As a fan of Liz Crowe I've enjoyed reading the evolving emotionally intense erotic journey of Jack and Sara of the Stewart Realty series. Today we're celebrating the anthology release of their story in print form with lots of excerpts and a great giveaway! You can learn even more goodies about this anthology, its compelling characters, and Ms. Crowe herself by visiting the other blogs hosting this tour. Without further ado, let's welcome Liz as she talks about the pros and cons of writing for yourself.....
The Stewart Realty series began life as a brick-like novel that I let evolve through multiple revisions and re-writes. The Jack and Sara Trilogy as the first 3 books of the 9-book series have become known, were that doorstop of a project for a while. Until the publisher who (finally) agreed to take it convinced me to break it into 3, easily digested morsels of story-telling.
As I was wrapping up editing of the final of the trilogy (Closing Costs) it occurred to me that I really wanted to know more about Blake, Sara’s brother, and his complex relationships with both Suzanne Baxter (Jack’s and Rob’s friend from college and Evan Adams’ business partner) and, ultimately Rob Frietag. I also wanted to explore where he was coming from during the Jack and Sara early years when he was so dead set against them being together.
So, I wrote Essence of Time the winter/spring after the first 3 books came out. It was released the following June. I sort of figured that would be it. It has a fairly tough ending.
Of course, if you read that book (what many claim as the “best” of the series although I ruined and angered many a hardcore “HEA romance required” readers with it I hear) you know that for an author like me there had to be some kind of “aftermath” story. As a business person myself, it would have made more sense perhaps to listen to the market, watch where the sales were going/coming from and then cater to that. I know that many of the current big time best sellers do that.
But, while I’m a business person, when it comes to my books I’m a bit of a contrarian. It’s perhaps not the model to use for those of you seeking Yoda-like guidance through the choppy waters to best-sellerdom. I wanted to dig deep into how the death of a major character would affect the rest of them, especially those closest to said character. So I concocted the Escalation Clause storyline, which allowed me to bring the story of one of my personal favorite secondary characters: Maureen Gordon Taylor, Jack’s little sister, to the light of day. It also gave me a platform for shifting to a side series, the Black Jack Gentlemen, the Soccer Team of Detroit, which you will be hearing more about later.
In the interim and in keeping with my illogical, not really paying attention to the market and writing whatever the hell I wanted non-plan, I write a book called Conditional Offer, a shorter one, that allowed me to give a couple of hard-working side characters their due. Craig Robinson is one of Sara’s ardent suitors and had many a reader cheering him on during the first 3 books, now available in a print anthology with a cool new cover. He is a real lover-boy. A total foil to Jack Gordon on so many levels that’s a blog post in and of itself. A soft spoken Southern-raised gentlemen he does have a bit of an effed up past and a real naughty streak (a preference for women a bit more chronologically gifted than himself, we’ll say). And Suzanne Baxter, a friend of Jack/Rob/Evan and former girlfriend of Blake…well…her story is pretty harsh but I wanted to tell it.
After that, it became a matter of “pick the character YOU like and I will tell the story.” At least in my own head. The next book, MUTUAL RELEASE ended up being the longest yet for me, and was a true “coming of age” novel for the protagonists, Evan Adams and Julie Dawson. I bring those 2 forward from their teen years to the point where they meet in their 30’s, toss in a BDSM element that destroys as much as it pleasures and bam, an epic novel is born.
Somewhere in there, Jack was whispering in my ear and reminding me that he wanted people to know more about all those stories I hint at, or tell from someone else’s perspective through the series. So I wrote HOUSE RULES, a prequel novella, slapped a killer cover on it and made it FREE on my publisher’s site and just .99 everywhere else. Again, perhaps a dumb move, from a business perspective but damn I loved writing that book…
Finally, I felt the weight of time marching on for my merry band of all too real characters in Ann Arbor. I was not so much into taking the thing “Simpsons style” the folks never aging, into the near future. And, again, I was not really being terribly marketing savvy about that. It’s a well-known fact that books with never ending characters sell well. But I write what I like to read. And I never got past “Two for the Dough” or the second “Dead whatever” book from a couple of VERY famous and oh so rich and successful NYT Best selling authors lists.
