Taste of Kiwi

Come celebrate the last day of Deliciously Decadent December with Ellora’s Cave Author, Shelley Munro.

Cat Burglar by Shelley Munro

Publisher: Ellora’s Cave
Genre: Paranormal Shapeshifter
ISBN: 9781419918308
Release Date: 12/31/2008
Length: Novel

Blurb:
Laura Adams is a cop with ambition, and a job in Middlemarch isn’t what she wants for her future. Hooking up with the wrong man is responsible for the wrong turning, and she refuses to repeat the mistake, especially with a sexy thief.

Leopard shifter Jonno Campbell takes one look at Laura and desires her as his mate. He’s enthralled with the fiery cop, and when she arrests him, he’s ready for a strip search. Convincing Laura he’s innocent and that they should work together to capture the thieves stealing from Middlemarch residents isn’t easy. A kiss laced with his easy charm does the trick and sparks fly. Passion escalates into primitive hunger. A night of hot loving convinces Jonno. He wants forever with the gorgeous Laura, but her ambition, his feline heritage and a gang of thieves stand in the way of his progress. Then there’s the ex-boyfriend who wants Laura back. This time charisma and erotic promises might not be enough to win the lady.

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Excerpt
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Want your own copy of Cat Burglar? Leave a comment here and be entered to win.
Can’t think of anything to say? Tell me if you think a leopard can change its spots. Can a bad boy turn into one who is great marriage material? Do you think you can kick your old/bad habits and turn over a new leaf for 2009?

For more chances to win visit the other Triple D author blogs.

Shelley Munro
Samantha Kane
Cheryl Dragon
Amy Ruttan
Aubrey Ross
Angelia Sparrow
Emma Petersen
LA Day

Wanna find out where the Deliciously Decadent December authors will be next? Join our Yahoo group for updates and chances to win copies of our latest releases. Click here to join.

Rules:
1. Leave a comment and you’ll be entered to win.
2. Winner will be chosen at random via Random.org
3. You can enter a total of 8 times by leaving a comment on each Triple D author’s blog but you will only allowed to win once.
4. You must be 18 and older to enter and/or win.
5. You must collect your prize within 10 days of prize announcement or prize is null & void.

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Angela James did a great post at Romancing the Blog a few days ago about reality in romances. “How is it,” she asked, “that the hero and heroine don’t suffer from morning breath in most romances?”

I’ve wondered this myself. Other things bother me, too, not usually enough to stop reading, but I do pause to consider. The issue of condoms bothers me, depending on the circumstances and the plot. In historicals I wonder about bathing. People didn’t used to have many baths because they considered it unhealthy and having a bath inside was plain hard work. The water needed heating and then servants needed to transport it to the bath. I don’t know about you but I’m wondering exactly how smelly things were. I like it when the hero or heroine take the time to swim in a river or lake.

I think about the feasibility of some sexual positions (can we say dislocated joints?) and wonder what happened to clothes. As my editor has points out to me it’s difficult to undress if you’re still wearing boots! Funny that…

What things bother you when you’re reading a romance? Are they enough to make you stop reading a particular book or author? Do you think I’m being hypersensitive because after all it is only fiction?

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I’m the guest blogger over at Erotic Muses today. I’m talking about cat burglars and mentioned my upcoming release, Cat Burglar in passing…

Here’s the link: Erotic Muses

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Yesterday I purchased Everything is Fine by Josh Turner for my iPod. His singing voice is amazing – all low and sexy and it gives me the shivers. The man could sing me my latest rejection letter and I’d say, “Yes, please. More.” Of course it doesn’t hurt that he’s cute as well. Here’s the Youtube of him singing the song live at the Ole Opry so you can judge yourself.

Thoughts of sexy voices led me to accents. A guy could whisper a rejection letter to me in French or Italian and I’d ask him to say it again. Irish and Scottish accents are pretty sexy too, although since I’d understand what they were saying I mightn’t ask them to repeat it. Josh Turner is the only one who can get away with a repeat in English.

Here’s a Youtube of a girl talking in 21 different accents. She’s pretty good, but please, those of you who have met me in person – please tell me I didn’t sound like her version of a New Zealander!

