Desmond Child, the songwriter and producer behind dozens of Billboard hits including KISS classic "I Was Made For Loving You", Bon Jovi's "Livin' On A Prayer", Joan Jett's "I Hate Myself For Loving You", Aerosmith's "Dude Looks Like A Lady", and Alice Cooper's "Poison", released his first memoir, Livin’ On a Prayer: Big Songs Big Life, back in September in North America via Radius Book Group. The memoir, which includes a foreword by KISS singer/guitarist Paul Stanley, was released in the UK on November 2, published by Radius.

Guesting on Backstage Pass Rock-News, Child dives into his song writing with KISS, and his fiery personality clash with Gene Simmons. Check out the interview below.

Child: "I was having all this success with Bon Jovi and Aerosmith, and his schtick for that record (The Elder) was 'We don't need co-writers. In fact, we paid guards to stand at the door of the studio to keep Desmond Child out.' I read that and was like, 'Why would he slag the person that's put money in his pocket?' Now I understand his humour and kind of think it's funny, but at that time I was very hurt so I called Paul up and said, 'This really bothers me. He's said it in 50 interviews all over the world.' Paul said, 'I can't control Gene. He says whatever he wants to say. I said, 'Well, tell him to go fuck himself.'"

Book description:  Desmond Child is the ultimate hitmaker, contributing to some of the biggest smash global hits that helped ignite the success of music icons KISS, Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, Alice Cooper, Ricky Martin, Katy Perry, and countless others. In Livin’ On A Prayer, he reveals how he climbed his way to the top and beyond amid extraordinary circumstances and shares his very personal and unbelievable journey that shaped him into an artist of international renown.

For over half a century, Desmond Child has collaborated with the world’s most celebrated artists creating timeless hits, such as Bon Jovi’s “Livin' On A Prayer” and “You Give Love A Bad Name” as well as Ricky Martin’s “Livin’ La Vida Loca” and “The Cup Of Life” amongst his vast catalog. But in Livin’ On A Prayer, Desmond himself takes center stage to share his transformational story from misfit outsider to cultural pacesetter.

In collaboration with legendary music biographer David Ritz, Child recounts his unconventional upbringing as his colorful family fled Cuba in the 1960s and fell into poverty. He details his shocking discovery at age 18 that the man he called “dad” was not his biological father after all, and he courageously bares his soul about navigating the trials of being a Latino gay man in the macho world of rock and roll. His is a story of willing himself to succeed and overcome impossible odds to establish himself as one of the most influential composers and lyricists of all time.