Susan Holmes-McKagan

 Susan has been married to Guns N’ Roses and Velvet Revolver founding member and bassist Duff McKagan for over two decades. Susan has also been a Huffington Post front page writer/ and continued her modeling, and she toured with her husband at Guns N’ Roses performances across the world.
As a multi-talented woman, Susan has had success with all her endeavors, from raising two beautiful daughters, modeling, designing her swimwear line, which has appeared in numerous Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Editions, working with charities such as PETA, traveling the globe with her husband and writing.
The Velvet Rose, her premiere novel, is a blend of Almost Famous meets Reality Bites and Spinal Tap in this compelling and often injected-with-humor, fast-paced fabulous novel.

The Velvet Rose In the early nineties, Scarlet, a painter and high fashion model, finds herself working in some of the world’s most famous fashion capitals. As her adventure continues, she meets Johnny of The Westies, an up-and-coming band on the cusp of superstardom. What ensues is an unhinged ride of a novel following the audacious lead female protagonist as she navigates her life through fame, addiction, infidelity, and all the ups and downs of dating a legendary musician from one of the biggest rock bands in history. A riveting and heartfelt journey of figuring out one’s path and championing that aspect to finding their dreams.

Rich in spirit and relatable for all those who have ever had the courage to chase their dreams and pursue an unconventional path in this glorious world. A page-turner, frequently injected with laugh-out-loud humor, front row seat of fun debut that is being heralded as the earnest generation of authenticity of a nineties voyage. You will want to pre-order this book so you can get one of the first copies when it hits bookstores in April.

Excerpt from The Velvet Rose

I didn’t feel like the glamorous, sophisticated Velvet Rose of legend as I hid in the tiny shower stall in the tour bus, clinging to the wall. We ended abruptly only seconds after we’d finally set off. I would later learn that Bone had been inexcusably tardy for bus calls. Deirdre had been as good as her word, instructing the driver to depart without him. Rushing up the hill to the house, just as the bus pulled away, Bone stepped in front of the vehicle. He knew it was the only way Deirdre could be persuaded to change her mind about picking up a wayward band member. Thankfully, the bus had superb, albeit squeaky, brakes, and Bone survived to drum another show. Unfortunately, Bone was having an upper day, and he spent the first hour we were on the road, running up and down the aisle, singing Van Halen’s “Hot for Teacher” at top volume while mimicking the band’s choreographed dance moves from the video. Finally, from what I was able to overhear through the wall, it sounded like Deirdre had sequestered him in the back bedroom, where he began playing his Quinto Cuban congas. The past week had been insane by any standards, and this time alone in my secret hideout was the first opportunity I’d had to assess my life. Neither the choices I’d made of late nor where they’d landed me inspired much confidence in me. For starters, if I’d known how bumpy the ride would be I would have opted for something a little more practical than three-inch Manolo Blahnik heels, which I was trying to remove. The bathroom door slid open, and someone stepped inside to make use of the facilities. I couldn’t decipher who it was through the shower’s frosted glass door, but something about the way the mystery pisser whistled “The Boys Are Back in Town” suggested it was Jet. Knowing he was generally among the band's more coherent (and therefore observant) members, I held my breath until he exited. How did I let Hawke talk me into this?