PS. I listened to it again. Maybe the NZ accent isn’t too bad. Besides, I live in Auckland and not Wellington.

Which voices and accents do you find sexy? Who would you like to whisper sweet nothings in your ear? Who could read you bad news or a boring shopping list and you’d enjoy it?

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My special guest today is fellow Romance Diva Jennifer Colgan. She writes for Amber Quill and Amber Heat and has a new release called Strange New World coming in Feb 2009 from Samhain Publishing. Jennifer also writes under the name of Bernadette Gardner for Ellora’s Cave. Today Jennifer is talking about the measuring up and taking stock we all do at the start of a new year. Over to Jennifer…

First off, I’d like to thank Shelley for inviting me to be her guest. I’ve been reading all the wonderful posts by her previous guests and wondering how I can measure up.

The question of measuring up – of taking stock of who and what we are, is one that usually plagues me during this time of year. Though I strive to see the year as a circle with no real beginning and I subscribe to the idea that it’s never too late to start something, when the end of December rolls around, I invariably find myself contemplating how the year that’s coming to a close measures up to the one before, and how it will impact the one after.

This past year was a whirlwind for me. It seemed to fly by in a blur while I tried to keep all my plates spinning at once. In addition to writing for three publishers and editing for two, I still hold a part time job outside of writing and of course care for my home and family, which includes a husband, two children and an ever-expanding collection of pets. While I wish I could say this was a year of unprecedented accomplishment, to be honest, it was more a year of unflagging dedication to getting the job done. I measured each day in how many pages I wrote [and usually how many loads of laundry I washed]. I became quota girl so to speak, stuck on the DO MORE treadmill. “Get it done” was my motto.

While that might seem like it worked fairly well from the standpoint of an outside observer – I wrote five stories, sold seven, and edited twenty – not to mention finding time to read forty other books, most for my own enjoyment, I did lose track of something I’m hoping to regain in 2009. While striving to accomplish, to GET IT DONE, I began to lose some of the wonder of my craft and that’s where I’ve decided to concentrate my efforts to see that 2009 measures beyond 2008.

I don’t plan to exceed my word count this year, or to read 41 books instead of 40. My goal for 2009 is a bit more elusive. I want to love what I’m doing again. I want to get back to the way it was when I started out, writing for the joy of seeing a story unfold before me on the page, letting my characters surprise me by doing something I hadn’t planned for them, rather than vex me by stalling my progress for the day.

It may seem like a small detail in the overall scheme of things, but to me it’s huge and will mark for me whether or not 2009 is a success. If I can fall in love with writing all over again, I will be able to say the New Year not only measured up but surpassed the old one.

Happy Holidays everyone and may you not only meet but exceed all your goals in the coming months!

Question from Shelley: How do you approach the new year? Do you take stock like Jennifer? Decide to do things differently?

Don’t forget to check out Jennifer’s story, Fresh Blood, available on her website for free! Here’s the link.

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I’m an avid traveler and a recent article in the travel section of the New Zealand Herald caught my attention. It spoke to me. It made me laugh.

In some countries, you still have travel with a father or a husband before being allowed to enter i.e. Saudi Arabia. In other countries I’ve visited, such as Iran, women have to wear head scarves, covered shoes and a long sleeved coat. I have a photo somewhere of me and two girlfriends in the back of a cab in Esfahan, Iran. We’re dressed in black from head to foot and wearing huge grins. We wore a black chador during our visit plus headscarves. I remember being uncomfortable and hot for the full seven days it took us to drive through the country. That said, it was a wonderful experience and we met some lovely people.

In other countries such as Pakistan, India and Turkey, a woman needs to dress with care to prevent giving local males the wrong idea, i.e. that’s she’s available and ready for sex.

But there’s one other thing about travel that’s an even bigger problem for women, and that’s going to the loo. (Restroom for those of you in the US) Sometimes it’s hard to find one and at other times, they’re plain disgusting. A man can go anywhere – choose a spot, take aim and go. For a woman it’s not that easy. Take it from me, I have firsthand experience with this dilemma!

