Liz Crowe's Blog, page 12

Sliding a Beer Across the Ice to Jennifer Comeaux

Today as part of the "every sport counts" World Cup Promo I welcome Jennifer Comeaux to the bar….



Liz: Welcome to my beer bar Jennifer! What can I pour for you to start? 

JC: I’m not a beer drinker, but I’d love a cold soda!
Liz: Bummer. Ok, I'll drink yours….
I see that you have a very successful series about figure skating. What inspired you to write them? Are you a figure skater yourself?

JC:  I’ve only been on the ice once in my life (and I was terrified!), but I’m a huge fan of the sport. I’ve watched it on TV since I was a little girl, and I became an even bigger fan when I started attending competitions thirteen years ago. I think skating is the perfect combination of sport and art!
Liz: Tell us about the series…. 

JC: The series follows the personal and Olympic journey of Emily, a pairs skater from Boston. She falls in love with her young Russian coach Sergei, and their love story spans the trilogy. We also see Emily and her partner Chris chasing their dream of being the first American pair to win Olympic gold.
Liz: Whoops! Empty glass. What can I pour for you next? 

JC: I’ll take a refill of my soda!
Liz: Ok, that's one more beer for the wench...I’m one of those fair weather, Olympics-only ice skating fans but will tell you that some pretty famous ice dancing medalists train here in Ann Arbor. As well as the USA Hockey young studs who typically end up playing NCAA D1 hockey and going on to make the NHL. Are you a hockey fan as well? 

JC: I’m not a hockey fan, but I know the Olympic gold medalist ice dancers, Meryl Davis and Charlie White, well! Since I attend a number of competitions each year, I’ve gotten to know some of the skaters and their families. Meryl and Charlie are just as fabulous off the ice as they are on the ice!


Liz: Who is your all time favorite figure skater, male and female? 

JC: Michelle Kwan is my all-time favorite singles skater, and Meryl and Charlie are my favorite duo on the ice.
Liz: Will you be expanding your Life on the Edge series or do you have other books planned? 

JC: Next month I’ll be releasing a new book, Crossing the Ice, which is a spin-off from the Edge series. Here’s a little more about it:
Pair skaters Courtney and Mark have one shot left at their Olympic dream. They vow not to let anything get in their way, especially not Josh and Stephanie, the wealthy and talented brother and sister team.
The heart doesn’t always listen to reason, though…
The more time Courtney spends with sweet, shy Josh, the harder she falls for him. But they are on opposite sides of the competition, and their futures are headed in opposite directions. Will their friendship blossom into more or are their paths too different to cross?

Liz: And now for a nightcap, what’s your poison? 

JC: Keep the caffeine coming with another soda. I need it to stay up late writing!

Liz: Nods and pours and another beer before opening her laptop to stay up writing.


Check out her books here:
Life on the Edge - http://amzn.com/B006T89A4YEdge of the Past - http://amzn.com/B00AEFAWD6Fighting for the Edge - http://amzn.com/B00GGA5D5U

Connect with Jennifer here:
Website - http://jennifercomeaux.blogspot.comFacebook - http://www.facebook.com/jennifercomeauxauthorTwitter - http://www.twitter.com/LadyWave4



Jennifer Comeaux is a tax accountant by day, writer by night. There aren’t any ice rinks near her home in south Louisiana, but she’s a diehard figure skating fan and loves to write stories of romance set in the world of competitive skating. One of her favorite pastimes is travelling to competitions, where she can experience all the glitz and drama that inspire her writing. Jennifer loves to hear from readers! Visit jennifercomeaux.blogspot.com for contact information and to learn more about her books.

Crashing the Beer Bar with Eden Butler and Her Rugby Series

Ok, quiet down Liz acolytes and bar patrons…Today I have a special author guest Eden Butler, here to chat about rugby….


Liz: Welcome to my beer bar Eden! What can I pour for you to start?
Eden: Guinness, please, room temperature.
Liz: Sorry sweets. This bar doesn't serve anything but craft beer. Here, try this Dragon's Milk Stout from New Holland Brewing Company. It's about 1000 times better, promise (I'm a beer wench, trust me)



 So….the “Serenity Series” is set in the world of rugby. Tell the folks around the bar here why you chose that sport.

Eden:Here’s the deal…growing up in southeast Louisiana, you can’t get away from sports, especially football. It’s sort of a sin in this town not to love the LSU Tigers and I guess you can call me an awfully sinful girl. I don’t like college football. I do, however, have a long and abiding love with the New Orleans Saints. Not the NFL, not any other team JUST my Saints.

 But I came across a New Zealand All Blacks game online years ago and though “well, my God, those are real men.” I also fell in love with rugby back in grad school when I’d sit in my car like a total creeper watching out rugby squad practice. I think it all comes down to the fact that these men are essentially playing one of the roughest sports imaginable and they’re doing it without a single pad.

Liz: And how do you weave the sport into the novels in your series?

Eden: The first book, Chasing Serenity, is set in a fictional Tennessee town called Cavanagh. It was founded a hundred years or so ago by Irish settlers that never quite managed to release Ireland’s influence and in Cavanagh, rugby is God. The hero in that book, Declan Fraser, is an Irish ex-pat and new to the Cavanagh rugby squad. Autumn, the main character lives right in the middle of campus and she and her friends are as mad about rugby as anyone in town would be. Rugby is in their blood and that sport and that town come alive in the novel; both become as much a character as Autumn and Declan.

Liz: Do you have another book planned for the series? Will it also have sports elements?

Eden: Yes. There will be two more books in the series and one last novella. The series essentially follows Autumn and her friends Layla, Sayo and Mollie. Each girl will get a book.

Liz: Oh look, empty glass…can’t have that! What can I get for you next?

Eden: Hmmm…I’ll stick with the Irish theme and take some Bailey’s please and thank you!

Liz: *pours herself another milk stout and eyeballs the bartender to break out the liqueur*

I note that you are a Saints fan. I myself and am ever-positive Detroit Lions fan. But I will admit that professional American football is not my fav sport (insert “it’s because you’re a LIONS FAN” thought here). I do enjoy college football, and basketball, and soccer. I have friends and one relative who played rugby though and one of the years we lived in England their national team won the Rugby World Cup which was cool. I really try to understand it. If all other sports were one day eliminated from the face of the earth but for ONE, which one would you want left behind and why?

Eden: Oh, that’s a tough choice. For me, the bloodier, the better and I do love how raw and real rugby is. (Say that three times fast! LOL) But, I’m gonna say I couldn’t do without seeing my Saints play. I do not care about any other team, but I have to watch my Saints.

Liz: I see that you call yourself a “New Adult” author. What does that mean to you?

Eden:It means exploring the lives of characters who are just starting to figure out who they are mentally, spiritually and sexually. It means that point in our lives where we are first responsible for ourselves and the consequences of what happens when we forget to be responsible. That could happen anywhere; on a stage, on a field or in a dorm room. I just love telling stories about people who have no clue who they are. Discovering who you are, I think is fascinating.
Liz: And do you have some Sci Fi books planned?

Eden: I absolutely have many, many SciFi/Fantasy projects planned, but they will likely not be released under Eden Butler. My start, under my “real” name was in that genre and I will go back to it in the very near future.

Liz:  Finally, who is your pick to win the soccer world cup?
Eden:Um, I have no real clue. LOL! Sorry, soccer’s not my sport so I’ll just go with, um, Ireland? Are they playing? J
Liz: Um. No….And for a nightcap…what’s your poison?

Eden: Jameson’s will do me just fine! Cheers!

Liz: Finally, something we can agree on! I'll join you.


Here are the details:
CHASING SERENITY
Graduate student Autumn McShane has had her share of heartbreak. She’s been abandoned and betrayed and she lost her beloved mother in a tragic car accident five months ago. That loss damaged her body and fractured her spirit but she’s learning to recover, until her ex-boyfriend returns to town, intent on making her life miserable.

Declan Fraser hates her ex as much as Autumn does, but the last thing she needs is to put her trust in the hands of another man, especially one like Declan: his hard body and lulling Irish accent makes more than a few girls weak-kneed. The talented rugby player is rude and sarcastic, with tattooed, muscular arms and a cocky attitude, but he's the only one who can help Autumn win an ill-advised bet that, if lost, could cost her more than she's willing to pay. The reluctant alliance between Declan and Autumn stirs up cravings she doesn't want to admit, but Declan is a hard man to resist.

Just when Autumn starts letting down her carefully constructed walls to the sexy bad boy, he betrays her when she needs him most. Autumn suspects Declan has secrets, and she is determined to uncover what drove him away from her, even if that means fraternizing with the enemy. But will the truth return Declan to her arms or add to the scars on her heart?

BEHIND THE PITCH 
Expat Irish rugby player Declan Fraser only wanted to play the sport he loves. He didn’t want to be stuck in this middle-of-nowhere town at this all too quaint university. He didn’t want his team captain to be an entitled jackass who switched Declan's position on the squad just to make himself look good. And he sure as hell didn’t want to fall in love with graduate student Autumn McShane.

