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.


That's me signing stock at Wal-Mart in Missoula.

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 Karin Tabke's 1st Line Contest? Two of my good friends are still in the running, Kendra Elliot and Karen Duvall. I'm cheering for you, ladies!!!

2) I was the guest speaker last Tuesday night at the Willamette Writers February Meeting. Attendance was great, my talk went well (I had no idea I'd be on a stage with a microphone!) and people seemed to get a lot out of it. (Topic was Stealing Time To Write). Big, big, BIG thanks to all the authors who participated in my survey and shared their experiences and words of wisdom. I used quotes from all of you and had your book covers on various slides. If nothing else, I totally plugged romance to a group of (primarily) non-romance writers.

The only bad part about the presentation is that I'd been nursing a cold the weekend before and it hit me hard Tuesday. About halfway through the presentation I went into a coughing jag and nothing I did could stop the coughs. My throat was bone dry, even water didn't help. (too much talking). Luckily, though, a man in the back of the room (ironically, his name was Angel) came running up with a cough drop and saved the day. If it weren't for Angel and his cough drop, I don't think I'd have been able to get through the rest of the talk. So, Angel, thank you!!!! My good friend, Lisa, took lots of pics, so hopefully I'll have some to post soon.

3) I finally got my website updated. I was having serious programming issues, but those are now resolved, and my website is all up to date with my new cover for STOLEN HEAT and other fun stuff.

4) If you're going to be in Washington DC this summer for the RWA National Convention, be sure to catch the workshop I'll be participating in - High Octane Kisses - which focuses on putting emotion into action scenes. I'll be on a panel with agent Laura Bradford and authors Ann Aguirre and Carrie Lofty.

and finally,

5) On my website I've now posted the Epilogue to Stolen Fury! If you've read the book, head over and check out the epilogue for a peek at what's to come in the next two books in the trilogy.

And just for fun...

This is the DH and I in Reno last weekend for the Super Bowl. We had a great time, but didn't win any money. ;)

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 Lin this summer...writing a whole book in two months, or Joan...practicing her skills on super-buff convicts, or Lisa...digging up dead bodies and studying blood splatters on ancient walls. But, alas, I think they all kicked my butt. On the writing front, though, I HAVE been a promo monster lately - gearing up for the big release of STOLEN FURY December 30th. So much to do between now and then, but I'm getting very excited (and nervous). And after all my tinkering and pondering and eyebrow pulling this last month (which is normal for me when I hit the 3/4 mark), I *think* I've finally worked out the bugs in my plot. So I'm cruising through the last few chapters now. The bane of my writer's existence is where to start a story - I know all writers struggle with this - so I bit the bullet and sent the most recent first three chapters to my CPs, then held my breath. Luckily, they loved it. One even asked me when she can read the rest...she's dying to know what happens next! I live to hear that. Hopefully my editor will love it just as much.

On that note, I'm going to leave you with some pics from San Fran because I kept promising to post them, then kept getting distracted.

This is me with my super-cute (and uber-talented) editor, Leah Hultenschmidt, at the Dorchester dinner Friday night.

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!!!"

You can check out more pics from San Fran by going to my website. I posted a whole bunch there.

How's the return of school treating you? Are you loving it as much as I am?

I think as writers we all have those days where we feel like we're running around like crazy people, not doing what we should be doing, not making an impact. Writing's such a solitary endeavor. Aside from the few conferences we attend, our interaction with other writers happen via the internet or email, brief phone conversations or monthly RWA meetings.

Today is not one of those days. :) Last night was my RWA chapter meeting, and I have to say, we had a great meeting. Great discussions, great turn-out, lots of excitement. As the president, I love it when things run smoothly. Our speaker ran a little long, and as a result, our business meeting was abbreviated, but that was just fine with me. The members were chatting about writing, and anytime we can get members excited about something in the industry, I'm happy. It was also a great meeting because I got to see two of my dearest friends - Intrigue author Alice Sharpe - who I have roomed with at Nationals the past few years (except for this year because she didn't go!), and my VP, Lisa Catto - who is my other National roomie, and who also didn't attend this year because she's been in Italy the last month (I know, rough life, huh?) .