Hmmm….well, I may not be Janet Evanovich or Charlene Whatshername but I stayed true to my own voice. I may need a smack upside the head in terms of being more savvy about writing for my audience as opposed to just for myself. But in the meantime, I truly hope that your readers and followers will give the Stewart Realty series a shot with this new print anthology, or grab the whole series in either e-book or print format. Happy Reading.
The Stewart Realty series is a sweeping epic, encompassing many years in the lives of two people who know how to love with their bodies, how to please and get pleasure, to control and be controlled. When it comes to the deeper meaning of the one word they both need, backgrounds and personalities get in the way. While their physical connection sizzles they somehow manage to continuously disappoint one another on an emotional level.
Jack Gordon has it all—money, success, a string of women—but also a deep longing for something more. When he thinks he finds it with Sara Jane Thornton, his world is never the same again. Sara releases a side of himself he considered buried out of frustration and unhappiness. Sara soon learns that she must trust him implicitly, something she cannot do, no matter how many times she tries...and he fails.
With a rich cast of secondary characters, including a young man who presents a near-perfect foil to Jack's intensity, and who falls hard for Sara, The Stewart Realty series is a saga with an emphasis on contemporary life with a healthy dose of realistic eroticism. A tale of modern, busy, driven people seeking the ever-elusive and highly coveted combination—a friend, lover and trusted companion who will be there for the long haul.
Start at the beginning, with the Jack and Sara Trilogy, now for the first time ever in a print anthology. The Stewart Realty series is a best seller in family saga and urban fiction categories. See for yourself what the buzz is all about.
EXCERPT:
Sara smiled at the man lying next to her. He'd taken her world and yanked it into his orbit so hard and fast her head still spun some days. God help her she did love him despite her inner turmoil. She put a hand on his sweat-slicked chest and draped a leg over his. She propped up on her elbow and touched his check.
"Hmm?" his sleepy voice reminded her how much they both needed more shut eye having passed out rather than actually rested last night. He pulled her close. "I'm sorry," he muttered into her hair. "It's just." She nodded into his shoulder. "Shit week, you know. All this wedding talk is not my thing or something. I don't know. I do know I don't deserve you."
"Yeah, that is true. Look, we still have dinner with my parents tonight. My dad is a know-it-all doctor. I dread having the two of you in the same room, frankly, but we have to do it. They're my family and they want to meet you."
She felt him tense beneath her.
"That's fine. I'll be on my best behavior. But I don't want him paying for any of this," he swept a hand towards the small table where she'd piled up magazines and spreadsheets of wedding planning paraphernalia. "I'm doing it. You're grown, not some little girl needing daddy's money anymore."
She bit her lip. "If he wants to I'm not going to stop him. It's his prerogative. Can't you just go with it?" She sat up, swung her legs to the floor.
He sang the same song, different verse, every time. They'd fight, he'd make up by making love to her. She'd let him. They wouldn't talk about it. Again.
Sighing she stood, stretched her sated and tingling body, her mind on the massive list of shit to do today. Glancing over her shoulder, she allowed herself a long look at the man who would be her husband.
His six-foot five-inch frame firm, legs and arms covered with a light dusting of black hair; torso mostly bare, but for a line of jet-black hair beneath his navel leading down to the part of his body that he had, apparently, shared with so many. Her eyes trailed up, to his firm, square jaw, in need of a shave. Her palm itched to reach out, feel the sandpapery rasp of it, keeping him real.
