Saturday, January 02, 2010

Author Elisabeth Naughton

Please join in welcoming back to Killer Fiction the famously fabulous author Elisabeth Naughton. Take it away, Elisabeth...



Happy New Year!


Thanks so much to the ladies here at Killer Fiction for inviting me back. The third book in my Stolen Trilogy released this past Tuesday, and I couldn’t be more thrilled that it’s finally on the shelf. STOLEN SEDUCTION was a lot of fun to write, a book I’m extremely proud of, but one that wasn’t without its trials and tribulations.


Aside from the fact I nearly killed my hero halfway through the book (see this post if you’re interested in reading why), I got myself into some hot water in the research department. You see, to make the plot work, I needed to figure out how I could kill someone and not make it look like murder. I thought long and hard about how I wanted to do the dastardly deed and finally decided on poisoning. Logically, I asked my husband (who works for a pharmaceutical company) how I could poison someone and NOT make it look like murder. Because he knows how my twisted mind works, he rubbed his chin and rattled off various drug interactions that would cause easily explained (legitimate) deaths. Problem: they all took way too long to work. I needed something immediate. So—after lots of grumbling on my part—the hubby finally said, “I know a doctor on the Coast who’s also a medical examiner. We get along well. I’ll ask him.”


Okay.


Lesson Number One
: When asking questions about how to murder someone, DON’T DO IT VIA EMAIL.


The hubby wrote out a long email explaining what I needed and told the ME it was for my “book”. The medical examiner replied with three words: GET A LAWYER.


*sigh*


So much for that research connection. On I went to a friend whose brother is a Physician’s Assistant. This time *I* contacted him with my question. This “friend” is like a best friend. And she and her mom read ALL my books. They know what I write, they tell everyone about me, so it seemed logical the brother – who also knows what I write – would be a big help.


Lesson Number Two
: Do not assume anything. Especially when it comes to murder.


The PA’s answer? “Please send me your husband’s cell number. I think he needs to know what you’re asking.”


*sigh*


And there went that research connection. My last shot was a county medical examiner who had spoken at a writer’s workshop I’d attended. She KNEW we were all writers and gave us her contact info and told us to get in touch with her if we had any research questions. (In her words: “It’s so cool that you write about this!”) So I did.


Lesson Number Three
: People LIE.


All messages AND emails went unanswered.


And that led me to…


Lesson Number Four (and the most important): If you want to know how to clear a room, ask a group of medical professionals how to commit murder and get away with it. I guarantee you’ll become as popular as the plague.

In the end, I was able to get my questions answered, but it wasn’t easy. And I am absolutely certain someone in the FBI is keeping a close eye on my husband to make sure he doesn’t wind up dead in the near future.


I’ve got one copy of STOLEN FURY, book one in the trilogy, and one copy of STOLEN HEAT, book two in the trilogy, to give away today. To be entered in my drawing, simply tell me about a time you got yourself into hot water.


And in case you haven’t heard, I’m running a big contest in celebration of the release of STOLEN SEDUCTION. Click the widget below for rules and how to enter!



share image
enter today
go to book

18 comments:

Susan Helene Gottfried said...

Elisabeth, you ought to join Sisters in Crime if you're going to keep killing characters. They've got a listserve where this sort of discussion is commonplace. Not nearly as much fun to write about in the end, though.

No need to enter me for your books (due entirely to a small TBR problem, not due to interest or lack thereof). I wanted to drop in and let everyone know I posted about this at Win a Book 'cause it was too much fun not to.

ErinT said...

