Looking for a great stocking stuffer? Check out Dorchester’s Stocking Stuffer Sale where you can get STOLEN FURY for $2.99!

And be sure to check out all the other great books on sale!

My dear, sweet pal Lisa sent me some pictures from the Powell’s book signing on the 18th.

I may not have had a sign, but I did have a kick-ass hat. Compliments of the lovely Lisa (again). (And yes, you can call me Dr. Jones for short.)

Excerpted from MARKED
Copyright Elisabeth Naughton (May 2010)
Dorchester Love Spell
ISBN: 0-505-52822-3

Some nights, a woman just wanted to bash her brain against a wall to keep from screaming. For Casey Simopolous, this was one of those nights.

“Yo, sistah. My tongue’s not getting any wetter over here by itself.” The blond frat-wannabe at the other end of her section threw his arms out wide with a could-you-be-more-stupid? look on his face. “We gonna get those drinks or what?” The two idiots seated next to him at the small circular table laughed and slapped him on the shoulder in a you-da-man move that made Casey grind her teeth together.

Kelly Maher
Jody Wallace
Shelli Stevens
Michelle Pillow
Lauren Dane
Leah Braemel
Jaci Burton
McKenna Jeffries
Moira Rogers
Taige Crenshaw
Vivian Arend
Juliana Stone
Anya Bast
Lacey Savage
Shelley Munro
Sasha White
Ashley Ladd

A friend sent this to me earlier in the week:

An ancient treasure comprising three figurines of Aphrodite, the goddess of love, which was buried for over 1,500 years, was uncovered during recent excavations in Israel. The hidden figurines were discovered when the researchers exposed a shop in the southeastern corner of the forum district of Sussita, which is the central area of the Roman city that was built in the second century BC, existed through the Roman and Byzantine periods and destroyed in the great earthquake of 749 AD. According to the researchers, it was clear that the followers had wished to hide the figurines, as they were found complete.

To read the whole article follow this link.

Pretty cool, huh? And sounds vaguely familiar. I love reading about lost treasures and the people who find them. Always inspires story ideas in my head. The other night I got sucked into a History Channel 6 part series called Clash of the Gods, which is all about The Odyssey and whether Homer’s epic classic is based on real-world events. They’ve actually found evidence of war inside the walls of Troy and a ship at the bottom of the sea that corresponds to the time Odysseus would have sailed through that region on his voyage home. The wood, the construction methods all mirror those described in The Odyssey. Fascinating.

Something else that’s fascinating is that I’m the featured author this month at The Novel Blog! Since I’m the first romance author they’ve featured, I’m very flattered to have been chosen. And the header graphic they put together just looks awesome. Stop by and check it out!

Yesterday I found out that STOLEN FURY finaled in the Golden Leaf Contest for published authors! Not bad for the first published contest I’ve entered.

And today I’m blogging about vampires and werewolves at Nobody Writes It Better. Stop by and leave me a comment!

This is my favorite week of the year. Back-to-school week. One Gremlin started school today, the other two go back tomorrow. Oh, don’t get me wrong, I love my Gremlins dearly, but after an entire summer at home with me, they are more than ready to get back to school and I am more than ready for them to go. This summer especially has been a rough one since I was so sick and didn’t really start to feel human again until August. The poor Gremlins have had a loooong boring summer filled with too many of mom’s doctor appts and forced “rest and recovery”. In fact, as I was telling the DH last night, I don’t even really feel like we HAD a summer.

To close out the summer we spent the holiday weekend with friends at their cabin in the woods. The Gremlins got to go fishing and swimming and just had a great time. I relaxed sans my laptop and enjoyed my last weekend of freedom. From here on out I’m on a tight schedule as I work to finish my 2nd paranormal book which is due in early December.

So before I take off for the day and dive back into writing, I thought I’d share some great emails I got this weekend. This came from a reader and really made my day:

“Wow. What a ride [STOLEN FURY] was for me. For years I have read Nora Roberts, Kathleen Woodwiss, Anne Stuart and had about given up finding something of great quality romance to read anymore. By accident, I bought Stolen Fury for a beach read and I am blown away. Only now to find out there are two more. I am in heaven. Thank you so much. I [am] now one of your biggest fans. Will be sharing this book with several people.”

