A scary place to live…

On of the questions authors are always asked is, “Where do you get your ideas?” This isn’t always easy to answer because most writers have very active imaginations, and scenes non-writers see take on a whole new visual when you look at it from the writer’s perspective. For me, ideas come from all over—song lyrics, movies, sometimes even documentaries. But by and large, my ideas come from every day life. Today is a perfect example.

At the moment, I’m sitting in my dad’s pool house, watching my kids (AKA…Gremlins) jumping around in his outdoor hot tub. We’re in Washington and it’s spring break, which means it’s cloudy and rainy and COLD, and to say you couldn’t pay me enough to get out there and soak with them is an understatement. But from the confines of the little pool house my dad built, I have a safe perspective to view the festivities. Or terror…depending on what you see.

There is, of course, yelling (muffled, thankfully, by the pool house walls), screaming, splashing, dunking (even though I told them not to). Most parents would be concerned about safety and their kids damaging something, but not me. No, the writer in me is envisioning Greek myth monsters swimming under the surface, shooting out of the water and releasing a steady stream of fire across the unsuspecting inhabitants on the shore in their cozy little houses. (Yes, that would be me in the pool house!)

I know, that sounds a little psychotic, doesn’t it? But a writer’s brain is often a scary place to exist. When we’re in the car and I’m staring out the window, my husband will often ask me if I’m okay. It’s not uncommon for me to spend hours staring out at nothing, but in my head everything is happening even though from the outside it looks like I’m zoning out. Characters are talking, scenes are taking shape, normal everyday events are twisting and morphing until what’s I see isn’t what’s really there but is what I’ve created in my mind instead.

Sometimes I wish there was a cure for this. My brain is constantly working whether I want it to be or not. But most of the time, seeing the world from a whole different perspective lends itself to exciting stories and unique scenes. And at the end of the day, for a writer, that’s a pretty cool thing. Even if it means a simple, relaxing hot tub becomes a boiling lake of acid and lava. (Yes, that scene is morphing even as I type!)

My latest book is ENRAPTURED, the fourth book in my Eternal Guardians series, releases on April 3rd and was recently named as one of the Top Ten Romances of 2012 by Publisher’s Weekly. To celebrate the book’s release, my publisher is giving away a copy to one lucky commenter. Ask me anything to enter!

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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 on the web at www.ElisabethNaughton.com

***Elisabeth's winner is Dina!!  Congratulations!  Please email your full name and mailing address to totebag@authorsoundrelations.com.  Thanks!***