My Life as Semi-Professional Ex-Pat

Over the course of 7.5 years I lived in 3 different foreign countries, plus a stint in Overland Park, Kansas, gave birth to my 3rd child in one of them, had my passports stolen in Spain, was arrested by the Turkish Gendarme, had the entire fire department of Hiroshima show up at my apartment, rode elephants, ate crickets, shopped Kindle Markets clutching spiced, high alcohol booze at Christmas, saw the inside of emergency rooms on 2 continents, made friends, went up and down the Eiffel Tower and ran around in the Louvre a few times, and learned more than I thought I ever wanted to know about the Ottoman Empire and in general had a total blast.

There were many (many) times I hated it of course. When you are an “ex-pat” your friends back home think you are on perpetual vacay. When it’s more about the day-to-day, getting kids up, fed, to school in whatever uniforms they might need, home, to sports and music practices, dinner, homework and bed. Not too sexy or thrilling really. And at times, lonely.

By the time I hit London I was pretty jaded, having done stints in Japan and Turkey (and was in Istanbul on Sept. 11, 2001). I had zero patience for American ladies moaning about “culture shock” coming from Michigan to England. “At least you can read road signs and food packaging” I said, a lot. It was a relief, really other than whole wrong side of the road driving thing. I was right at home especially since the Brits are HUGE imbibers of alcohol and we had spent 2 years as near sober in Istanbul—not that you can’t drink there, it’s just that it’s really expensive.

My kids got exposed to all manner of international education systems, up to and including a private school in Brentwood that was older than…America.   We took vacations we’d never have been able to otherwise, including my favorite one ever—the weeks in Paris (my absolute favorite city on a long list of favorite cities).

I never considered myself a risk-taker or thrill-seeker and when I agreed on the first overseas assignment for my spouse, never in a million years thought we’d end up going around the world a couple of times, usually with toddlers or snotty little kids in tow.  I recommend it, if you get the opportunity, especially if there is a large international company footing the bulk of the bill.

I think it’s given me a completely unique view of my life as American and of our place in the international community—and a killer set of rugs too.  When I pondered a set of stories for Decadent Publishing’s 1Night Stand series my mind went straight for one of the most mysterious, historical, beautifully frustrating cities ever—Istanbul. And the Turkish Delights series was born.

Now available in an e-book bundle format on Amazon OR in print under one cover, the Turkish Delights series has a little something for everyone: fated, soul-mate romance, cougar action, man love, BDSM, mutli-cultural conflict and resolution, intrigue, suspense and one of THE MOST romantic Happily Ever Afters this author has yet conjured.

I hope you get a chance to enjoy them all!




A young American woman comes face to face with her destiny in Istanbul in the 1960’s and an epic dynasty is born.  When Vivian Kinkaid turns around in her college classroom and makes eye contact with a man who was once her forbidden childhood friend, her life is changed forever.

 A sweeping saga of family, love, loss and recovery—The Turkish Delight series begins with a special sort of magic. Then  Madame Eve works her miracles for the Deniz family, but even she can’t overcome the harsh realities that force this Turkish/American family all to deal with tragedy when one of their own is ripped from their close-knit circle.

  “The Turks” opens with best-selling classic romance for the ages.  Then ends with a thrilling novella that brings all the players back together.  Set in Istanbul, Las Vegas, and Southern California, The Turkish Delights series has it all—heat, heart, intrigue and a deep, family connection that transcends all barriers.

Available individually or in a rint anthology

The Diplomat’s Daughter

Turkish Delights

Blue Cruise

Tulip Princess

Flower Passage

And here’s a taste of each:


The Diplomat’s Daughter:

When Vivian Kincaid’s eyes meet those of a hunky local at the Turkish university her father forces her to attend, it only takes her a split second to recognize her childhood friend. Levent Deniz was the servant boy who taught her to run the streets of Istanbul years before, giving outlet to her wild streak even as a child. Now face-to-face once again as adults, the only thing standing between them and happiness is her father. The newly appointed Consul General for the United States has other plans for his only daughter. Ones that do not include a former servant, now successful entrepreneur and businessman. He will do everything in his power to keep them apart.

 The Diplomat’s Daughter is set in 1960s Istanbul and tells the story of pre-destiny, passion and the rebellious power of true love.