This one is from Christine, in a comment she left on the blog here. I’m highlighting it because the post is down a ways and it was such a great comment, I thought it needed to be repeated:

“LOVE the back cover art that Leah made for MARKED. It looks fantastic!

Even better is that amazing book quote from Angie Fox! Sherrilyn Kenyon is one of the first paranormal romance authors that I fell in love with and Patricia Briggs is my favorite UF author (I just LOVE her Mercy Thompson series)—so Angie’s describing something I’d absolutely love, I’m sure! Can’t wait for May!”

Thanks so much, Christine. I’m so happy to hear you’re looking forward to the Eternal Guardians Series. (BTW, I forwarded your comment to Angie and she was thrilled it resonated with you!)

And finally, this one came from Daniel Boucher, (www.thenovelblog.com) who wrote an article about me and my books that will be printed in the October edition of the Toronto Main Street Magazine. He wrote about his low expectations regarding romance, and how he felt after he read STOLEN FURY:

“When I finished, I can honestly say that I was taken aback by what I’d read. All my preconceived notions of what romance novels were about (I was thinking trashy) had been tossed out the window. Instead of “trash” what I read was a fast-paced-page-turner that held my attention throughout, with sex scenes that made even a grown man like me blush. The tension Elisabeth created with both the action and love scenes were hypnotizing to say the least.”

When I have a link for the full article, I’ll post it here, but in the meantime…isn’t that a great quote? I just love it. Hearing from readers (and reviewers) has been a real high for me, and not something I thought I’d get so excited about. But it’s very very cool when people contact you to tell you how much they love your characters, their world, and your books. So keep the comments coming! They definitely inspire me.

Okay…gotta get to work now. I’ve left my hero in a cold forest tracking the bad guys. How about the rest of you…are you loving this week as much as I am?

OMG, awesome AWESOME concert. We had such fun. I had no voice, couldn’t sing along, but I could dance. And it was a total blast. Nickelback didn’t sing the one song I LOVE from the new Dark Horse Album, so I’ve posted it in below. But they DID sing all my other favs, in addition to Highway to Hell (WOW is all I can say) and Friends in Low Places (hilarious!). Even the DH was rocking out with me.

Okay, now on to the post at hand. Today’s Saturday Snippet is supposed to be something humorous. This is taken from STOLEN FURY (in case you haven’t read it). One of my favorite scenes in the book.

Enjoy!

“God, you scared me.” Lisa pressed a hand against her heart. “Don’t do that.”

Rafe turned when she pushed past him into the apartment and dropped an armful of shopping bags on the leather couch in the middle of the room. She shrugged out of a winter white suede coat with fur trim he didn’t remember her leaving the apartment in earlier and tossed the garment over the back of a chair.

“Where the hell have you been?”

She looked up from the shopping bag she’d already started picking through. “Close the door. You’re letting in cold air.”

He blinked twice, unable to process her words. “What?”

“The door, Sullivan.”

When he didn’t respond, she frowned and stepped past him, closing it herself. “Winter. Cold air. Chicago. Ring a bell, Slick?” Shaking her head like he was a complete moron, she moved back to the bag.

Good God. The woman was a piece of work. He glanced down at his watch, a mixture of relief and confusion pumping through him. “You’ve been gone for five hours. You said you were shopping. What the hell happened?”

“If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were worried about me.” She lifted a white garment bag.

Worried about her? Damn right he was worried about her. After what had happened last night, they had no idea who was out there watching them. He’d been utterly stupid to let her walk out of the apartment alone, when any number of things could have happened to her. He’d realized that shortly after she’d left, and he’d been stressing about it since then.

“Don’t worry, Slick.” Her smart-assed voice dragged at his consciousness. “I didn’t run off and go after Tisiphone on my own. I know that’s all you were worried about.” She walked out of the room.

Oh, shit. The blood drained from his cheeks. That thought hadn’t even crossed his mind.

He tossed his jacket across the couch and followed her into Shane’s bedroom. She still hadn’t explained where she’d been, and he wasn’t letting it go just yet. Not until he had some answers.

He stopped in the doorway, slipped his hands into the front pockets of his jeans and tried to settle the nerves still churning in his stomach before he laid into her again. His eyes took a careful sweep of the room. Her garment bag lay across Shane’s unmade bed. She stood at the closet pushing hangers and jackets aside, searching for God only knows what.