Let's see I have landed myself in hot water plenty of times. I have a tendency to act before I think. So I guess I will just go with my most recent one. I forgot to pull my car in the driveway one night and left it parked in the street. (Here in the winter you cannot park on the street overnight) I ended up with a ticket on my windshield in the morning. I stuffed it in my purse and completely forgot about it. I had so many papers and receipts floating around in my purse due to Christmas shopping it completely escaped my notice. It wasn't until last week I got a letter in the mail that I had 3 days to pay the ticket or my license would be suspended. I located the ticket and went to City Hall to pay it. Well since it had been over 2 weeks since I had gotten the ticket my fine tripled! My $25 parking ticket cost me $75! Oops! Do you think my husband will believe I bought him a present from City Hall when the credit card bill comes next month?
Thanks for the chance to win these books! It sounds like a great series. Congrats on your new release!

Becky LeJeune said...

Great post!

A time when I got myself into hot water... When I was a senior in high school, I started dating a guy who was four years older than me. Well, we actually met the year before, talked on the phone a lot, and hung out where he worked (we dated until I was 22 and broke up because I didn't want to get married at that point).

At one point, though, he worked temporarily at this strange little shop that really wanted to be sex novelty stuff. It really wasn't so bad once you actually got inside, but the thought of the kind of store it was was enough to shut it down pretty early. And no way was I telling my parents that my new friend worked at this place!

I decided, in my 16 year old wisdom, to go visit him there at work one day -- normally, he worked at a restaurant just down the street from my house. No big deal. This place was downtown, way past where I was allowed to drive at the time.

So I told my parents I was going to the library.

It was raining and I was driving my mom's van and I turned the corner only to find the car had started hydroplaning. I tried to steer into a driveway, but my limited control landed me in a ditch instead. No problem, I thought it was wide and shallow enough that I could just drive right out.

Unfortunately, every time I got the top another car would pass and I'd have to pause, which caused the van to slide back down the grass. I did this enough times that the rear bumper actually buried itself in the mud on the final try. I had to call my parents.

The cops came because it was a state road. Fortunately I did not get a ticket, fortunately my parents were too worried about my behavior and whether I could be in shock--when I called them and told them I'd been in a wreck, they asked me where I was. I just kept saying, I don't know! In the ditch! -- but it didn't take long for them to say, Becky, the library is in the other direction. Where were you going?

Maybe the fact that I broke down in quivering fear at the mention of driving a car again kept me out of trouble that day. I'm not sure. My dad's punishment was to make me get back behind the wheel.

We live in snow country now, though, and to this day I refuse to drive on slick roads. Or visit sex novelty stores : )

Refhater said...

LOL, I've gotten myself into hot water multiple times. The one that stands out the most is the time I got myself kicked out of an airport.

My grandfather (who is a gun dealer)had made me a key chain with a (spent) 30-06 bullet. I added it to my keys and forgot about it.

Then as I was going through a security check point at the local airport with the keys on the bullet key chain in my pocket, I set off all the alarms. Airport security appeared out of the wood work complete with bomb sniffing dogs. I was asked to leave the premises.

They eventually let me return to meet my brother's flight to bring him home. Minus the now imfamous key chain.

Congrats on the new release and Happy New Year.

Unknown said...

lmao! i love the story about the poison! You have such a wonderful imagination and personality:) Thanks for sharing :)

Unknown said...

oops forgot to say somethin about me. I once went to cabin with friends as a teen and thought it belonged to one of their grandparents. I only found out a few days later that they had actually broken into it and the RCMP wanted to ask me questions. Luckly the others told the rcmp that I had no idea what they had done and all was ok but of course I never forget to ask many questions now lol

Michelle Santiago said...

awesome post elisabeth--gave me my first chuckle of the day!!

hmm... a time when i got myself in hot water. i have a lot of those because i'm the kind of person who rarely says "no" and does not keep a planner. in college i was in a sorority and the president asked me to plan an annual dinner event (i said yes). a few days later i was reminded that there's a special bible study being held at my university (i was also involved with my church then) the same night as the dinner. i was supposed to act as one of the "hosts" because i go to school there.

i obviously can't do both and i had to choose and make up a really plausible story to not go to the other and not get caught in the lie. i ended up going to the dinner because i was the sole planner of that event.

some might be thinking why i couldn't just explain to the bible study group about a previous engagement but you know: sorority parties = drinking (always--yes, that sorority cliche is true, for my sorority anyway) and my church really frowns on the whole sorority/frat/drinking/parties craziness. i'm ashamed to say this but i pretty much lived a double life back in college so i was constantly in hot water.

limecello said...