These are two women who have been there for me during the ups and downs of writing, and are the two I probably depend on most to keep me sane. I am so thankful for both of them, every day, especially today because they both brought me goodies! :)

Alice found this cute little book in a bookstore on the coast - The Furies - and picked it up for me. It's really just a knicknack to sit on my desk, but considering my debut book, STOLEN FURY, centers around three priceless Greek reliefs of the three Furies from Greek mythology, she couldn't have found a better gift. I absolutely love it. And not to be outdone, Lisa came back from Italy with this gorgeous photo album for me to put all my pictures from my debut in. It's not of the Furies (they are very hard to find, trust me, I've looked), it's of the Muses, but I love it just the same. I can't wait to fill it with pictures from the Dorchester dinner in SF, photos from my first book signings and snapshots of my release party.

And an even more special surprise? Alice brought me (and Lisa) a copy of her August release - Bodyguard Father - and surprised us both because she dedicated the book to "...her roommates extraordinaire." I couldn't have been more tickled (or surprised) and cannot wait to read this book.


So today, I'm still riding the high from all of that last night, trying to work, but wait...my day gets better...


This morning, NYT Bestseller, Allison Brennan, sent me a fabulous cover quote for my debut, STOLEN FURY. Among the things she had to say about the book:

"If you like Indiana Jones and Romancing the Stone, you'll love Naughton's dazzling romantic adventure. This debut sizzles."

Isn't that great? I absolutely love it. Thank you so much, Allison!!

And finally, my editor, Leah Hultenschmidt, sent me a link to a wonderful new website she's put together: Romantic Reads. Here's what she has to say about it:

"At RWA, I heard a lot from reviewers and libarians asking how they could get info on upcoming titles, and I know even as an individual, I've been at home wishing I could access so-and-so's cover copy, or that a certain cover image were available on the web. The site is primarily aimed at booksellers, librarians, reviewers, writers and readers really tuned in to the industry. It doesn't cover all our titles; we have a company site for that. But I'm hoping it will be helpful to folks."

The site is gorgeous, and full of lots of great info. Be sure to bookmark it and click on the blog to read about current industry info from a top-notch NY editor.

So, all in all, a really great day. Now I'm off to work on galleys. How's your day going?

First item of importance - my cover flats for STOLEN FURY arrived yesterday from my publisher. And, um, can I just say...I'm in TOTAL FRICKIN' LOVE with this cover!!!!! I know I saw it in .jpg form already, but the real deal is sweet! The title's embossed, my name is embossed (and looks huge!) and the back and spine are just gorgeous. (I don't know why the spine excites me so much...maybe because it just looks so...real!!!) I've already gushed to my agent, my editor and my CPs. I know they're probably sick of hearing about this already but...oh well! I'm giddy all over again! Now I can't wait to see the book with pages inside.

So...busy day here today...I'm having my author photos taken this afternoon. I hope we get at least one good - usable - shot. We're also doing family pics afterwards with the same photographer (he's awesome), so I'm busily doing laundry, making sure everyone has something clean that matches. Last night I was up until one AM doing research on poisoning deaths for the wip. I ordered a bunch of books from amazon on poisonings, which I hope arrive ASAP. I'm at a point in the wip where I need this info like, now. I've contacted several people with my research questions about how to make a poisoning death look natural, and the best response I got came from my beta reader's brother (who is a PA in the local area). He said, "Um...does your husband know you're looking for this information?" I did have to laugh. I suppose if you didn't know I was a writer, it could raise all kinds of red flags.

Okay, off to heard gremlins. Will report back on the photo shoot later. And hopefully soon I'll have author pics to share - I'll probably need opinions on which one to go with.

I've posted this before. Elisabeth's Manuscript Stages. Ironically, it's still the same today as it was nearly two years ago. Right now I'm in the middle of state two - give or take a few chapters - where my hero is sooooo completely irritating, I'm considering dropping him and letting the heroine have her HEA with someone else. I realized I was in trouble last week when my hero and heroine were in a car that goes off into a slough in the Everglades. The heroine (bless her soul) swims toward shore, but something brushes past the hero's leg. And when I stopped typing and seriously considered letting the hero be lunch for some innocent gator, I knew I had a problem.

I go through these stages with every book. Doesn't matter how much I love the premise or the characters or the plot, eventually I hate the entire thing with every fiber of my being. But I've learned if I push through I'll end up loving it again and all will be well. The plot problems will work themselves out, the heroine will stop being wishy-washy (thank God for edits), and if he's lucky, the hero will find redemption (and save himself from being a tasty morsel). Sometimes I just wish the process would move along a little quicker.

In good news...today was baseball team day at my gym. (Meaning, the local minor league baseball team was at my gym working out). Hubba Hubba. Now that's inspiring.

How do you keep your enthusiasm up for a project when it starts to dwindle or gets tough?

Whew! Finally two minutes of peace. Is anyone else ready to send their kids back to school?

