Taste of Kiwi: Blog of Author Shelley Munro

This is the first book I’ve read in my themed reading challenge. It’s taken me a while to get started because I judged two published author contests. I’m all done now and ready to face my challenges.

Rare Breed is about Wynne Sperling who is a park ranger in Zambia, Africa. There’s a poaching operation in her park and Wynne is determined to catch the poachers and toss them in jail. She’s not sure of the poaching leader’s identity, but suspects it’s Englishman Noah Hellstrom who owns a safari tour operation. Then there’s Texan Jack MacKay who is loaded with charm but raises Wynne’s suspicions. There are also rumors of a feline, said to be an ancient breed, and if the stories are true, Noah Hellstrom is determined to profit from them.

I chose this book from my to-read pile because it’s been there a long time and it fit my theme of heroes and heroines who wear uniforms. It was part of the now defunct Harlequin Bombshell line, which will give you an idea of how long it’s been sitting in my pile.

What I liked:

1. The unusual setting of Zambia and a game park. (I’ve visited Zambia and it was lovely revisiting the country)
2. The heroine’s occupation –a woman park ranger in Africa.
3. Wynne’s weapon of choice is a slingshot, and she’s very proficient with it.
4. The distinct African flavor of the story. I could see the setting so clearly, feel the heat and the sounds of the animals.
5. Snow, the leopard raised by Wynne, and the fact Wynne allowed Snow to return to the wild.

What I didn’t like:

1. This wasn’t really a romance.
2. Although we were left hanging about the identity of the poachers, it was pretty easy to guess the identity of the poacher and the good guy undercover.

Would I read another book by Connie Hall? Yes, definitely. I had no problem with the writing style.

I’ve heard readers comment about authors who write a variation of the same book over and over again. Each new release is a rewrite of the same story. I know I’ve stopped reading a couple of authors because I felt their stories were pretty much identical. Maybe the characters were different, but the conflicts and plot were similar. It didn’t feel as if I was reading a different book.

I’ve written over thirty books now. I’ll admit I think about originality when I’m writing a new book. I like to think each story is distinctly different, but I’m also aware that an author’s upbringing colors their perceptions. Their books may contain the same theme. Many of my stories deal with finding a home and security. I hope my books are different enough that readers don’t think I’m a one-book wonder. It’s hard to judge your own work sometimes.

What do you think? Does an author tend to write the same story over and over?

I saw a Miss Piggy quote in a newspaper insert that came through our mailbox this week. Aha! I thought. That’s a perfect topic for a Thursday Thirteen. So, THIRTEEN QUOTES ABOUT FOOD

1. “Never eat more than you can lift.” ~ Miss Piggy

2. “Food is our common ground, a universal experience.” ~ James Beard

3. “I am not a glutton – I am an explorer of food.” ~ Erma Bombeck

4. “An old-fashioned vegetable soup, without any enhancement, is a more powerful anti carcinogen than any known medicine.” ~ James Duke, MD

5. “As with most fine things, chocolate has its season. There is a simple memory aid that you can use to determine whether it is the correct time to order chocolate dishes: any month whose name contains the letter A, E, or U is the proper time for chocolate.” ~ Sandra Boynton

6. “My mother’s menu consisted of two choices: Take it or leave it.” ~ Buddy Hackett

7. “My wife dresses to kill. She cooks the same way.” ~ Henny Youngman

8. “The primary requisite for writing well about food is a good appetite.” ~ A.J. Liebling

9. “Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four essential food groups: alcohol, caffeine, sugar, and fat.” ~ Alex Levine

10. “If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, talks like a duck, it probably needs a little more time in the microwave.” ~ Lori Dowdy

11. “It’s important to watch what you eat. Otherwise, how are you going to get it into your mouth ?” ~ Matt Diamond

12. “One of life’s mysteries is how a 1kg box of candy can make a woman gain 2kg.”

13. “The older you get, the tougher it is to lose weight, because by then your body and your fat are really good friends.”

And an extra one because it made me laugh:

“Inside some of us is a thin person struggling to get out, but she can usually be sedated with a few pieces of chocolate cake.”

I’ll admit I love food. I eat a varied diet with dishes influenced from different parts of the world. Italian food is one of my favorites but I also enjoy Pacific Rim food, which is often seafood with Pacific or Asian influences. Pacific Rim food is like a melting pot of New Zealand ethnic groups combined with our fresh produce. Like most Westerners, I probably eat too much, but some of my happiest memories involve food and meals with friends. I’m a capable cook and enjoy it when I’m in the mood.

