Shelley Munro Blog

I received my very first review for Playing to Win yesterday.

Ruby Minx, reviewer Literary Nymphs said, “Shelley Munro weaves a wonderful tale in Playing to Win, interspersing the romance between everything else that is happening around Lane and Kate. Lane wants to have a relationship with Kate and a family and, with his heart on the line, this is one game that he’s playing to win. You can’t help but fall in love with this couple as the warm and tender love story plays out. Fans of Ms Munro will love this book and will want to add it to their collection.”

You can read the full review here.

Yay! It’s always such a relief once the first review arrives.

Playing to Win came out with Cerridwen Press yesterday, which I’m very excited about. Will Kate and Lane get past the danger and the problems between them to find love? Read the book to find out

On the writing front, I’ve added a few thousand words to my current Middlemarch story. I hadn’t looked at it for a while and needed to reread what I’d written to date. I edited as I went and think things are coming along nicely.

My storyboard is starting to look very pretty. I need to ponder the plot a little more, play around with some of my post-its and then I should be able to start writing. I’m actually pretty excited about the plotting part of this. My muse wasn’t so sure but we had a talk and I think we’re both on the same page now. We’d better be or else I’m trading him in for a new muse. I threatened, so we’ll see how this truce goes.

I sent a story off to Spice Briefs today. I’ve been wanting to send a story to Spice for a while since I’ve really enjoyed all the ones I’ve read to date. The confirmation email I received back says to expect a wait of 3 - 6 months. Sigh. I’ve decided I hate waiting. I intend to keep busy to stop thinking about the subs I have out. It might work…

Hubby and I have booked our flights to San Francisco for the RWA conference. We’re intending to make the conference our first stop and to spend about five weeks traveling around after this. I can’t wait.

And finally, I’ve had a really good reading week. I’ve read Once Bitten, Twice Shy by Jennifer Rardin. It’s an Urban Fantasy - a sort of a James Bond meets Buffy. Jaz Parks is an assistant to a vampire assassin and they have some cool gadgets. She’s tough but there’s a vulnerability there as well. There are two more stories in the series, which I’m looking forward to.

Before Christmas I read a suspense called Most Wanted by Michele Martinez. This week I read the second story in the series about Melanie Vargas, a Federal Prosecutor, called The Finishing School. There’s a very sexy FBI agent called Dan and he and Melanie dance around each other but the romance is secondary. I’ll be grabbing the next story in this series as soon as I finish reading my books for the RITA. They arrived yesterday, and of course, I can’t discuss them.

How has your week been? What are you up to for the weekend?

This is turning into a week of senses. The other day it was scent so I decided to do sound/ hearing today. As a writer’s exercise, I quite often listen for different sounds when I’m out walking or at the mall, and this comes in handy when I’m writing. The following are sounds I heard this week while riding my bike.

1. A jumbo jet roaring overhead.

2. The whirr of my bicycle tires on the pavement.

3. The whistle of the wind as my body resisted it!

4. Various vehicles of different sizes - the purr of a car, the putt-putt of a van and the rumble of a bus.

5. The hiss of a spraypainter when a man painted outdoor furniture.

6. The protesting growl of a lawnmower.

7. The tweet of sparrows.

8. The quack of ducks at the pond.

9. The peel of a church bell ringing.

10. A dog barking.

11. A man shouting on his cellphone.

12. The laughter of children.

13. The wheeze of my breathing when I struggled up a hill.

And one extra one that you might hear today - the jubilant cheer when PLAYING TO WIN, my romantic suspense is finally out at Cerridwen Press.

What sounds have you heard today?

Part three

Kate Alexander:

He called me a whore. Just because he’s some big shot rugby player it doesn’t mean he can get away with slander. I haven’t done anything wrong. He’s sorry? He asked nicely so I guess the least I can do is listen to him properly. There’s something weird going on here because Lane looks just like Jamie. Maybe I’ll ask him to dinner. He’ll see that it couldn’t be me who spoke to the tabloids.

OMG. That’s a rat. Who would courier me a rat? It looks sick. Cripes! Of course Jamie would want to keep it. It really doesn’t look very well. Maybe it will die. Oh, please let it die…Bother, why does Lane Gerrard have to be so sexy? My hormones are going crazy. Somehow I don’t think chocolate is going to do the trick…

Lane Gerrard:

Hell, I handled that well. The woman just rubs me the wrong way. She’s so defensive and she’s still denying everything. The kid is here. Damn, my legs have gone shaky. I need to sit down. That kid looks like me when I was a kid. How? I know I didn’t sleep with Kate. But he’s obviously a Gerrard. Maybe one of my brothers? Bloody hell. This keeps getting worse. How am I going to sort this out? I need to find out who the kid’s father is. Kate…maybe if I keep my temper this time I’ll be able to get some answers. Kate has been great so far tonight. If it wasn’t for this mess I might even ask her out. She’s different than my usual dates and pretty in a girl-next-door way. The woman does have a great ass…

Kate Alexander:

Policemen? I wonder what they want? Sure, they can go around the back of the house. Oops, maybe it’s about time I did some gardening or at least move it up the list of things to do. It is a bit overgrown. Gnomes? Of course I don’t own any garden gnomes. They’re ugly. Where did they come from? Wow, it’s not everyday a girl finds her clothesline surrounded by garden gnomes. Steal them? Of course I didn’t steal them. I have no idea how they got there but my taste is way better than that.