Elisabeth, poor you, but this was so entertaining! I bet it was super frustrating... :X but somewhat amusing?
:P Your friends sound difficult. Or... mine are twisted and I should watch my back, because we've discussed various "perfect murders" before...

As for landing in hot water... Not quite the same, but at my first clerking job I had to figure out how to get someone a gun/hunting license. The attorney gave me basically no information, and I went on a wild goose chase, contacting various people in the department of natural resources... and the answer was basically "well, you can use a bow to hunt. I suggest you contact your parole officer or the court where you were sentenced." ... *facepalm* (Actually, I was pretty offended- not just because they clearly didn't listen to me or look at what I'd asked/written.)

Unknown said...

My mouth is always getting me in hot water because I speak my mind. I speak a lot of time before I think, this is not good.

One thing that comes to mind when I got in real hot water was when I was a teenager and went to a ball game with girlfriend. We gave some friends a ride home and yes they were boys. Anyway the car oil light came on and it starte making noise and we had to walk a two mile to get the oil, we put oil in the car and drove home. To make it short we were very late getting home and parents had the police out looking for us. Right now to this day 30 year later they don't beleive the car ran out of oil. They say it wouldn't have run after that, but it did.

Emmy F said...

Hey Elisabeth: funny stuff! I can only think of one hot water story and don't want to share it in a public forum in fear of it coming back to bite me in the rear :) It was when I was young & dumb (college).

robynl said...

I'm gullible and get into hot water easily.
One time I talked with this lady at the grocery store and she was ousting my neighbour and I thought 'oh goody, I can tell her some things'. Well not so goody, because the lady at the store was at one time married to my neighbour's son and even though she badmouthed her she was still friends. It came back to me. Ouch!!

Anonymous said...

Your blog keeps getting better and better! Your older articles are not as good as newer ones you have a lot more creativity and originality now keep it up!

Jane said...

Hi Elisabeth,
Congrats on the new release. I've gotten into hot water many times. I remember in high school where I was told a secret by a good friend and I broke my promise and told another person. Everyone knew that I was the one who told and it was not a good feeling. It took a lot of apologies before my friend and I became close again.

Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews said...

Hi Elisabeth!

Congrats on the new release and I love the cover!

One incident I got into hot water was at my former employment where the vice president asked me to spy on the president (she has a form of annesia(sp)and write down how many times she went to the bathroom.

I didn't feel comfortable doing that and didn't keep a record and he wasn't too happy!

Anonymous said...

As it is the ROI is reaching more than 5% everyday. Considering the current economic upgradations in almost all nations across the world, do you think that forex investments are going to reap the best results?
[url=http://forexrobot-review.info]best forex software[/url] [url=http://www.youthplannet.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=63&t=593&p=1502#p1502]unlock iphone[/url]

M. said...

Hee!

I'll try to apply your writing life lessons once I figure out how to transfer them from crimewriting to another genre.

My most recent hot water experience was seeing a friend I hadn't met in a year or so and asking how her husband was. Whoops. Separated for six months....

Ladytink_534 said...

I honestly have never gotten into hot water... especially than kind of hot water! The worst trouble I've ever gotten into was in high school when a friend took her car out and her parents called the cops.

Jenyfer Matthews said...

What a great post!

There was the time I took my husband to the French Quarter to look around the day after Thanksgiving and it was packed so I took the only spot I could find, which was too close to a stop sign. When we returned to the car a few hours later, it was in the process of being towed! I begged the cop to release it, even offered to pay the fine then and there (bribe anyone??) and he took pity on me and let the car down, though he did give me a parking ticket - which I paid promptly in my gratitude :)