I know I promised to blog about my vacation yesterday, but my editor sent my line edits for STOLEN FURY and I spent all day yesterday working through them. I'm happy to say they're done and gone this morning, which is a nice thing to have off my plate. Either I've grown a thick skin, or I've learned to step back from my work and look at things objectively. Honestly, even six months ago I used to cringe when I'd open crits from CPs or an email from my agent regarding submissions. These days though, no sweat (well, hardly any anyway). I'm lucky in that I've surrounded myself with people - CPs, agent, editor - who know what they're doing.

My line edits all-in-all weren't too bad. And while I was deathly afraid of the horror stories I'd heard from some authors about editors rewriting their sentences and effectively changing their voice, that didn't happen in my case. My editor has a great eye for what doesn't need to be there or what lines can be moved around to different locations for maximum impact. And while I was a wee bit sad at a few areas we had to trim (mostly secondary character development) the manuscript was not impacted by those changes. It's still the exact same book I wrote and fell in love with.

As for vacation, I'm still nursing a blister on my hand from playing golf two days in a row. But, boy, it was worth it. I haven't golfed in probably five years, but apparently I have a natural swing (ROFL...or so my hubby and golf-obsessed friends told me). And I thoroughly enjoyed myself. The second day we took the kids golfing late in the afternoon and that was a hoot. My 3-yr old loved driving the golf cart (on my lap). Putting isn't his specialty - he runs around and picks up everyone's balls - but he was happy to have the job of holding my clubs. We swam everyday and I got way more sun than I should have (shhh...don't tell my mother), and for my g'friend's birthday the adults went to this beautiful restaurant on Suttle Lake housed in an old boat house. Very fun - and The Lodge at Suttle Lake is absolutely gorgeous. I definitely want to make plans to go back there.

Next trip on my plate is RWA in San Fran. Followed by Hawaii (sans kiddos) less than a week later. The hubby has told me since he's not taking his laptop to Hawaii, I'm not taking mine (don't worry, Leah...I can sneak my notebook in my bag if I'm behind), so I guess I'd better get back to the wip.

Do you have any trips planned this summer? If so, where?

I finished my first half-marathon this morning. The Helvetia Half Marathon is 13.1 miles through the beautiful countryside of Hillsboro, Oregon. Translation? Lots and lots of hills. I'd been training for flat, so the hills were killer, but I finished in 2hrs, 14-15 minutes (not sure on exact time as I didn't look at the clock as I crossed the finish line, but that's a pretty close estimate). I'm pretty happy, my goal was to finish at 2:20 - without knowing about the hills - and I beat that. :) I feel pretty good right now, but I'm sure the tiredness will catch up to me soon. Before today the most I'd ever ran was 10 miles in training. My running partner (who runs full marathons) is already trying to talk me into running the half of the Portland Marathon in October. Not entirely sure about that yet. I need a few days recovery from this one.

In other news...STOLEN SEDUCTION is really coming along. I'm totally in love with my hero. I've been waiting to write him since I wrote STOLEN FURY, so I'm enjoying the entire process. I think I may just be a little sad when this series is over. But excited about what I have planned next.

Next week the kids and I are off to central Oregon with a friend to stay at her vacation home. We're taking my niece as babysitter because both of us have to work. I'm hoping to make some serious progress on SS while I'm there. I'll have internet so I'll try to post from the resort.

Are you a runner? If so, I'd love to hear about it. If not...what's one thing you've always wanted to do but haven't yet?

I'm so excited to share this. My editor sent it to me this morning.

My very first cover:

SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!

Whew.

I've come up for air. Sorry to be so slack, but I've been in major revision mode. The good news? I am DONE with the revisions on STOLEN FURY and STOLEN HEAT. And the even better news? Going back through both of these books, I have totally fallen in love with the hero and heroine for STOLEN SEDUCTION (they're secondary characters in the first two books). Of course, I already liked them before (obviously), but now I can't wait to get seriously cooking on this book instead of dallying while I work on the others.

In other news...lots of fun (very minor) news to share. I love my editor (have I said that before????). Seriously. I have never met a woman who is so on top of things. I have a question, she gets right back to me. I have a problem and email to ask a good time to call her, my phone rings two minutes later. She's kept me involved in cover art and titles and cover copy and asks my opinion about things I thought I'd have no say in. I am just totally tickled with the staff at Dorchester. Can't say enough good things about them. And I'm really looking forward to meeting my editor and others face-to-face in San Fran.

