For those of you who enjoy GOOD erotic romance, I have a treat in store. Liz Crowe is with us today. Liz agreed to answer a few interview questions so that you could get to know her better. I told her you liked HOT, so stay tuned for the X-rated excerpt if the screen doesn’t melt first!
** Tell me three words that describe yourself starting with A, B, and C
A for Authentic
B for Bookish
C for Coachable
- Which genre or genres do you write or prefer to write? And why?
Up until now, I have written contemporary, erotic romance and a couple of rom coms. I’m working on a mystery/psychological thriller that is proving to be a lot harder than I had first anticipated but it’s been a fun (and also gruelling) exercise. I like the conventions of romance but also like writing outside of them a bit, focusing more on the female experience that includes both failed and successful romances and have a women’s fiction/chick lit novel brewing in my head too. - Do you have a favorite snack that you like to munch on while writing?
I tend to shove food into my mouth blindly while writing. It’s not a good habit at all. I mean, I’ll emerge from the mental writing cave and look around at all the empty Girl Scout cookie boxes and be all “Hey! Who ate these….oh.”
- Do you read your reviews on your books? Do they influence your story at all?
I do not. I learned the hard way that digging into reviews can and will shut down my muse completely. I will read them if they are pointed out to me as particularly good but I don’t dwell on them since in most cases, for every good/glowing review there’s a nasty one out there that will tear you down. Reviews exist and they should. Readers are allowed to have opinions on your work. It will not always be good and that’s just a fact. I find it’s best avoided, in order not to be sad and stop writing.
- What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
My preference for not outlining. Mainly because I have a hard time not writing out the entire story once I start an outline. Same with character bibles. I’ll start one of those and end up with six or seven pages of actual words from the book. So I just skip that and dive into the story with the basic outline/meet cute or other inciting incident in my head—sometimes I start with a single scene and build around that. CAVEAT: this does NOT WORK when writing mysteries or thrillers. I wrote one and it might have worked as a romantic suspense but it was not a thriller.
- Do you have another profession besides writing?
I am a digital marketing consultant to non-profits and other small businesses. I help them plan email fundraising or client /customer newsletter campaigns and social media strategies.
- What was the inspiration for “What Happens in Chicago?”
This is a sequel to What Happens in Denver. I’m notorious for not being able to write stand-alone novels. Mainly because I like strong side characters so my MCs are not operating in a vacuum within the plot. This is not a series, more a “duet” I guess of 2 books together. Michael Burke is the brother of James, the Main male character in What Happens in Denver and he plays a pretty big part of James and Andi’s story arc in that book. Sloane befriends Andi (from What Happens in Denver) and is also part of her story. And I hinted a lot at their volatile, on-again-off-again relationship so I decided to tell their (decidedly hot and steamy story).
- Will there be more books in your series, or can you tell us about any previous books?
No plans for more for this set of characters. My best selling books are a 10 book series, Stewart Realty, that is getting a facelift this year with all new covers and tons of new content, some exclusive to our shared newsletter audiences!
- What is your favorite part of this book and why?
Well, let’s see, there are a lot of sex scenes to choose from, but I think even though those are fun to write and to read (one is included here), my favorite one was when Sloane convinced Michael to join her in therapy. Michael is one of those guys who thinks he has it all together but for Sloane, he will do anything. And he learns a LOT about her and himself in the process. Him being Super uncomfortable and trying to crack bad jokes in their first session is a pretty good scene.
- What are you currently working on?
I just completed 2 novellas for the above-mentioned Stewart Realty series. Now, I’m going to turn my attention to a new idea I have, a romcom set in American football that’s a bit of a Ted Lasso style story. A fish out of water story with a super grumpy/bossy/unhappy heroine who has just been named GM of the really bad team her family has owned for years, who hires a semi-retired ex player with whom she had a hot relationship for a brief period and who “ruined her for other men.” She believes he will be way out of his league and fail miserably and she can sell the team, finally. Not how it works out, of course. It needs at title…any ideas? It’ll be about a 3.5 on a 1-5 heat scale but it’ll include a “bad first sex” scene. Of course, they had good sex in their past but he dumped her (for Reasons That Shall Be Revealed Once I think of them) but their reunion sex will be super awkward and funny.
I also need to write a novella or novel about star crossed lovers for a 2023 anthology I’m in …. Better get on that, right? I can’t work on multiple WIPs at the same time, but the football one is really begging to be written first.
