What is the title of your latest release?
AND THE CROWD WENT WILD
What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
The cover copy I wrote pretty much says it all… An ex-Hollywood sex symbol with a broken heart, a super star NFL quarterback who’s lost his game, an old railcar tucked in the woods… We also have a meddling mother, an ex-husband, a dog, and a lot of heat. (It’s hard to be alone when all the world wants a piece of you.)
How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
I needed a lake not too far from Chicago, and I love setting as many books as I can in the Midwest. Thus, a beautiful lake in the heart of Wisconsin’s vacation land.
Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?
Absolutely. I’m in total awe of her. She’s so smart, so brave, so funny… This is the hard part of writing a book. When I’m done, I have to say good-bye to her.
What are three words that describe your hero?
Honorable. Smart. Disciplined. I assumed I don’t have to mention that he’s outrageously sexy. I love this guy!
What’s something you learned while writing this book?
It never gets easier, no matter how many books I’ve written.
Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
Writing for me is always a process of discovery, which means a lot of rewriting. I know very little about the characters at the beginning and only learn who they are as I work. Discovery usually takes me around 9 months. And isn’t that interesting?
What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
Ice cream. Always ice cream.
Describe your writing space/office!
I have a gorgeous, two-story home office with floor to ceiling windows. Do I write there? Uhm… Hardly ever. I’m a writing nomad. In summer you’ll find me and my trusty MacAir on my screened-in porch. In winter, either cozied up in my Chicago area living room or on a couch in our California home gazing out at a lagoon. And, yes, I know how fortunate I am and treasure every day.
Who is an author you admire?
In the old days, I’d have said J.K. Rowling because she introduced so many kids to the joys of reading, but her unkindness to my beloved trans friends makes that tough. Do I name my dear friends Jayne Ann Krentz and Christina Dodd for their incredible discipline as they deliver one great book after another? Do I name Kristin Hannah because of the spotlight she’s shined on the women who served in Viet Nam? What about Sarah MacLean who’s used her podcast to open up the world of romance to so many new readers? Or Brenda Novak, the most industrious writer I know? Or Kristan Higgins, whose books enthrall me with every page. Or Mary Kay Andrews who speaks so eloquently (and sometimes profanely) about issues close to her heart. Or a dozen more writers zipping through my brain. I’m stumped.
Is there a book that changed your life?
The Boxcar Children, by Gertrude Chandler Warner, which also figures prominently in AND THE CROWD WENT WILD. This book introduced me, at age 7, to the joy of reading. And then, the Catcher in the Rye, where, as a teenager, I discovered author “voice” and never looked back.
Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published). Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.
It’s kind of a long (and unexpected) story… You can read it all here. https://susanelizabethphillips.com/all-about-me/
What’s your favorite genre to read?
Happy ending women’s fiction and romance. I want to read about relationships, relationships, relationships.
What’s your favorite movie?
That’s a tough one. I do love my sports movies – Jerry Maguire, Bull Durham. Then there’s the underrated Crazy, Stupid Love. For family viewing, how can you beat Napolean Dynamite? And what about Best in Show? Too many!
What is your favorite season?
Any season that doesn’t involve a lot of work on my part, which leaves out December.
How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
Going out to breakfast with my husband or a good friend. I love going out to breakfast!
What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
For pure entertainment, Stick on Apple TV, and, in books, Jesse Q. Sutanto’s Vera Wong series and Christina Dodd’s Daughter of Montague series. For understanding a different world, Guy Roz’s How I Built This podcast.
What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
I’m a healthy eater, so I really enjoy good vegetables, my daily Envy apple, a big old bowl of plain shredded wheat. I know. Boring.
What do you do when you have free time?
Right now, I’m taking an improv class, doing a jigsaw puzzle, planning two hiking trips for this summer, and facetiming my grandkids way too much. TMI?
What can readers expect from you next?
I’m in the early stages of a stand-alone. Still very much in the discovery process, but I’m definitely intrigued.
AND THE CROWD WENT WILD by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Narrator: Kelli Tager
#1 New York Times bestselling author Susan Elizabeth Phillips is back with the latest novel in her beloved Chicago Stars series, featuring a romance between a star quarterback and one of the country’s most beautiful—and misunderstood—actresses.
After a mortifying—and very public—humiliation, Dancy Flynn is desperate to find sanctuary far from the crowd. But where can a washed-up sex symbol hide? How about making an unannounced appearance at the secluded lake house of the sweet, sensitive high school boyfriend she hasn’t seen in almost twenty years?
But Chicago Stars quarterback Clint Garrett is no longer the kid Dancy remembers. Now he’s a gridiron superhero, still holding a massive grudge against her for breaking his teenage heart. With no room in his life for either complexity or distractions, he banishes Dancy to a refurbished old railroad caboose tucked away in the woods…and out of his sight.
Except Dancy’s not good at staying invisible. Her efforts to rebuild her career clash with Clint’s desperation to regain his focus, all made more challenging by a rescue dog, a local woman in trouble, a meddling mother, an ex with an agenda…and the sizzle of rekindled emotions.
As Dancy attempts to get her life on track and Clint tries to get his groove back, can these two one-time lovers navigate their rocky pasts and complicated present to find themselves…and each other?
Romance Sports [ Avon, On Sale: February 10, 2026, Hardcover / e-Book / audiobook, ISBN: 9780063248625 / eISBN: 9780063248656 ]
Sex symbol actress and star quarterback butt heads while they rekindle an old flame
Buy AND THE CROWD WENT WILD: Amazon.com | Kindle | BN.com | Apple Books | Kobo | Google Play | Books-A-Million | Indie BookShops | Ripped Bodice | Libro.fm | Audible | Walmart.com | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | Amazon DE | Amazon FR
About Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Susan Elizabeth Phillips is a perennial New York Times and USA Today bestselling author whose books have found enthusiastic fans all over the world. She’s the only four-time recipient of the Romance Writers of America’s prestigious Favorite Book of the Year Award and a recipient of their Lifetime Achievement Award. Among her many other accomplishments, Susan created the sports romance. She lives in the Chicago suburbs.
No Comments
Comments are closed.