I think I have post-contest let-down. LOL After a month of whirlwind blog guests and giveaways, my measly posts feel rather boring.

Ah, well…

I mentioned below that I was in Montana all last week visiting family. My SIL (brilliant!) is an econ professor at the University of Montana in Missoula. My brother is going to grad school at Montana State in Bozeman. I, of course, didn’t realize they belonged to two different schools until my brother gave me an MSU sweatshirt that was too small for him and claimed his wife would never wear it. Quick, I am, I tell you…but that’s a whole other story. Montana is beautiful, and we had a great trip. And a road trip right after the release of STOLEN HEAT was a good idea because I got to sign stock all over the Northwest.

So now that I’m back from vacation, my blog appearances for HEAT are winding down and I’m feeling human again, I’m back at the grindstone working on that second paranormal book. It feels good to be a working member of society again, and in another three weeks my house will be quiet so I can actually get work done during the day.

This Friday I’m the guest at the Beaverton Powell’s book club meeting. They chose STOLEN FURY for their August read and asked me to come up and visit about the book. I’ll be signing, answering questions and chatting about FURY and HEAT and the whole Stolen Series. If you’re in the area, the book club meets in the World Cup cafe, just outside the Beaverton Powell’s store. Meeting starts at 7pm.

And then…lucky me…I get to have throat surgery next week to try to repair the damage done to my vocal chords from my hospital stay in June. This first surgery is really minor – just to close the open (paralyzed) left vocal chord and try to figure out what the real problem is. I don’t expect it to be a big issue except for the general anesthesia (oh, joy!) and the fact I can’t talk at all for three days after. (Obviously, my doctor has never been to my house…he has no idea what this is going to be like for me…) But, the good news is hopefully after this surgery I will no longer sound like the 2-pack a day lifelong smoker I sound like now. (And no, I’m not now, nor have I ever been, a smoker.)

Okay, I think I rambled enough. I do have a question I need help with tho…for the Powell’s book club meeting on Friday, the organizer told me to bring whatever SWAG I wanted. I’m not so hip on the urban dictionary, so I had to look it up. I’m guessing she didn’t mean ‘scientific wild ass guess’ though I like that and now have to figure out a way to slip that into a book somewhere. I’m assuming she meant ‘stuff we all get’. So……..you tell me…what kind of giveaways should I take to the book club meeting? What would you like to get?

I have New Book Excitement.

It’s no big secret to anyone who knows how I work that I’m not a big fan of writing the opening scene. Sometimes the opening comes to me – bam! – and I know immediately how a book will start (as was the case with STOLEN FURY). Other times I seem to rewrite an opening 100 times or more before I find the one that works (as I did with STOLEN HEAT). (July 28, 2009) This time around, working on the 2nd paranormal (working title: DECEIVED), it’s been one of those – bam! – in-your-face openings that has stuck with me, and off I went. I’m now in chapter four, past the “set-up” hurdle, and loving the book. I love the characters, I love the plot, I love where this is going. I love that I have that “this is totally going to work” feeling. Sure, I’ll probably go back and revise some of that opening (I always do), but so far? *big grin* New Book Excitement.

I also have New Book Excitement for my CP. Yesterday I didn’t get to write. I know, I know, if you’re following me on Twitter or FB, you know that contradicts with my 100 day challenge, but don’t worry, I’ll make up the words today. Yesterday I was too busy critting my CPs new book, which she has a request for. And, oh my gosh, I LOVE THIS BOOK! Every time I sit to read a chapter (and my CP can’t send them fast enough), I get that shiver feeling. You know the one…when you’re reading something you KNOW is going sell. This book is amazing, and I can’t wait to tell her, “I told you so,” when it finally does sell.

And along those same “New Book Excitement” lines, one of my beta readers called yesterday to tell me she finished STOLEN SEDUCTION (January, 2010) and absolutely loved it. I can’t tell you how happy that makes me. I love all my heroes, but *sigh* there’s something special about Shane. Maybe it’s because I wanted to kill him so many times while writing that book, maybe it’s because he was the first character I really didn’t “get”, and maybe it’s because I was so blown over by his character arc. I have no idea why he’s the one hero I still think about long after the book is over, but he is.