Autumn is stubborn, but gorgeous; she bristles at any hint of dependency on anyone or anything, but she’s also a survivor. She’s everything Declan didn’t know he wanted. When Autumn finds herself in the middle of a challenging bet with her ex-boyfriend - who just happens to be the arrogant team captain that Declan hates - he feels honor bound to help her out. But he didn’t expect to fall for her in the process.

“Behind the Pitch” reveals the most twisted and erotic thoughts in Declan’s head as he navigates through his on again/off again, frustrating and deeply erotic relationship with Autumn McShane.

And lordy, does he have a filthy mind.


FINDING SERENITY
Mollie Malone's mom skipped out on her. Her biker dad, always loose and easy with the law, still was able to make her feel loved, and to keep her safe. But thirteen years ago, when his luck finally ran out and he landed in prison, Mollie found herself a new family - a group of friends in the sleepy little college town of Cavanagh, Tennessee, where now they all attend the local university. These girls know about the rotten roots of her family tree but accept her anyway, and the bond between them is so strong and supportive that Mollie is finally able to see past graduation to a future that is bright and secure.

But sometimes the past doesn't stay buried.

Suddenly, inexplicably, there's a shadow behind every step Mollie takes. Someone is lurking in that shadow, threatening not only Mollie, but also the new family she has claimed for herself.

And it isn’t just the past that has Mollie’s life in upheaval. Hunky former Marine Vaughn Winchester - who Mollie really would like to get to know much better - thinks Mollie is just a kid; he's made it clear she wouldn't ever be able to understand the demons haunting him. But if that's what he believes, then why does he keep sticking his nose in her business? And if he thinks she’s such a kid, why does he keep trying to kiss her?

Vaughn’s mind games are frustrating, especially since Mollie knows enough about secrets to be convinced that there's something he isn’t telling her, something he's so far been able to keep hidden. But when that secret is revealed, Mollie is forced into a situation that tests her loyalty and threatens even her closest friendships - just when the shadow of her past returns, and she's going to need them the most.

'Finding Serenity' is book two in the Seeking Serenity series.
Eden Butler
Goodreads \ Twitter \ Facebook \ Tumblr \ Pinterest \ Blog

Eden Butler is an editor and writer of New Adult Romance and SciFi and Fantasy novels and the nine-times great-granddaughter of an honest-to-God English pirate. This could explain her affinity for rule breaking and rum. Her debut novel, a New Adult, Contemporary (no cliffie) Romance, “Chasing Serenity” launched in October 2013 and quickly became an Amazon bestseller.

When she’s not writing or wondering about her possibly Jack Sparrowesque ancestor, Eden edits, reads and spends way too much time watching rugby, Doctor Who and New Orleans Saints football. She is currently living under teenage rule alongside her husband in southeast Louisiana.Please send help. 

BUY IT!!!!!


BUY LINKS:
 Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo and iTunes

Charity Parkerson Brings The Fight To Liz's Bar

Today as part of my ongoing Sports Books are Hot theme in honor of Soccer's World Cup I welcome the talented CHARITY PARKERSON to the bar….she brought some pretty amazing dudes with her. CLICK HERE to check out my answers to her interview questions.


L: Welcome to my beer bar Charity, what can I pour for you to start?C: Can I still play in the beer bar if I don’t care for beer? I do love vodka. If you have a shot back there, that would be awesome.
L: Naturally. I used to be a real stickler about that but no more! Here ya go….
Ok, tell me what inspired you to write an erotic novel based on MMA. Is this sport something you enjoy watching, or even participating in?C: Years ago, I wrote a different MMA series. It was a much bigger hit than I ever expected, but was strictly romance. Since then, I’ve moved on to writing erotica and never intended to revisit the fight club scene. Several people have contacted me since Undefeated came to end wanting to know if I’d consider doing another MMA series. I still didn’t think I would, even though I love the fight scene. I used to workout at a gym where the local MMA fighters train to compete on a professional level. It was a lot more interesting than I would’ve ever expected. Not to mention, the place was a candy shop for adults. There was deliciousness as far as the eye could see. MMA has strong, determined men with cut bodies and awesome hip control. What more could a girl ask for in an erotic hero?

L: I am really intrigued by series, as I write them myself. When you began with book one (Unsurpassed) did you know it would become a series? Do you like to read series fiction?C:I love reading and writing series. When I create a character, they take on a life of their own and I want to know what happens to them after their book has to an end. I have trouble letting go.

L: Oh look, an empty glass. What can I pour for you next?C: I’m not above another shot. :-D
So, I’m gonna confess that I have a wicked bad crush on one of my Title Box teachers. He is, oh, like 6’ perfect” and built like a…you get the idea. And whenever he makes his way around to hold MY bag? I end up tripping or, once, I actually punched the poor dude right in the noggin. He laughed. I don’t have a strong arm—yet. So I love the concept of these novels.  But you have a ton of series fiction (I’m impressed and awed, if you must know). Which was your favorite one to concoct? Which has been your best seller and why do you think that is the case?
C: I’m always excited about every book release as if it was my first. As far as being the most fun, it has to be my “Sexy Witches” series. The characters are so outrageous, I spent all day roaring with laughter as I wrote. Those books are also my bestselling titles.

L: I see on your website that you are named as an “authority on Independent publishing.” So, do you give advice? If so, what is one thing you would advise someone just starting out with that first novel rolling around in their head? C: It’s funny. I’ve never considered myself an authority on anything. People find me online and ask questions and I’m a candid person, so I tend to tell all—good and bad. If I buy an ad, I share if I sold anything using that company and I run a group on Goodreads for authors. I was shocked when The Sydney Morning Herald sought me out as an expert on Independent publishing. If someone is thinking about publishing, I would recommend getting to know your peers as soon as possible. Talking to people who have been there and done that could save a new writer a ton of heartache simply by learning from their mistakes. Let them guide you.
L: And what would you advise me to do?C: Awww, you’re so awesome. I can’t think of a think. I’d love to hear what advice you have for me. :-D
L: Flattery gets you everywhere. Just so you know, I downloaded both of the MMA series of yours. Can’t wait to read and review them for you. Do you enjoy other sports? Who is your pick to win the World Cup?C: I’m a huge football freak and I also enjoy hockey. I’m a Titans fan, so you know I’m not a fair-weather fan, lol! I don’t follow Soccer.
L: Well, I guess I will just have to let that slide. And yeah, I'm a Detroit LIONS fan. No fair weathering here either! And for a nightcap? What’s your poison? C: Let’s go for a Rum and Coke this time.



Connect with Charity Parkerson here:www.charityparkerson.com 
http://charity-thesinners.blogspot.comhttps://www.ellorascave.com/author/charity-parkerson

