Interview with Elisabeth Naughton

I’d like to welcome our guest today, Elisabeth Naughton. It’s a pleasure having you come visit us at Much Cheaper Than Therapy, where chocolate is plentiful and advice is free. So grab some chocolate and a lounge chair. Your therapy session has begun.

I understand you have a new release out called STOLEN FURY. Can you tell us a little bit about your fabulous new book?

Hi Kim, thanks for having me here today! Chocolate and therapy…what a great combo! (We aim to please KW)
STOLEN FURY is a contemporary romantic adventure novel. Lisa Maxwell is an archaeologist who has spent most of her adult life searching for the Three Furies, a priceless set of ancient Greek reliefs. Finally, after fifteen years, she finds the first in a cave in Jamaica. She makes plans to search for the other two relics but is momentarily distracted by a handsome stranger she meets while lecturing in Italy. Unbeknownst to Lisa, that stranger, Rafe Sullivan, is also on the hunt for the Three Furies, and he knows Lisa has found one. He seduces her, drugs her, then steals it from her, but not before a wild attraction he didn’t plan for ignites between the two.

When Lisa wakes the next morning and realizes she’s been duped, she sets off to find Rafe and settle the score. However, other treasure hunters are hot on their trails, and Lisa soon discovers that the only way she’s going to find all the Furies is to partner up with the same sexy scoundrel who swindled her in Italy. Suddenly, she’s not just worried about losing the Furies, she’s afraid if she’s not careful, she may just lose her heart as well.

STOLEN FURY is a very interesting title. How did you arrive at that name?

Originally, the book was titled Make Me Believe (the title it finaled under in the 2007 Golden Heart), because the book is really about believing in something other than yourself. However, that title didn’t portray the suspense/adventure angle very well, so my editor and I brainstormed new titles. We wanted something that could carry through all three books in the series, and “Stolen” was the word that really links the three together. Obviously, because the relic they’re searching for is a relief of the three Furies from ancient Greek mythology, that’s where the word “Fury” comes from. The other two books in the series are STOLEN HEAT (summer 2009) and STOLEN SEDUCTION (early 2010).

Would you describe your book as a cozy, mystery, suspense, or thriller?

STOLEN FURY is categorized as a sexy romantic suspense, though it’s more a romantic adventure than anything else. There’s definitely murder and mayhem (as with all romantic suspense novels) but there’s a very clear adventure/treasure hunt angle you don’t find in most romantic suspense novels.

What made you decide to write in this genre?

I have loved lighter-variety romantic suspense novels for years. Before I wrote STOLEN FURY, I tried my hand at the dark, gritty RS that was selling at the time and while I finished a good book with characters I loved, I realized I didn’t want to be writing that type of RS. I wanted lighter, more adventure-style RS. And there just wasn’t a lot of it on the shelves at the time. So I put the dark RS away that I had just finished (didn’t even try to sell it) and wrote STOLEN FURY. And when I finished I knew it was the type of story I wanted to continue to write.

Where did you get your idea for this particular book?

Lisa Maxwell was actually a secondary character in a book I wrote years ago (one that needs major revisions before it’s publishable). From the moment she came on the page, she was a force to be reckoned with. Sassy, smart-mouthed, a real take-no-prisoners woman who wouldn’t put up with much from a man. I never planned to write her story, but then one day as I was writing a scene for that book, she was with the heroine and casually commented that she didn’t believe in love. I remember stopping, rereading that line, which I’d just written (unplanned) and wondering, “Well, why not?” From then on, she wouldn’t get out of my head.
Fast forward a year or so. I’d just finished that dark RS I wrote about earlier, and Lisa popped back into my head. She wouldn’t leave me alone. So I thought long and hard about the type of hero she’d have to be paired with, and it came to me. Lisa is an archaeologist. Who would she NEVER fall for? A treasure hunter! And better yet…let’s make him a thief to top it off! Rafe Sullivan was born. As I have a real love of Greek mythology, it became clear to me that whatever relic they were looking for had to be Greek. And from there the book was born and really took on a life of its own.

Do you have all the key suspense/mystery elements thought out before you begin writing?