She’d changed. She wasn’t wearing the same ripped sweater and dirty jeans she’d left in that morning. A long-sleeved black-and-white horizontal-striped blouse highlighted her curves, dipped low at her cleavage and accentuated the swell of her breasts. Snug black slacks molded to her muscular legs, hugged her hips and perfect behind. Shiny black boots with thin heels covered her feet, and light-catching
silver drops hung from her ears.

She looked chic and stylish, and not a bit like the woman who’d walked out of here earlier, although that one had sent his blood soaring even before this little transformation. This one made his jeans grow tight. Even her hair seemed different, all tousled and wild from the wind, like she’d just rolled out of bed, like she’d just had a lover’s fingers run through her silky locks.

He straightened and coughed. Five hours. She’d been gone five freakin’ hours. She’d better not have been off with some other guy. Not when his insides were tied in knots because of her. Not when he’d spent the last hour going out of his mind because he didn’t know where she was.

“There it is,” she said, pulling a tux from the closet.

“Where have you been?”

She looked up at him, green eyes sparkling in the artificial light. Stepping forward, she held the jacket against his chest. “Should fit. You and Shane are about the same size.”

Fit? What the hell was she talking about? “What’s going on?”

She laid the jacket on the bed next to the white garment bag. “You and I are going to a party.”

“A what?”

She pushed past him, and he stood slack-jawed while she sashayed out to the living area, grabbed a couple of shopping bags and returned. “A party, Slick. As in, you and I both get dressed up and hobnob with the rich and famous.” She stopped in the doorway next to him, pinched his cheek. “I know it’ll be a stretch, but I think we can clean you up.”

She smelled like a sexy, exotic flower, looked like every man’s wet dream, and at the moment she was talking in complete riddles. He didn’t want to go to some party he couldn’t care less about. He didn’t want to do anything but discover what she’d been up to while she’d been gone. And tossing her onto that mussed bed so he could find something for that smart mouth of hers to do instead of flip sarcastic comments his way was sounding better and better by the minute. He turned away, rubbed a hand down his face and tried to refocus.

Holy hell, he was losing it. He needed to get a grip. Fast.

“You find anything on the Landau Gallery?”

Landau Gallery. Right. That’s where he was supposed to be focused. He tried to remember what he’d found earlier in his research, tried to get images of her writhing beneath him out of his mind and glanced back at her, where she stood next to the bed, pulling items from the bag. “Specializes in rare sculpture. High-end clients.” If he wasn’t going to get lucky, he might as well get serious. “Your brother mention the assistant who was murdered last week?”

She stiffened. “Yes. What else?”

It was clear she thought the murder might be related to their predicament. A thread of guilt slithered through him as he watched the color drain from her cheeks. Guilt for bringing her into this, for putting her life on the line, all for a few bucks. He raked a hand through his hair. “Not much. Doesn’t sound like they have many leads on the investigation. But the woman was definitely working on a new collection, and rumor has it she was more than his assistant.”

She glanced up. “His lover?”

He shrugged. “Maybe. He hasn’t admitted to it, but that’s the word going around.”

“Alan Landau’s unveiling that new collection tonight. I get the impression this little party is a way to get the public’s focus off her murder and back on his gallery. I think it’s our best chance to get close to him, find out what he’s up to. Get inside his place.”

“How do you plan to get into this little soiree?”

“I have connections.” A smile curled her sensuous lips, highlighting her sparkling teeth. “Had my assistant back in San Francisco arrange for two tickets.”

That explained the tux. And the men’s white dress shirt she pulled out of the bag. “I had to guess on your size. Hopefully it fits.”

Wonderful. Just what he wanted to do with his evening. He stepped forward with a frown and reached for the garment she handed him. His fingers slid over hers, and electricity zinged up his arm at the simple touch.

She wasn’t his type. Not by a long shot. He liked his women a lot more agreeable and a lot less mouthy. So how come every time she got close, he had trouble thinking straight? The woman had little use for him, had made that perfectly clear by ditching his ass all day and going off on her own. And the fact that that didn’t even seem to bother her only made him more frustrated and more determined to prove her wrong.

When she looked up, her eyes held his for a brief moment, shimmering gems that seemed to soften as he looked at her, as if they could read his thoughts, as if…as if they wanted him to prove her wrong. Eyes—to his utter surprise—that tugged on something deep in his chest and made the aggravation he was feeling slip away inch by
inch.

Yes. Keep looking at me like that, querida.

Warmth pooled in his stomach, and he felt the overwhelming urge to pull her into his arms so he could find out if her skin was as soft as he imagined, so he could make her remember what it had been like between them in Italy.

She tugged her hand back and looked down before he was ready to break the contact. And just like that, whatever gentleness he’d seen flicker in her eyes faded behind her iron shield.

He glanced down and fingered the cold cotton in his hands. So much for that idea. He must have read her wrong. Just like every other time they’d been in the same room together.

She went back to pulling items from the bag. “I would have been back sooner, but I had to wait to pick up the invite. Then I had to find something to wear for tonight. It’s a zoo out there. Took longer than I thought it would.”

She picked up a bag at her feet and handed it to him—not, he noticed, in any way apologizing. “Here. I got you a few things while I was out. You can pay me back later.”

He opened the bag and peered inside. Disbelief knit his brow as he lifted a black thong and held it up by one finger. A paper tag hung from one side. His eyes narrowed on what was obviously not a piece of female lingerie. “This had better be for you.”

When she didn’t respond, his gaze snapped to her. Head down, she continued to paw through a shopping bag. “Lisa?”

She huffed and finally looked up. “I didn’t have a lot of time, and I didn’t feel like guessing about your style.” She pinned him with a look. “For heaven’s sake, it’s just underwear, Sullivan.”

“Real men don’t wear thongs. And I’m not wearing this.” He held it out to her. The scrap wouldn’t cover anything. Especially not anything he had. No doubt she’d bought it just to get under his skin. The woman wasn’t happy unless she was taking cheap shots at him.

“Fine.” She lifted one elegant brow. “Wear your day-old dirty Jockeys. Or go commando. Not my problem.”

“What the hell’s going on in here?”

Shane’s voice from the doorway made them both turn.

Great.

Tension worked its way back into Rafe’s shoulders. Lisa’s brother’s gaze darted from the thong in his hand to Lisa to the rumpled bed and back to Rafe, and there was no missing the back-off-mysister- you-sexual-predator warning in his dark eyes.

Fucking fantastic.

Rafe crumpled the thong and tossed it into the bag in front of him. This day was ranking up there as one of his finest.

“Sullivan’s going to borrow your tux,” Lisa said. “We’re headed to the Landau Gallery’s unveiling tonight.”

“No one’s going commando in my tux.” Shane’s scrutinizing gaze darted to Rafe again.
Lisa’s sarcastic smile followed.

Holy hell. Rafe pinched the bridge of his nose and blew out a long breath. Walking into that damn auditorium in Italy had been the biggest mistake of his life.

Jody Wallace
Lauren Dane
McKenna Jeffries
Moira Rogers
Shelley Munro
Taige Crenshaw
Victoria Janssen
Vivian Arend
Leah Braemel
TJ Michaels
Shelli Stevens
Mark Henry
Shelley Munro
Kelly Maher
Juliana Stone
Michelle Rowen
Ashley Ladd

Check it out…STOLEN SEDUCTION is available for preorder on Amazon, complete with cover image and everything!

Last night was the Powell’s Cheeky Pages book club meeting. (Isn’t that title just great!) They read STOLEN FURY for their August book and invited me to come up and be part of the discussion. I have to say, I was a little nervous – all those people having read the book! – but it was very fun. Of course, everyone loved it (how could they not?! LOL) and there were some very nice comments that ranged from “This was better than the Nora Roberts book we read last month,” to “This needs to be made into a movie, to “You totally stumped me with the villain.”

And thanks to all who gave me SWAG suggestions! Since the book club read STOLEN FURY, I put together goodie bags for everyone that included 1st chapter sample books of STOLEN HEAT, bookmarks and chocolate. During the meeting we had a trivia session where I handed out prizes to winners, and at the end I raffled off a treasure hunt gift basket. My good friend Lisa took pictures, so when I get them from her, I’ll post them here for you to see.

I also got some great feedback that will help with my upcoming paranormal series…mainly, readers suggested a glossary for non-English terms would be helpful and that they want a teaser preview for what’s coming up in the next book in the series. I will, of course, mention these to my publisher, but final say on adding items like this is up to them, not me.

