My Writing Corner : Romance in The Windy City

We're in the heart of winter so there's nothing quite like having a good book to curl up with on these cold, cold days and nights. It's even better when you can find one with fascinating characters and a wonderful plot. My guest today in My Writing Corner, Liz Crowe, brings us a book that sounds like a perfect combination of action and emotion that can take us into another world.

Liz hails from Kentucky and is a graduate of the University of Louisville. She is currently living in South Carolina. She tells us she is a three-continent expat trailing spouse, mom of three, who was formerly a real estate agent, brewery owner and bar manager. She is currently a digital marketing consultant for non-profits, in addition to being an award-winning author. Her stories are set in the not-so-common worlds of breweries, on the soccer pitch, inside fictional television stations and successful real estate offices. Her compelling books take place in exotic locales like Istanbul, Turkey. The Liz Crowe backlist has something for any reader seeking complex storylines with humor and complete casts of characters that will delight, at times frustrate, and linger in the imagination long after the book is finished.

Her latest book, What Happens in Chicago has just been released by The Wild Rose Press. Let's get a blurb:

Sloane
I figured it would be just another night at the club. Another chance to put my parents’ expectations and their pressure to return home behind me. But hiding from my issues by entertaining clients at an exclusive club in Chicago wasn’t the erotic buzz it used to be. And then, this smoking hot dude spilled bourbon down the front of my dress...

Michael
What had, at one time, been sexy, illicit, and thrilling now felt like one more night stuck on a hamster wheel. I was bored to tears with the whole club scene, forced yet again to verify to everyone that I was as Alpha as I claimed to be while continuing to hide from my responsibilities as part owner of my family’s brewery. And then, I literally ran into her…

What happens between Sloane and Michael in Chicago seems like nothing more than a hookup, a scorching hot interlude for a couple of well-matched libidos. Once they realize that there are legit feelings involved, they find plenty of ways to deflect and sabotage their burgeoning relationship. When they both have to leave their beloved Chicago and go home to Michigan—Sloane to help an ill parent, Michael to salvage his family’s famous brewery—things get even more complicated. Accepting the depth of their emotion for each other means acknowledging their own flaws, which makes for tough conversations…along with steamy make-up sessions.

Let’s learn more about Sloane:

Tell us about those issues with your parents?

I’m an only child, and while I was spoiled, materially speaking I was lacking in the actual emotion department with my parents. My dad is sort of a bully and my mom does whatever he wants, usually. He runs our family’s large beer and wine distribution business and has always put work before family. She is a sort of classic society wife, does tennis, lunches with her friends, shops and runs fundraisers for charity. They are not bad people, but the only way they knew how to parent me I guess was to give me whatever I wanted.

In an attempt to get their attention and in response to my father’s jerk personality, I began to act out in high school, and that’s when my issues with food got pretty bad.

Why did you go to the club?

I was trying to get ahead at my PR firm and taking current and potential clients to the club is a rite of passage—usually reserved for the men in the office. But I made sure they all knew that I had no problem taking clients to their upscale titty bar. You know, you gotta do what you gotta do to get ahead. I always over tip the dancers. They work way hard to do what they do and I respect the hell out of that.

Tell us about this guy? What attracts you to him?

His ass? Ok, that and the way he wears a suit. Oh, and the fact that he seemed like a guy who could match me intellectually, sexually, and financially. Turns out there’s more to him than all that…and it snuck up on me a little. He’s a total care taker, as it turns out which is both great and annoying all at once. He’s also a sports fan, like me. And he loves to drive fast, like I do. We’re scarily well-matched on a lot of levels.

What worries you about him?

His need to control everything around him. Not that I’m any different really. That’s the problem. We’re an awful lot alike, personality-wise which sometimes leads to trouble. But that’s what real relationships are, right? Sometimes awesome, sometimes a struggle. I’m ok with that (the sex is ALWAYS good, lol).

What do you see as your future or what do you want?

I want to have a normal relationship with food. I’m working on it but I know after years of therapy that it will be a life-long battle. In the interim, I would love to spend the rest of my life with Michael Burke. Here’s hoping he feels the same way. Oh, and I want to take a month long vacation in Europe. Maybe he’ll take me there for our honeymoon. But we’re deferring it for work right now. Busy busy busy!

Now let's talk to Michael:

What brought you to the club?

Work. I bring mostly currently clients for drinks and a show. I’m not proud to say that I’ve closed some seriously huge deals for myself while drinking and watching beautiful naked women dance around, but there it is.

What kind of woman are you looking for?

Well, to be honest, I’d always claimed that my type was the ones who’d be kinky, sexy, fun and then gone the next morning. I never was a cuddler, or a breakfast-in-bed-the-morning-after guy….until I met Sloane. Then all my preconceived notions about myself went right out the window. She’s everything I love and a whole of stuff I don’t which makes me love her more. Weird. But I’ve accepted it and I know I want to be with her the rest of my life.

What attracts you to Sloane?

Her ass? Well, ok, her legs, and her lips and…well I mean I’m a guy so I do notice the physical first. The more I got to know her, the more I liked about her, even with her whole anorexia thing. I tried to help her with that but I know it’s outside the realm of my ability to fix. She has to fix it and she’s working on it, after some pretty scary moments. She’s so focused and determined and honestly could do anything she put her mind to and I do love that about her. (and the sex is A ++)

What worries you about a relationship with her?

The food thing is an issue and always will be for her. But now that we’re going to therapy together, we’re getting a handle on how I can help or hurt her in that area. Honestly, I worry that she’ll never feel satisfied with herself. I know that’s a woman thing and I hate that she has to fight her own inner demons every day over her weight.

Thank you Liz for being my guest today on My Writing Corner. Here are the buy links for her new book and her social contacts to learn more about her:

Universal: https://books2read.com/WhatHappensinChicago

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/What-Happens-Chicago-Liz-Crowe-ebook/dp/B09PJLJTPQ/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60143420-what-happens-in-chicago

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/what-happens-in-chicago-by-liz-crowe

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/LizCroweAuthor

FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/lizcroweauthor

FACEBOOK CHAT ROOM: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Lizcrowefans

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/lizcroweauthor/

TIKTOK: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMeQoUHjD/

BOOKBUB: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/liz-crowe

AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE: https://www.amazon.com/Liz-Crowe/e/B00573TC7M

GOODREADS PAGE: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4350864.Liz_Crowe