Shelley Munro Blog

I have a new interview up at Manic Readers. BTW, if you’re an author you can sign up for a free page at Manic Readers. Here’s mine.

Yay! I have a new sale to report. I’ve sold a Quickie to Ellora’s Cave. It’s called Fringe Benefits and is a friends with benefits story as well as a threesome. It’s a hot little number.

Finally, we had a fine day today, and I went for a long cycle ride. Unfortunately all that fresh air was a bit too stimulating for my brain, because I had two ideas for stories and one in particular is screaming, “Write. Me. Now.” Not gonna happen. I’ve done a note to jog my memory at a later date, and I’m ploughing ahead with my sci-fi story.

We went out for lunch with friends yesterday and had both great food and company. I take my camera with me everywhere and decided I needed a photo of my cherry beer. I’d taken a couple of sips. A passing waiter asked if I’d like some froth on top for my photo. “Yes, please!” I said and he took away my drink, returning seconds later with some nice froth on top. Wasn’t he nice?

Did you have a fun weekend?

Julia tagged me for this meme. It’s a fairly easy one and didn’t tax my brain too much.

Here’s how to play:

1. Pick up the nearest book.

2. Open to page 123

3. Find the fifth sentence.

4. Post the next three sentences.

5. Tag five people, and acknowledge who tagged you.

At the moment I’m reading Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Yes, I know. I’m miles behind everyone else! I have the Deadly Hallows on my to-read pile as well and figured they’re so big and fat, if I actually read them, my to-read pile would look a lot smaller! Even better, somehow I’ve managed to avoid spoilers and have no idea of the plots for both books.

On page 123 - the fifth sentence: “It isn’t being … kept for anyone?”

The next three sentences:

Borgin squinted at her. Harry had the nasty feeling he knew exactly what Hermione was up to. Apparently Hermione felt she had been rumbled, too, because she suddenly threw caution to the winds.

I’m not tagging anyone, but it’s an easy meme so feel free to have a go.

Answer: Simple! You buy a new vacuum/steam cleaner. He loves to play with new gadgets and see how things work. Hey presto and your work is done!

It will be interesting to see how long the novelty lasts and how long I can escape learning how to use the new vacuum cleaner.

We’re still having bad thunder storms here in New Zealand. I start to suffer from cabin fever after a while, and just have to get outside. Thank goodness our climate isn’t too bad, and I can get outside into the fresh air most days. I’d go nuts if I couldn’t.

My guest today is Selena Illyria who writes for Changeling Press. Selena says she was born with need to write and has an over active imagination. She loves to write stories featuring futuristic cities that can only be imagined, visit island kingdoms of vampire/dragons, giggle with mischievous pixies, peek in on faeries looking for their mates, check in on the naughty staff of an exclusive academy, and sigh over how in love a powerful business exec is with his wife.

Today, she’s telling us about her release, Tartan Surprise, which hit the cyber shelves this week.

Hi everyone! Thank you so much to Shelley for asking me back to Guest Blog.

I’m back with a new book, Tartan Surprise. This time we head over to Scotland where we meet Iain and Katherine. The full moon is near and Iain is a werewolf looking to take the edge off of some of his hungers. When he spies Katherine at the pub he thinks he’s found the perfect person to satisfy his hunger for sex. But he gets more than what he bargained for.

Here’s a little background on the story for you. Originally this story was subbed for the Heat Wave line of stories but the word count was too long, lol. My publisher loved the story so much she asked me to lengthen it. I was shocked and so excited that I said sure. Soon after I got my release date, the day after my birthday.

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Last night we had the worst storm we’ve had for ages. The thunder and lightning went for most of the night, accompanied by torrential rain. It was so bad it kept me awake, and according to the weathermen we’re in for more of the same. Our winter has finally arrived. I thought it was a great topic for a TT, so here goes…

1. Thunder is actually the sound made by lightning. The sound ranges from a sharp, short crack to a long rumble and depends on the type of lightning and the distance of the person who is listening. Thunder is caused by the rapid expansion and contraction of the air surrounding a lighting bolt.
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My special guest today is the wonderful Crystal Jordan. Crystal is a fellow Romance Diva and began writing romance after she finished graduate school and needed something to fill the hours that used to be eaten away by homework. She is originally from California, but has lived and worked all over the United States. Currently, she serves as a librarian at a large research university in the Rocky Mountains and writes paranormal, futuristic, and erotic romance.

BTW - to read behind the scene details of Crystal’s Carnal Desires series, go here.

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According to literary agent, Kristin Nelson, dogs are hot at the moment and editors are searching for both fiction and nonfiction projects relating to dogs after the recent success of Marley & Me. Kristin says The Art of Racing in the Rain is also another success story.

I’d like to say I beat the trend with my Talking Dog series at Ellora’s Cave. If you enjoy dog stories, humor and romance check out Talking Dogs, Aliens and Purple People Eaters, Never Send a Dog to do a Woman’s Job, or Romantic Interlude which all feature Killer, the talking dog. Romancing the Alien is a print combo of the first two Talking Dogs books.

It’s time for a cup of tea, so in the immortal words of Killer - “Do ya have any food?”

This week Australian Alexis Fleming is out on the Cyber Circuit. She says she’s one of those strange people who live inside their mind. No, she doesn’t hear little voices… Well, she does, just not the type you’re thinking of. Alexis’ world is peopled with interesting characters and exciting possibilities that come to life in each and every book she writes. Her first love has always been romance, whether on this world or the next. Hot, sizzling relationships with a dash of comedy and a few trials and tribulations thrown in to test her characters.

When she’s not tied to her computer creating sizzling stories to tempt her readers, she helps run a busy motel set on the edge of a national marine park in Australia. What better place to get inspiration for the tales she turns out? A glorious sunset over the ocean, dolphins playing almost in her front yard, suntanned bodies lazing on the sand… How could she not get caught up in the eroticism of that?
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This might seem a random topic to blog about, but last week, not far from where I live, a woman was killed during a handbag robbery. Most women carry their lives in their handbag. I know I’m guilty of carrying way more stuff than I need. I thought a refresher of some commonsense rules wouldn’t go astray.

Here are a few things we can do to keep both our possessions and ourselves safe.

1. Be aware of your surroundings. When exiting your car in a carpark look to see who is around.

2. Walk with confidence and display positive body language.

3. Avoid walking in badly lit or isolated areas, especially if you’re alone.

4. Keep your bag close. Zip it shut and be wary of anyone who tries to distract you. Don’t leave your bag unattended. e.g. in a supermarket trolley.

5. Keep your car door locked while driving, and avoid leaving valuable items in your car when you leave it, if possible. Secure valuable items in the boot (trunk) before arriving at your destination.

6. Have your keys in your hand before you reach your vehicle. Secure your handbag first before your shopping.

7. Watch your handbags while in restaurants, public toilets. If you’re at a club and dancing have someone you know look after your bag. I’ve done a lot of traveling and I know how quick thieves can be. When I’m traveling I have my hand on my bag at all times. Sitting on the seat beside you is not a good place to keep your bag.

8. Keep your bag in front of you or in your hand while you’re at the bank or a ticket counter.

If you have any other suggestions please let me know.

I’m running a contest and giving away copies of some of my Ellora’s Cave Quickies. For full details go to my contest page. Good luck!