In Praise of the Small House

Settle in folks and let me tell you a little story….it's a sexy one….and it began in the after hours hallway of a downtown Ann Arbor fictional real estate office…

'FLOOR TIME' is the first book in what was to become a successful series for me.  

No, it is not on the New York Times Bestseller list. Hell, I haven't even made it to USA Today's list (I think I may have pissed somebody off there once...but whatever).  

It is, however a fan favorite and will continue to form the foundation of what I like to call the Liz Author Arc.

We all know what a "story arc" is.  Well, actually there are a shit ton of theories and nonsense out there about this very simple term. But here is MY version of of it: The arc of a story, be it long, short, or in between, is the journey a character makes through life--the ups, the downs, the horizontals, the mistakes, the triumphs and, ultimately, The End.

My own personal Author Arc began quite literally, with the formulation of the following scene:

(from FLOOR TIME, by Liz Crowe ~ Tri Destiny Publishing ~ All Rights Reserved)


Still sitting at her desk on a Friday night, Sara had never felt so exhausted. She'd spent the past two weeks focused on nothing but the damn deal with Jack. He'd taken the opportunity to get all friendly with her and they'd had some long chats. He loved to text message her with thinly veiled messages about hooking up, but he never managed to ask her out on an actual date. The annoyance crossed with irritation was a buzz.It had been an abnormally hot June. The office, full of people all day, had finally emptied. Sara had changed into comfortable clothes and faced a solid hour or more of work before heading home. She'd just pulled her hair up into a ponytail and focused on her computer – when her phone buzzed."Hey, Sara, I'm driving by your office right now." The sound of Jack's deep, raspy voice touched off something in her, as it did every time. Her brain slowly processed that he proposed a face-to-face encounter. Like now."Are you there? As if I didn't know?" he laughed. "I have a document for your buyer and I thought I'd just drop it off and save us some time."Shit.She glanced down at herself. Sara loved spending her hard-earned money on great clothes, but didn't have any of them with her tonight. She ran into the office bathroom, yanked out the ponytail holder in her hair, and tried to remember if she had lipstick in her purse."Sure!" she claimed brightly. "I'll meet you at the door."She used the toothbrush she kept in the office bathroom closet, and splashed water on her flushed face. Anger at the fact she felt nearly frozen in place by the idea of Jack Gordon – that he planned to simply "stop by" after hours to see her made her dizzy. In spite of her resolve to be strong, something yearned for him, in a way that utterly terrified her.Yeah, well fuck that. Of course he's interested in you.She pep talked herself all the way to the front doors – a wide expanse of glass facing Ann Arbor's main street. She heard the roar of his engine before she saw the car. Sara rolled her eyes. A Stingray. What else?Taking a deep breath, she steeled herself against the coming onslaught. She had work to do and would not be distracted by this – she couldn't afford to be. But her body began to betray her; her panties already damp at the thought of him in her personal space. It was a familiar feeling. She'd been having wet dreams about him for the better part of a year. She sighed, determined that he'd likely never measure up to her fantasies but realized her hands shook as she reached for the door handle.Yeah, OK, girl, settle down. This is Jack Gordon, every woman's dream date. But he's only here with paperwork.She shook her head, looked up and there he was – all six foot, four inch, dark hair, blue eyes, sexy white smile, of him. Resisting the sudden compulsion to look away, to not meet his eyes, she smiled back."Hey gorgeous," he began as he always did on the phone, his voice a low growl that matched his car engine's rumble. "I've got something for ya.""Ha, I'll just bet you do," she threw back. Lame, she thought as she took in the sight of him in his dark blue suit trousers, striped dress shirt with French cuffs emphasizing what had to be an incredible torso, arms and chest. Jack boasted a classic male shape – wide shoulders tapering to a slim waist and long legs – and he wore a suit better than anyone Sara had ever seen. His red and yellow tie, which stopped just short of being loud, flung over his shoulder from the ride. He smelled great too, some combination of spice, cigar and leather.Damn. I'm screwed."No, really. My asshole seller agrees to your asshole buyer's requests post inspection. I've got it all signed up here. Now all we lack is a good appraisal, and we are golden my lovely!""You call all the girl agents that, I'm sure." She sighed and reached for the paper he held out, grazing his hand in the process.His skin was warm. No, not warm, hot, as if he'd been near a fire. She shivered, and the tingling in her scalp crawled down her spine and settled nicely between her legs.She drew back. He moved forward to fill the empty space between them. Their silhouettes darkened the entry foyer. He remained shy of touching her – keeping just out of reach."You know, I was looking for an excuse to see you in person," he said. "I'm really gonna miss our little evening chats once this deal is done.""Yeah, well, you know where I live." Sara waved in the general direction of the office as her breath caught in her throat. "I, um, gotta do some, you know, busy work tonight so. . . " Don't go...don't go... don't go.... Sara tried not to let her face betray her inner begging."So do I – but I just can't help thinking that we could come up with something a bit, I don't know. . . more fun to do together," his voice tempted"Um, yeah, I guess we could go out if you want, but I'm not really dressed for it." Sara's brain fogged over. Was he asking her out on date? Before she could respond, react or even move, his lips covered hers.Her mind immediately grasped