Deal Sharing Aunt: Willful Parties by Liz Ellyn Interview & Giveaway

Tuesday, January 7, 2025

Willful Parties by Liz Ellyn Interview & Giveaway

Willful Parties
Liz Ellyn
Published by: The Wild Rose Press
Publication date: January 1st 2025
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance

Seth is the vibrant bisexual marathoner who sparked the relationship with Kat and Dylan. He remains undeterred in pursuit of their perfect love, even when confronted with a devastating blow. Kat, their sharp-witted pixie, treasures good moments as gifts due to past experiences. She hesitates to wholeheartedly commit based on a deep-rooted fear of heartache and pressing her luck. Dylan exudes irresistible confidence and brilliance and is marked for an impressive political future. However, his internal struggle with identity and career decisions poses a significant hurdle in committing to their love affair.

They share a sizzling three-way passion but are destined to part ways after graduating from their Chicago law school. Legal battles, heart-wrenching losses, and mounting obligations challenge the prospect of reclaiming their love.

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Author Bio:

INDULGE IN LIFE'S GUILTY PLEASURES!

Liz Ellyn nourishes people’s cravings for the irresistible. Like the decadent desserts she delivers, she creates alluring characters deserving of happy endings.

With degrees in both engineering and law, she argues that the positive energy gained by indulging in one’s guilty pleasure appropriately counterbalances the serious forces of daily life.

When she isn’t writing or devouring steamy romance books, she spoils her family, including her two dogs, Boomer and Tanner.

Bon Appetite and Happy Reading!

Interview

1. What literary pilgrimages have you gone on?

This fall, I flew back to Chicago, the vibrant backdrop for my books. While it might not qualify as a traditional pilgrimage, I found it inspirational.

I took my son on a tour of my law school. It was a special experience, as I was pregnant with him during my last semester and the BAR exam. Walking the halls again brought back all the emotional turmoil of professors using the Socratic method to challenge students’ arguments. We stopped by the gorgeous library and found students hunched over books. The intensity of their focus was palpable.

The lakefront parks’ evolution since my last visit also impressed me. The beautifully developed spaces felt like a perfect setting for a future novel for a character with a dog.

And, of course, no trip to Chicago would be complete without indulging in the incredible food. I can’t visit Chicago without ordering Lou Malnati’s deep dish pizza. In fact, I plan to ship in pizza from Lou’s for my book release party.

I first visited Chicago when I was thirteen and I lived in the Chicago area for over twenty years as an adult. It’s an amazing town, and I plan to write many more books set in its dynamic and inspiring streets.

Here’s a quick reel of my trip...

https://www.instagram.com/p/DDjysAZpJLT/

2. What is the first book that made you cry?

My sixth-grade reading teacher made the class read A Summer to Die by Lois Lowry.

3. Does writing energize or exhaust you?

Can I say both? Dreaming up ideas is the spark that fuels my writing engine. But drafting the first version? That’s driving uphill in second gear, slow and clunky. Then comes editing, where the magic truly happens. I’m right there laughing and crying with my characters as they spring to life on the page.

4. What is your writing Kryptonite?

My dogs, without a doubt! I have three, and their irresistible cuteness makes it absolutely impossible to ignore them when they’re begging for attention.

5. Did you ever consider writing under a pseudonym?

Liz Ellyn is my pseudonym. I chose it because I wanted something that felt uniquely mine. When I got married, I dropped my maiden name, so this felt like a fresh way to create an identity just for me.

6. What other authors are you friends with, and how do they help you become a better writer?

My editor, Morena Stamm with The Wild Rose Press, has had the most significant impact on my writing than anyone since my law possessor in my legal writing class, my first year in law school. Morena is also an author. She writes under her own name as well as the pseudonym, Bridgette Tell.

7. Do you want each book to stand on its own, or are you trying to build a body of work with connections between each book?

Willful Parties is a standalone book. I am not a fan of leaving readers hanging. That said, I absolutely love book series where the characters are connected, either as a true family or a found family. The series I’m currently writing focuses on lawyers in their late twenties, a stage of life where friends and family still have a major influence. My goal is to create a series that feels like a family of characters, each story connected yet complete on its own.

8. What authors did you dislike at first but grew into?

I started the Black Dagger Brotherhood series a couple of times. I can’t remember what kept me from finishing the book the first time I picked it up. But after I finished Dark Lover by J.R. Ward, I read more than two dozen novels by her.

9. What’s your favorite under-appreciated novel?

Brandy Hynes is the author of The KORT Series. She is a great mafia romance author. I hope to see her receive the huge success she deserves.

10. As a writer, what would you choose as your mascot/avatar/spirit animal?

Even though I was on Team Edward, I’d choose awolf as my spirit animal. As a romance author, I deeply value the strong connections wolves represent. As a lawyer, they embody strategy and precision. As an engineer, wolves are problem-solvers at heart. Plus, their independence and leadership qualities really resonate with my INTJ personality. And as I mentioned previously, I have a huge love for dogs.

11. How many unpublished and half-finished books do you have?

I currently have five books in the works. The book to follow Willful Parties, is sitting on my editor’s desk. This will involve a new group of three involved in a polyamorous relationship with a completely different romantic dynamic. I hope to get it published in 2025. I am currently writing a novella to follow Overruling Judgment and also hope to publish it in 2025.

12. What did you edit out of this book?

I had spent a long time crafting the story in my head before I ever sat down and wrote an outline. I didn’t edit out any scenes.

13. If you didn’t write, what would you do for work?

I hold a Juris Doctor and passed the Illinois BAR, so I could see my self working at a law firm. But honestly, nothing quite matches the thrill of crafting steamy, forbidden romance novels.

14. Do you hide any secrets in your books that only a few people will find?

If I told you, it wouldn’t be a secret! I’ll let you in on a little tidbit. Every one of my books has hidden Easter eggs related to tennis. My obsession with reading romance novels started while traveling across the country with my kids for their tennis tournaments. Without those journeys and those stories, I wouldn’t be writing romance today.

15. What is your favorite childhood book?

I loved the first book I was able to read on my own. It contained about a dozen stories. I don’t recall the title, but one of the stories I still remember was Tony and His Friends by Ken Wagner. But the book that got me truly interested in reading was The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton.