An excerpt for my August release, ENTWINED, is up on my website!

Click here to read it!

And here’s the official back cover copy:

ZANDER – The most feared of all the Eternal Guardians. It’s rumored he can’t be killed, and he always fights like he has nothing to lose. But as a descendant of the famed hero Achilles, he’s got to have a vulnerability…somewhere.

Forces of daemons are gathering and have broken through the barriers of the Underworld. Now more than ever the Eternal Guardians are needed to protect both their own realm and the humans’. Zander can’t afford to think about what might have been with the bewitching physician he once regarded as his soul mate. But with eternity stretching before him, he also can’t fathom spending his life without the one woman who makes him feel most alive. Perhaps he’s found his weakness, after all…

I’m hard at work on book three in my Eternal Guardians Series – TEMPTED. And I gotta have a theme song. Or something I can listen to that puts me in the mood. So far, this is it:

So powerful…

I love Twitter. You just learn all kinds of things.

Today someone on Twitter posted this article from Mrs. Giggles about Things That Should Be Banned From Romance Novels. I’m not going to go through the whole list, but I will point out this part:

Safe sex – or why we protect ourselves during sex
If I see another author having her heroine tell the hero that it is okay if he sticks his pee-pee into her unchartered waters without a condom because she is on the Pill, I will scream. Please don’t tell me that these authors honestly believe that safe sex is only to prevent pregnancy. Actually, I once had an angry email from an author that convinced me that this could indeed be the case for some authors, shudder. They genuinely believed that the Pill is a method of protection during sex. I’m going to say this in caps because I’ve been saying this for so long, I think it should be tattooed on the forehead of these authors:

DO NOT MENTION CONDOMS OR SAFE SEX IF YOU HAVE NO INTENTION OF HAVING YOUR CHARACTERS HAVE SAFE SEX. DON’T INSULT MY INTELLIGENCE WITH THAT “OH, I’M ON THE PILL, SO THROW AWAY THAT JOHNNY AND COME ON IN!” NONSENSE. WHEN IT COMES TO SAFE SEX IN FICTION, IT’S ALL OR NOTHING – PROTECTION OR NONE AT ALL.

Okay, so I get what she’s saying. But. Let me ask this: name ONE romance novel you have read where the hero/heroine had safe (condom) sex and then later one or the other admitted they had an STD.

I can’t think of one!

Let’s get real. Safe sex in “Romance” novels is pretty much there to address the whole pregnancy issue. I can’t think of a single romance novel I’ve read where the condom sex thing was really there to prevent one or the other from getting an STD. Romance novels are fiction. In a happily ever after fiction world, STDs don’t exist. So this whole thing about the Pill vs condoms…doesn’t even register for me.

Would I want to read a romance where one or the other has an STD? Ah, no. Because that’s not a happily ever after moment for me. “Here, I love you, honey, but I have AIDS. We’ll have an HEA until I die.” (Sounds like a Nicholas Sparks book…which we all know is NOT romance.) So um, yeah. In romance novels, I really don’t have a problem with this. Obviously, because my characters have had condom sex and non condom sex. I think a conversation between the main characters addressing the issue is important, but so long as both characters are on the same page and no one’s taking advantage of the situation, I’m good with it.

Now one thing that DOES irritate me about the whole safe sex thing in romance novels is when the author makes a big deal about the characters having safe sex the first time they’re together, then never mentions it again. I’m often left thinking, “Um, wait. Now they don’t even think about it again? And no one’s using a condom, and they aren’t discussing if she can get pregnant. WTF???” If you’re going to bring up the whole safe sex thing, then carry it through and at least have them discuss it later. If you don’t want to even mention it, I’m fine there too, just so long as the author is consistent.

How about you? What’s your take on the whole safe-sex issue in romance novels?

My August 2010 release, Book 2 in the Eternal Guardians Series:

What do you think?

I sold three more books in my Eternal Guardian Series! So release dates for the first five books in the series are as follows:

MARKED – May 2010
ENTWINED – August 2010
TEMPTED – February 2011
Book 4 (untitled) – August 2011
Book 5 (untitled) – February 2012

I’m thrilled I get to write more books in this series. I’m really enjoying it. Okay, off to do revisions on ENTWINED.

Okay, so I lied. I said I’d post the ARC winner of MARKED yesterday but didn’t. I had a crazy busy day, so apologies.

BUT…because I’m feeling so generous (and got tons of work done yesterday), I decided to give away not one but TWO ARCs of MARKED!!!

email me at elisabeth@elisabethnaughton.com with your snail mail addys and I’ll get your book(s) in the mail!!

If you didn’t win, don’t despair. Follow me on Twitter (if you aren’t already) and pay attention because because I’ll have more ARCs to giveaway there soon!

Thanks to all who entered and spread the word about MARKED. Keep talking up the book and series, please!

This press release went out yesterday and I thought I’d share:

DorchesterPublishing

02/03/10 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Publisher Promises Fulfilling Reader Experience & Guarantees Satisfaction

New York, NY-Dorchester Publishing is proud to introduce its Publisher’s Pledge program, a bold, new marketing initiative created to launch the careers of the next generation of genre superstars. A privately owned publisher of mass-market original fiction, Dorchester has a long, storied history of discovering the most exciting names in genre fiction, including Victoria Alexander, Christine Feehan, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Katie MacAlister and Lynsay Sands.

Next year marks the firm’s 40th anniversary, which prompted the company to redouble its commitment to the discovery and nurturing of the needs of new authors, thus reinforcing its founding philosophy.

“Publisher’s Pledge is a reaffirmation of the business model Dorchester has always prided itself on,” stated Brooke Borneman, Director of Sales and Marketing. “Our strength has been identifying emerging voices and trends in the industry rather than chasing bestsellers. Our intent is to reestablish ourselves in the market as the publisher authors and agents turn to first to introduce new talent. Dorchester has proven countless times-through our innovative marketing, tireless dedication and willingness to take chances-that we are uniquely qualified for this special and vital niche. This program represents our commitment-our pledge, if you will-to everyone in the book publishing community.”

Launching in April 2010, the Publisher’s Pledge program will be supported by online and national print advertising; bookstore mailings; press release and ARC campaigns to media, reviewers, bloggers, retailers, libraries and consumers; lead features in bookseller, library and consumer e-newsletters; consumer contests and buzz campaigns through social networking sites; and a money-back guarantee for readers.

The first Publisher’s Pledge title will be Barbara Monajem’s Sunrise in a Garden of Love & Evil (April 2010), an erotically charged urban fantasy in the same vein as Charlaine Harris. Additional titles include Elisabeth Naughton’s Marked (May 2010), a darkly sensual paranormal romance inspired by Greek mythology that will appeal to fans of Sherrilyn Kenyon; Christie Craig’s Shut Up and Kiss Me (June 2010), a delightfully quirky romantic mystery that will appeal to fans of Janet Evanovich; and Erin Kellison’s back-to-back debuts Shadow Bound (July 2010) and Shadow Fall (August 2010), the first two releases in a riveting post-apocalyptic series that fuses dark fantasy, science fiction, horror and romantic suspense.

Additional information about the books selected for Dorchester’s Publisher’s Pledge program will be available on www.dorchesterpub.com in March 2010.

In other news…BookBinge gave STOLEN SEDUCTION an awesome review yesterday. Take a peek here.

And today I’m hosting the RomCom Forum. The topic is Getting Your Romance Fix. Hop over and say hi! I’m giving away books!

Also, the contest for an ARC of MARKED is still open through tomorrow. Winner announced on Saturday. Don’t miss out on a chance to get a sneak peek at my new series. See post below on how to enter.