Interview with Paranormal Romance Author Elisabeth Naughton

Welcome to RomFan Reviews Elisabeth it is a great honor to have you with us today.  

Thanks so much for inviting me to stop by! I’m thrilled to be here during my TEMPTED blog tour!

 Tell us a little about your upcoming release due out Oct. 1st Tempted.

I love talking about TEMPTED!

For those who are new to the series, the Eternal Guardians are seven warriors descended from the seven greatest heroes in all of Ancient Greece who defend the mortal realm from threats of the Underworld. TEMPTED is Demetrius’s book. He’s the biggest of the Guardians, a descendent of Jason, and he hides a dark and deadly secret that could lead to the end of the world. When the fragile and meek princess of Argolea goes missing, Demetrius is suddenly the only Guardian who can save her. But along the way he realizes nothing is as it seems. And contrary to what he’s always believed, she’s not the one who needs saving after all.

 You have two other books in the series that came out before this one MARKED and ENTWINED can you tell readers a little more about the two books.

Absolutely!

MARKED is the first book in the Eternal Guardians Series. Theron, the leader of the Guardians and a descendent of Heracles, is sent on a mission to find the one woman in the human realm who can complete an ancient prophecy to save his race. But she’s not quite what he expects, and through her he discovers that everything he’s always thought as truth about his race is nothing but a lie. And not even superhuman strength can save him from having to choose between her life and the fate of his race.

ENTWINED is the second book, and it’s Zander’s story. Zander is a descendent of Achilles, and after 829 years, he’s convinced he doesn’t have a vulnerability like every other Guardian from his line. Immortality should be a gift, but as eternity stretches before him without the soul mate he lost years before, his will to live wanes. As he searches for purpose, secrets long buried come to light, and a betrayal he never imagined suddenly put him on collision course with a destiny he thought he’d already lost.

There are many more Guardians left to tell their stories are you contracted for more and if so who will be the next Argonaut you write about?

My plan is to write a book for each Guardian, so as long as readers keep asking for books, I’ll do my best to find a way to publish them. Plus, there are outlying characters I want to write books for – Orpheus, Nick, Max, etc. – so I’ll be busy with the Eternal Guardians for quite some time.

The next book in the series is ENRAPTURED, which is actually Orpheus’s book. Though he isn’t one of the original seven Guardians, he plays a big role in the series, and in TEMPTED when his brother is injured, he finds himself sucked into the fray whether he wants to be or not. ENRAPTURED releases in April 2012 and picks up where TEMPTED leaves off. Here’s the blurb for ENRAPTURED:

ORPHEUS—To most he’s an enigma, a devil-may-care rogue who does whatever he pleases whenever he wants. Now this loose cannon is part of the Eternal Guardians­--elite warriors assigned to protect the human realm--whether he likes it or not.

Orpheus has just one goal: to rescue his brother from the Underworld. He’s not expecting a woman to get in the way. Especially not a Siren as gorgeous as Skyla. He has no idea she’s an assassin sent by Zeus to seduce, entrap, then ultimately destroy him.

Yet Skyla herself might have the most to lose. There’s a reason Orpheus feels so familiar to her, a reason why her body seems to crave him. Perhaps he’s not the man everyone thinks… The truth could reveal a deadly secret as old as the Eternal Guardians themselves.

ENRAPTURED will be followed by UNCHAINED (tentative title), book 5 in the Eternal Guardians series, in the fall of 2012.

Who is your favorite Guardian?

Oh, I love them all! That’s like asking me which of my children is my favorite. I love them each for different reasons, but traditionally, my favorite is the hero I’ve just FINISHED writing. Right now that’s Demetrius. My least favorite hero is always the one I’m writing now. (Those alpha males can be quite the challenge, let me tell you.)

What inspired you to begin writing?

I’ve always loved to read, and was a fairly decent writer in college, but I never planned to become an author. I used to make up stories in my head on my way to work every day, but I figured everyone did that. One day I was talking to someone about these stories and they said, “Um, no, that’s not normal.” It was then that I realized I should try my hand at writing, but I didn’t have the chance until I took a leave of absence from my teaching job. I didn’t tell anyone I was writing—not even my husband—but halfway through that first manuscript (that will never EVER be published), I was hooked. I knew I’d found what I was supposed to be doing.

With all that you have going on do you find time to sit down and read if so what are you reading now?

I love to read. Unfortunately, I don’t have time to read as much as I used to. Right now I’m reading Catherine Mann’s COVER ME, a romantic suspense about Para rescue men (or PJs). After that I’m going to start Tawna Fenske’s MAKING WAVES, a light romantic comedy, and after that I have plans to read good friend Alice Sharpe’s latest Harlequin Intrigue Trilogy – the Open Sky Ranch books. I find it hard to read paranormals when I’m thick in the middle of one of my own books (I don’t like to be influenced by what other pnr authors are writing), so I save those for when I’m taking a break between books. 

Is there any advice you would give to those who are looking to write their own books?

Don’t give up! Not all the bestsellers on the shelves started off knowing how to write. Writing takes practice. Some authors sell their first book, some (like me) sell their fifth, others sell their 12^th! There is no one right way to become published. As long as you’re working toward a goal, everything you do to get there is the right way. And the only difference between a published author and an unpublished author is that the published author didn’t give up.

Do you listen to music when writing or is it easier for you to have no background noise going? If music is playing who do you listen to?

When I’m plotting books I listen to music with lyrics. I make soundtracks for all my books – songs that for some reason make me think of a character or their situation – and I listen to those on my ipod while working out or while driving to keep me “in” the book when I’m away from my computer. When I’m physically writing though, I can’t listen to anything with words (I find myself singing along, which kicks me right out of the flow!). So when writing I listen to a lot of movie scores – Gladiator, Lord of the Rings and the Transformer scores are all favs of mine. 

Which do you prefer ebooks or the real deal?

I love both. I have a Nook, which I’m really enjoying. But I will always love a good paper book because I love to read in the bathtub (preferably with bubbles and a glass of wine!)     

    

 How can readers contact you and learn more about your books?

I love hearing from readers! To get in touch with me, visit me at:

Website: www.elisabethnaughton.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.naughton1

Twitter: www.twitter.com/ElisNaughton

Thank you so much Elisabeth for spending some time with us it was a pleasure having you here and we hope you come back.

Thanks for having me! To celebrate the release of TEMPTED, Sourcebooks is giving away two copies of TEMPTED to two lucky commenters! Just leave me a comment asking me…anything you’d like to know about me or the Eternal Guardians! (US/Canada Shipping only). Please include your email address with your comment.  Contest ends at 11:59PM EST Sunday, September 18th.

Read RomFan’s reviews of Elisabeth’s books including her upcoming release TEMPTED here:

http://www.romfanreviews.com/2011/09/review-marked-by-elisabeth-naughton.html

http://www.romfanreviews.com/2011/09/review-entwined-by-elisabeth-naughton.html

http://www.romfanreviews.com/2011/09/review-tempted-by-elisabeth-naughton.html