How completely unreal this still seemed, even now after he'd given her yet another mind-boggling set of back-to-back orgasms. That should've been solid evidence he was there, with her, "hers" even. But he wasn't. That small voice in her head, the "Old Sara," with its nagging and worry, poked her psyche once again. You're too alike. It will never work. Jack's eyes opened, at the sound of his own light snore. His sleepy grin made her smile in spite of her heavy heart.
She was no sap. Her own parent's relationship had made her a cynic to the extreme when it came to men. She knew it. She fully acknowledged her own emotional constipation. Yet, she let the man who currently held her heart in his large, talented hands tug her down onto the bed, into the circle of his arms. His skin, smell, and feel eased her as always. She closed her eyes just for a few minutes.
"Hmm?" his sleepy voice reminded her how much they both needed more shut eye having passed out rather than actually rested last night. He pulled her close. "I'm sorry," he muttered into her hair. "It's just." She nodded into his shoulder. "Shit week, you know. All this wedding talk is not my thing or something. I don't know. I do know I don't deserve you."
"Yeah, that is true. Look, we still have dinner with my parents tonight. My dad is a know-it-all doctor. I dread having the two of you in the same room, frankly, but we have to do it. They're my family and they want to meet you."
She felt him tense beneath her.
"That's fine. I'll be on my best behavior. But I don't want him paying for any of this," he swept a hand towards the small table where she'd piled up magazines and spreadsheets of wedding planning paraphernalia. "I'm doing it. You're grown, not some little girl needing daddy's money anymore."
She bit her lip. "If he wants to I'm not going to stop him. It's his prerogative. Can't you just go with it?" She sat up, swung her legs to the floor.
He sang the same song, different verse, every time. They'd fight, he'd make up by making love to her. She'd let him. They wouldn't talk about it. Again.
Sighing she stood, stretched her sated and tingling body, her mind on the massive list of shit to do today. Glancing over her shoulder, she allowed herself a long look at the man who would be her husband.
His six-foot five-inch frame firm, legs and arms covered with a light dusting of black hair; torso mostly bare, but for a line of jet-black hair beneath his navel leading down to the part of his body that he had, apparently, shared with so many. Her eyes trailed up, to his firm, square jaw, in need of a shave. Her palm itched to reach out, feel the sandpapery rasp of it, keeping him real.
How completely unreal this still seemed, even now after he'd given her yet another mind-boggling set of back-to-back orgasms. That should've been solid evidence he was there, with her, "hers" even. But he wasn't. That small voice in her head, the "Old Sara," with its nagging and worry, poked her psyche once again. You're too alike. It will never work. Jack's eyes opened, at the sound of his own light snore. His sleepy grin made her smile in spite of her heavy heart.
She was no sap. Her own parent's relationship had made her a cynic to the extreme when it came to men. She knew it. She fully acknowledged her own emotional constipation. Yet, she let the man who currently held her heart in his large, talented hands tug her down onto the bed, into the circle of his arms. His skin, smell, and feel eased her as always. She closed her eyes just for a few minutes.
***To make this celebration even better, Good Faith, Liz's final, epic, mainstream fiction novel of the Stewart Realty series continues to enthrall readers and reviewers. As part of the re-release of the first 3 books of the series that focus on Jack and Sara's early years, her publisher is offering Good Faith for just $0.99 on Amazon and Barnes and Noble for the month-long duration of this tour that ends on March 15. You do not have to "know" these characters to appreciate Good Faith. But a great way to get to know them is to start with re-released anthology and then read Good Faith. And who doesn't want a good book for such a great price!
Amazon best-selling author, beer blogger and beer marketing expert, mom of three, and soccer fan, Liz lives in the great Midwest, in a major college town. She has decades of experience in sales and fund raising, plus an eight-year stint as a three-continent, ex-pat trailing spouse. While working as a successful Realtor, Liz made the leap into writing novels about the same time she agreed to take on marketing and sales for the Wolverine State Brewing Company.
Most days find her sweating inventory and sales figures for the brewery, unless she’s writing, editing or sweating promotional efforts for her latest publications.
