#GuestPost – “Why Write Together” by Liz Crowe

Why Write Together?

Liz Crowe

On behalf of Desiree Holt, co-authors of NUMBERS GAME

We all have our heroes.

And when I say “hero” I’m talking about my personal ones, not the 40 or male ones I’ve created during the course of my writing career. I have lifestyle heroes, sports heroes, parenting heroes, my kids are even my heroes sometimes. My list of writing heroes is short, and in some cases more like hero worship from afar since a couple of them are super stars that I can only be a stan for on social media.

However, luckily for this writer, one of mine is a writer named Desiree Holt. When I think back on our earliest conversations, it was mainly me, a lowly stars-in-my-eyes romance author, wowed by the fact that she was so approachable and cool. She’s also one of Those Authors who give advice, tips, and inside scoops to those of us coming up behind her, learning the ropes of what can be a bit of a brutal industry at times.

When she figured out that I lived in Ann Arbor (at the time) we got to talking sports—a mutually favorite topic of ours. When she told me that she and some of her family were coming into town for a football game a few years ago, I made sure we met at the brewery I owned (at the time) and our friendship was sealed. Since then, I’ve approached her with ideas for books, questions about publishers, and all sorts of author-related stuff, but in 2016, I helped organize, promote, and run a massive fundraiser for my kids’ high school’s athletic department that featured John and Jim Harbaugh, returning to the high school that John graduated from to honor them. It was a roaring success. We raised $50,000 for the athletic fund in one night, and I got to give Desiree a present. A few of the commemorative 2016 Pioneer High Hall of Fame footballs we had made were signed by both brothers so I made sure I got one and sent it to her.

All in the name of bribing her just a little bit because I had a project in mind that I wanted us to tackle together.

It worked! But because we’re both busy, it took us a few years to get to the point of actually talking through the concept that became the novel: NUMBERS GAME, that is releasing April 20 from The Wild Rose Press. We wrote in the sort of back-and-forth manner that was fun but also frustrating at times for both of us. I know I learned a lot about my process and habits as I crafted the point of view for Duncan “Hatch” Hatcher, a former pro player and coach who’s hiding the secret of his downfall in the pros, but has landed at his fictional Michigan alma mater as head coach. When we finally got the book exactly the way we wanted it, then came the challenge of finding it a publishing home. That was a task Desiree took on with a vengeance and landed us at The Wild Rose Press, a new-to-me publisher. It’s been great working with them and we’re proud to present this sports romance, featuring characters that are both divorced, both a tad jaded, but once they meet….well, those sparks catch fire quick and burn hot!

Second Chance Romance
By: Desiree Holt & Liz Crowe

Blurb:

Making a pass could just mean scoring a second chance…

Former pro football player and coach Duncan “Hatch” Hatcher fumbled his career and marriage. Now divorced and ready to tackle his future, he has an opportunity to redeem himself as coach of his college alma mater’s football team. But how can he can turn the team’s losing streak around and keep the secret of his downfall buried when the school agrees to a documentary that will allow a lovely journalist to dig her way into his past…and into his heart?

Olivia Grant’s ex-husband almost wrecked her journalism career while he definitely did a number on her self-esteem. The documentary on Duncan Hatcher is the perfect way to rebuild both. As a freshman in college, she’d had a crush on the senior football hero, but he hadn’t known she existed. She never expects the sparks that fly between them as they work on the project nor the struggles they must face if they both want to win.

Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/NumbersGame

Excerpt

Every move after that, to her, seemed to have some kind of sexual connotation.

The air between them vibrated with the electricity sparking back and forth. By the time he paid the check and they left the restaurant, every pulse in her body pounded, her breasts ached, and her teeny tiny thong was soaked. She wanted to hurry home and take a cold shower before she did something really stupid.

In the truck, he turned on the radio and found a station playing oldies rock music that he tuned low. They rode in a silence that was more electric than uncomfortable, especially when he reached over and took her hand in his, giving it a gentle squeeze. When they reached her townhouse, he again lifted her from the cab and walked her to the door, holding her hand. When she had the door open, he turned her to face him and studied her face for a long time. She waited, wondering if she had the willpower not to cross that line from professional to personal and how much damage she’d do if she did.

“You have to be the sexiest sports reporter I’ve ever met. I would really like to kiss you. Would that be okay with you?”

She should have turned away, but she couldn’t find the willpower. The kiss was soft and gentle, a mere brush of lips, a touch of flesh. Then it was over, but she wanted more. A lot more. She could feel this spinning out of control, and she was powerless to stop it.

“If you invite me in, I’m not going to turn you down.”

Desiree Holt bio:

USA Today best-selling and award-winning author Desiree Holt writes everything from romantic suspense and contemporary on a variety of heat levels up to erotic, a genre in which she is the oldest living author. She has been referred to by USA Today as the Nora Roberts of erotic romance, and is a winner of the EPIC E-Book Award, the Holt Medallion and a Romantic Times Reviewers Choice nominee. She has been featured on CBS Sunday Morning and in The Village Voice, The Daily Beast, USA Today, The (London) Daily Mail, The New Delhi Times and numerous other national and international publications.

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Liz Crowe bio:

Liz Crowe is a Kentucky native and graduate of the University of Louisville living in Central Illinois. She’s spent her time as a three-continent expat trailing spouse, mom of three, real estate agent, brewery owner and bar manager, and is currently a social media consultant and humane society development director, in addition to being an award-winning author. With stories set in the not-so-common worlds of breweries, on the soccer pitch, inside fictional television stations and successful real estate offices, and even in exotic locales like Istanbul, Turkey, her books are compelling and told with a fresh voice. The Liz Crowe backlist has something for any reader seeking complex storylines with humor and complete casts of characters that will delight, at times frustrate, and always linger in the imagination long after the book is finished.

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