 Turkish Delights (1NightStand)

The fifteen year age difference between Elle Kensington, expatriate American executive and Emre Demir, son of Istanbul’s most successful businessmen, has not kept them from becoming fast friends as they toured Istanbul together. But the time has come for him to return to the U.S. to finish his master’s degree, and she has just been named CEO of the pharmaceutical company that brought her to Turkey in the first place. Elle adores her adopted country, and is alarmed to find herself falling in love with the young man who’s been her impromptu guide for the last few months.

She knows they can never be. She will return home to California within a month, leaving behind all she loves about the ancient city. In a rare fit of spontaneity, Elle has contracted with Madame Eve’s 1Night Stand dating service, hoping to find a way to forget the dark, handsome young man who has captured her heart. Little does she know what awaits her in the ancient recesses of the Ottoman palace turned luxury hotel under the hands of her one-night stand masseur.


Blue Cruise (1NightStand, m/m)

Caleb and Tarkan were an odd couple—men from two different cultures—so in love, they were determined to overcome any obstacles. But fate had different plans for Tarkan. Shattered and unable to function a full two years after tragedy strikes, Caleb faces the hollow shell that is his life.

 Adem Broussard is happy enough, as owner and chef of his restaurant on the Turkish southern coast. But a tall, American Adonis he saw once, years ago on a Turkish Blue Cruise haunts his most erotic dreams, and he hopes contracting Madame Eve’s 1NightStand service for an unconventional date will help him forget.

 When Caleb caves in to his friend Elle’s insistence that he return to Turkey and exorcise some of the demons that haunt him, he reluctantly climbs on board a private yacht for a special 1Night Stand Blue Cruise. There he comes face to face with the man who remembers him well…and helps him heal.


Tulip Princess (1NightStand, BDSM)

Lale Deniz was always prone to wildness. But when her family is ripped apart at the seams, she becomes more reckless than ever. Desperate to stop her self-destructive slide, her parents step in and send her to America to live with her brother, Emre. Just the chance, she thinks, to escape the tragedy suffusing her Istanbul home.

 Andreas Michos, Greek former NFL star, the recently divorced athletic director at UNLV, floats through life seeking fulfillment. He has reason to doubt his own abilities as a natural Dom and has given up finding his perfect mate. Until he agrees to a 1Night Stand.

 Set against a backdrop of ancient cultural clashes and Mediterranean family dynamics, Lale and Andreas meet in Las Vegas at the Castillo resort for their date. But it seems Madame Eve and destiny will both fail this time, unless Lale and Andreas are willing to relinquish enough control to discover what happiness can be found inside the soul of the other. Will stubbornness keep them from connecting, or can they let go long enough to heal?


Flower Passage (final novella, m/m/m)

What would you do if the lover, brother, son, and friend you thought you’d lost forever was returned to you?

 Brutally battered, emotionally and physically for the past two years, Tarkan Deniz has escaped his captors. When the Deniz family discovers the shocking truth they rally and do everything in their power to bring him back safely. But all have been affected by the tragedy of his loss and must come to terms with the new reality, each in their own way. When Happily Ever After seems like a nightmare…one man can bring healing to all, but will he ever be the same man again?


Flower Passage is a story of love lost and regained, even if it takes a slightly different form than before.


And who is Elizabeth Tarry-Crowe?

Microbrewery owner, best-selling author, beer blogger and journalist, mom of three teenagers, and soccer fan, Liz lives in the great Midwest, in a major college town.  Years of experience in sales and fund raising, plus an eight-year stint as an ex-pat trailing spouse, plus making her way in a world of men (i.e. the beer industry), has prepped her for life as erotic romance author. 

 When she isn’t sweating inventory and sales figures for the brewery, she can be found writing, editing or sweating promotional efforts for her latest publications. 

 Her groundbreaking fiction subgenre, “Romance for Real Life,” has gained thousands of fans and followers who are interested less in the “HEA” and more in the “WHA” (“What Happens After?”)

 Her beer blog a2beerwench.com is nationally recognized for its insider yet outsider views on the craft beer industry. Her books are set in the not-so-common worlds of breweries, on the soccer pitch and in high-powered real estate offices.  Don’t ask her for anything “like” a Budweiser or risk painful injury.