Elisabeth Naughton Asks the Question: 'Hot Cops?'

Thanks so much to the Bandits for having me back again. It’s so fun to be here with you all!

Years ago – when I was first writing – I had a critique partner who told me not to write about cops. Her husband had been in law enforcement, and she said (and I quote), “You don’t do it well.” Okay, so I write romantic suspense. How many romantic suspense books can you name that don’t have cops in them? Ever since then, I’ve had an aversion to writing about law enforcement. It’s really a mental block more than anything else, and stems from my fear of writing something “wrong” than anything else. But that comment has stuck with me, and it’s always there, in the back of my head, lurking when I least expect it.

When I wrote Stolen Fury, my debut book, I wrote in a secondary cop. He was the heroine’s twin brother and a real hot-head, hard-ass, overprotective kind of guy. Originally, he was just there to push the story forward, to give the main characters bits and pieces of info they needed along the way. And then…he sprouted wings. I swear he turned into a butterfly right there near the end of the book. I definitely didn’t plan that! And after my editor bought the book, one of her first questions was, “When are you writing Shane’s book?”

I think I froze. And had a moment of, “Holy crap. What did I just get myself into?” In the back of my head I heard that critique partner saying, “Don’t write about cops. You don’t do it well.”

Since Stolen Fury released, the question I got asked more from fans than any other is this one: “When are you writing Shane’s book?” Readers love him, and I’m not entirely sure what it is about him that resonates with people, but they’ve been salivating for him from the start. So I started his book. Planned for it to be the second book in the series, but just couldn’t make it work. I shelved it and wrote Stolen Heat instead, which became the second book in the trilogy. But Shane…that cop…he wouldn’t leave me alone. And readers were still asking, “When are you writing Shane’s book?”

To say I balked at writing Stolen Seduction is not an understatement. BUT…I have to tell you, those readers were right. Shane’s book was worth waiting for. Even I am riveted by him. For me it’s a combo of him being the hardest hero I’ve ever written – his profession and his personality – and the fact he’s the kind of guy I think all women want. He’s overprotective, he’s moody, he’s dark, he’s sexy as hell but he’s so loyal you can’t believe it. And when he loves…it’s deeper than anything you’ve ever experienced.

I still hear that voice in my head telling me I can’t write cops well. But these days I just ignore it. I’m sure you’ve heard that the best way to get over a fear is to just do it. For me that was definitely the case. And now that Stolen Seduction is out and readers are emailing to tell me they think it’s the best book of the three, I’m so glad I didn’t listen to that little voice after all.

I’ve got a copy of Stolen Fury, book one in my Stolen Trilogy, where readers first get to meet Detective Shane Maxwell, to give away to one lucky commenter today. Simply tell me what you think about hot cops. Love ‘em? Hate ‘em? Had enough? Or is there always room for one more sexy detective?

And don’t miss my Stolen Seduction Release Contest! Click the widget below to enter for a chance to win a $100 Amazon Gift Card. Contest runs through 1/15/10.