~*~
Since the format demons took control of our interview, we’ll move along to the blurb and excerpt of What Happens in Chicago:
What Happens in Chicago
Release date: January 24, 20022
The Wild Rose Press
Universal: https://books2read.com/WhatHappensinChicago
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/What-Happens-Chicago-Liz-Crowe-ebook/dp/B09PJLJTPQ/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60143420-what-happens-in-chicago
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/what-happens-in-chicago-by-liz-crowe
READ CHAPTER ONE: https://lizcrowe.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/What-Happens-in-Chicago-1.pdf
ARC sign up: https://forms.gle/cbW7Gj7Dje3gk3av8
Blurb:
Sloane
I figured it would be just another night at the club. Another chance to put my parents’ expectations and their pressure to return home behind me. But hiding from my issues by entertaining clients at an exclusive club in Chicago wasn’t the erotic buzz it used to be. And then, this smoking hot dude spilled bourbon down the front of my dress…
Michael
What had, at one time, been sexy, illicit, and thrilling now felt like one more night stuck on a hamster wheel. I was bored to tears with the whole club scene, forced yet again to verify to everyone that I was as Alpha as I claimed to be while continuing to hide from my responsibilities as part owner of my family’s brewery. And then, I literally ran into her…
What happens between Sloane and Michael in Chicago seems like nothing more than a hookup, a scorching hot interlude for a couple of well-matched libidos. Once they realize that there are legit feelings involved, they find plenty of ways to deflect and sabotage their burgeoning relationship. When they both have to leave their beloved Chicago and go home to Michigan—Sloane to help an ill parent, Michael to salvage his family’s famous brewery—things get even more complicated. Accepting the depth of their emotion for each other means acknowledging their own flaws, which makes for tough conversations…along with steamy make-up sessions. Content Warning
Excerpt:
From What Happens in Chicago by Liz Crowe. All rights reserved.
Rated X. Mature audiences ONLY.
I chose a playlist on my phone, and music poured from the hidden speakers. I reclined the chair across from him and spread it with a soft cover. Once I opened the box containing two of my favorite toys, I sensed the air around us crackle with mutual lust. I slipped out of my shoes and sat on what was now, essentially, a comfortable, soft, vertical space.
“You don’t mind, do you?” I held up the curved glass dildo with its artistic red flower encased inside the rounded end in one hand and the ingenious little clit stimulator in the other. Used in combination, these did it for me every time. We’d played with them before, of course.
“Not at all.” He leaned his seat back, uncrossed his legs, and unbuckled his belt. “As long as you don’t.”
I did a little dance to get my bra and panties off, tossing them both to him, then settled myself on the flattened seat, propped against a large pillow I had liberated from a nearby love seat, and spread my knees. I wanted him to watch everything I did. He was super visual. Nothing turned him on more than watching me flirt or even dance with another guy, because he knew that guy was only a fluffer for him.
Not that he needed one where I was concerned. But I was all about putting on a show. We were well matched that way.
I was finally starting to relax by the time the little vibe against my clit and the gently curved glass hit me in all the right places at once. There was a reason this toy was my favorite. I started to reach for the lube.
“Don’t think you’ll need that,” Michael’s deep voice said. I opened my eyes and stared at him. He was sitting with his legs spread, his hand on the bulge at his zipper. His smile—dear Lord that smile—was slightly crooked but all mine. I smiled back and sighed as I sensed my body revving up even higher.
I let myself experience every sensation. I rubbed the cool glass against my eager clit first, then, when I knew I couldn’t wait another minute, I slid the dildo inside me, sighing with satisfaction when its familiar curved shape warmed to match my body heat. Unable to stop myself, I arched my back, pulled it out then in again, deep this time, so deep the well-designed ball at the end of it rested against my clit.
Michael was right. No lube required. I could feel my own fluid, slicking the top of my thighs. I clenched my pelvic muscles, clamping down on the thick glass rod inside me, then used both of my hands to tweak my nipples.
Michael’s breathing grew fast and heavy, but he didn’t touch me, which I appreciated. I liked having my space when I masturbated. But of course, I also liked knowing that his eyes were on me while I did it.
I was close now, between the deep penetration, the friction at my clit, and the nipple work I was doing. I spread my legs wider so he could watch me come, something I knew he enjoyed doing. My back arched. Heat rose from the soles of my feet up my torso to my neck and face as I gave my nipples one more hard pinch. When I heard him say my name in a loud whisper, that sent me over the edge. I groaned and put my hand against the end of the dildo as my pussy thrummed and pulsed around it. I shut my eyes and let the orgasm fill the space around us with its erotic energy.
