Interview & Contest with Author Elisabeth Naughton

Author Elisabeth Naughton used to be a junior-high science teacher, now she writes sexy romantic adventure and paranormal novels full time from her home in western Oregon.

I was lucky enough to read the second book in Elisabeth's Eternal Guardians series back in Summer and I have to admit that I really enjoyed it. Of course after reading Entwined, Marked went on my wishlist. I downloaded it when I got my Kindle and hope to read it very soon.

Enjoy the interview and check out the contest! Elisabeth is giving away one of her books to one lucky person!

----------------------

Amber - Welcome to Amberkatze's Book Blog! It is great to have you here as a guest! Could you start things off by telling us a little about your Eternal Guardians Series?

Elisabeth – Thanks so much for inviting me to be here! I love talking about my Eternal Guardians so this question isn’t a hard one ;)

The Eternal Guardians are seven warriors descended from the seven strongest heroes in Greek mythology (Hercules, Odysseus, Achilles, Jason, Theseus, Perseus & Bellerephone). They protect not only their realm (composed of the offspring of the heroes) but the human realm as well from daemons breaking free of the Underworld, hell-bent on destruction.

Amber - How did you come up with the idea for the series? Was it a long process or did the idea just come to you?

Elisabeth – The idea for MARKED, book one in the series, came to me as a “what if?” question. I knew I wanted to write something about Greek mythology. I knew I wanted to write something about a woman who was marked to save a race she didn’t know existed. And I knew I wanted the warrior who was sent to find her to fall for her, even though he knew bringing her back to his world would condemn her to death. From there, ideas blossomed, and when I sat down to write the book, threads and angles I never planned or saw coming hit me from all sides. The series erupted from that point.

Amber - The series has a lot to do with Ancient Greek. Is this a subject you already knew a lot about? or did you have to do some research for the series?

Elisabeth – I’ve always been fascinated with Ancient Greece. When I was writing STOLEN FURY, my debut release, I did so much research on Greek mythology that I knew I had to write a series somehow linked to the ancient myths. But no, I don’t know all there is to know about Ancient Greece. (I wish!) Every day I learn something new, which is a good thing. I love research!

Amber - Why the paranormal genre?

Elisabeth – Well, I will honestly say I never planned to write a paranormal series. I started off in Romantic Suspense (which I still love and write in) and I’ve dabbled in contemporary romance (which is also fun). When I had the idea for the Eternal Guardians I asked my agent if she thought I should give it a go. She said sure (I wasn’t under contract at the time), I started writing. The book flowed from there and when we finally submitted it, it sold in less than two weeks. No one was more surprised than me.

Amber - Will there be more books in the Eternal Guardians series? Are you working on anything else?

Elisabeth – Yes, definitely. I just sold three more books in the Eternal Guardians Series. Book 3, TEMPTED, is Isadora's story, and it will release in Oct 2011. I can't quite tell you who her hero is yet...it'll ruin the surprise...but those who have read books one and two will probably have a guess. I do realize the Oct 2011 release is a bit of a wait for readers, but I switched publishers so the delay couldn't be avoided. After that I'm back on a 6 mo. or less pub schedule. ENRAPTURED (book 4) will release in early 2012 followed by book 5, which at the moment is tentatively titled UNLEASHED (but we’re still tinkering there). However, to tide readers over until the next book comes out, I'll be posting info about the series and free reads on my website in the next few months, so readers should check there for more info.

As for what else I’m working on…

In June 2011 I have a novella coming out with Kensington. Acapulco Heat is a romantic suspense novella which can be found in the BODYGUARDS IN BED anthology. The book contains stories from me, Jamie Denton & Lucy Monroe. Anyone who read my Stolen books will recognize the heroine. (This story was so much fun to write!) I’m also toying with another RS series idea and a new paranormal series which is just in the “percolating/research” stage right now.

Amber - How much say do you have in the book publishing process? Eg. Do you get to pick the cover?