My beta reader had some great things to say about the book, and one constructive comment I am so SO happy she shared. It deals with one tiny section of a scene in the end of the book – or, rather, a tiny section I cut because I was already over on word count. But after listening to her, I’m pretty convinced that section needs to be there, and it’s kinda nice to know my first instinct was correct. So…I’m probably going to add it back in and worry about cutting elsewhere later (…have I mentioned what a magician my editor is at editing my long-windedness?).

So yeah. New Book Excitement. All around.

How about you? Reading or writing anything right now that has you excited?

Just got this in my inbox:

Six years ago Katherine Meyer knew exactly where her life was going. She was finishing up her time in Cairo, and getting ready to write her dissertation for her doctorate in Egyptology; then Pete came into her life.

Anger, pain, and betrayal all vie for attention within Peter Kauffman’s brain, but his heart can only grasp onto one fact: Kat is alive, unbelievably and blessedly alive. Her death in a car bombing in Cairo six years ago was the most crushing time in his life, but it was also the catalyst to clean up his act once and for all.

The years have only succeeded in making Pete more attractive, but no matter how much Kat would love to throw her arms around him and never let go, she keeps her distance. His involvement with the stolen artifacts in Cairo six years ago broke something within her that may never be repaired, and her mistrust splintered their fledgling relationship. Pete cannot begin to wrap his mind around Kat’s
reappearance when all hell breaks loose around them. He should despise this woman who blew his heart to smithereens with her fake death, he really should, but in getting to the truth, he may find there is more than one person to blame.

Stolen Heat sets a pulse-pounding pace, whipping you up with a maelstrom of flying bullets and blistering kisses. The emotions are extreme, and the characters unrelenting in this action-packed and sensual romance. Pete and Kat whirl around each other like they are caught up in a tornado, flying apart and getting sucked back in with explosive results. Ms. Naughton hooks you with characters way too human to be perfect, and plot lines that are delivered with laser-like precision.

–Lototy, Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance & More
Rating: 5 Cups

Yup, that’s me. Big ol’ blog slacker. Sorry to be so MIA. In my defense I’ve been busy. Not like the rest of the world isn’t busy, too, but…ya know how it goes. LOL

So what have I been up to? Let’s see…Page proofs for STOLEN HEAT are done and out the door. Woohoo! I’ve been immersed in those the last week.

Revisions on MARKED are done, and the ms is off to an awesome NYT Bestselling author who agreed to read and blurb it for me. I hope she likes it. (*Says Elisabeth while she chews her fingernails down to the quick.*)

I got news that STOLEN SEDUCTION will definitely be a January 2010 release, so I’m pretty pumped about that. I absolutely love this book. And as much as I love all my heroes, there’s just something special about Shane. (It’s that whole love/hate relationship thing he and I have going.) The art department is already hard at work on the cover, and I can’t wait to see what they come up with. The cover should be the same style as the first two books.

Oh! And I think I can announce this (gosh, I hope so since I’m doing it anyway…). The first paranormal is going to keep it’s original title. Book one is going to be called MARKED. And the series is going to be called ‘Eternal Guardians’.

And before I forget…I’m running a new contest. I put the details in my newsletter and will get them up on my website hopefully this weekend, but here it is in the meantime:

In the Mood for Some Hidden Treasure?
Enter my Newsletter Contest to Win Your Very Own Treasure Box!
For every person you refer to me who signs up for my newsletter, you’ll be entered into a drawing for a box of buried treasure. The goodies will be GOOD (and fun), so start spreading the news(letter) and enter. The rules are simple. Just sent the info about my newsletter to your friends. Then email me at elisabeth (at) elisabethnaughton (dot) com separately with the names of the people you referred. For each person from your list that signs up, your name will go in the drawing for the treasure box. It’s THAT easy. A winner will be picked at random in mid-May.