By the time I opened my eyes again, he was standing over me, stroking his cock, one hand braced on the luggage compartment over my head. I scrambled to my knees, eager to finish him. I grabbed the lube and covered the glass dildo with it. He didn’t take his eyes off me, but his breathing grew even quicker when I stood and, trailing my fingers along his shirt, got behind him and tugged his trousers and underwear all the way down.
“What are you doing,” he asked. A rhetorical question, we both knew.
I stood behind him as I slid the slippery glass cock along his ass crack, kissed his neck, and reached under his shirt to tweak his nipple, something that absolutely made him crazy. My knees were wobbly with lust.
“Sloane,” he croaked out as I slid the bulbous glass tip into his hole, both his hands now braced against the small luggage area over the bed I’d made for myself.
“Trust me,” I whispered into his neck, loving the sexy smell of his skin. “And hang on tight.” I knew it hurt at first. I also knew where to stop. I looked down. God but this was hot. How had I found this damn unicorn of a man? Hot, alpha, rich as fuck, and sexually fluid? Damn, had I scored or what?
I grinned and pressed the glass dildo in a bit farther. I’d used enough lube to keep it from being too painful, but this was something that needed finesse and patience. Luckily, I had both. I pressed my lips to his neck again, tasing the salty tang of his sweat, sighing into his skin as I pushed the dildo in a little more. I’d done this before. And had it done to me. It burned some, but if you had the correct combination of already horny and eager, the pain was subsumed by your need to come. Men were way more suited to it anyway, since there was a biologically placed sweet spot not far from where my little glass toy was touching.
“Jesus C-c-christ, Sloane….” He shivered. He was jacking himself fast as his hips bucked and thrust while his other hand held onto the rack above us. I inched the dildo forward ever so slightly to the spot I’d found a few times before with my finger. When I stroked his prostate gland with the tip of the glass cock, he yelled so loud I had to put my hand over his mouth. Within a few seconds, his entire body jerked, and he shot an impressive arc of cum over the flattened seat.
I sighed with satisfaction, licking the sweat off his neck, waiting for his muscles to relax. Once that happened and I knew I wouldn’t hurt him, I pulled the dildo out of his ass. He was still in the aftershock of the climax, gripping the overhead compartment with both hands, gasping for breath.
I dropped the dildo to the floor and slipped around to his front, passing my fingers over the head of his dick and making him sigh again and shiver. He opened his eyes and met my gaze. I loved it when he stared at me as if I were the only female in the entire Goddamned universe. Yeah, I was a little spoiled, but it would seem as though I’d found the guy who possessed the perfect mix of willingness to cater to me while also letting me do whatever I wanted to him. Bingo, I thought with a grin.
“You are… That was…wow.” He shook his head and closed his eyes. “I liked it.” He grinned and pulled his underwear and jeans back up with shaking hands. “In case you couldn’t tell.”
“I can tell. It was most definitely wow. Quite the distance.” I wiped droplets off the window, folded up the now glistening blanket, and put the seat back up. “Impressive,” I said, turning back to him. “And for the record, I super-duper like it that you liked it.” I slipped my dress down over my head, skipping the bra and panties for the time being.
He flopped in his seat and drained a bottle of water. He tossed the empty onto the table, grabbed another one, and reached for my hand.
“Hang on. Gotta clean up. Clean toys are happy toys.” I took them into the washroom. My mind was pleasantly blank. I’d set the stage for what I hoped would be a lovely sun-, booze-, and sex-soaked weekend.
“C’mere,” he said when I emerged and had put everything away, grabbed a brownie, and popped it into my mouth. Still limp with satisfaction, I let him pull me onto his lap. His lips were soft, undemanding, dare I say gentle. It was different, this gentleness. I liked it hard, rough, bossy. He did, too. It was what made us good together, at least when it came to sex.
~*~
About Liz:
Liz Crowe is a Kentucky native and graduate of the University of Louisville living in South Carolina. She’s spent her time as a three-continent expat trailing spouse, mom of three, real estate agent, brewery owner and bar manager, and is currently a digital marketing consultant, in addition to being an award-winning author. With stories set in the not-so-common worlds of breweries, on the soccer pitch, inside fictional television stations and successful real estate offices, and even in exotic locales like Istanbul, Turkey, her books are compelling and told with a fresh voice. The Liz Crowe backlist has something for any reader seeking complex storylines with humor and complete casts of characters that will delight, and linger in the imagination long after the book is finished.
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