An Interview with Elisabeth Naughton
As most of you know, The Reading Cafe has featured Elisabeth Naughton this week. You have been able to read reviews on some of her books, to give you an idea on what you are missing, if you have not read them. We have also given an insight into Elisabeth with her Biography, as well as a detailed listing of all her novels. Now let us begin our interview.
Elisabeth, we at the Reading Café would like to thank you for taking the time to answer our questions.
EN: Thanks so much for inviting me to stop by today!
TRC: Please tell us about yourself
EN: I always wish I had a really cool answer to this question: A former Olympic gymnast who won three gold medals, then turned her attention to writing…but alas…that would just be fiction. The real me is not quite as exciting. I have a Bachelor’s degree in science and a Masters in teaching. I live in western Oregon with my hubby and three kids and most days pray for sunshine (If you’ve ever been to the Pacific Northwest, you know why). We have two Dalmatian pups who are just over a year old and who pretty much run our household, and when I’m not writing I’m either driving carpool, hanging out at the baseball field watching my kids play or trying to figure out a way to get out of running with my girlfriends who are marathon runners (I am so not a long-distance runner). I love to travel, I love to read and I love to get lost in my characters lives. (Hm…that sounds like I want to escape…some days I do!)
TRC: When and how did you first become interested in writing? We understand you started this later on, after staying home with your children.
EN: You’re right, I wasn’t one of those writers who knew she wanted to write from an early age. I was a junior high science teacher in my previous life. Loved teaching, loved the kids, but burned out fast because I was one of those teachers who took on everything – student council advisor, coached multiple sports, outdoor school teacher, etc. I started writing after taking a years’ leave of absence from my job and fell in love with the written word. For a science geek, that was quite a stretch (my principal once asked me to teach a language arts class and I said no way!), but the change turned out to be the best thing for me. Ten years later I can’t imagine doing anything other than writing romantic fiction. I’m thrilled I finally found a career I’m passionate about, and which pays me to do what I love!
TRC: What was your first book ever published?
EN: My very first published book was STOLEN FURY. It released in January 2009 and was a 2010 double RITA nominee for Best First Book and Best Romantic Suspense. The RITA awards are like the Oscars of romantic fiction, so it was a total thrill to be nominated with my first book.
TRC: How did you come up with the idea for your Stolen trilogy? How did you decide to use Archaeology in this romantic adventure?
EN: Well, like I mentioned before, I’ve always been a science buff. When I was teaching I used to bore my kids with a lot of chemistry and geology. The idea for the Stolen books really grew out of my love for adventure flicks like Indiana Jones and Romancing the Stone, and after I wrote STOLEN FURY I knew I wanted to write more linked books that featured treasure hunt themes.
TRC: The Stolen Trilogy is has been re-released as one book. Can you give a brief description to those who have not read this series.
EN: Absolutely!
The Stolen books are three loosely connected romantic suspense books centered around an antiquities dealership in Florida. STOLEN FURY, the first book in the series, features a thief hot on the trail of three ancient Greek relics of the Three Furies, and the Archaeologist he teams up with along the way to find them. The second book in the series—STOLEN HEAT—features the owner of the antiquities dealership and the Egyptologist he fell in love with years before and lost. And finally, STOLEN SEDUCTION is about a race to find a rare and very valuable statue linked to a mysterious murder.
TRC: The Eternal Guardian series is Greek Mythology, what made you choose that theme?
EN: I actually came up with the idea for MARKED, the first book in the Eternal Guardians series, while I was writing STOLEN FURY. I’m a real sucker for Greek mythology and I did so much research during the writing of that book that I knew I wanted to write a new series linked to Greek mythology. One day while perusing a writer’s blog, someone commented that they’d love to see more about the heroes from Greek mythology, and bam, the idea for MARKED hit me out of the blue.
TRC: Enraptured is the 4th book in the Eternal Guardian series. Give us a brief description of the book.
