Interview Y&R: Eileen Davidson: Author, Part 2

Eileen Davidson has plenty of material from which to draw when it comes to writing a juicy story. After all, she has been on the No. 1-rated soap for about 15 years. As Ashley Abbott on “The Young and the Restless” (as well as starring on “The Bold and the Beautiful,” “Days of Our Lives” and “Santa Barbara”), Eileen’s character has seen her fair share of turmoil, intrigue, death and betrayal.

Eileen combined her love of soaps and her love of books into a successful foray into the world of murder-mystery novels. Her second book, “Dial Emmy for Murder,” was released last month, and she is hard at work on the third in the series. She was excited to discuss her latest project.

Have you always been specifically a mystery fan, or just a general book-lover?
Eileen Davidson: “I’ve always been very well read. I was reading a lot of spiritual and self-help books for many years, and it was very heavy. One day I just picked up a mystery novel when I was on vacation, and I thought, ‘This is so much fun!’ I got hooked on the whole genre. I was a writer when I was in high school, and I had always wanted to get back into writing. I do have an interest in forensics, a lot of the cold-case shows and A&E shows about solving murders. Combining that with what I do for a living seemed like a natural fit. People can get a bird’s-eye view of what we do for a living over here, and it’s also wrapped up in the intriguing world of forensics.”

Is there a bit of Eileen Davidson in the novel’s heroine, Alexis Peterson?
E.D.: “Stephen Colbert talks about ‘truthiness,’ and with these books, there’s a lot of truthiness in them. It’s a lot of truth, a lot of fiction, a lot of my own experiences with a twist. It’s a combination of everything — a truth-and-fiction stew.”

Are you working with author Robert Randisi on this second book as well?
E.D.: “Yes. He knows this form of writing very well; I know the soap-opera world very well. We work very well together. When I get pages back from him, they sound like he just finished writing a Western, so I am like, ‘OK, this does not sound like something a woman would say,’ and he says, ‘That’s what I have you for.’ So I rewrite it and put a female tone to it.”

What can you tell me about the third book?
E.D.: “The third book is leaning more toward romance, so it’s going to be a mystery/romance novel. I’m putting in more romance, but it’s weird. I’m not sure how to do it. I draw a lot of innuendo, but wonder, Am I really supposed to start to use certain body-part words when I write it? So I am kind of getting used to that sort of thing, and where to draw the line with that.
“The book opens at Hugh Hefner’s mansion at the Halloween party he has every year. Alexis is there, of course, and there is a murder at the mansion. It’s called ‘Diva Las Vegas,’ because the story ends up taking Alexis to Las Vegas. My husband (Vince Van Patten) came up with that title.”

Would you like to see your series of books turned into a television serial or miniseries?
E.D.: “Absolutely. We’re trying to make something happen with that right now, which is interesting, because everyone says that this genre is dying. But it’s still alive and kicking; we’re still here. But yes, we are pursuing it.”

Is there an indefinite number to the series?
E.D.: “We’re going to see how they sell and go from there. I can’t believe I got one book out, the fact that I have two books in the can is amazing. Anything else at this point is just gravy.”

“Dial Emmy for Murder” can be found at your local retailer or any online book outlet.

Interview Y&R: Eileen Davidson Is Game for Anything, Part 1

Eileen Davidson is back in familiar territory: She has returned to The Young and the Restless, and Ashley is back in Victor Newman’s arms. This time, however, Ashley and Victor’s relationship is a more mature and kinder love. However, there are still those who would try to tear them apart (Adam, this means you!). After all, this is a soap opera.

Eileen, actress and author — her second book, Dial Emmy for Murder, was just released in June — talks about this go-round with Ashley and Victor, as well as being a murder-mystery author.

Now that Ashley has returned to Y&R, are you glad that you get to further explore her relationship with Victor? I know that many fans feel there is more to discover there.
Eileen Davidson: “The writers are definitely taking this down a completely different path than I thought they would, but that’s great. It’s a great way for these two characters to get reconnected this time around, maybe get some closure, and it’s a really interesting story line to play.”

Was coming back to the Y&R set like riding a bike?
ED: “It feels very familiar, since I know this character very, very well. But on the other hand, because the story is so unpredictable — because of Ashley thinking that she might be losing her mind and trying to hold on to her sense of sanity — it’s challenging from that aspect. It’s a different facet of the character. Even though she’s had emotional problems before, it’s never been quite like this, where someone from the outside is the one doing this to her.”

Tell me about playing Ashley and suffering from a hysterical pregnancy.
ED: “A lot of people don’t know that this is a real, physical situation that can happen to women who are so emotionally connected to being pregnant that their bodies can actually mimic a pregnancy when the baby is lost. It’s hard to understand. People wonder how she can still look big even though a baby is not in there, but it is her body that is creating this ‘pregnancy.’”

Were you excited to play this story line?
ED: “I’m always game for anything, and this seemed very interesting and different, and something I’d never seen done before. The fact that this does happen and it’s not just a contrivance makes it all the more interesting. Also, with how much Ashley wanted this baby, and how much she thought that maybe they should have had a child together years ago when she made a choice to have an abortion, with that being strong enough to create a pregnancy is just really cool.”

Victor finally takes down Sabrina’s statue. Does this make Ashley feel more secure in her relationship with him?
ED: “I don’t think she ever felt threatened by Victor’s previous relationship with Sabrina. I think she was very respectful of that relationship. Victor realizes it’s time to close that chapter of his life and move on.”

Tune in next week as Eileen talks mystery, murder and her latest book, Dial Emmy for Murder.