Across the Beer Bar with Mina Carter's Prop

As part of my World Cup Soccer Book SALE, I welcome Mina Carter and her rugby boys to the Liz Bar!
Welcome to my bar Mina, what can I pour for your to start?
Thank you, I’ll have a rum and coke, thank you very much J
So...let's get really basic here and find out what is a "prop?"
A prop is a playing position in a rugby team. There are two props on a team and, along with the hooker, they make up the front row of the team. Usually they’re very powerful across the shoulders and neck with big thighs to push against the other team in a scrum. I have a fondness for prop’s because that’s the position my husband used to play.
Is Rugby your favorite sport? Why?
It is definitely my favourite sport and to be honest, until I trained with a local ladies rugby team I didn’t see the appeal even though my hubby (who used to play) has been a fan for years. After though, it was like a light bulb flicked on and I was hooked. There is something very primal and brutal about the game, but at the same time it requires immense tactical ability from all the players to know how best to play the ball once they get their hands on it. It’s addictive and these days, I yell just as much as my hubby does!
Oh, and the scenery’s not half bad either ;)
Yeah, I get the "scenery" part of it to be sure. I was once told by some old British dude at a pub that "Rugby was a game played by thugs and watched by gentlemen. Soccer is a game played by gentlemen and watched by thugs." I'm sure there are plenty of variations on that theme.CLICK HERE TO READ MY POST ON MINA'S BLOG ABOUT "THE BEAUTIFUL GAME."I know you from your amazing talents as Liz's Favorite Cover Artist. How did you get started in that business?
I was already a graphic artist before I started to write professionally, so I knew my way around photoshop. When I got my first contract, I asked if I could do my own cover art and they said yes. I built a portfolio and inquired with other publishers and it basically went from there.
Oh look empty glass, what can I pour next?
I’m pretty much a spirits girl, so how about a vodka and lime?
Rugby is a sort of "club sport" here in the U.S. I know several folks who enjoy it however. Do you think it will ever catch on here?
I would hope so! Like all sports it resonates with some and not with others, some players are very determined and go right to the top and some prefer local club level. All are awesome, because even local level is immensely physically demanding. Some of these collisions have been clocked at about the same as being hit by a small car, and it certainly feels that way!
A small aside, one of my favourite players is Blaine Scully, an American playing for my home team, the Leicester Tigers. He plays fullback, which will be the next position up in the shark’s series J
Finally, share with us a favorite scene/excerpt from Playing With the Prop.
Reaching his designated position ready for kick-off, he allowed his gaze to wander to the side of the pitch. Searching for one figure amongst the team support staff had become part of his pre-game ritual. It didn’t take long to find the lone female figure amongst the team physical therapists. Petite and with the kind of curves to tempt a saint, he’d had his eye on Ashley Parks since his arrival on the Sharks last year. So much so, he’d developed a “cramp” problem whenever she was around to ensure he got her pretty hands on his legs whenever he could. The other players had cottoned onto him, nicknaming him “Crampy James,” but he didn’t care. All that mattered was that she was here, at every game. One day, he might even drum up the courage to say something to her.As though feeling his gaze on her, she glanced around. Not yet bundled up against the cold of the oncoming winter, her dark hair was pulled up into a high ponytail, the ends bouncing across her shoulders. Swamped by the fluorescent tabard with ‘physio’ stamped across it, he couldn’t see much of her figure, but her brilliant smile and wave made up for that. Satisfaction surged through him as he rolled his shoulder and neck to make them crack. All was right with the world now. It was his birthday, he had game-time today, and his girl was watching him do what he did best.“For fuck’s sake, will you just say something to her?” The voice was accompanied by a heavy clap across his shoulder, and Harry turned around to see the smiling face of the team’s hooker, Tom, as the man passed him en-route to his own position. He turned, still grinning, pure mischief twinkling in his eyes. “Before one of us has to clue her in that it’s not just your legs you get a cramp in when she touches you.”Harry couldn’t help the bark of laughter but refrained from flipping his friend the bird. Ordinarily, he would have, but not here on the pitch with tens of thousands of eyes on them. To do so would have risked incurring their wrath, and would send Coach purple with rage. At the very least, he’d be off the line-up and on the subs’ bench for a few games, which was something all the players desperately wanted to avoid. Thanks to the brutal nature of the sport, each game they ran the gauntlet of injury that could keep them off the pitch for a game or so at best. At worst, it could kill, or end their careers. Game time was a precious thing jealously guarded.“Seriously,” Tom carried on, jogging lightly as he reached his position. “She’s single. You want her? Make a move before someone else does.”Harry cut a glance over to the lady in question. Last he’d heard, she was seeing another physio, not one with the team but from the last place she worked. What happened? He hadn’t noticed her looking sad… Perhaps it had been an amicable breakup? Amicable meant no broken heart to heal before he made his move. Hell yeah. A man could work with that.A slow grin spread over his lips as the heads up was called for the kick off. The whistle blew, and then he was running, an extra kick racing through his veins. Today was going to be a good day. He felt it in his bones.
***

Never mix business with pleasure…A physical therapist for successful Rugby team, the Strathstow Sharks, Ashley’s golden rule is never to mix business and pleasure. She loves her job and the guys she looks after, and doesn’t want to jeopardize her place with the team. As nicely put together as her charges are, she’s never found herself remotely tempted.Until now.Harry James, the team’s newest prop gives her butterflies in her stomach every time she has to treat him, and her fantasies involving his hard, muscled body and sinful lips keep her hot and bothered at night. Luckily, he shows no sign of having noticed her attraction, and hasn’t shown any interest in her…She’s been his from the moment he saw her…Harry James marked the pretty little physio the first day they met. For the last year he’s been biding his time, and trying to get her attention. So much so, it’s gained him a few nicknames in the squad. Not that anyone would dare tell her.When the Sharks win big on Harry’s birthday, can he stop at claiming a birthday kiss, or will he want everything she has to give?***
About Mina
Mina Carter is a bestselling, multi-genre author. She lives in the UK with her husband, daughter and a bossy cat. A full time author and cover artist, Mina can usually be found hunched over a keyboard or graphics tablet, frantically trying to get the images and words in her head out and onto the screen before they drive her mad. She's addicted to coffee and would like to be addicted to chocolate, but unfortunately chocolate dislikes her.Website: http://mina-carter.comFacebook Profile: http://facebook.com/mina.carterFacebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/minacarterauthorTwitter: http://twitter.com/minacarterAmazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Mina-Carter/e/B002BOH5R4/Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2920063.Mina_Carter
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/minacarter77
Thanks for hanging out with me Mina and for humoring my goofy requests for cover art.
cheersLiz

For the Love of Soccer

Greetings loyal Liz fans (and anyone else),

Just a quick update/reminder about me.




I LOVE SOCCER.


 I love it so much I have it all over my books! (this book is part of the Stewart Realty Series but spins off into THE BLACK JACK GENTLEMEN: THE SOCCER TEAM OF DETROIT series….)


And I will tweet, post and generally comment a lot about the game and the men who play it.


I even pick a Soccer Hottie of the Day during World Cup for my Liz Crowe Fan Group! The research is grueling, but somebody's gotta do it.







Today however, I want to shout out to my other soccer obsession: The Soccer Wenchling whose club team is headed to their Region 2 Midwest Championship tournament.


 This is a great bunch of young lady athletes and I wish them the very best! We are hip deep in "college communications" as far as the NCAA rules allow. She is determined to play in college and believe she will. But I will be glad when all this recruiting stuff is over!

GO JAGS!!!!




I'll be hanging back in the Decue, attending the Ann Arbor Book Fest Writer's Conference tomorrow, hoping for some insights, advice or anything else that might help me further my career as "someone who might someday make a living writing books." AT 5 tomorrow night I'll be reading from MUTUAL RELEASE at the Blue Tractor Brewery and BBQ as part of the Book Crawl. I'm very honored to be asked to participate, and hope a few folks (you know, my mom and her friends will be there fo' sho') will show up and listen in, perhaps purchase. I have some lovely new paperbacks to sell you, $15 for the anthology, Mutual Release and Essence of Time (each).

And of course, if you have not already taken advantage of my killer sale on all my soccer books, you gotta! CLICK HERE for all the details but PLEASE NOTE that AMAZON refuses to take RED CARD down to temporarily FREE although all the other sites have. If you need a kindle enabled version, just head to AllRomance Ebooks or Smashwords for your .mobi copy!
GO USA!


I just ordered my jersey!


RED CARD
MAN ON

SHUT OUT 
all are official BEST SELLERS on AllRomanceEbooks….

And for a fun romp via the Decadent Publishing's 1Night Stand series, try CAUGHT OFFSIDE!


And so now it's time to depart the inter webs and watch the footie…The team that likes to stand around in its underwear

 but still looks awesome in their D&G suits is playing….

GO USA! If we can't take advantage of a severely depleted Portugal team Sunday….well….
#Ibelieve
#onenationoneteam
#iloveyougrahamzusi

(what? I have to have one player to obsess over. It's what I do.)

Across the Beer Bar with Ella Jade & the Boys of Summer

Today as part of my ongoing interview series of author who write sports based novels, I welcome ELLA JADE and her boys of summer…


Welcome to my bar Ella, what can I pour for you to start?
Thanks for having me. I'll go with a pomegranate martini. That drink pops up in several of my books including Stealing His Heart. 
Hmmm….hopefully it's "her" and not "him" drinking that…So...baseball....first and most important things first: Who is your team?
Well, I'm a Jersey girl so we don't have an official team. We follow the Phillies in our house.
I am a Tigers fan, you know, because lately it's like admitting you're a Lions fan bless them.
Do you like to go to baseball games/is baseball your favorite sport?
My husband and boys have season tickets. That's always been their thing. Both my kids play baseball from March to November so if I had to say I have a sport, baseball would be it.
What inspired you to write a novel with a baseball player as a main character?
My wonderful publisher over at Beachwalk Press requested that I write a book with a sexy baseball hero for her. It was supposed to be one book but when we were together last summer she said, "You know, this could be a series." When the publisher asks, it's kind of hard to refuse ;)
Having three baseball enthusiasts in the house made research pretty easy. My eleven year old knows everything there is to know about pitching rotations, schedules, spring training and general knowledge of the game.
Yes, direct publisher requests are a lovely treat.

Oh look! empty glass...what can I pour for you next? 
I'm a lightweight but I'll go for one more martini, please. I'm addicted to flavored vodka.
*pushes it across the bar and pours another beer*
So does baseball play a big part in the story or it more a backdrop?
It's more of a backdrop but I tried to stay as accurate as possible. One of the hardest parts was keeping my mail character's schedule down. He's on the road a lot so maintaining a relationship with a girl from the home town during baseball season was a challenge for me and them.
Did you/do you play any sports yourself?
No! Not organized sports anyway. I enjoy kickboxing and I've recently taking up running.
Do you have any more novels around a sports theme coming up?
This is a series, so I have three more books planned for it. I'm working on book 2 next and hope to have it into my editor by September.
Sounds great!
Who's your pick to win the World Cup of Soccer?
I'll go with Brazil. Home turf and all that.
Nightcap time! what's your poison?? Oh no more! I have edits to finish and I'll be asleep in five minutes if I have another.