So…aside from all that book stuff, I have nothing else exciting to report except that Nickelback tickets go on sale tomorrow morning, so you can be guaranteed I’ll be on the phone trying to get some good seats. Anyone out there Nickelback fans? My Gremlins know most of their (tame) songs, but I had to put a ‘hands off’ sticker on their new Dark Horse CD. Definitely rated R, this one. (And I love it!) I’m thinking it’s a good Eternal Guardians soundtrack.

Hey all!

Today I’m hanging with the Romance Bandits, talking about Facebook and other social networking sites. Stop by and comment for a chance to win an autographed copy of STOLEN FURY!

In other fun news…

I got a GREAT review from The Chicago Tribune yesterday for STOLEN FURY, and was tickled pink to see my name in the headline with Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Jayne Ann Krentz, Jennifer Cruise, Connie Brockway and Anne Stuart. Totally made my day.

I also had a fun (and fabulous!) review posted at Closetwriter, which you should definitely check out.

And finally…for those of you waiting for Shane’s book…I found out last week that STOLEN SEDUCTION is going to be a January 2010 release! I’m very excited about this news and can’t wait to see what the art department does with the cover in the last STOLEN book.

Happy reading!

I just realized it’s been over a week since I blogged. Where does the time go?

I’ve been swamped this week with this and that, but I have a few things to share:

1) Are you following

STOLEN SEDUCTION is done, gone, off to my editor. Technically, I came in under the wire (it’s still the 14th here. LOL). I’m zonked and going to bed. Tomorrow I’ll probably be a little sad the series is over. Tonight I’m too tired to think straight.

But I do have two questions…

WHY do computers decide to go on the fritz the week leading up to a deadline????

and

WHY do 3-yr olds decide to have a meltdown day when you’re on a time crunch????

So I finished STOLEN SEDUCTION over the weekend. I have to say, for wanting to kill my hero several times in the process, I’m very happy with the way it turned out. Sure, he has his moments, but I think that’s part of the reason I love him. Hopefully readers (and my editor!) will love him, too. Right now I’m going back through, cleaning up a few things before sending the book to my CPs. Then next week it’s off to my editor.

In case you haven’t seen it yet, STOLEN FURY is available for pre-order at the following places:

Amazon.com
Barnesandnoble.com
Borders.com

Ann Aguirre and I had a discussion today, though, about the whole pre-order thing online. As most of you know, the first two weeks of a book’s release are important number-wise for lists like USA Today and the New York Times Bestseller. Technically, pre-orders are supposed to count in those first two week number calculations, but if a distributor happens to ship a book a few days early (which does happen), then those numbers don’t always end up counting. I’ve had a few people asking me when to get the book…so I’m hoping if you’re planning on buying the book anyway, that you wait until the release and buy during those first two weeks. (Though it is so totally cool to see the cover up on Amazon.com!!!)

In other news, I got an email from the art department that they’re working on the cover for STOLEN HEAT. I can’t wait to see it. When I can, I’ll be sharing it here with you.

And finally, I just found out I’m going to be a featured speaker the month of June for the AskAnAuthorPro loop through RWA. I’m really looking forward to that. So mark your calendar.

Okay, back to clean up. What’s new with you?

Yep, you guessed it. School’s…back…in…session. (You have to sing that to the tune of “School’s Out for Summer” to get the full effect of my excitement here.)

Funny how I’ve changed my tune from my teaching days when I dreaded the start of school. Now I adore it! I honestly didn’t realize how hard it would be to write with the kids home this summer, but I’ve learned my lesson. Next summer…Camps! (lots of them!)… Chores every day (to keep them busy and to keep them from whining about being bored!)… Naps! (mostly for me!) Slowly but surely I’ll figure this out.

As far as the job goes, I’d like to say I’ve been as productive as This is me and my fabulous agent, Laura Bradford, after the awards ceremony on Saturday. Incidentally, I’m looking at my contract now, thinking, “Wow…she’s awesome!!!”