Author Interview: ELISABETH NAUGHTON

Our guest author today is a double finalist in the Romance Writers of America's presitigious RITA Award! Elisabeth Naughton is already well on her way to making a name for herself as a romantic suspense author and now she is launching a new paranormal romance series with her soon-to-be-released novel, Marked. Please help me welcome Elisabeth to the blog today. Welcome, Elisabeth! (Applause!)

What inspired you to write your current release?

I’ve always loved Greek mythology – the stories, the characters, the legends. When I was researching STOLEN FURY, my 2010 Double RITA nominee, which revolves around three ancient Greek relics of the Three Furies, I found myself immersed in Greek mythology. New story ideas were spawned from that research, and eventually those ideas became my new paranormal series, the Eternal Guardians, which launches with book one, MARKED, on April 27, 2010.

What do you find attractive in a hero?

Strength, compassion, honor. Looks aren’t as important to me – although they don’t hurt – but what I find truly attractive is a compelling character with weaknesses and flaws just like any person. Heroes I fall in love with might not always do the right thing, but they have hearts of gold.

What drives your books? Is it the hero, the heroine, the conflict?

Character drives all my stories. I know character way before I know plot. That said, I believe even the most intricate, engaging plots fall flat without strong, relatable characters readers fall in love with. Sometimes it’s the heroine that drives the story, sometimes it’s the hero. Often, in my books, it’s both, but conflict exists because of who those characters are, so that’s what I find most important in each and every story – whether it’s mine or someone else’s.

What was your path to publication?

Every writer’s path is different. There’s no one way to become an author in this business. I wrote for five years before selling my 5th manuscript to Dorchester. That manuscript, originally titled Make Me Believe, finaled in the 2007 Golden Heart contest sponsored by RWA. It sold in Feb 2008 and was retitled STOLEN FURY, released in Jan 2009 and recently was nominated in the 2010 RITAs for both Best First Book and Best Romantic Suspense. When I look back over the last couple of years, it seems like my writing career has flown by. But when I think about where I was when I started, and how long it took me to sell, it doesn’t seem quite so fast.

If you weren’t a writer, what would you be? (Note: this does not have to be your day job if you have one; it can be anything from flapper to astronaut to crime-solving paleontologist.)

Hm…fun question. I love interior design – at least I did until I got my house all decked out the way I wanted it. I also love books, so if I weren’t an author I’m pretty sure I’d own a small new/used bookstore somewhere, with a trendy coffee counter, big comfy orange velvet chairs (I love orange!), cool paint treatments on the walls and a roaring fireplace that draws readers to sit and hang out all day.

What is the best advice you ever got as a writer? The worst? If you could go back in time and give your beginner-writer-self some advice, what would you say?

The best advice I ever got was “Don’t give up”. I think persistence is key in this business. Mediocre writers get better with every page they write, and eventually, if they stick with it long enough and work hard enough to improve, I believe they WILL sell. Excellent writers who give up after five rejections will never be tough enough to make it in this business. It’s cutthroat. It’s agonizing. Rejection is part of the game. But the reward at the end when you see your book in print and hear from readers who fell in love with your story is worth every struggle along the way.

The worst piece of advice I ever got was, “Don’t write about cops. You don’t do it well.” That stunted me for a long time. And when you write RS? Ugh. Devastating. But I eventually got past that and wrote about a cop. FWIW, Shane Maxwell is the hero in my Jan 2010 release, STOLEN SEDUCTION, and he is, you guessed it, a cop. Readers have told me they think book three in the Stolen Series is the best yet.

As for what advice I’d give myself if I could go back…hmm…that’s a hard one. I think I’d tell myself to find a fabulous CP sooner. I never would have sold without my current CP, Joan Swan. She challenges me every day to be a better writer, and I know I owe her everything.

What three things do you absolutely need in order to write?

Three things…

1) My laptop - Can’t write without it.
2) Earbuds - So I can drown out the noise from the TV or PlayStation or my kids yelling at each other
3) The internet - I know a lot of writers who turn off their DSL when they’re writing. I need mine because I’m constantly researching as I write. When I hit something I need for the story – like a street name – I can’t go on until I have the fact I need. (I blame my OCD tendencies for this!)

What book is your comfort read?

Perfect, by Judith McNaught. I love, love, love, LOVE this book. I can read it a hundred times and never get tired of the romance between Zack and Julie. He’s the sort of hero I love – strong, sexy, desperate. But he’s also full of compassion and he’s got that heart of gold. And Julie’s a spitfire…the perfect match for him and just what I love in a heroine.

What’s next for you/what are you working on now?

2010 is a busy year for me. My first paranormal, MARKED, releases on April 27th. After that, book two, ENTWINED, comes out July 27th. I’m really hoping readers fall in love with my Eternal Guardians. This is a new genre for me, so I’m eager to hear what readers think. So far, the buzz has been great and Publisher’s Weekly gave me a fantastic review.

Right now I’m working on book three in the Eternal Guardians series – TEMPTED – which hits shelves Feb 2011. When I get done with this, I’m shifting gears to work on a Romantic Suspense anthology for Kensington called BODYGUARDS IN BED, with Jamie Denton and Lucy Monroe, due out June 2011. Then I’m back to work on the fourth Eternal Guardians book, which is slated to release in August 2011.

Thank you so much for joining us today and submitting to the interrogation, Elisabeth!

Thanks so much for having me here today, Vivi! If readers want to learn more about me or my books, or find out how they can enter my fun MARKED Release Contest, they can visit my website at

www.elisabethnaughton.com.

Today one lucky commenter will win an advanced-reader copy of Elisabeth's not-yet-available-in-stores paranormal romance Marked! (Look for it on the shelves on Tuesday the 27th of April!) Good luck, booklovers!