the fact that the entire downtown of Ann Arbor could see them sucking face in the vestibule of her office. Her manager would really not be pleased.Oh dear Lord.As he became more insistent, Sara responded, her psyche screaming with happy release. His lips were softer than she would have thought, but became increasingly more demanding that she share and open her mouth to him. She gave in, parted her lips, and placed her hands on his chest with her last bit of resistance swirling down the drain.He licked her lips, nipped at her bottom one, and then swept inside, possessing her with his tongue. She gave way, fully aware that this guy, wanted by so many, held her, right there, and had reached under her hair to tug her closer. Sara had not fully acknowledged her level of own horniness until that moment – when the man who represented everything so wrong for her prepared to blow apart her world with the touch of his hands and mouth.Jack had kept distance between them during their initial contact, as if gauging how she would respond before committing himself. Once she green-lighted him with her body language, he moved closer, grasped the back of her head with one hand, his fingers twisting and threading through her hair.Any and all hesitation disappeared completely as he deepened the already toe-curler of a kiss. His other hand traveled the length of her back and reached up again to cup her head. He flitted over her ass, teased, seemingly determined to draw it out until she asked for more. Her traitorous arms wrapped around his neck, as she rose up on her tiptoes.Oh my God don't do this Sara. Just. Don't. But the compulsion that had built over the past year commanded her, and she molded her body to his as if it were the most natural thing in the world. A loud knock on the glass made her jump away and run her hand through her hair as the college kid on the other side laughed and mimed a blowjob, until his buddies drew him away.She glanced up at Jack, saw that his skin flush with anger or passion, she wasn't sure. He smirked as he watched the guys' retreat into the soft Michigan summer night then turned to face her. His face remained inscrutable, but when he turned that sapphire gaze back to her, she had to reach back and grab the wall or risk doing something truly alarming, like fling herself at him.Where in the hell had that come from?She shook her head, took a step back. Before she could speak, he was in her space again, running a finger down her face, Gentle, but without a doubt, in complete control."Sorry Sara, I just couldn't help myself." His rough voice made her skin pebble. "Let's lock up here. You grab your stuff. We'll go somewhere for a drink."
He followed her inside the second set of doors, close enough so she could smell him – a unique combination of soapy manliness, expensive cologne and lust. Her chest constricted. She had no business there with him reacting like that. Danger signals flashed in her vision. He reached up and flipped off the lights as she rounded the corner of the front desk on her way back to her office. She turned around to tell him not to bother with them—that they kept that set on, and ran straight into his neck. He pulled her to him and muttered into her ear as she struggled to disentangle herself.
-----As I mentioned, I got my fair share of rejections, both kindly and not so much (one fairly well known publisher suggested I keep my day job and stop "bombarding her" with submissions. That hurt. But I did not let it stop me).Because you see, gentle Liz bloggy follower, IF you wish to be published, even by yourself without any publisher's help, "rejection" is the name of your game now. Because once your book is out there, it is still available for "rejection" via "readers and reviewers."So what I'm here today to suggest is that you do some homework and dig deep to find yourself a small publisher, one willing to hold your hand, boot you in the ass, and help you along to find your voice.  I'm not dissing self-published people. Many of them are making a hell of a lot more money than I am at this thing. But I'm suggesting that in general, most budding authors needed what I got: a very small publisher excited about their voice and potential who is willing to sit through a fair bit of hair-pulling and gnashing of teeth to get to the nugget of a good story or 2 (or in the case of me and my small publishers: 20 good stories).
Between both Tri Destiny and Decadent Publishing I received an entire year or more's worth of Hard Core Editing and Real Life Lessons in the Scary World of Publishing. Evil lurks around every bend in the form of both glowing reviews and scathing ones and everything in between including bloggers with agendas that are unfathomable to anyone but themselves. I will be ending the Stewart Realty series that began with FLOOR TIME in a little over a week, with the release of GOOD FAITH, the final, stand alone, mainstream New Adult novel. And none of these amazing books---from the Jack & Sara trilogy (Floor Time/Sweat Equity/ Closing Costs), through the Blake & Rob novel Essence of Time, into the Craig and Suzanne story Conditional Offer, past the aftermath of Essence of Time with Escalation Clause, around the world of Evan and Julie with Mutual Release and even back to Jack with his (free) back story House Rules--not a single one of them would be the way they are now: EXACTLY The way I wanted them to be, were it not for the determination, support and assistance of TRI DESTINY PUBLISHING.They even indulged me with a side series:


No, they don't have a ton of authors and they are OK with that so far as it gives them the time and space to offer everything from early onset "this is pretty good--now go back and re-write it and we'll continue to work on it"s to the well-thought out book and blog tours.  They LIKE offering this close-by support. And frankly, if you have some manuscripts polished and lurking or want a place to send that NaNo project may I humbly suggest them.You will not be sorry.  They have 3 of my stand alones too (one of which I gave them when I got rights back on it)