Lane Gerrard:

There’s something weird going on here. Women don’t get rats sent in courier parcels and gnomes appearing in their gardens everyday. She’s received some heavy breather phone calls too. The cops should know this. I’d hate to see her get hurt. Maybe our first meeting didn’t go well, but I’m starting to like the woman more and more. Her eyes are pretty and I keep thinking about kissing her. The boy doesn’t like me though. He could be my son but he hates my guts. Maybe things will improve with time. And meantime the scenery is great. Damn, better not let her catch me looking. We’ll just take this one day at a time…

~*~

Is Kate going to forgive Lane for calling her nasty names? Who is sending Kate rats in the mail? Will she run out of chocolate before this situation with Lane is over? Who is Jamie’s father? Is Kate going to get in trouble for inviting stolen gnomes to inhabit her garden? When will she have time to do her gardening? Will Jamie speak to Lane? What is up with the weird stuff happening to Kate? Will Kate and Lane ever get together?

Read Kate and Lane’s story in PLAYING TO WIN, a romantic suspense by Shelley Munro, coming to Cerridwen Press on 17 Jan 2008. That’s tomorrow!

Will you buy a copy?

Kate Alexander, my heroine in my upcoming release, Playing to Win is an aromatherapist who offers massage and uses essential oils during her treatments. Basically aromatherapy is defined as the skilled and controlled use of essential oils for physical and emotional health and well-being. It is the study of scent.

Here’s a very brief excerpt from Playing to Win:

“Damn, that feels soooo good.”

Forest birdsong and the bubble of flowing water poured through concealed speakers in the corner of the dimly lit room. A tea candle flickered under a bowl of scented water, steam rising to release floral notes of lavender and exotic sandalwood.

Like Kate, I love scents and feel that scent is important in our everyday lives. A particular scent can bring back memories of the past, both good and bad. It can make you wrinkle your nose with distaste or bring a smile. Different scents trigger different reactions in a group of people. Think of the scents around you every day. There are the food smells that might bring hunger pangs. The scent of chocolate brings pleasure and anticipation, or at least it does in me. Just the smell of good chocolate makes me think of how it will taste in my mouth. And I dare anyone to walk past a Subway store that’s baking. Does anything smell better than freshly baked bread?

One of my favorite floral scents is lavender, although I’m also a big fan of anything citrusy. Throughout the ages oils, herbs and plants have been used in medicine. These days some people don’t believe they can help but for me scent is a big part of my well-being. For example going outdoors and smelling my favorite flowers always makes me smile and feel better, if I’m feeling a little down. Of course the fresh air might be part of it but I like to think scent plays a part too.

Here are some uses for lavender oil:

Headaches - 1-2 drops of neat lavender oil, pressed between forefingers and massaged at temples and nape of neck.

Sinus problems - 1-2 drops onto a hanky and breathe in the aroma or 1-2 drops onto a bowl of hot water, place towel over head, lean over bowl and breathe.

Bites, stings, burns - use neat 1-3 drops onto affected area.

Insomnia - 1-2 drops on hanky and place inside pillow slip where you can gently breathe the aroma.

Bruises, muscle aches, stomach upsets - 5 drops into 10mls of carrier oil - arnica is an ideal base for bruises and muscle aches. Massage gently over the area.

Note: as always use common sense. If the injury/problem is severe, seek medical advice.

What are your favorite scents, either food, flowers, perfume or something else? Which scents do you favor? Which scents make you wrinkle your nose the most?

Everyone who comments will go into a draw to win a download of my upcoming release, PLAYING TO WIN. I’ll draw the winner on Wednesday so don’t forget to check back to see if you’re the winner.

Take two - for part one go here.

Kate Alexander:
The shriek of brakes caught my attention. Photographers? Why are they taking my photo? When I glanced at the man, he seemed to know. He cursed and asked if could talk inside. Before I could answer he shoved me through the door and followed me inside. He still looked angry but he seemed in control of his temper so I directed him to the den. The last thing I need is another violent man in my life. Been there, done that.

Lane Gerrard:
The woman is a cool cucumber. She’s denying everything even though I’ve shown her the newspaper article. It’s there in black and white but she’s denying she talked to the press. My parents don’t need this, especially with Mom just out of hospital. When I told Kate to organize a retraction she just looked at me with her big eyes. Damn, I really don’t need this. I’d hate to have my promotional contracts canceled because some crazy woman is spreading malicious lies.