So the little things to gush about...I have an ISBN! I know, silly really. But for some reason that excited me. I also have a new "official" release date for STOLEN FURY - December 30, 2008. EGAD!!!! That seems so sooon!!! There's so much to do promotion-wise between now and then. Thank God I have PR pro Lisa on my side to help me out. I also just got my PAN membership approved through RWA this morning, which is such a minor thing, really, but another mini-milestone that made me smile.

In other non-writing news...my half marathon (ack!!!) is scheduled for June 14th. Now THAT seems soon, doesn't it? Last Friday my running partner and I ran 10 miles (my longest run to date) in sweltering heat. We were having a mini-bakefest going on here in Oregon last weekend. The high that day was 102. When we left on our run it was 76 degrees. When we got back it was 88. Stupid me got sunburned, but thankfully now I'm just tan. I won't tell you our time though because it was awful...the heat really kicked my tushie. Interestingly enough, the past few days we haven't even reached 60 degrees. Go figure. And today I only have a short run (3 miles). (Can you see me rolling my eyes???)

Oh, and to answer questions from my Marilyn post below...snicker...yes, I did get my hair fixed, though it's still a little more blond than normal. But definitely better. When I went into the shop, my hair dresser said, "Why would you want to change it? You look so good super blond!" Obviously, the woman is color-blind!!!!!

So what's new with you? Share. I feel like I've been on Mars the past few weeks.

PS...I'm blogging today at the Mid-Willamette Valley Blog. No clue on what though. Better go figure that out...

Or Pamela. Or bleach-blond Playboy bunny (minus the really big boobs) straight out of Nickelback's "Rockstar". Because that's me right now. Platinum blond. I'd post a picture but...yeah. Not gonna happen.

I went to get my hair done on Friday and my hairdresser and I had a communication breakdown. My normal hair color is an ash blond/light brown. (The pic at the left is pretty much me minus the highlights) Actually, I think it's getting darker as I get older (I was golden blond up until my 20's), but I've been highlighting it so long, who can tell? I went in for my normal touch-up - normally we do one blond and two different shades of brown so it's all mixed together. Well, my color had faded and she said to me, "You don't want to be this blond do you?" Now, when I look in the mirror I don't see blond, I see brown and roots, so I said, "Do what you normally do. But I don't mind being blond. It's summer, after all." Apparently, I wasn't clear enough. Because I walked out of there looking like Marilyn Monroe. I think there are like three colors of blond in my hair and heck if I can see any brown at all. It's hard to tell in the salon, so I waited until I got home, took a look in the mirror and went, Holy crap! Needless to say, I had a packed Friday so I couldn't go back and have her fix it right away, and the earliest she can get me in is Tuesday. So until then...platinum blond I am. Which...I have to tell you...looks really hilarious because I have super dark eyebrows. (It's those gypsy genes.) Even though my normal hair color is fairly light I've always had dark eyebrows, even as a kid.

It's actually kind of fun to be a different color than normal, and I might enjoy being a "Pamela" for a while, except for the fact I need to get my author photos done this month, and I want to look normal for those. No bleach-blond bunnies on my books. LOL. So back to my normal light brown w/blond highlights I will go.

In other news, I finished my revisions on STOLEN FURY. God, I love this book. I'm so glad my editor does, too! I'm just giving it one more quick read through this weekend to make sure I covered all my revisions points. Then I'm moving on to the revisions for STOLEN HEAT this week.

Since it's Mother's Day (Happy Mother's Day to all you moms out there!) let's talk something non-writing. How about hair color? Ever done a dramatic "do"? And did you keep it or change it back? Several years back (loooong time ago in a galaxy far far away...) I decided to go red. Did it myself at home. Ummmmmmm. Yeah. Imagine me with flame-red hair. It didn't turn out so well. The scalp was light (my normal color) and the ends soaked up all the red. It looked hilarious. Needless to say I had to have it fixed by the pros. It was the last time I did my hair myself. And I quickly learned red and my skin tone do not go well together.

In case you missed it Saturday when I guest blogged at The Bradford Bunch, I'm reposting the cover copy for STOLEN FURY which I received from my editor last week.

DANGEROUS LIAISONS

Oh, is he handsome. And charming. And sexy as all get out. Dr. Lisa Maxwell isn’t the type to go home with a guy she barely knows. But, hey, this is Italy and the red-blooded Rafe Sullivan seems much more enticing than cataloging a bunch of dusty artifacts.