Blurb
Will the bad-boy pitcher strike out when it comes to love?Shy music teacher Sophia Ballis has sworn off men. After a bad experience with a college jock she decided it was better to be alone than to get burned again. She focused on her education and now her new job at a local private school.Professional baseball pitcher Paxton Hughes is a player both on and off the field. He’s signed to the Kingston Crushers to bring home the coveted championship title. Nothing can get in his way. Serious relationships don’t mix with a life on the road and he never loses focus on the game. One-night stands are his specialty for a reason.While out jogging one spring morning, the two collide, setting their course in motion. Pax is immediately drawn to the unassuming beauty. Sophia is aware of his reputation and decides one night of meaningless sex with the attractive Texas charmer is just what she needs to get over her self-imposed dry spell. Pax has more than a one-night stand on his mind, but will his bad-boy persona and demanding schedule ruin any chances of a happily ever after?Content Warning: contains explicit sex and adult content

AmazonBeachwalk PressBioElla Jade has been writing for as long as she can remember. As a child, she often had a notebook and pen with her, and now as an adult, the laptop is never far. The plots and dialogue have always played out in her head, but she never knew what to do with them. That all changed when she discovered the eBook industry. She started penning novels at a rapid pace and now she can't be stopped.Ella resides in New Jersey with her husband and two young boys. When she's not chasing after her kids, she's busy writing, attending PTO meetings, kickboxing, and scrapbooking. She hopes you'll get lost in her words.You can connect with her at:
Blog: http://ellajadeauthor.blogspot.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ella-Jade-Author/186959391390708?ref=hl
Twitter: http://twitter.com/ellajade1
CLICK HERE TO CATCH ME OVER ON ELLA'S BLOG CHATTING ABOUT THE ROMANCE OF SOCCER! 

Across the Beer Bar with Ella Jade and a Bat

Happy Father's Day! A MAN ON Extra Scene!

MILD SPOILER WARNING! If you have read Man On you will adore this poignant full circle scene. If you have not, feel free to read it and then jump into the novel for only .99!



MAN ON blurb:
ONLY .99 during the 2014 World Cup!

Bad boy of European football, Nicolas Garza is about to hit American shores with a vengeance. Signed by the Detroit Black Jack Gentlemen as lynch pin for their expansion club, Nicco only half believes he’s making the right move. But with a past full of ghosts and rotten behavior chasing him from his homeland, he has no real choice.
Parker Rollings is a college soccer superstar, but his parents’ plans for their only son do not include professional athletics. When the Black Jacks approach him to finalize their roster, Parker leaps at the chance to keep playing, leaving behind medical school, stability and his first and only college sweetheart.
Nicco and Parker face off as bitter rivals for a coveted starting spot at midfield and are forced to channel their negative energy into something positive for the sake of the group—and themselves.
All eyes are on the fledgling team in its debut season. It’s crucial that the Black Jacks prove all the doubters wrong. They must make a good showing in the league and with new fans. But player drama, club dynamics, and misplaced priorities may tear it apart before it even begins


And now….in honor of Father's Day…..a special deleted scene!


Happy Father’s Day!Black Jack Gentlemen Style
by Liz Crowe   All Rights Reserved
*****************************************


“You realize that this is gonna be tough. I mean, World Cup level, final game, in the rain and heat against a stacked Brazilian national team level of impossible.” “You realize that does not make me feel in any way prepared to help her, right?”Parker glared at Nicco for a split second before turning his attention back to his simultaneous obsession with the current World Cup match they were watching and his phone, which he clutched in one hand so hard his fingers hurt. He glanced at it, then back at the huge TV screen.“Boys.”The group of players huddled together on the large leather couch looked up at the sound of a female voice. Sara Gordon stood there clutching a bunch of sweating brown beer bottles. As the wife of the man who’d basically conjured the Black Jack Gentlemen expansion pro soccer team for Detroit, she’d never developed a full appreciation for the game, or so she claimed. But she knew how to host a party. The team was gathered at the Gordon’s expansive Ann Arbor home to watch the semi finals. They’d eaten burgers, kicked the ball around with the kids that hovered around the edges of any Gordon party and now sat clustered around the huge television, cheering, in a solid fifty-fifty split for either Turkey or Uruguay in a surprise pairing. Neither team had been expected to get this far. Their coach, a Turk named Metin Sevim was pacing and cursing. Every man in the room was mesmerized by the action.Everyone but Parker.He smiled at Sara and started to stand, excusing himself for the thousandth time. Nicco put a hand on his leg, attempting to calm him but he was claustrophobic, antsy and Nicco’s little pep talk had not helped him in the slightest. “She’ll be all right,” Sara whispered as he passed by her. “It’s soon, right?”Parker’s face flushed red. He hated being so obviously beside himself. Hoping to deflect some of the attention focused on him by pretty much the entire room, he held out his hands. “I can take those around,” he said. “Over here then, hurry up,” Jack Gordon said from the far side of the huge room. “She’s been serving everybody but me for the last hour.”Sara stuck her tongue out at her husband as she handed the bottles over to Parker. “You’re just spoiled Gordon,” a voice called, Parker couldn’t tell from where. His ears were ringing and his heart thumped with anxiety as he passed out the beers, making the politically correct call to get one over to Jack first. The room erupted when a near miss drive came up just short inside the Uruguayan goal. Beers dispersed, Parker leaned against the wall in the back of the room, trying to let the vision of his favorite game played at the highest possible level distract him. It didn’t work. Sighing, he slunk back into the hall and headed upstairs with the sounds of cursing and cheering in his ears. He must really be off, he thought. He didn’t even care who’d scored. The brightly lit kitchen beckoned from the end of the hall so he headed there, smiling at the sight of the various kids in the living room, watching some cartoon or another. His chest constricted on the heels of that, reminding him of his terror level. “Hey there,” Rafe said on his way past him towards the basement door. The team’s co-manager, a former Argentinian star, put a hand on his shoulder. “Is it time?” Parker shook his head, unwilling to talk about it even to the one guy who’d been his biggest supporter during the past months of insanity and drama. Thankful when Rafe read his  “leave me the hell alone” body language and kept going past him, he headed into the kitchen, needing space to breathe and think.  “Hi,” Sara said, as she loaded dishes into the washer.“Can I help?”“Not ever gonna turn that down.” She smiled and pulled her hair back into a ponytail and plopped into a chair. “Thanks.”“No problem.” After about twenty minutes he had all the dishes loaded, the counters cleared off and wiped down. Sara had stayed quiet, sipping a glass of wine and reading something on her tablet. He sat across from her once the busy work was complete. She glanced up at him, her deep green eyes thoughtful. “The patio could use a sweep,” she said, nodding towards the wall of glass between the kitchen and outdoors.He leapt up, never more grateful for her spot-on intuition that he required something to do that would keep his mind off the fluttering, impending panic attack. Grabbing the broom he found leaning in the mud room he headed out into the warm June night. Once the patio was spotless, he dropped into a cushioned lounge chair, heart in his throat again. What had he been thinking? He was not ready for this step. Especially considering the convoluted nature of how it would go down. He leaned forward, elbows on his knees and counted his blessings for a brief moment. He and Nicco were out. They were a couple. They’d weathered the many storms of media coverage both good and very bad. The Black Jacks organization had been supportive of their decision not to be the “face of gay men in sports.” But they’d also fully supported Nicco and Parker by not forbidding them to be seen together in public.He sighed and lay back, staring up into the twinkling stars nestled into the velvety night sky. At that moment, he would have given anything he had to talk to his father. The milestone moment in his life that loomed terrified him. He wanted to hear his father’s deep, reassuring voice. But since he’d thrown off his parents’ plan for medical school and marriage to his college sweetheart, they’d pretty much absented themselves from his life. His mother sent him emails, keeping him up to date on the various cousins he still felt close to and who’d made it to some of his games. But his father had not spoken to him in over a year. And Parker had never felt the giant, gaping hole the most important man in his life had once occupied than he did right this minute. He must have dozed off because the next thing he knew, there was a hand on his face, startling him awake. He sat with a grunt, almost tumbling off the side of the wide seat.“Relax baby,” Nicco said. “Scoot over.”Parker made a concerted attempt not to yell at the man he’d finally admitted he loved not that long ago, right on the heels of one of the most alarming conversations he’d ever had with the last woman he’d had sex with.  Nicco kept a  firm hand on his thigh, calming him almost instantly. He shifted so Nicco could slide in next to him. He grabbed the man’s hand and threaded his fingers through his.“God damn I am freaking out,” he said, putting Nicco’s knuckles to his lips. “You think?” Nicco’s white smile gave him something to focus on not his own creeping panic. They sat in silence a while, comfortable, side by side and Parker sensed his pulse calm, finally.  “Who’s winning?”“Not Turkey,” Nicco said, taking Parker’s hand and putting on his zipper. “I’m bored.”“No, you’re not. You’re just as nervous as I am. You just like to fuck to distract yourself.”“And that is a problem because…” Nicco flipped up onto his side and slid his hand under Parker’s tee shirt.  Parker sighed, shivering when his lover’s fingertips teased his flesh. He sensed Nicco’s full lips on his neck, then his jaw. He let the man turn his face towards him with the hand that had made it all the way up under his shirt. “I love you,” Nicco said, his mouth mere centimeters from Parker’s. “I know,” Parker said, suddenly desperate for a connection. He gripped Nicco’s face, let his hand slide up into the other man’s hair. “Kiss me.” “No problem,” Nicco said as he did as he was told. For a few seconds, Parker was one hundred percent distracted from what was about to happen to him, to them. He knew nothing but his lover’s lips and his body pressed close on the lounge chair in the soft, Michigan summer night. “Hey!” A voice broke into their increasingly inappropriate groping. “Yo, Rollings! You out here?”In the process of disentangling from Nicco’s embrace Parker dumped himself onto the hard patio surface. “Shit,” he muttered, scrambling to his feet. Nicco rose gracefully, as usual, pulling his shirt tail out over his jeans in the dim light thrown by the kitchen. “Si, we’re here. What d’you want.” Nicco said, irritation clear in his accented voice. “Uh, you left your phone in the kitchen,” the voice said. “You’re getting a lot of calls…”Parker ran past whoever was talking, he never found out, snagging his phone and breaking into a freezing cold sweat. Sara stood with Jack by the front door, holding it open. He stood, utterly frozen for a few seconds. Nicco breezed by and snagged his arm.“Let’s go Papa. Time to make this thing for real.” Parker glanced up in terror. But the cool, calm, dark gaze held him, calmed him and he nodded.
They made it to suburban Detroit hospital in record time. Parker barely remembered it. He’d placed two calls, one to his mother. She’d been excited, and promised that she’d relay his good news the family, reminding him to call the second he know more. The other one had been harder. He’d heard the fear and pain in Ashley’s voice. “Hurry,” had been the one word he’d said to Nicco. They burst out of the elevator onto the maternity floor, skidding to a stop at a nurse’s station long enough to bleat Ashley’s name. The nurse had taken one look at the two men, shook her head, then lead the way down a long hall to a closed door. He heard it then, the distinct sound of female screaming. He stopped, stepped back and sensed himself sliding the floor.“Oh no you do not,” Nicco said, yanking him up. “Hold it together Parker. This is where she needs us.”Parker nodded but knew he was gonna fade. He couldn’t bear it. Ashley was crying now, on the other side of that damn door.  The nurse handed them papery gowns and masks. Then opened the door and shoved them into the very depths of hell.
Five hours later, Parker sat huddled in a chair holding a tiny infant who was staring at him in such a way that made his heart pound and his eyes burn with unfamiliar tears.  Ashley was knocked out, having endured hours of screaming, blood, shit and pain before they just cut her open and took the damn baby out.  But at that moment, all Parker knew was the small boy who was memorizing him with his earnest, dark blue gaze. Nicco perched on the chair arm and touched the boy’s face making him blink and shift his gaze up, seeming to take in both men who were so transfixed by him.  “Wow.” Nicco said, his voice hoarse. “Just…wow.”“Yeah,” Parker croaked out, unwilling to admit how very much in love with the tiny boy he already was. “Ross. He’s for real.”They both looked up when the door opened, revealing a tall, suited, handsome and very stressed out looking man. Nicco got up and walked over to him holding out a hand. The man took it but kept looking over Nicco’s shoulder at Ashley’s immobile form on the bed.“Congratulations Anthony. It’s a boy.”The man blinked. “Thanks. Um…she’s…”“She’s exhausted. But fine.”Parker looked up when he sensed the other man nearby, looking down at the infant. “Go to her, Anthony,” he said, knowing that was all the man wanted right then. A nurse came in to check Ashley’s vital signs then turned to Parker. “Okay let’s take baby Ross to the nursery now. You have more visitors.”Parker felt himself clinging to the boy, not willing to surrender him yet. Nicco was back at his side, hand on his shoulder. “Can we share the good news first?”She frowned, obviously wanting to get the baby back. But Nicco was not about to let that happen. “Sure. But not for long.”Nicco put a hand under Parker’s elbow and helped him up, keeping his arm around Parker’s waist as they walked out the door and into the bright morning light of a busy maternity wing. Parker blinked, certain that his fatigued brain was playing tricks on him when he caught sight of the people standing there. “Mom?” he said, almost stumbling. But Nicco kept a firm grip on him. “I’m…it’s….” He turned to the man he’d been missing so much it hurt. “Dad?”“Give him to me Parker,” his mother said, tears streaming down her face. “Please let me hold him.”Nicco bumped his hip, breaking him out of his stunned silence. Parker’s tall, austere, patrician father stood there with tears in his eyes. Nicco whispered something in his ear, making him smile. “Happy father’s day, Dad,” Parker said, staying close to Nicco, unwilling to hide or pretend anything about what he was anymore. “Happy father’s day to you, son,” the man said as Nicco took the baby from his arms and gave him to Parker’s mother. Parker stood, staring at the man who’d raised him. To his utter shock, the man grabbed his arms, hesitated a split second, then tugged him into a tight hug.