Who the hell is he? He looks familiar. Massage? Whoa? This woman is a kinky masseuse? Maybe I should set the cops on her? Okay, lady. No need to shout like a fishwife. I’m going. We’ll let the lawyers sort this out.

~*~

What is up with the photographers? Why are they interested in Kate? Does Lane really think she’s an adult masseuse? How is Kate going to set him straight? How big will the lawyers bill be? Will Kate and Lane ever get together?

Read Kate and Lane’s story in PLAYING TO WIN by Shelley Munro, coming to Cerridwen Press on 17 Jan 2008.

Like most people, I love music. There’s nothing better than driving along with music blasting, walking briskly with music playing through a set of headphones or just sitting and dreaming while listening to some favorite music.

The music scene in New Zealand is blooming with lots of new bands and some great music releasing during the last ten years. In 2000 New Zealand music was given approximately 10% of the airtime with music from overseas (USA, UK & Australia) making up the rest. In 2005 this figure had risen to 23% and I suspect that now in 2008, the percentage of New Zealand music played on radio stations is even higher.

My favorite New Zealand band at the moment is OpShop. Their newly released album is called Second Hand Planet, and if you check out their website you can listen to tracks from the album. Here’s a YouTube of their most recent hit, One Day. It’s number one on itunes in New Zealand.

And here’s a second song, Maybe, from the album with a more interesting video.

Happy listening. I hope you have time to pop back later in the day when I’ll post another He Said, She said - on Playing to Win. The first one is here.

Kate Alexander said:

When I opened my door I expected Jamie. Instead I found myself face-to-face with a glaring stranger. I gaped. Yes, I probably looked a little like a fish but consider the situation. What would you do when faced with a tall, dark and sexy stranger dressed in a designer suit. I mean what man doesn’t look good in a suit? My friend, Danielle says they’re good for hiding beer bellies, which is true. But this man didn’t have a beer belly. I know because I sneaked a look while he was glaring at me and eyeing me up and down. It made me want to squirm so I brazenly did the same to him. My cheeks went hot, my stomach took a dive south and I felt as if I were on a rollercoaster. I haven’t dated for ages because I’m too busy running my business and keeping ahead of the bills. But I started to think of sex. Heck, doesn’t this man ever smile? Who is he anyway? Ooh, sexy voice. He spoke and I started to think about sex again. He’s probably at the wrong house. I must grab a chocolate bar from the pantry. Maybe that will stop me thinking about sex…

Lane Gerrard said:

I expected a blonde bimbo with old eyes and a hard face. Instead an innocent pixy answered the door, fresh-faced and dressed in loose baggy clothes. She has freckles—-cute little golden dots across the bridge of her nose. When I asked if she was Kate Alexander she said yes, but her tone was cautious and she edged away from me. Hell. Not that I blame her. I can practically feel the smoke coming out my ears. The woman’s trying to blackmail me. Dammit, she’s not getting away with it, no matter how cute she is!

Will Kate have enough chocolate? Will Lane change his mind about her? Will they ever get together?

Read Kate and Lane’s story in PLAYING TO WIN by Shelley Munro, coming to Cerridwen Press on 17 Jan 2008.

I’ve been tagged, not once but three times. Cassandra Curtis, LA Day and Debbie Mumford have all tagged me with this meme. Like Cassandra, I’m changing the rules and blogging about my Middlemarch characters.

Here are seven things about my Middlemarch characters that you might not know:

1. Saber Mitchell from SCARLET WOMAN is the head of the family and his brothers and members of the leopard shifter community generally listen to him but he’s putty in his wife’s hands and adores Emily.

2. All the unmarried brothers seem to go to Emily Mitchell for advice. She likes to tease them because after all, they are males, but gives them great advice. She adores all the brothers and still can’t believe her luck in finding a man like Saber.

3. Felix and Tomasine Mitchell from PEEPING TOM are hiding from assassins but unknown to them they’ve been coming into contact with an assassin on a regular basis. So far, they’re still alive but danger lurks…

4. The assassin, who you haven’t met yet but will in ASSASSIN (Aug 2008) likes to ride a motorbike and looks great in black leather.

5. Sly and Joe Mitchell, the twins and youngest of the Mitchell brothers, who you met in SCARLET WOMAN are currently languishing in Dunedin because Shelley can’t quite decide on the exact hijinks for them to get up to. Although Shelley did say the wait would probably end this year.

6. Leo Mitchell from ASSASSIN helps run the family vineyards and he’s good at it since business is booming, but he still likes to help out on the farm.

7. Felix Mitchell is currently working on a new project with Tomasine. They’re busy trying to make a baby.

And because this is all about my characters, here are the links to their books:

Scarlet Woman
Peeping Tom
Stray Cat Strut
Assassin

I’m guest blogging over at Fuzzy Pink Slipper blog today. Check out my post here.