On September 18th I’ll be back up at Powell’s for their Fall Romance Event where many Pacific Northwest romance authors gather to sign books and conduct a Q&A session. If you’re in the area, you should stop by and check it out. It’s a fun event.

And before I forget, I have to mention the book I’m reading now. THE MADNESS of LORD IAN MACKENZIE. I’ve never really been a huge fan of historicals, but the premise for this book – a hero with aspergers autism – really intrigued me. And I’m so glad I picked it up. I am LOVING this book! Jennifer Ashley writes a to-die-for hero. If you like historicals (or even if you’ve never read one before) you should definitely give this one a try.

Now I must get back to the kitchen. Tomorrow we’re hosting a big bbq and there’s still lots to do. I haven’t cooked this much since…well, I can’t remember when! But it should be fun. We’re doing a Hawaiian Luau bbq with lots of yummy food. It’s definitely putting me in the mood to travel to the islands.

Aloha for now!

I’m blogging today over at the new NOBODY WRITES IT BETTER blog about kick-ass heroines. Stop by and comment to be entered into a drawing for a copy of STOLEN FURY!

He glanced up at the sound of her husky voice. Gone were the black jacket and ice-pick heels. Barefoot and wearing only the slim black skirt and tight-fitting camisole that accentuated her curvy figure, she walked back toward him. Arousal punched through his gut again, shutting down his brain in the process.

“My feet were killing me,” she said.

And she was killing him. His mouth went dry.

She accepted the wine he handed her. “Thank you. What should we drink to?”

A night of mindless sex.

His eyes followed the glass as she lifted it to her lips. For a split second he contemplated knocking it out of her hand, before reality kicked him in the stomach.

“How about to unexpected encounters?” he responded in a voice that was steadier than he’d anticipated.

“To unexpected encounters.” A smile tugged at the corners of her tantalizing mouth as she tapped her glass against his, then took a long swallow.

Hell, there went the marathon sex. Hiding his disappointment, he lifted his own wine and sipped.

Her glass lowered. “So, tell me. Do you make a habit out of stalking visiting professors?”

Only when they had something he really wanted. “No.”

“Hmm.” She sent him a disbelieving look before walking into the living area, where she sat on the plush couch with her wine. He followed and sank next to her. “Are you married, Mr. Garcia?”

He set his glass on the wrought-iron coffee table. “No. You?”

She shook her head and took another long sip. “Girlfriend?”

“Not at the moment.”

“Hmm,” she said again, her gaze traveling the length of his body before returning to settle on his eyes. She set her half-empty glass next to his. “And how about this? Are one-night stands your thing?”

“I don’t have a thing. Are they yours?”

With a smile, she shook her head and leaned forward, slipping the glasses from his face. She folded the stems and put them on the table.

“Now that we have all the nice little lies out of the way, why don’t you kiss me like you did before?”

The scent of gardenias wafted over him. “Not like before,” he whispered when she got close.

She slid one delicate hand across his chest, the gentle touch stirring the coals in his gut, making his skin tingle with anticipation. Eyes heavy with desire, she brushed her lips across his, and he drew in a breath at the slight contact, his senses kicking into high gear at the soft and supple feel of her mouth.

Paradise. It was the only thought he had, the only one he could focus on as her lips skimmed his. Her tongue licked at the corner of his mouth, coaxing him to open, and those smoldering embers burst to life at the feel of her silky wetness. A need to taste her rushed through him like a wave. His lips parted, searching. Then her wet and teasing tongue dipped inside his mouth, caressing his with soft, demanding strokes.

This definitely wasn’t what he’d anticipated. He was supposed to be the one doing the seducing, not the other way around. For a moment, he wondered if she was taking him for a ride.

Like he cared. Just the heat from her body was enough to make him forget his own name.

Next week I’ll pick something from STOLEN HEAT. In the meantime, check out these other awesome first kiss snippets!

Lauren Dane
Cynthia Eden
Vivi Anna
SJ Day
Moira Rogers
Mandy Roth
Anya Bast
Viv Arend
Juliana Stone
Beth Williamson
Michelle Pillow
Jaci Burton
Taige Crenshaw
McKenna Jeffries
Sasha White
Victoria Janssen
Shelli Stevens
Maggie Robinson
Maura Anderson
Shelley Munro
Jody Wallace
Eliza Gayle
Kelly Maher