Happy Father's Day Liz Fans.

Fight the Power

Dear Liz Fans,

As of this writing the folks at Amazon.com have yet to agree to "match price" with every other ebook retailer for my book RED CARD. I am attempting to get more of you fine folks on board with my "Liz style" by introducing you to my soccer based books during the SOCCER WORLD CUP by offering 3 of them for .99 and one of them for FREE. I'm fairly excited about this (and choose at least one "Soccer Hottie of the Day" in the Liz Crowe Fan Group). 

However, since Amazon is being such a pain, I wanted to point out that those of you with Kindles can get your ".mobi" formatted ebook via both SMASHWORDS and ALLROMANCE Ebooks. It's not quite as seamless as the amazon download but it can be done. What follows are specific instructions on how to bypass Amazon to get the FREE book I want you to have.

Red Card is the ultimate "second chances" novel but with a soccer gender equity theme that is near and dear to my heart.

YOUR INSTRUCTIONS:

When a retailer other than Amazon offers the ability to send content directly to your Kindle reading device or Kindle app but you aren’t sure how to do it, just follow these easy steps and you’ll be all set!

You’ll need to know a few key pieces of information:

1.  You’ll need to know the email address assigned to your Kindle device or app.  To find this out, go into your Amazon account. Click on “Your Account” and then go to “Manage Your Content and Devices”  Once there, click on the “Your Devices” tab.  You will see a list of your devices and/or apps that you use.  When you click on each one, you will see below it an associated “email” address.  Note the corresponding one for the devices you want to send the file to.  If you want to send it to more than one, note that as well.

2.  You’ll need to know if the retailer you’re getting the books from offers auto delivery or not and which email addresses they use for it.   All Romance eBooks / OmniLit, for example, offers the auto delivery option - the email addresses they use come from @allromanceebook.com and @omnilit.com.   It’s important to have this information as well if they have this option.  It should be readily available on their website’s help section.  If your retailer of choice doesn’t offer this, that’s okay too.

3.  While you’re in the “Manage Your Content and Devices” section, click on the “Settings” tab.  Scroll down to the “Approved Personal Document Email List” section.  Click on the “Add a new approved email” link.  In the pop-up box, enter the email you wish to add (for any of the retailers, publishers, etc who have the auto delivery option you wish to use) and click “Add Address.” You must, of course, add each email individually. — This is where you also want to add your own primary email address, the one you’d be most likely to send ebooks from should the retailer not have the auto delivery option.

Now, you’re ready to start buying books on retail and publisher sites for your Kindle device/apps which aren’t Amazon!

If you’re on a site that has the auto delivery option (like ARe.com / OmniLit.com) - when they ask you what your Kindle address is, you’ll want to give them the address you noted in step 1 (the address of your kindle device or app).  Once you buy the books, choose the .mobi or .azw option (usually it’s a .mobi file) and if you’re asked if you want to send it directly to your Kindle device, say ‘yes.’

If you’re on a site that does not have the auto delivery option (such as Smashwords), or if that option fails for some reason, here are the steps to get the book on your device.  Once you’ve purchased the book, download the ‘.mobi’ or ‘.azw’ file (those are the Kindle formats) to your computer. Next, you’ll want to send a blank email from your primary email account (the email account which you added to the approved email list in step 3) with the file attached.  That will send the book file to your Kindle device/app.
Here are the buy links for the books in question.

RED CARD
Smashwords
ARe (All Romance ebooks)












SHUT OUT
Smashwords
ARe










MAN ON
Smashwords
ARe










CAUGHT OFFSIDE
Smashwords
ARe











and for the re-release of PARADISE HOPS
Smashwords
ARe









Fight the Power.
cheers,
Liz

Gather 'Round the Bar With the WTRAFSOG Gemstone Authors (Part 2)

Greetings! Today I welcome some talented authors who are part of the WHAT TO READ AFTER FSOG: The Gemstone Collection Part 2.