(this one should come with it's own cold shower)


and one of my favs ~ the one who netted me my first Official Liz Haters:

Plus this little something that my own brewery's art director designed the cover for


They are fairly picky of course. Not all submissions will be accepted. But if they see potential in you or your voice or your work, you will be thrilled at the sort of learning and publishing experience you will have in their capable hands. Here is some insight into their submissions guidelines (no, I do not work for them and do not get a bird dog fee for your novel so relax). *  Guidelines for Special Lines  *In addition to the above guidelines, some of our specialty lines have specific requirements.  Please check below and follow the specific requirements if your manuscript falls into one of these categories:Tri Destiny Romance – All submissions should have a strong romantic overtone.  It doesn’t have to be the main focus of the book (ie: romantic suspense) but there should definitely be a “couple” that has the reader rooting for a HEA (happily ever after) or HFN (happy for now) ending!  Sexual or sensual scenes are a necessary part of any good romance, but please remember it should add flavor and spice to the story, not be the story.   Please include “Tri Destiny Romance” in the subject line of your submission email.Sizzlin’ Books - Tri Destiny’s hot and spicy romance line.  Any story which contains heavy sexual content, BDSM, GLBT (M/M or F/F), ménages, paranormal or supernatural, or erotica will be considered for this line.  This line leaves a lot of room for creativity and inventiveness.  Please include “Sizzlin’ Books” in the subject line of your submission email.Young Adults (YA) – Submissions for YA consideration should contain no more than a PG-13-type content.  They should be appropriate for ages 12-18 (though we know some YA books do become beloved by many adults too!)  Explicit sexual scenes, graphic language, or overly mature situations will exlude a submission from this line.  Please include “YA line” in the subject line of the submission email.YA – Beacons of Light –  A special off-shoot of our YA line, submissions considered here will be ones which contain young adults as the main characters who face and triumph over a specific adversity (physical, situational, emotional, etc), thus becoming “Beacons of Light” (positive role models) for our younger readers.  A strong moral/value-based theme is a must.   Please include “Beacons of Light” in the subject line of the submission emailSpecial Submissions and Anthologies – From time to time Tri Destiny will have a call out for submissions to be included in a special line or anthology (holiday, summer, winter, etc).  We will post these open calls to our Facebook page as well as the Tri Destiny website along with any specific guidelines and submission deadlines.
Here is a link to the page that shows you the proper way to format your submission (formatting it correctly will get you past gatekeepers. That is key). http://www.tridestinypublishing.com/html/authors-wanted/submissions/#.Unk1B6Ve8tsGoing with a small publisher is not for everyone. If you can afford to pay for really GREAT editing and  cover art and want to not share your royalties, by all means join the self-published fray.  I myself enjoy the slight hand holding I get working with publisher(s). And I don't have time to be a publisher myself. And please do NOT assume that "just because you wrote it" means "it's perfect." Because it is not. Your first draft is an accomplishment but it's likely 10 miles of bad road on the way to the shit house. It is a first draft, a first step, a way to say you WROTE a book instead of blabbing about writing a book. And way to go you! Now, take a step away from it, have someone not your mom or bestie or aunt Edith with all the cats read it and take their suggestions to heart (that is to say NOT personally BUT professionally) then revise. Then revise again. Then check for errors, have your critique partners or edit pals do a proof read then…three…two…one…SUBMIT! I wish all you NaNo-ers and other random scribblers all the best luck in the world. Write! Edit! Revise! Polish! Submit! (and if you seek a great small house to help you get started, look no further than TRI DESTINY PUBLISHING!)
SO, TO CELEBRATE all you hard working authors and submitters (I'm among you, trust me) I am offering something VERY special: A shot at an Advanced Review Copy of GOOD FAITH!Click here to read blurbs and excerpts….Here are the rules: Leave me a comment below and tell me about your current writing project and how you plan to get it ready for either submission or publication (the 2 things should be damn close in the prep time). Tell me as much or as little as you like. And also tell me why you'd like to get a shot at this ARC which has been held very close to the vest, not offered to nearly as many folks as usual, for various reasons. WE WILL AWARD ONE EBOOK ARC ON Saturday, November 9, 2013. I GOTTA HAVE YOUR EMAIL IN THE COMMENT OR YOU CAN'T WIN 'CAUSE I CAN'T BLOODY WELL FIND YOU.
The owner of Tri Destiny Publishing will pick a worthy ARC winner from among the comments. 
Cheers!happy reading and writingLiz****small print***Liz Crowe has books with 3 publishers. Tri Destiny holds the rights to the majority of her books including the Stewart Realty and Black Jack Gentlemen series. In 2014 watch for a re-release of a new and improved (read: re-written) Brewing Passion Series (4 books set in a fictional brewery in Ann Arbor formerly released with a different publisher) plus 2 or 3 more Black Jack soccer stories with Tri Destiny.  She receives NO compensation for this endorsement.