EN: ENRAPTURED is Orpheus’s book. Orpheus is not one of the Eternal Guardians. He’s Gryphon’s older brother, and because he was passed over to serve with the guardians, he’s had a major chip on his shoulder for years, usually to the point of doing whatever he can to undermine what the guardians do. In TEMPTED, book three, Gryphon is injured in battle and his soul is sent to the Underworld. Orpheus feels responsible for what happened to Gryphon, and in ENRAPTURED he’s trying to find a way to rescue his brother’s soul. He doesn’t consider himself a hero, doesn’t want to be a hero, and doesn’t want to serve with the guardians. He just wants to set right a wrong that never should have happened. However, he never imaged he’d be distracted along the way by an attractive Siren—one of Zeus’s elite assassins—or that they would have an unexplainable connection that could just change everything about the Eternal Guardians.
TRC: How many books are planned for the Eternal Guardian series?
EN: I’m starting work on book six right now, and book seven will likely be the last book in this series. However, there are still three more characters I want to write books for in this world, but they’ll likely be part of a spinoff series. (At least that’s the plan right now.)
TRC: Wait for Me is different then either of the above series, being straight Romance. What made you write a standalone book?
EN: Every author has one book that is “the book of their heart”. WAIT FOR ME is that book for me. It’s not the book I wrote first, but it’s the story that got me writing. I wrote it years before I was published, but the published version is a hundred and eighty degrees different from that early version. Every time I’d learn something new about writing, I’d go back to WAIT FOR ME and revise. It is the book that’s been with me the longest, and it is the one that I could never let go of. I’m really happy with the final product and am so happy readers have a chance to read it. I’ve toyed with the idea of writing a full book for Mitch and Simone (a secondary couple in WAIT FOR ME) but haven’t yet decided.
TRC: Which genre do you consider your favorite to write?
EN: Anything with adventure! My first love will always probably be romantic suspense because that’s what I started out writing. But the transition to paranormal was easy because my paranormals include a lot of the same elements as my romantic suspense books–adventure, romance, fast-paced plots and lots of action. I really love both genres and enjoy bouncing back and forth between books. Keeps my muse happy and engaged.
TRC: What do you have planned for future books or series. Are you working on any different series?
EN: Right now I’m working on a new romantic suspense series that will hopefully be available to readers in May 2012. I’m also working on a brand new paranormal romantic suspense series I’m super excited about.
TRC: Who is your Muse?
EN: Who? She doesn’t have a name. But if I had to describe her, I’d say she’s a lot like the Fates in my Eternal Guardians series. She’s wise, she wears diaphanous robes, and she never tells me what to do, just encourages me to get on with the writing and get busy writing romances my readers will love.
LIGHTNING ROUND:
FAVORITE FOOD – Brie en croute
FAVORITE DESSERT – currently its vanilla pudding with sliced bananas, topped with whipped cream (like a low cal alternative to banana cream pie!)
BOXERS, BRIEFS, COMMANDO – Boxer briefs
RED OR WHITE ROSES – Neither. Roses die so fast. I prefer lilacs.
FAVORITE AUTHOR – Do I have to pick just one? Ack. That’s like asking which child is my favorite. I don’t have ONE favorite. I love too many…Judith McNaught, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, JRR Tolkien, Joan Swan
FAVORITE BOOK – Favorite romance(s): PERFECT by Judith McNaught and MATCH ME IF YOU CAN by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. Favorite non-romance is THE LORD OF THE RINGS by JRR Tolkien
WHAT BOOK ARE YOU CURRENTLY READING – I’m currently reading two ARCs – the first is ABOUT THAT NIGHT by Julie James and the other is WEST OF WANT by Laura Kaye
LAST VACATION SPOT – Ka’anapali, Maui
LAST MOVIE YOU SAW – The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Thank you, Elisabeth for this wonderful interview. We wish you the best of luck with Enraptured, and look forward to working with you again.
Thanks so much for the fun interview!
If you want to learn more about Elisabeth, below are the links to her sites:
Website: http://www.elisabethnaughton.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.naughton1
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/ElisNaughton
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2002988.Elisabeth_Naughton/
GIVEAWAY!!!
Elisabeth is graciously offering a giveaway for one of our members. She will send a signed copy of either MARKED, ENTWINED or TEMPTED (winner’s choice). Please note you must be a member of The Reading Café to have a chance to win. If you are not a member, please register today. The contest will close midnight April 13, 2012. Good Luck to all.
~~~~~~~~~~~CONTEST OPEN TO US and CANADA ONLY ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