Her early forays into the publishing world led to a groundbreaking fiction subgenre, “Romance for Real Life,” which has gained thousands of fans and followers interested less in the “HEA” and more in the “WHA” (“What Happens After?”). More recently she is garnering even more fans across genres with her latest novels, which are more character-driven fiction, while remaining very much “real life.”
With stories set in the not-so-common worlds of breweries, on the soccer pitch, in successful real estate offices and many times in exotic locales like Istanbul, Turkey, her books are unique and told with a fresh voice. The Liz Crowe backlist has something for any reader seeking complex storylines with humor and complete casts of characters that will delight, frustrate, and linger in the imagination long after the book is finished.
If you are in the Ann Arbor area, be sure and stop into the Wolverine State Brewing Co. Tap Room—but don’t ask her for anything “like” a Bud Light, or risk serious injury.
Most days find her sweating inventory and sales figures for the brewery, unless she’s writing, editing or sweating promotional efforts for her latest publications.
Her early forays into the publishing world led to a groundbreaking fiction subgenre, “Romance for Real Life,” which has gained thousands of fans and followers interested less in the “HEA” and more in the “WHA” (“What Happens After?”). More recently she is garnering even more fans across genres with her latest novels, which are more character-driven fiction, while remaining very much “real life.”
With stories set in the not-so-common worlds of breweries, on the soccer pitch, in successful real estate offices and many times in exotic locales like Istanbul, Turkey, her books are unique and told with a fresh voice. The Liz Crowe backlist has something for any reader seeking complex storylines with humor and complete casts of characters that will delight, frustrate, and linger in the imagination long after the book is finished.
If you are in the Ann Arbor area, be sure and stop into the Wolverine State Brewing Co. Tap Room—but don’t ask her for anything “like” a Bud Light, or risk serious injury.
WEBSITE: www.lizcrowe.com
WRITING BLOG: www.brewingpasssion.com
BEER BLOG: www.a2beerwench.com
TWITTER: www.twitter.com/beerwencha2
FB AUTHOR PAGE: www.facebook.com/
FB FAN PAGE: www.facebook.com/groups/
JACK GORDON'S FB PAGE: www.facebook.com/
WRITING BLOG: www.brewingpasssion.com
BEER BLOG: www.a2beerwench.com
TWITTER: www.twitter.com/beerwencha2
FB AUTHOR PAGE: www.facebook.com/
FB FAN PAGE: www.facebook.com/groups/
JACK GORDON'S FB PAGE: www.facebook.com/
**********GIVEAWAY**********
LIZ WILL CHOOSE FROM AMONG COMMENTERS ACROSS THE ENTIRE TOUR AND AWARD THE FOLLOWING PRIZES IN MID-MARCH:
-2 signed copies of the new Stewart Realty “Jack & Sara Trilogy” print anthology (U.S. ONLY)
-Audible.com downloads for each of the first 3 books in the series (available internationally).
-1 signed print copy OR 1 eBook copy of GOOD FAITH, the critically acclaimed final novel of the Stewart Realty series (e-book available internationally, print is U.S. only)
-1 Stewart Realty SWAG PACK complete with “I heart Ann Arbor mug” (U.S. only) and more!
***MAKE SURE TO LEAVE A MEANINGFUL COMMENT WITH YOUR EMAIL ADDY to be entered! Also, to increase your odds of winning visit each stop on the tour and comment at each site!***
As a huge fan of Liz Crowe's work, I'm really enjoying this tour. It's giving me a lovely perspective on the how's the why's Liz chose to write her novels the way she did. And they are incredible. Almost finished with Good Faith now! Then I was reminded by this post that there's a free download that I have yet read. That's like a gift! Woot woot. Thanks for continuing to write books that WE want to read too Ms. Liz.
ReplyDeletethanks for having me today
ReplyDeleteNice excerpt
ReplyDeletebn100candg at hotmail dot com