Absolutely not. I consider myself a very organic writer. I let the story unfold as I write. Generally I know the inciting incident of a book, most of the major turning points (and often these are more emotional than plot-driven) and the resolution, but everything else is a mystery to me.

Did you have to do a lot of research for the book? What are your favorite research books or sites?

Yes. I spent hours searching for archaeological research. I could go on an on about cave formations, caving and cave diving. I also have several books on Greek mythology, which I enjoy reading for fun.

Which character did you like writing about the most, and why?

Well, obviously Lisa and Rafe – the main characters in STOLEN FURY. But the secondary characters really took on lives of their own. Lisa’s brother, Chicago Detective Shane Maxwell, plays a big roll in the book, as does Billy Sullivan, Rafe’s brother. I love both Shane and Billy for different reasons – Shane because he’s hard and sarcastic and Billy because he’s a real screw up. You can’t help wanting to read more about each one. Rafe’s ex-wife, Hailey Roarke, is also a big part of the book, as is his business partner at the Odyssey Gallery, Pete Kauffman. These characters all pop up in the next two books, and I got to know them very well. They’re like family to me now.

Tell us about how you develop your characters. Do you create character sheets, do interviews, that sort of thing? How does your research affect your character development?

No character sheets, no interviews. I basically live with my characters in my head for months before I start writing. I spend hours thinking about them, their backstories, their lives, their challenges. Sometimes they surprise me during the writing process, but generally I know them well before I type the first chapter because I’ve been living with them for a good chunk of time already.

I have found that the more books I write in a series, the more I have to jot down notes to refer back to when writing, such as who went where and when. By book three I had to make sure I remembered what happened last Christmas when they were all together, and it was easier to look at my cheat sheet than wrack my brain over what they all had for dinner. ;)

Do you have any authors that inspired you?

I love Elizabeth Lowell’s early work, and her Donovan series is one of my all time favorites. I really wish she’d write more! I have also always loved Judith McNaught, and I think I’ve read Perfect at least 20 times. Even though it’s not an adventure novel, it’s the type of romance that holds on tight and doesn’t let the reader go until the very end. Those are the type of books I strive to write.

What do you feel is the most effective promotion you have done for your book?

I’m not sure yet! My book has only been out for just over a week, but I do know the contest I’m running on my website is getting a lot of attention, and Barbara Vey even blogged about it just before Christmas because she thought it was great fun.

Basically, it’s patterned after those old Madlibs we all used to do as kids. For those of you who are interested, simply go to my website at www.elisabethnaughton.com/fortune.html to play. Embark on your very own quest, partner up with a sexy treasure hunter, and enter to win $100 VISA gift card!

What do we have to look forward next?

STOLEN HEAT is the second book in the Stolen trilogy, and it releases in August 2009.

Antiquities dealer Peter Kauffman walked a fine line between clean and corrupt for years. And then he met the woman who changed his life—Egyptologist Katherine Meyer. Their love affair burned white-hot in Egypt, until the day Pete’s lies and half-truths caught up with him. After that, their relationship imploded, Kat walked out, and before Pete could find her to make things right, he heard she’d died in a car bomb.

Six years later, the woman Pete thought he’d lost for good is suddenly back. The lies this time aren’t just his, though. The only way he and Kat will find the truth and evade a killer out for revenge is to work together—as long as they don’t find themselves burned by the heat each thought was stolen long ago…

Thanks, Elisabeth!

Thanks so much to the gang here at Much Cheaper Than Therapy. It was great fun!
To celebrate her book release, Elisabeth Naughton is offering a free autographed copy of STOLEN FURY to one lucky commenter on today's blog. She will be around all day today. I'm sure some of you have questions or comments for her, so please ask away...(Please make sure we have away to contact you if you win)

Bio.

A previous junior-high science teacher, Elisabeth Naughton now writes full time from her home in western Oregon where she lives with her husband and three children. Her debut release, Stolen Fury, won several awards and was a 2007 Golden Heart Finalist. She’s involved with several writers groups and devotes a large chunk of her time to Romance Writers of America, who she credits with helping to launch her career. 

Visit the author’s Web site at www.elisabethnaughton.com.
Buy STOLEN FURY http://www.amazon.com/Stolen-Fury-Elisabeth-Naughton/dp/0505527936/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1231160069&sr=8-1 .