The Jazzy World of E's Bookshelf: Author Spotlight: Tommy Crown

In the Author Spotlight today, we have Tommy Crown. He is the author of the recently released, Searching for Barbie, Reckless, and I will Love you a Thousand Years to name a few. Crown's books cover a variety of genres including from romance to children's stories. Get ready to learn more about Crown and his books. Make sure to check out my interview with him where he let's us know what to expect from him next. Meet Tommy Crown, today's Jazzy World of E's Bookshelf Author Spotlight.

Tommy Crown's Biography

Hi, I’m Tommy Crown

I was born in Texas at the height of the Vietnam war and the hippie movement. We moved around a lot because my father was in the oil business. Mainly in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and South America.

My teen years were spent in California, where I was the poster boy for bad boys. I managed to get suspended from Beverly Hills High and wound up graduating from Hollywood High where the tolerance for bad boys was the norm.

I played drums in a band called, ‘Brand X’. I surfed. I smoked, drank, and chased women. I was pretty good at it.

The chasing women part anyway.

I did my time at Cerritos College where they handed me my first college degree. I now have a couple more. One from UNLV in marketing and another from NYU in journalism.

Next, I spent a few years in law enforcement (LAPD), before flipping to the dark side where I worked in a casino , (Caesars’ Palace) thanks to my father’s connections to the owner, the late Jay Sarno. It was there I found my niche.

I advanced over the years, became a casino boss and traveled the world opening casinos for a group of very wealthy Americans.

I opened the Royale in Port au Prince Haiti, the Flamingo in Madrid, and believe it or not, Rick’s in Casablanca.

During that time, I picked up the nickname, ‘Player’ and for some reason, it stuck.
A few years ago, I decided I wanted to be a writer. More specifically, a writer of erotica. I figured I might as well put my dirty mind to work. I’ve sold stories to Hustler, Penthouse, and Bitch magazines thru the years and their dough was good. Better than most to be honest. The perks weren’t bad, either. I’ll let you think about that.

I thought my years in law enforcement and my time spent as a player in the casino world would serve me well as a writer. It has.

I tend to write things that men can read while getting a haircut, or women under hair dryers, or factory workers on break. Don’t kid yourself though. Doctors and Lawyers read my work, too.
I currently work weekends for VIP Services, a private security firm I co-own that provides protection for entertainers and celebrities. The doughs good and the perks are incredible. Yeah, big black limo, men in dark suits and darker sunglasses moving the crowds out of the way for stars. Cool job.

You can find my free stories on BooksieSilk, Velvet9, Stories Space, literotica, watt pad and my personal blog, http://tommycrownjewels.blogspot.co.uk/?m=1

My inspiration comes from anything; a sight, a sound, a smell, a neatly turned phrase I hear on TV or radio, kids playing in a park, or simply draw something from my real life and suddenly, I have a story!

I am currently single and living the life in the greatest city in the world. What happens here, stays here.

An Interview with Tommy Crown

Hello Tommy, thank you for the chance to interview. Since you decided to self-publish your work, you have released six books, has you approach to writing stayed the same or would you say it has evolved?

No, my work has stayed the same as far as the genres and storylines. The only difference is as an indie, I now have total control. My thoughts, my ideas, my words.

Searching for Barbie is your latest release. I had to the chance to read it and enjoyed it. What makes this story stand out for me is all of the characters individual stories. Where there any particular characters from Searching for Barbie that stick out as a favorite for you?

Well, I loved Barbie’s slow enlightenment. I found her very real as many young women today are in search of their true identity. I was also drawn to Noah. He seemed to have it together, but played reluctant to commit. I’m sure he fell for her in a flash like most of us did.

I’ve read that you find inspiration for your stories come from anything, when inspiration strikes, are you the type of person who has to write it down instantly?

I have pads and pens within reach 24/7. I may be driving or simply chilling by the pool and something gets my attention and I have to jot it down.

All of your books are uniquely different from each other, which in an industry that tends to follow a formula is something you don’t see very often, how important was it for you to step outside the box?

It’s very important to me to not get caught up in formulas. I dislike cookie cutter stories and try to always bring a new dimension to my work. I’m not afraid to try anything, although there are some genres that I refuse to write.

You have written two children's books, do you see yourself writing more in the future?

Yes, I plan on writing several more children’s books under my Cloud Nine Bedtime Stories collection. I like the idea of mommies reading my works to their children at bedtime. It pleases me immensely.

Can you tell us anything about your current WIP?

I have a couple in progress. “Billionaire” is about a playboy that buys a riverboat casino in Biloxi, MIssissippi after gambling was legalized there in ‘92. It’s full of behind the scenes casino action and as always, a fair amount of sex and debauchery. I’m also tinkering with a paranormal love story titled, ‘Through My Eyes”. The premise is so different and the characters are the most interesting I’ve created so far.

After reading your bio, you’ve had a very interesting life in you career. What was it about this time that you felt would be the perfect to start writing? Is something you thought about previously doing?

Honestly, I’ve been writing for over 10 years. I just decided to go ‘all in’ in 2009, when I came into a significant sum of dough. That pretty much retired me and gave me the opportunity to write and do other things I’ve always wanted to do.

What would you say has been your favorite part of writing and publishing your books?

My favorite part is the process. A simple idea of mine that morphs into something people relate to and then tell me how much they enjoyed the ride. Nothing better.

Is there a book that’ve you written that stands out to you the most?