Yep, there is already a second one! And a 3rd one will follow in July!

Ok, so let's get down to this group interview shall we? I've got some fun answers to a few questions for each author (once we get the drinking part out of the way that is) and will share a bunch of full length blurbs and a few excerpts.





First up, drawn by random by me:

MALIA MALLORY:

Liz: Welcome! Tell me, what is your favorite "poison?"

I used to drink quite a bit diet soda. After trying to give it up at least a half dozen times, I finally think I've beat it :)  I got a coffee machine that also makes great tea, so I've been brewing up fresh ice tea (hibiscus is great!). This is working so far *cross fingers*Liz: Hawaii, eh? Tough life...seriously, what took you there? I visited twice and loved it but people tell me it's really expensive to live there. Tell us about it and how it inspired you to write "His Need, Her Desire."Hawaii is a very lovely place, but so expensive! His Need, Her Desire is set on Oahu, and I've been there many times. I wanted to write about someone on vacation because I think when on vacation, people are able to cast away their normal inhibitions and reservations. That is what happens to Tabitha (our heroine). She allows herself to not only be drawn to a man she meets on the beach, but actually to follow through on her attraction. Maybe it was the intoxicating island breezes!
His Need, Her Desire Blurb: 

Tabitha Quinn didn't come to Hawaii to be spanked. But when vacationing businessman Marcus Granger saves her from drowning, they begin an affair that moves from the beach to the bedroom and straight into an experience Tabitha's never had before: dark-haired, blue-eyed Marcus is a dominant, and spanking is just the beginning. The sex is intense, the emotion even more so, until they both must decide if this is a holiday fling or the real thing.


And now I turn to Adriana Hunter:


Liz: What is your favorite "poison?"
Whiskey, especially laphroaig. On the rocks. Liz: (slow claps and pours us both one….)Liz: Did you do live research into the Dom/sub lifestyle before writing "Surrender?"One of my best friends is involved in the BDSM lifestyle so I picked her brain and she willingly shared the beautiful intricacies of her Dom/sub relationship. 

Surrender Blurb:
I wanted to let go of my insecurities and know the feeling of complete possession. One look from him promised a complete transformation and I was ready. 

From the very first moment that I laid eyes on the mysterious Jake Meyers, I knew that he would change me forever. There was something dark and dangerous in those impossibly blue eyes, and I was powerless to resist. He became my obsession and I accepted every opportunity to satisfy my desperate desire to be his.

Everything about us was wrong but I knew going in that he was a man who refused to be loved. I tried hard to remind my heart of why I was there...with him, allowing him to take from me all that he needed until I had surrendered completely.

Enter into the shocking world of erotic domination where the rules of love are broken night after night. "Surrender" is filled with intense passion, conflict and spellbinding emotion.

This is an erotic romance intended for mature audiences.
Excerpt

I set the book aside with a deep sigh. It was a rainy Sunday afternoon and I’d just finished the final book in the 50 Shades of Grey trilogy that my friend Chelsea had recommended. The Texas twilight was deepening outside my apartment window; another weekend spent indoors and alone, this time with my nose in a book, dressed in sweats and cocooned on the couch in an old afghan.Where’s my Christian Grey? I sighed again.Do men like that really exist? Or was he just a fantasy of the book’s author? I knew there was a whole BDSM scene out there, people who enjoyed tying up their partner, spanking them, whips, chains, all that. Honestly, it all intrigues me—quite a bit, in fact. And it scares me as well; the idea of giving up complete control in return for boundless pleasure. But how can someone learn to trust a man enough to surrender to him completely? It made my head hurt thinking about it, and my body quiver both with desire and in pure white-knuckle fear.It wasn’t so much the wealth and power of the Christian Grey character that appealed to me—although I’d never walk away from a millionaire—but that a man would enjoy dominating a woman so passionately, and in doing so, could provide so much pleasure to her, but not crush her spirit in the process. It was a completely foreign idea to me. I’m never been one to willingly ask for pain, or ever wanted to be dominated by a man, but there was something very deeply arousing about the thought that pain could be pleasurable, that giving control of yourself in such a vulnerable situation over to someone else could intensify the whole erotic experience.What kind of man would be able to do that? Would he be that way all of the time, or just in the bedroom? Would it mean that I was placing myself beneath a man? That I was belittling myself in some way? The feminist in me wanted to scream that it was disgusting, humiliating and absurd, yet another part of me, a darker, animalistic part of my very core ached to be taken so fully, with or without my full consent.  I couldn’t believe the delicious rush of heat that washed over my skin at the thought of giving my body for a man’s total and completely selfish use. To let him position me however he chose, to bind me so that I was nothing more than his possession to play with and discard at his desire. My body was always my greatest obstacle when it came to truly enjoying sex. I was always a heavier-set woman; “full-figured” is the term that most people use though I always just feel fat. It doesn’t matter what fancy terminology or trendy wordage is currently appropriate, when I find myself in bed with a man I’m instantly on high alert, careful not to let him explore my body too much, fearful that I will turn him off…and turn him away.  I wonder if other women of my size feel that way and then I think of the countless magazines, reality television shows and celebrities; all plus size, who claim that they love their curves and wonder if it’s really just me.
A vague thought runs through my head before surfacing as a concrete idea. I know there are dating sites for almost every type of persuasion; gay, Latino, Christian. There had to be BDSM dating sites. Would joining one, even out of curiosity, be such a bad thing? What did I really have to lose?
Next up? Nina Pierce:


Liz: What's your "poison" Nina?Wine. Sorry, I know that’s a swear word around these parts, but Mr. Nina and I lived in the Hudson Valley when we were first married. Because we couldn’t afford to go out we used to tour the wineries on Saturday afternoons. Who knew that free drinks would turn me into a connoisseur. LOL!
But I do love cold beer and Mexican food … anything gluten free?
Liz: How would you classify A Touch of Lilly?A TOUCH OF LILLY walks the line between suspense and erotic romance, with a little flirtation in the sci fi realm. It’s set on a fictitious planet with a very sexy humanoid alien and a human working as deep space’s version of FBI agents. They’re chasing an assassin who’s murdering high-level government officials and in the process of their investigation, get tangled (figuratively and literally) with a female bounty hunter. And that’s when the sparks really fly!
I’m a sci fi geek from way back. I cut my teeth on the original Star Trek series (oops, I think my age is showing) and fueled my imagination with Isaac Asimov’s “Foundation” series and all books by Anne McCaffrey. As a writer, I like to stretch my limits and I just wanted to try my hand at creating my own unique world. I fell in love with Lilly, Dallas and Thaegan and am actually working on another book set in the same solar system.  
A Touch of Lilly Blurb:
Ex-Chicago detective LILLY D’ANGELO has a secret she doesn’t share with anyone. A master of the one night stand, she’s given up ever finding a soul mate and thrown herself head first into her career. That is, until she captures the wrong alien. Kidnapped and sold into the sex slave trade, she’s shipped into deep space. Barely escaping with her life, Lilly now travels the galaxy working as a bounty hunter using her secret talents to bring down criminals and seeking revenge on the one male who ruined her life. 
Agent DALLAS SAWYER works for deep space’s version of the FBI. After a disastrous mission that left several of his team members murdered, a president executed, and Dallas near death, he’s determined to take down the assassin targeting government officials. When a sexy human female gets between him and his goal, Dallas and his alien partner find themselves on the receiving end of a passionate night they won’t soon forget and a proposition that may very well blow up in their faces.

Because in deep space … true love can happen with just a touch.Excerpt:
“You didn’t ask,” she whispered.
“I don’t care how much.” His mouth came down on hers, feathering across the velvet heat of her lips. As much as his cock was urging him to plunge ahead at a reckless speed, Dallas had every intention of moving slowly and savoring this woman.
She pulled back and looked up at him. “My name. You didn’t ask my name.”
Cradling her chin in his palm, Dallas brushed his thumb over her lips. She pressed her mouth against the pad and sucked it into her wet heat. His cock jumped. “What’s your name?”
“Lilly.”
“A beautiful name for a beautiful woman.” He pushed aside the collar of her coat and brought his mouth down on her jumping pulse point, tasting the sweetness of her skin. She inhaled deeply, arching her back, which both exposed her neck and pressed her breasts into his chest. A low groan rumbled in his throat as his hand dropped to squeeze and reshape the flesh, the fullness overflowing his palm. Damn, he loved a woman with curves and it seemed Lilly had that and more. He undid a couple of buttons of her shirt and slid his hand beneath the satin of her bra. Her skin was hot and soft, and the nipple already hard. Dallas didn’t bother to undo the bra. Instead, he lifted her breast from the confines of the material and let the bra act as a shelf to display her creamy flesh. He bent and sucked the beaded nipple into his mouth, alternately nipping and licking it until Lilly was writhing against his body.
Lilly slid her hands under the tails of his shirt, her long nails raking up his stomach and around his back, pulling him tighter to her body. Once again her leg slid up his thigh as she rolled her hips and ground against his aching erection.
“Dallas, I don’t want it slow.” The hot words spilled over his cheek before she pulled his earlobe through her teeth. “I want it hard and dirty, right here. Right now.” Her hand snaked between their bodies and she palmed him, squeezing with just enough pressure to shoot horny sparks of current zinging around his balls. She dropped her leg to make room for her other hand between their bodies and made quick work of undoing his belt and the button of his jeans.
“Jesus, Lilly, you have the most beautiful body.” He lifted the other breast from her bra and pushed the satin mounds together. His tongue flicked from one pebbled point to the other. Her areolas were puckered and he sucked one completely into his mouth, her salty sweetness fueling his hunger. He rolled the other pearled nipple between his thumb and forefinger, loving the hiccupping sounds of her need filling the air.




