Eileen Davidson: Actress and Author
Having achieved success with her first novel, Death in Daytime, Eileen Davidson (Ashley, YOUNG AND RESTLESS) has released her second in a series of murder mystery novels for Penguin Books, Dial Emmy for Murder. This time around, lead character Alexis Peterson is onstage at the Daytime Emmy Awards, but her co-star and co-presenter Jackson Masters is nowhere in sight. Turns out he’s dead. Davidson discusses life as an author and how she balances it with her daytime gig.
Soap Opera Weekly: How does Dial Emmy for Murder differ from your first book, Death in Daytime?
Eileen Davidson: Well, it’s the same basic cast of characters, but a different story.
Weekly: Do you like this book better than your first one?
Davidson: There are certain elements I like better, because the first book was the first book. I was just kind of finding my way. I’m a little bit more confident and sure of myself, now. Bob Randisi, my writing partner, and I write more together, and I’m trusting the experience more than I did before. Dial Emmy for Murder is better than the first book in certain ways. In form, I like it better. But it’s hard not to love your first book.
Weekly: Let’s talk about your wearing the author hat. What’s that been like for you?
Davidson: I love it. I’m having a great time. It’s an amazing experience you can only dream about happening.
Weekly: How do you find the time to write with a full-time job and front-burner storyline on YOUNG AND RESTLESS?
Davidson: It’s so interesting. It’s only time-consuming in spurts, because I have a writing partner. Like with the third book, which I’m in the middle of right now, I had a very strong idea of the story and what I wanted to do. So I wrote the first five chapters and e-mailed them to Bob. Then Bob wrote several more chapters and sent it back to me. Two weeks ago, I was writing every day; rewriting and changing what Bo had written back to me, because I didn’t think it tracked. I e-mailed it back to him with my changes. Then he made changes to my stuff. It’s a collaborative experience.
Weekly: So you’re not on any real writing schedule?
Davidson: Well, sometimes I have to e-mail Bob and say, “When are you going to get those pages back to me? Because I work every day next week and won’t be able to get to them for a while.” In the beginning, it was very hard for me. I tend to be little more controlling. I need to figure out what I’m doing and when. I’ve learned I have to be a little bit more spontaneous. As soon as I see a window of time, I need to get the kids out of the house and lock the door and write. Four hours at a time is a good thing for me. I can usually get quite a few pages done.
Weekly: Do you ever write at the studio on a workday?
Davidson: I do. Sometimes, when I have a long day, I’ll bring my computer in and write in between scenes.
Weekly: What kind of feedback have you been getting from fans about all of this?
Davidson: It’s been supportive. I’ve gotten a lot of people coming up to me, asking me questions. “When is the second book coming out?” “How did this whole thing get started?”
Weekly: Did you expect the venture to be so successful?
Davidson: It’s already exceeded my expectations by a thousandfold. Now it’s just a matter of keeping it up.
Conversation
All comments are subject to our Community Guidelines. Soap Opera Digest does not endorse the opinions and views shared by our readers in our comment sections. Our comments section is a place where readers can engage in healthy, productive, lively, and respectful discussions. Offensive language, hate speech, personal attacks, and/or defamatory statements are not permitted. Advertising or spam is also prohibited.