Elisabeth – Unfortunately, authors don’t have a lot of sway in things like covers and back jacket blurbs (unless you’re a HUGE name author!), but I’m lucky enough to have an editor who shares with me the plan for the covers and takes feedback from me and my agent. She’s also great about letting me see the back jacket blurb so I can make sure any big secrets aren’t revealed on the back of the book.

Amber - What are the good times and bad times of being an author?

Elisabeth – For the most part, being an author is the dream I always thought it would be. I love writing and drafting stories. I love taking something that doesn’t shine and polishing it until it gleams. I love playing the “what if” game and bringing characters to life on the page. And I absolutely LOVE hearing from readers who have lost themselves in my world. I have some of the best fans on the planet!

Don’t get me wrong…being an author is hard work. I’ve sacrificed a lot to fulfill my dream. And at the end of the day, there’s a lot of work that goes into being an author that isn’t writing-related, ie, promo, answering emails, blogging, book signings, judging contests, going to conferences and tons and tons of research. But I wouldn’t trade it for the world. When I have to give up a day of writing to work in the office (like today), I remind myself that this is part of the job. And this is the job I always wanted.

Amber – A lot of authors have 'soundtracks' for their books. Is there any music influenced your books?

Elisabeth – Of course! Music is a big part of my writing schedule. I can’t listen to music with lyrics when I’m drafting or editing but I do get ideas from songs and always have “theme” songs for my books. When I’m plotting my Eternal Guardians books, I listen to a lot of Linkin Park, Evanescence, Rascal Flatts & Bon Jovi (yes, I have eclectic tastes).

When actually writing, I love instrumental music. Some of my favorite soundtracks to write to are Transformers, Lord of the Rings, Gladiator & The Chronicles of Narnia.

Amber - What books do you enjoy reading? Do you have any favourite authors/series?

Elisabeth – I love so many books. I grew up on CS Lewis’s Narnia series and LM Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables. Gone With the Wind made a major impact on me (my first romance!) and Lord of the Rings introduced me to the world of adult fantasy. In romance I enjoy many authors – Elizabeth Lowell, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Judith McNaught…and my critique partner, Joan Swan, whose first book, FEVER, releases from Kensington in 2012 (awesome, AWESOME book! Put it on your TBB list!)

Amber - If you could be any paranormal creature, what would you be and why?

Elisabeth – Gosh, that’s a hard one! I honestly don’t know that I could choose, but right now I’m fascinated with the Sirens. These females who were gorgeous but at the same time extremely deadly. You may be seeing the Sirens in my books very soon!

Amber - Thank you for being a guest on Amberkatze's Book Blog! Feel free to come by again sometime!

Elisabeth - Thanks so much, Amber. I had a great time! And because it’s been so much fun, I’ve got a book to give away! I’ll let the winner choose a book from my backlist as a prize. Simply leave me a question in the comment section to be entered to win!




---------------------

Contest Time

Elisabeth will be giving this weeks winner one book from her backlist. The prize can be won by anyone in the world as the author has kindly said it is open internationally!

How to Win

Simply leave me a question for Elisabeth in the comment section to be entered to win!

No Question = No Entry

Earn more entries for each link you place about this contest on the net. You can post on Facebook, Twitter & MySpace but make sure you add links here for me to confirm your entries! However please do not make individual postings for each entry. Please post all your entries in one post.

Advertise Amberkatze's Book Blog on your site and get an extra entry for this and every other contest!

↑ Grab this Headline Animator

You can also earn extra entries by emailing your friends about the contest. Just make sure you send a copy of your email or receipt to me at Amberkatzes_book_blog at gmx dot net.

Make sure you post your links here so I can confirm your entries.

Keep the contests going by using the Bookdepository.com links/Banners below and around the site!



The contest will stay open until Sunday 28th of November 2010 4pm CET and the winner will be picked by a randomizer. Entrants should check back to see if they have won. I do not hunt down winners and will pick new winners for any prizes not claimed within 7 days.