When we traveled overland in India, we’d pull up in the middle of nowhere for lunch. The first thing all the girls did was dive off the truck and find a tree to squat behind because within minutes the locals would appear. Many a time, we’d turn around and find a stranger getting a good view from behind. We learned to be quick.

That’s why this article fascinated me. It was about a new product called the Shewee that allows women to relieve themselves while standing up. To pee with a Shewee you unzip your trousers and push your underwear to the side. The Shewee is placed against your body and the spout angled toward the toilet or ground. A quick shake of the liquid resistant plastic and it’s dry and ready to store for the next time. At 17cm long and being very light, it can be stowed easily.

Here’s the link to the New Zealand website where it sells for NZ$19.90. (there’s also a US website – follow the links from the NZ one)

What do you think?

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I love my husband. I love cycling. Logic would dictate that cycling with my husband would be lots of fun. In a word–no!

Something about the combination of husband and a bicycle brings out the competitive gene in him. He has to beat me to our destination. Of course, it probably doesn’t help that, at times, I have a competitive streak, too. Some days it doesn’t bother me if he cycles off into the distance, leaving me behind.

Today wasn’t that day. My beloved husband irritated me.

When he cycled off into the distance, I took a shortcut, then I waited for him. He took a long time because he’d gone back to see where I was. He worried that I’d fallen off, which made me feel bad for about…um…two seconds.

Do you have a competitive streak in you? Do you like to win?

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1. I need more sleep.

2. Bah-humbug!

3. I knew they’d be late and lunch wouldn’t be on time.

4. She should take a chill-pill.

5. Please sit down and rest.

6. Aw, what a cutie. (My new niece, Abby)

7. Ooh, book voucher. That will come in handy!

8. Can’t he see that he stole my seat? Does he need glasses or something?

9. I wish someone had given me a supersoaker!!

10. Run! Aw, heck! That’s cold!

11. It’s hot. I need my hat.

12. Oops! Wrong time, wrong place. Now my shirt is wet all the way through. I really need a supersoaker.

13. I’m tired. Thank goodness I’m home and can have a beer now.

My day was full of family, good food and a horrendously big waterfight where hubby and I both ended up very wet. Luckily it was a hot and sunny day. I’ve just driven home and can now sit down with a drink and watch some TV. I feel like watching some more Deadwood tonight. I don’t think it will take much to convince hubby. I hope every one has a day as good as mine.

Add/share your random thoughts in the comments section.

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I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday, full of well-behaved family, great friends and lots of yummy food. It’s Christmas day here in New Zealand, so I need to get moving.

Blog-hopping will resume again later!!

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Come Celebrate a Deliciously Decadent December with Ellora’s Cave Author, Angelia Sparrow.

Eight Days Ablaze
Publisher: Ellora’s Cave
Genre: Futuristic
ISBN: 9781419918520
Release Date: 12/24/2008
Length: Quickie

Blurb:
Lawyer Adina barJonas loves Hanukkah. And her Papa gives the best gifts. This year, it’s the VirtualClone Box, for “a fully integrated sensory experience.” Adina uses it to argue law, meet her heroes and thoroughly indulge herself with some very sexy men over the eight nights of the holiday.

But, Papa and her Uncle David have their own agenda, as always, and Adina finds that enjoying her new toy has played right into their hands.

Buy
Excerpt
Website
Blog

Want your own copy of “Eight Days Ablaze?” Leave a comment here and be entered to win.
Can’t think of anything to say? Tell me what piece of cyber-ware you are eagerly anticipating.

For more chances to win visit the other Triple D author blogs.

Shelley Munro
Samantha Kane
Cheryl Dragon
Amy Ruttan
Aubrey Ross
Angelia Sparrow
Emma Petersen
LA Day

Wanna find out where the Deliciously Decadent December authors will be next? Join our Yahoo group for updates and chances to win copies of our latest releases. Click here to join.

Rules:
1. Leave a comment and you’ll be entered to win.
2. Winner will be chosen at random via Random.org
3. You can enter a total of 9 times by leaving a comment on each Triple D author’s blog but you will only allowed to win once.
4. You must be 18 and older to enter and/or win.
5. You must collect your prize within 10 days of prize announcement or prize is null & void.

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