like, why did you have him say that?
JD
So when I originally first conjured up Cash in my head, I wanted him to be more of like a bad boy, jerky kind of guy. Right? And I really wanted them to have a enemies-to-lovers kind of relationship. Like they didn’t like each other and they kind of fell through. But when I started writing him, he came off, like quirky almost, in a way like he had this inner dialogue that was just so funny. And he has this nervousness about him. And you can tell in that scene that all of a sudden he like turns into this like jokester so that’s how they start the scene off or like he’s obviously making her watch all these movies and she thinks that he’s absolutely ridiculous. And so they share in this moment and then once they’re done he’s like, trying to pull back the seriousness a little bit and he’s just like, wow, marry me, you know, and you know, they go on and on to like banter some more and you know, obviously end the night with a lot more banging. Yeah, it’s just in Cash’s character. You know, for anyone who reads the book, you’ll see that like, he has his moments where he’s just honestly just such a genuine guy. But, you know, what you don’t get to see in the sex scenes is that like, he’s got a secret too and he’s hurting in a certain way that you know, we all learned that Luna is in the beginning of the story. So, you know, when they have these intimate moments, it’s kind of like they’re like, giving each other a window to see who they truly are. Were these were these
Elle
Were these issues that existed before you stepped into this world that these were already written out, or these ones that you’ve conjured for them because you said that they were side characters.
JD
So okay, what I meant by that is that I added two side characters in the story that were in the Driven book. Luna and Cash are my characters. I completely own them. And the story itself, it’s all mine. It’s just so a good example is Cash’s crew chief is Becca Daniels. Becca Daniels is the crew chief in Driven so that’s Kristy’s character. So these two characters that I created all their issues, all their drama., all their baggage is all me.
Elle
Ok so these are your characters. Now I understand. Okay, that makes more sense. Cool. So yeah, this was this is a really great read. It sounds like a really fun book.
JD
You know what it is? It has it has a little bit of the humor. It has the suspense. It has your angst and your love story. And it definitely has your happily ever after. Oh, I swoon just thinking about how I gave it to them.
Elle
When did this come out? By the way?
JD
September 18.
Elle
It was just this year. Okay. Wow, you are you move. that’s a lot of books coming out in a very short period of time.
JD
A lot of people talking in my head.
Elle
Okay, JD, where can readers find you on the internets?
JD
I am all over that web. You can my author page is author jd hollyfield.com. And a lot of my handles are at author jd hollyfield. Um, on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube.
Elle
Damn, I will have links in the show notes too, for anybody wanting to jump on and follow the various pages. So yeah, JD, this was really great. Thank you for being here.