Elisabeth Naughton – Guest blog and Giveaway

Thanks so much to Fatin and Novel Thoughts for inviting me to stop by today!

 

I’m probably what most romance fans would consider a “late bloomer” when it comes to the genre. As a kid I always loved to read, but I leaned more toward mystery/suspense and adventure stories rather than romance. It wasn’t until I was in college and my boyfriend (now hubby) gave me a copy of SCARLETT: The Sequel to Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With the Wind for Christmas that things changed for me. Of course, who didn’t love the original GONE WITH THE WIND? I did, but I never considered it a romance. For me it was always just an epically tragic story about the fall of the old South. I loved that book. I’d always wished there was more. And I knew if there was a sequel—written by anyone—I wanted to read it. So when Alexandra Ripley wrote one, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it.

 

Fast forward a week. My boyfriend (now hubby) vowed to never buy me another book so long as we were together because I neglected everything—including him—to finish that story. If you’ve ever seen the book, you know why he was upset. It’s huge. And I very definitely DID neglect him while I finished it. (The irony that his wife became a writer isn’t lost on him.) Those of you who have read SCARLETT have your own opinion of the story and whether it lived up to the classic original, so I won’t get into that. But I will say while it is not my favorite book—in fact, I never read it again—it was a pivotal read for me because it pushed me toward more happily ever after stories. Suddenly I was reading authors like Judith McNaught and LaVyrle Spencer and Elizabeth Lowell. And looking back I know I have SCARLETT to thank for steering me in the direction of romance, because before that book, I didn’t even know the genre existed.

 

While my reading habits did change from that moment forward, my love for adventure and suspense and mystery lived on. Today, most of the romances I read (and all of the ones that I write) incorporate some element of either adventure or mystery/suspense (sometimes both). Whether it’s my Eternal Guardians series (paranormal adventure and suspense) or my romantic suspense books, I’ve taken the elements I love and mixed them with the romances I fell in love with back in college.  The cool thing about the romance genre is that no matter what you like to read—fantasy, westerns, thrillers, sci-fi—you can find them within the romance genre. You can have your happily ever after AND all those elements you’ve grown to love.

 

Is there a book you remember reading that turned you on to the romance genre? If so, what was it? If not, what got you started reading romance? I’m giving away a copy of my latest release, WAIT FOR ME, is a contemporary romantic suspense, to one lucky commenter today!

 

***

A woman without a past…

After a tragic accident left her with no memory, Kate Alexander struggled to fit in with a husband and world that didn’t feel right. She’s had no reason to question what friends and family have told her, not until her husband is suddenly killed and she finds a photo of a young girl in his office. A girl who can’t be anyone but a daughter Kate didn’t know she had.

A man desperate for a reason to live…

Ryan Harrison lost his wife in a plane crash five years ago. To cope with the pain of her loss, he dedicated himself to his job and to raising their daughter. Now a successful pharmaceutical executive, Ryan has everything a man could want—money, fame and power—but he’d give it all up in a heartbeat for just one more day with the woman he still loves.

Two lives about to converge.

As Kate begins to dig into a past she doesn’t remember, evidence leads her to San Francisco and puts her on the path toward Ryan, a man who sees in her the woman he loved and lost. Kate feels a draw to Ryan, one she can’t explain, but is that feeling enough to convince her this is where she’s supposed to be? As Ryan and Kate search for answers, they uncover lies long buried, a passion hotter than either expected and a danger that threatens…even now…when the second chance they’ve both been searching for is finally within reach.

 

“Full of twists and turns, lies and deception, and the ultimate revenge, WAIT FOR ME is a great romantic suspense read.”

—Night Owl Reviews, Top Pick

 

***

 

A former junior high science teacher, Elisabeth Naughton traded in her red pen and test tube set for a laptop and research books. She now writes sexy romantic adventure and paranormal novels full time from her home in western Oregon where she lives with her husband and three children. Her work has been nominated for numerous awards including the prestigious RITA® awards by Romance Writers of America, the Australian Romance Reader Awards, The Golden Leaf and the Golden Heart. When not writing, Elisabeth can be found running, hanging out at the ballpark or dreaming up new and exciting adventures. Visit her at www.elisabethnaughton.com to learn more about her and her books.

 

 

 

 

Read Full Post »