Hands down, ‘I Will Love You For A Thousand Years’. It was my first real love story and I found it so easy to write. All I did was create the characters and let them tell the story. I was just an instrument. The story belongs to Garrett and Ginger and yes, they were very real.

What do you hope readers take away from your books?

A smile. A nod. A wink. I hope they each come away feeling good.

In 10 words or less, can you tell readers why they should read your books?

I tell real stories about real people doing real things.

Is there anything you would like to say to your fans and/or readers new to you?

I’d like to encourage them to stay with me. I’m just getting warmed up. The best is yet to come.

Books by Tommy Crown

--> Searching for Barbie

Barbie was a good girl. A dead ringer for the famous doll of the same name. Everyone that knew her said she was the ‘nicest, sweetest, most caring’ girl they knew. But, did they know her secrets? Not even her closest friends knew how much she hated her minister father, or how pathetic she thought her mother was for allowing him to beat her into submission night after night. Barbie wanted to disappear and never look back. But, how? Could she vanish without a trace? She knew her father would stop at nothing to get her back. Perhaps, he had secrets, too. Barbie needed more than a plan. She needed a miracle. Will she find one and if so, at what price?

http://hyperurl.co/7z9qjt

I will Love You For 1000 Years

A summer romance by a lake turns to forever love. He was born with a gold spoon in his mouth. She was born deaf. Yet, somehow they knew they had found their soul mates. At the end of summer, they blew kisses across the lake, not knowing if they would ever meet again. Years later, they did. The world was their oyster as they traveled the world in style. Their journey of self discovery had them running with the bulls in Pamplona and even enduring the Camino de Santiago, a 700 mile hike known as ‘the way’. They had it all. Everyone said they were the happiest and most beautiful couple in the world. Then during a routine Christmas visit back home in Manhattan, everything changed. One would survive. The other wouldn’t.

Amazon US - http://hyperurl.co/3p0v3q

Ultimate Milf

Jane and Dexter Flynn were an ordinary couple living on the fringes of Hollywood. Jane longed to be more. She convinced her hapless husband to take her out on the town so she could rub elbows with the rich and famous. She certainly got more than she bargained for. It was during their dinner at Hollywood’s fashionable Brown Derby she fell under the spell of Sergio and Electra Nike, one of the wealthiest and most powerful couples on earth. From there, Jane meets Alexander Nike, the power couples teen age son, and the story escalates causing a total transformation from plain Jane to the ultimate milf. It was lust, love, and adventure as the couple travels the world seeking new thrills and adventures. There journey hits a snag in Rome just when things were heating up and Jane finds herself alone and desperate. Will the Nike family rescue her? Will her young lover abandon her? This is both a love story and cautionary tale. Remember, everything that glitters is not gold.

Amazon US - http://hyperurl.co/05277m

Reckless

Alexis Cole was born in the Tennessee hills as a result of her waitress mother’s fooling around with trucker’s during her dinner breaks. A victim of her trailer park environment and with no real guidance from her mother, young Alexis follows in her mother’s footsteps. But, she had no interest in truckers. Her sights were higher. She went after older men with money and that was her ticket out of the Tennessee hills to Beverly Hills. After a string of failed marriages and countless meaningless affairs and one night stands, she reevaluates her life and begins her quest to find Mr. Right. She finds that journey frightening when she is almost gang raped, but saved at the last second by a mysterious biker named Zeke. It was a combination of lust and love at first sight for her, but men like Zeke aren’t so easy to tame. He was ruggedly handsome with long hair, big arms, and heavily tattooed. Women swooned over him like a rockstar. It was during a visit to his grandmothers high upon a mountain that Alexis finally knew he was Mr. Right. Unfortunately, he didn’t see it that way and the couple go their separate ways.She travels to Las Vegas to find her missing father who was now working as an Elvis impersonator, she learns of a late night radio program that sets the stage for a powerful and tearful conclusion.

Amazon US - hyperurl.co/4hatim

Tomorrowland

Do you believe in miracles or a life after this one? Meet little Pearl, an orphan and gentle Ben her rescuer. Both homeless and with no family, they quickly bond and decide it was their destiny to ride out the snow storm inside a little diner. There they meet waitress Alice, who instantly sees their situation as desperate and treats them to breakfast. With their tummies full and their minds full of questions, up pops Joey. Joey is smartly dressed and seems to be much wiser than his years. He claims to be from Tomorrowland. A place he describes as ‘someplace nice’ where there are no orphans or homeless. No one ever gets sick or grows old. It sounded too good to be true, but Ben and Pearl had nothing to lose...except each other. Would they stay together and live on the streets or take a chance on a better life in Tomorrowland?

Amazon US – hyperurl.co/3c9b93

The Locket

Young Princess Annabelle was traveling in her white carriage pulled by four proud white horses. She glanced out and spotted a lone figure under a tree down by a stream. A curious child by nature, she commanded the driver to stop so she could run down and investigate. Once there, she discovers a young boy. His name was Nicholas. He was very different than other young boys the Princess had met, but different in a good way. He was calm and quiet and had an easy way about him as he whittled on a tree branch. Being a Princess, strangers frightened her, but there was something about Nicholas that made her feel at ease. After chatting for a few minutes, she discovers Nicholas was very gifted and had some incredible powers. Powers he tried to convince her she had as well. She doubted and giggled at first, but soon realized anything's possible...if you believe.

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