Elisabeth Naughton (Interview & Giveaway)

Today I have the pleasure of having one of my new favorite authors, Elisabeth Naughton, joining us at Reading Between the Wines for an interview to celebrate her newest release, Tempted!

Welcome Elisabeth! For those who may not know much about you, give us a little background on yourself please. 

EN: Thanks so much for having me here today! For those who don’t know me, I write hot, dark paranormals with a Greek mythology twist. The third book in my Eternal Guardians series, Tempted, just released from Sourcebooks on September 6, 2011. I live in western Oregon with my husband and three kids, and when not writing you can usually find me running, hanging out at a variety of sporting events or wasting time on Twitter.

You’re the author of an amazing paranormal romance series about heroes and Greek mythology, Eternal Guardians. For readers new to the series how would you describe it to them?

EN: The Eternal Guardians are seven warriors descended from the greatest heroes in Greek mythology who defend the human realm from threats of the Underworld. Tempted is Demetrius’s story. He’s the biggest of the Guardians, a descendent of Jason, the Greek hero who sailed on the Argos in search of the Golden Fleece, and he hides a dark and deadly secret that just might bring about the end of the world.

What inspired you to write a series based on the Greek myth of Gods, Goddesses and Argonauts?

EN: I’ve always loved Greek mythology ever since I was a kid. When I was doing research for my debut book, Stolen Fury, I did quite a bit of research on the ancient myths and I fell in love with the idea of writing a series linked to the heroes…an integral part of mythology but not often discussed in other paranormal series.

Your newest release and third novel in the series, Tempted, graced book shelves this month – Congratulations! What can readers expect from Demetrius and Isadora’s story?

EN: Thanks so much! Readers seem to really love Demetrius and Isadora, which I’m thrilled about. Isadora is the princess of the realm where the Guardians reside – Argolea, a place set up by Zeus for the descendants of the heroes. When she goes missing, Demetrius is sent to find her. There’s been tension between Isadora and Demetrius for years—he hasn’t hidden the fact he doesn’t think she’s qualified to rule their realm when her father eventually dies and he’s been outright mean to her her whole life. But when the two are trapped together on a dangerous island, they’re forced to get to know each other better and Demetrius’s secrets, and the reasons he’s been so awful to her, are finally revealed…

Demetrius and Isadora’s journey was pretty rocky throughout the novel and I know for me, heart wrenching at more than one point. Was it as emotional for you to write as it was for me to read?  

EN: It was. Particularly the ending. Without giving away too much, I’ll say there’s one scene near the end of the book that made me cry while writing it. I’ve never done that before, and even during edits and rewrites I’d still get choked up when I reread that scene.

Have any of the characters in this series been more of a challenge to write then others? If so, who and why? 

EN: Demetrius was a challenge just because he was so closed off for so long. It took quite a bit to break through that shell he’s created his whole life. But characters like that—those are my favorites because they’re never what you think they are on the surface.

You have been graced by the cover Gods with some exceptionally delicious covers for your Gaurdians, how much of a say do you have in that? 

EN: I’ve been absolutely thrilled with my covers for this series. My editor is great about giving me a sneak peak at the covers and asking for my opinions. And with the cover for Enraptured, book four in the Eternal Guardians, which releases in April 2012. The cover artist actually did two completely different versions and my editor let me and my agent pick the one we wanted!

I have to say that one character I fell in love with from the start is Orpheus, he puts on such a hard front but you know that underneath that bad boy façade he has a big heart and good intentions. I was so excited to see that his story is next with Enraptured (With the best cover yet IMHO!), what can we look forward to in that novel?

EN: Orpheus is a real rogue. He badmouths the Guardians but he’s always there to offer help when they need it. In Tempted, he finds himself inexplicably mixed in with the Guardians even though he doesn’t want to be, and in Enraptured, readers will finally discover how he’s part daemon when his brother Gryphon, is not. I think readers are going to be surprised by a few things in Enraptured.

Has the series gone the way you originally envisioned it? 

EN: For the most part, yes. I always have a rough idea how each book will progress before I start writing, but I’m always surprised along the way. For me, those surprises are the fun part of writing.

And last but not least, how many novels are planned for the Eternal Guardians?

EN: At least one book for each Guardian, but there are outlying characters who might end up with books. As long as readers are asking for more, I’ll try to keep writing them.

Thank you so much Elisabeth for taking the time to stop by today, I look forward to reading more of your sexy Heroes!

EN: Thanks so much for having me here today! I love talking about the Guardians!

Find out more about Elisabeth and her works at www.elisabethnaughton.com! Her next book in the Eternal Guardians series, Enraptured, will be in stores in April 2012.

~*GIVEAWAY*~

Thanks to Danielle at Sourcebooks I have two copies of Tempted to giveaway to US and Canadian readers. To enter, just leave a question or comment for Elisabeth on this post and fill out the rafflecopter below!