After being fully seduced, Lisa wakes to an empty bed and, worse yet, an empty safe. She’s staked her career as an archaeologist on collecting the three Furies, a priceless set of ancient Greek reliefs. Now the one she had is gone. But Lisa won’t just get mad. She’ll get even.

She tracks Rafe to Florida, and finds the sparks between them blaze hotter than the Miami sun. He may still have her relic, but he’ll never find all three without her. And they’re not the only ones on the hunt. To beat the other treasure seekers, they’ll have to partner up—because suddenly Lisa and Rafe are in a race just to stay alive.

I'm really getting excited about this release. As I've been going back through doing my editor revisions, I've fallen in love with the book and characters all over again. I can't wait to see it in print.

In other news, I've been putting together my song list for STOLEN SEDUCTION. Because, hey, you know I can't get very far without a "theme" song and soundtrack. ;) I'll post it soon. Speaking of which, have you ever really listened to the songs on the SHREK soundtracks? My daughter got one for Christmas and my new favorite song is It is You (I have loved) by Dana Glover. (Yeah, that one's on my song list.)

And Kendra just told me there are less than three months until Nationals. Eek! I need to get crackin'.

My editor sent me the cover art for Stolen Fury. OMG. It's GORGEOUS. Unfortunately, I can't share yet - copyright laws and all that - but as soon as I get the go-ahead, I'll be throwing it out for the world to see. My DH looked at it and said, "Whoa. That's hot!" I think he was shocked even though I'd told him exactly what they were going to do with the cover. LOL

In other news...Paty tagged me (grumble, grumble). Paty, I'm only playing along because it's you, dear.

Okay...six random things about me...

1. I've never been a "Beth". I've gone by every other nickname you can come up with for Elisabeth - Eli, Lis, Lissie, Elisa, Lissiebeth...but never EVER Beth. Don't know why. My HS choir teacher used to call me Beth all the time and I never responded. You'd think he would have figured it out. Never did. Interestingly, new people I meet don't ever call me Beth. They always go for one of the other nicknames. Weird. But good. Because I am definitely not a Beth.

2. I love yoga. Well, centergy - a class at my gym which is a cross between yoga and pilates. They keep asking me to become an instructor. It's tempting - free gym membership and all that - but I don't want to sacrifice writing time to teach. Plus, though I'm strong, I'm not naturally flexible like those girls who can do the splits.

3. I am a pasta-holic. Seriously. I could eat pasta all day long, three times a day. Of course, my body can't handle all those carbs anymore (sucks to get old). But I think I'm part Italian and my parents just don't realize it.

4. I met my DH in a ballroom dancing class in college. I know...awwww, how romantic, huh? LOL. I took the class because it sounded fun. He took it to meet girls (worked!). Interestingly enough, I picked HIM up.

5. I was a cheerleader in HS. Basketball (played VB and ran track, too, but that's not important). The hubby still teases me to no end about it because I am the FARTHEST from a typical cheerleader you will ever meet. Case in point - I was nearly kicked off the squad for being too "snarky". (Now you know where my characters get it...)

And finally...

6. Unlike every other writer out there, I didn't know I wanted to be a writer by the age of 3. Or 13. Or 23. Or...well...until I was 30, really. I always had stories playing in my head and used to make things up on my drive to work, but I never wrote them down and I didn't realize that made me different. (My mother has since told me that makes me odd). I didn't even consider writing until I quit my day job to stay home with my two kids. Then thought I'd go insane without something to do and started writing a book. Who would have known that near-insanity would be the start of something great?!

Okay...I have to tag six people. No idea if they'll play or not but here goes:

Joan
Linda
Lexi
Edie
Lisa (This is an excuse to get back to blogging, missy.)
Marissa

Ciao for now. (See?! Maybe I really am Italian!!!!)

Announcement Time!!

I just got confirmation that my books have definite titles!!! (I'm a little giddy!)

The titles are:

Stolen Fury - Release date: January 2009
Stolen Heat - Release date: Summer 2009
Stolen Seduction - Release date: TBD

Oh, my gosh. I couldn't be happier! Stolen Fury was actually my suggestion (along with the whole stolen theme) but the staff at Dorchester came up with the others and I just absolutely LOVE them.

In addition to that, my editor told me she just saw the cover sketch for Stolen Fury and she said it's beautiful. It has (as she put it) a "sexy as hell" scene on top and a spooky cave scene on the bottom. I cannot wait to see it myself. It's exactly what I envisioned when I used to dream about my first cover.

I have ten thousand things to do today - it's Gremlin #2's 6th bday party - so I need to go get a few things done, but I just had to share.

Eek!!! It's real!