And now we turn to Red Phoenix:

Hey Red, What's your poison? 
My favorite poison is Red Bull and Vodka. It is my go-to drink when I'm editing because it keeps me feeling happy without making me sleepy. Love it!

Liz: Yeah, but having experienced a Red Bull 'n Vodka hangover … once….I'm never doing that again!

So tell us what is involved researching before creating something called "The Submissive Training Center." Does such a thing exist? If so, how familiar did you get with it before writing "Brie Learns the Art of Submission?"
 When I created The Submissive Training Center (sorry it is not real although there are places that offer various training) my idea was geisha-like training in a college setting with highly experienced Doms. What's not to love when there are formal classes, practicums and weekly auctions? As far as research, I try to experience as much as I can and what I can't experience personally I research to find out how it feels and why women like it. My life has changed because of my exploration with my hubby through BDSM, and I wanted to share the wonderful possibilities with other women. Sex should be fun and exciting no matter your age, if you have kids or how long you've been married. 
Brie Learns the Art of Submission
Blurb:
Join Brie as she discovers the erotic world of submission... 

Brie Bennett’s life changes the day Sir comes to her tiny tobacco shop. His invitation to the Submissive Training Center is about to rock this young woman’s world. The renowned school is famous for its elite submissive instruction. She has no idea what will be asked of her or the boundaries that will be pushed. One thing is certain: Brie is about to learn more about herself in six weeks than she has over the previous twenty-two years. 

From formal classes, hands-on practicums and weekly auctions, Brie will confront her deepest fears and desires. In the process, she will also forge lifelong friendships with fellow submissives and fall for several of the Center’s skilled Doms. 

As graduation day approaches things begin to unravel, forcing Brie to make an unexpected choice of Master. Which Dom will ultimately earn her devotion and capture courageous Brie’s heart?


Excerpt: 

Marquis Gray’s Flogger 
“Turn and close your eyes,” Marquis Gray commanded as he produced a ribbon of black lace. “I find lace far more attractive than traditional blindfolds.”
He moved away from her, but soon returned, placing more ribbon in her hand. “It’s black, like your blindfold. Feel it. I want you to envision what it looks like.” She fingered the long, narrow length of ribbon. It was silky smooth, incredibly soft. “This will act as your bonds.”
He replaced the silk with a handful of lace. “It’s a deep burgundy. Touch it, pet.” Brie played with the lace in her hands, noting the roughness of it. “This will be caressing your body in a few minutes.”
Marquis Gray took it from her and left her side again. When he returned, she heard him chuckling under his breath. Brie held out her hand, but he lifted her other hand and placed the item in both. She was worried when she felt something heavy that also smelled of leather. She caressed it with her fingers and a cold chill gripped her heart. One end was a hard handle, and the other had numerous leather tendrils. A flogger.
He leaned in close to her ear, his warm breath on her neck. “I am an expert at what I do. By the time I finish, you will be begging me for more.

Next up? Ella Jade:


Liz: what is your favorite "poison?" 
I never considered myself a big drinker but once I discovered flavored vodka everything changed. I enjoy a good martini. My favorite is pomegranate.I love anything berry flavored and if the bar makes the drink with fresh squeezed fruit, I'm in ;)
Liz: So how does Elyse meet Logan, the "sexy reclusive innkeeper" in "Master of the Inn" anyway? 

Elyse is coming off a bad breakup and decides to take a hiatus from her hectic job in the city. Her decision is rather impulsive and before she knows it she finds herself on the doorstep of an inn she used to visit as a child. The place is run down and not accepting guests but the owner makes an exception for her. What was supposed to be an overnight stay ends up being much more than she ever could have imagined.
Master of the Inn
BlurbPleasure Inn… Where all of your fantasies become reality.Executive chef Elyse Clapton has had it with city life. She’s spent the last few years building her cheating boyfriend’s trendy New York City restaurant into a success. When their relationship ends, so does her desire to be in his kitchen. She flees to a quaint inn she remembers visiting as a child. She gets more than she bargains for when she meets the sexy, reclusive inn keeper.Handyman Logan Cole inherited Pleasure Inn against his wishes. Ever since he got caught up in a scandal involving another man’s wife, he keeps to himself – finding solace in a bottle. He didn’t realize how lonely he’d become until Elyse shows up on his porch. He’s instantly drawn to her and convinces her to stay at the Bed and Breakfast.Elyse comes to town looking for a getaway. She never expects to fall for Logan. It doesn’t take her long to believe the inn’s motto. Logan’s dominance in the bedroom makes all of her fantasies a reality.Book One in the Pleasure Inn Series
ExcerptA light came on in an upstairs window indicating someone was there. Elyse walked up the front steps and tried the handle, but it was locked. Just as she reached for the bell, the door flew open and a large, muscular figure appeared. The old screen door and the absence of lighting in the foyer concealed his face.“Hi,” Elyse said. “I was driving by and wondered if you had any vacancies.”“Here?”“This is an inn, isn’t it?”“It hasn’t been for over four years.” He turned on the porch light. “I thought everyone in this town knew that.”His disheveled appearance made her think he wasn’t planning on entertaining visitors. His dark, thick hair looked as if he’d run his fingers through it causing it to stand on end. He hadn’t bothered to button his faded blue jeans or put on a shirt before coming downstairs. Elyse couldn’t help but notice how his well-defined abs disappeared into his waistband.“I’m sorry.” She moved away from the door. “I’m intruding.”“No.” He stepped out onto the porch in his bare feet. “I just didn’t expect anyone out here at this time of the night.”“I drove from the city. I thought I might stay the night. I used to come here as a kid.” She looked past his shoulder into the foyer. She saw a fresh stack of wood in the corner and several cans of paint. “Are you renovating?”“Trying to.” He nodded. “It’s a work in progress.”She caught a wave of alcohol on his breath. “Are you just passing through?”“I’m not sure. I just needed to get away and I remembered how perfect this place always was.”“Yeah,” he looked over his shoulder. “Not so much anymore.”“What happened?”“My uncle owned the place, but he couldn’t keep up with the maintenance. He and my aunt retired and left it to me. It’s just been sitting vacant since then. It needed a ton of work. I didn’t realize how much until I actually started ripping things out.”“How long have you been renovating?”“A little over six months.” “Well, thanks for your time. Maybe I’ll visit when you’re finished.” She smiled encouragement, but disappointment filled Elyse’s heart at the thought of not staying there. “Good luck with the renovations.”When she turned to leave, he stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. “Wait.”When she turned back, his ice blue eyes held her gaze. The intensity there made her stomach flutter. It should have been a warning sign to run fast and far, but her body responded in other ways. The sensation he created from just one touch coursed through her system, landing straight between her legs.Oh my…“For the past few months I’ve been renovating the third floor. If I’m going to live here and run this place, I wanted my rooms to be done first before I started on the rest of the inn. There are two bedrooms up there; both have private bathrooms. You could stay if you want.”“That’s very nice of you, but—”“Your room has a lock.”As if that would keep you out. You have the keys.“I’m not ready to have guests yet, so I wouldn’t charge you.”“I couldn’t, but thank you.”“You drove all this way to Pleasure Inn. There isn’t another place for miles. Spend the night and then you can leave in the morning.”She wasn’t familiar with the surrounding area and the drive had made her tired. What if she couldn’t find another place to spend the night?“I don’t blame you for being cautious.” He shrugged. “You do what your gut tells you; but you’re more than welcome to stay here.”She stared into his deep eyes for a few moments. She’d left the city to get away and forget about the disaster of a relationship with Phillip. She’d done nothing but work for years. She hadn’t been to a restaurant or on a vacation in months. She was too busy cooking for others. Would one night in a beautiful Victorian inn be so bad? How could it be, especially when the inn keeper looked like a goddamned Calvin Klein model?“I’ll stay on one condition.”“Sure.”“You have to tell me your name.”“Oh.” He ran his fingers through his hair and smiled for the first time since answering the door. “Forgive my manners. I’m Logan Cole.” He extended his hand to her.“Nice to meet you, Logan,” she said properly as she shook his hand. “I’m Elyse Clapton.”“Welcome to Pleasure Inn, Ms. Clapton.” He dipped his head as he held the door open for her. “Where all of your fantasies become reality.”