What is your favorite type of food? Do you like eating and cooking?

Last week Kaye Munro did a post about writing and author productivity. I’ve been thinking about this, and I want everyone to put on their reader hats while they read this post about author releases.

It used to be that authors would write one book a year and sometimes one book every two years. These days authors tend to have a higher rate of productivity. Some authors write three or four books a year, depending on the line they write for and also if they write for traditional or e-publishers.

The good thing for readers is this means there are a large number of books available to choose from. We’re spoiled for choice. I don’t know about you, but as a reader, I love the trilogies or connected books by the same author that come out in three successive months. I think that’s reader heaven. I like my favorite authors to have releases at least every six months. That’s a good length of time for me. If the wait is much longer, I forget to look for the next release because I have a lot of favorites. If I can’t find a book written by one of my favorite authors, I tend to look farther afield, and I explore the books of new-to-me writers. Sometimes I find new favorites, so there’s a danger if an author doesn’t have frequent releases, they’ll lose me to another writer or writers.

How long are you willing to wait between books? Can an author have too many releases in one year? Do you think quality is sacrificed in favor of quantity these days?

The Bluff oyster season has recently opened in New Zealand, and oyster fans are clamoring for a taste of the new season’s oysters.

Bluff is a small coastal town at the bottom of the South Island. It is this town that the oysters take their name from, but they are also commonly known as flat oysters and are available in other parts of New Zealand. The actual Bluff oysters are taken from Foveaux Strait. Boats operate under a quota system to protect the oysters, and in past years pickings have been lean because of a bonamia parasite attack. Scientists report that this is a bumper year after a warm summer, and the oysters are fat and healthy.

Oysters are big business and increasingly expensive due to shortages in past years and transport costs. This year helicopters whisked them away to markets as soon as the boats reached the shore, which adds to the cost.

Most people eat them raw. They loosen the meat, tip the shell and let the oyster slide down their throat. You’re not meant to chew, merely swallow.

This is a photo of farmed Pacific oysters, taken by moi. Mr. Munro and his brothers go on a day outing every Christmas so they have oysters for Christmas day. I’m not an oyster fan at all so I watch the drama of the Bluff season with bemusement. A raw oyster sends shudders of horror through me, although I’m quite happy to eat cooked oysters. I think they look like snot, and the taste is not much better. Probably more than you wanted to know! Mr. Munro usually humors me and cooks a few at Christmas, putting them under the grill with a tasty topping or making fritters. I can handle them cooked and think they’re quite tasty eaten that way!

Have you eaten oysters and do you like them?

One of the most common questions I get asked as a writer is: where do I get my story ideas?

Ideas are one item that are never in short supply for me. I find them everywhere. I clip newspaper and magazine articles that pique my interest. My local newspaper is a source of wonderfully quirky stories. I’m still trying to make use of the story about the lady who had her false teeth stolen but only the top set. The photo accompanying the newspaper article showed the theft victim with the bottom set of her teeth in a glass. Unsurprisingly, she had a real frown on her face in the photo!

I watch movies, and I love watching documentaries on television. The subject matter ranges from crime to obsessive love and everything in between. I’m a huge fan of travel and animal documentaries. I like magazines on all sorts of subjects from women’s magazines to ones about cars and men’s health.

When I visit a book store I’ll often check out the new arrivals on the non-fiction shelves. No topic is safe from my roving eyes. It’s the same at the library. I reserve my books online and my intrepid husband goes to pick them up. The libararians must really wonder about our sex life. That’s all I’m saying…

Like most writers, I’m a people watcher. When I go to the mall or shopping or even for a walk, I watch people. I listen to their conversations. Yep, that’s me with the flapping ears, but it’s a great way to find character quirks!

Recently some song lyrics spiked a brainwave and subsequently, a story. I have so many ideas I have an ideas file on my computer. I’m writing one story and another is waiting in the wings ready to spring onto the page of my laptop. Well, not quite, but you get the idea.

In contrast, one of my writing friends has real problems with story ideas. They only come one at a time. I think that would really worry me, but she seems to cope.

Where do you get your best story ideas?

Congratulations! The winner of my blog participation prize this month is Fedora who wins a book prize – a bit of a mystery one since I haven’t decided what it will be yet.

Fedora – I’ve emailed you for address details etc.

Don’t forget – all you need to do to enter the March contest is comment on one or more blog posts. Chat with me. I hate feeling alone. I think I’ll give away downloads for March, and I’m feeling generous. I’ll pick two winners to each win one download of their choice from my Ellora’s Cave or Cerridwen Press backlists.