And now we turn to Vi Keeland:
Liz: Welcome! What's your poison?
I'm a cheap date - White Zin is my preference!

2. Did your groom ditch you for your honeymoon or did you really make up that amazing story? What really inspired "Belong to You?"
I wasn't ditched at the alter.  But my husband did push me off my bicycle and tear open my knee when we were eight!  I still show it to him for sympathy every once in a while :)   However, Belong to You was inspired by a friend that ditched a guy a few months before her wedding (she should have ditched him years before).  We didn't actually go on the honeymoon, but damn we should have...I would have loved to have had Jack Cole for a week!
Belong to You Blurb: My honeymoon was almost everything I dreamed it would be, a tropical paradise, turquoise water, romantic walks on the beach, and loads and loads of mind shattering sex. The only thing missing was the groom. 

After seven years of coasting through a relationship with Michael, my senses were numb. A week of passion with a stranger was just what I needed to clear my head and take back control of my life. But how do you move on when the man that was only supposed to be a fling somehow seeps into your soul and steals your heart?

Now it's Christa Cervone's turn!

Liz: Ok Christa, What's your poison?
 My favorite poison is Diet Coke
Liz: When you say your wrote "Broken" as a "love story for your husband," what do you mean and how does it relate to your novel?
When originally started writing Broken is was going to be loosely based on our relationship.  But, then it took on a life of it's own.  But, ultimately, I wrote if for him.
Broken Blurb:According to Webster’s Dictionary the definition of the word Broken is violently separated into parts. SHATTERED.
Yup, that pretty much sums me up. How do I handle things? I find my answers at the bottom of a bottle of Tequila and sleep with random men. 

How did I get this way? Well, four years ago I made a decision that cost me the love of my life. I can't undo what I did to drive Garrett out of my life. I haven't seen or heard from him in four long years. But he still haunts me in my dreams or should I call them nightmares at this point? No matter how much booze I drink and how many men I sleep with, nothing fills the void. I feel like I am existing but I’m not really living.

I’m trying to get my life back on track. Well that was until. . . . Garrett walked back into my life. His reappearance threw me into another tailspin. 

How do I put the pieces of our broken hearts back together? All before he walks out of my life again... this time for good. Or am I simply destined to just be Broken?

And now, we move down the bar to visit Michelle Hughes

Liz: Welcome to the party Michelle. What's your poison?

On the rare occassion that I drink, I go for wine coolers.  I've never been much of a drinker mainly because three drinks usually end up with me meeting the floor.  The only exception to that rule is when I visit New Orleans.  I tend to lose all common sense and forget that I can't hang out with the big girls.
Liz: So which of the gorgeous billionaires in "Seduced" gets to "keep the girl?" Is there a romantic happy ending to your novel or is it more about the "business" of "Fantasy' Bar & Grill."
You wouldn't want me to spoil the ending for you, would you?  There is a romantic happy ending, but I love keeping secrets.  The guys all find what they need, that much I will say.
Seduced Blurb:*Warning Sexual Content*
After losing her paralegal job for refusing to sleep with her boss, Zoey Summers is blacklisted from every law firm in New York. Fantasy's Bar & Grill is the last chance she has to work in the field. The owners of Fantasy's are notorious bad boy billionaires with deviant pursuits of pleasure that keep the paparazzi and lifestyle pages brimming with their exploits. When she discovers during the interview that they need her services for creating contracts for sexual fantasies, her eyes are opened to whatís really made the club the most sought after exclusive private membership that money can buy.
Zoey has sworn off sex after her past negative experience and is the last person who should be hired to negotiate pleasure, but a job is a job. Working for four of the sexiest billionaires in the city has its perks, but what happens when her new bosses offer her the chance to explore her own repressed sexuality?
Welcome to Fantasy's Bar & Grill, where the service is hotter than anything you could order from the menu. Your pleasure is our desire.
Seduced is book one in the Fantasyís Bar and Grill Series (Novella)
And now for KATE DAWES!

Liz: Hey there Kate. What's your poison? My favorite drink is a White Russian, which Max drinks in the FADE series.
Liz: Are you familiar with the L.A. and Hollywood scene? if not what sort of research did you do to make "Fade Into You" realistic?
I’m very familiar with LA. I spend a lot of time there and was able to recall almost everything I wanted to write about. However, I took a trip there between writing the first and second FADE books, so I was able to go back and add a few details that I had missed.
Fade Into You Blurb:

Olivia Rowland leaves her Midwestern life behind after graduating from college and heads off to Los Angeles to work for a Hollywood talent agent. Life in L.A. is a culture shock, but nothing compared to the jolt she gets when Max enters her life. 

Max Dalton is Hollywood's youngest and brightest movie producer/director/writer. He's wealthy, successful, hot, and there's never a shortage of women throwing themselves at him, but there’s only one woman he wants, and he intends to make it happen. 

As Max pursues Olivia, he finds that she presents a whole new challenge for him. When Olivia finally gives in the stage is set for a perilous, yet passionate relationship. Together they discover each other’s deepest desires, and darkest secrets…. 

Excerpt:When I heard the door opening, I looked up and my eyes met Max’s. He said, “Fuck,” and was off me, moving to a sitting position on the bed.Krystal popped into the room before I could rearrange myself. I was just rising up from lying down, my dress was still hiked up to my hips. Embarrassing, yes, but a small price to pay for her providing me an easier way out of this situation.Krystal stopped in her tracks. “Oops. Sorry. I’ll leave.”Max didn’t say anything.“No, no, it’s okay,” I said, pulling my dress back down my legs to a more respectable length.Max looked at me. “It is?”I nodded my head and looked at Krystal. “Max was just leaving.”Max stood.I said, “I’ll walk you out.”Krystal stepped into the bathroom. “Guys, seriously, if you want me to leave…”“You’re fine,” I said.When we got out into the hallway, Max backed me up against the wall and kissed me, his tongue licking lusciously through my mouth.“That was a close call,” he said.“Yeah. Good thing she came in.”“No, not good at all. I’m not giving up on this. I’m not giving up on you, Olivia.”I crossed my arms over my chest. Probably more defensive than I needed to be. “It would probably be a good idea if you did.”Max leaned in, his face barely two inches from mine. “Do I seem like the kind of guy who doesn’t go after exactly what he wants?” He kissed me again for a solid minute, then took a step back, eyed me up and down, and said, “You’re perfect.”Then he just started walking down the hall, not looking back. I stood there silently, stunned by what had just happened to me over the last couple of hours.When Max turned the corner down the hallway I fell back against the wall and said under my breath: “So. Are. You.”
And now…it's Ranae Rose's turn….

Liz: Welcome! What's your favorite "poison?"

You’ll rarely catch me turning down a glass of wine.
Liz: (looks relieved  and pours them both one) So, are you "inked?" If not, what sort of research did you do into the "tattoo culture" before writing "Hot Ink?"

Of course I am. ;) In fact, if you read Hot Ink, you’ll learn all about Mina’s (the heroine’s) tattoo. I have a similar one, with identical placement. It’s my favorite!
Hot Ink Blurb:

Mina never meant to fall for her sexy tattoo artist, Eric, or to become a model. But when she’s asked to pose in a photo shoot for the Hot Ink tattoo studio, she can’t say no. She finally gets a look at Eric’s tattoos when they’re cajoled into posing together, and in a few breathtaking moments, an on-camera kiss turns the passion they’re asked to fake into
something very real, leaving them both wanting more. The only problem is that Mina’s not the glamour girl she looks like on the Hot Ink posters, or even in a tattoo magazine. She’s only twenty-four, but being the sole guardian of her disabled younger sister has left her feeling much older.
Will Eric still be interested when he gets to know the girl behind the ink and the make-up and finds out that she and her little sister are a package deal?

Summer Daniels is the powerhouse behind this entire WTRAFSOG phenomenon. Her ENTIRE interview can be found by clicking here: Summer Visits With Liz
Now for the important stuff! Where to buy this Gemstone Collection Part 2 bundle! Kindle US - http://amzn.to/1ka0Kcu
Kindle UK - http://amzn.to/1ka0Il1
Nook - http://bit.ly/1ka0Lgp
Smashwords - http://bit.ly/1ka0Lgr
Kobo - http://bit.ly/Sp5mEW

And be sure and check out the Gemstone Collection Part 1 while you're at it.We are talking about 17 books for the equivalent of half a cup of Starbuck coffee….

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JVWZH24 Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/433647iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/what-to-read-after-fsog/id871585639?ls=1&mt=11Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/what-to-read-after-fsogB&N Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/what-to-read-after-fsog-cj-roberts/1119468448?ean=2940149524617