An online friend asked me about summer today. Of course, it’s the middle of winter here in New Zealand. It’s cold and raining a lot, and recently we’ve had thunder and lightning. Oh, yes please! I’d love to think of summer.
Warm weather. Sunshine. Shorts and T-shirts. Beaches…
My mind immediately hopped to the long summers we used to spend at the beach when I was a kid. My grandparents used to own at bach (holiday home) at Maraetai, and every January we’d go and stay with them. When I say holiday home, don’t imagine something luxurious because it hovered much closer to basic. We had a long drop toilet down the back of the section—a long walk, especially in the dark. I used to hate going at night. My cousins and I would all go together, armed with torches. Monsters lived at the bottom of the garden too, right near the long drop.
My recent release, Make That Man Mine features a taniwha shapeshifter. Well, I’m pretty sure that some of my hero Jack’s taniwha cousins used to live at the bottom of the garden, scaring me silly every night. They shrieked and groaned and swung through the trees that surrounded the long drop. They tapped on the back wall of the tiny long drop hut and loomed in the dark. Oh, yes. They were very scary taniwha, and I’ve never forgotten them.
Each morning after breakfast, my cousin and I would walk down the hill to one of the two shops to buy a loaf of fresh bread for lunch and some cream buns. At lunch we’d have to eat two slices of bread before we were allowed to even look in the direction of a cream bun. I remember that rule clearly. No bread meant no cream bun.
Some days we’d walk down to the beach with my grandparents and collect pipis and cockles. We’d take them home and my grandmother would boil them up in a pot. Once the shells had opened we’d all sit around the pot and eat the shellfish. Other days we’d go shell collecting or fishing for sprats on the wharf. We’d also go swimming most days. We always used to walk. The bach was at the top of a hill so by the end of the summer we were fit.
Each night after dinner we’d all sit around and play cards. It was a serious business. The winning team scored points and each night we’d change partners. At the end of the holiday, the person who had the most points won a large bar of chocolate. My love of chocolate started early, and I tried very hard to win every summer.
It was during these beach holidays that I started reading romance. I used to read mysteries and animal stories mainly, but after a particularly wet summer, I was right out of books. In desperation my mother gave me some of her Mills & Boon romances to read. LOL It was love at first sight, and I haven’t looked back.
What did you used to do during the holidays when you were a kid?
You’re the winner of the Lynx to the Pharaoh ARC, and I’ve emailed you about your prize.
Thanks to everyone who visited and commented on my Egypt posts. Don’t forget you’re still entered in my monthly Blog Participation contest, which I’ll draw at the start of July. Keep your fingers crossed. You might still be a winner.
Egypt is a popular tourist destination with its rich history and culture. During the early 1800s a stream of intrepid travelers visited the country, their accounts of the sights and people finding fascinated readers back in England. Artists such as David Roberts visited and produced art that still stands as a record of Egypt’s past.
Adventurers took art home, and some of the original pieces can still be found in the British Museum, the Louvre in Paris and the Metropolitan Museum in New York.
Around 1860 Thomas Cook started leading organized tours down the Nile while Cairo attracted a large number of foreign businessmen eager to conduct trade and make a huge profit.
Lynx to the Pharaoh takes place in 1835, Egypt in the fictitious oasis of Patria. Lady Charlotte Webster has accompanied her stepbrother William and his friend Justin to Egypt after the death of her husband. Sethmet, our hero suspects the men are searching for the tomb of the cat and want the pharaoh’s treasure—the treasure that he has sworn to protect.
One of the best known tombs is that of Tutankhamun, which Howard Carter discovered in 1922. Archaeologists are still finding lost tombs and other interesting finds, and I’m sure they’ll continue to do so for some time.
There has always been talk of curses involved when it comes to disturbing tombs. In Lynx to the Pharaoh, Sethmet’s family is charged with protecting the pharaoh and his tomb. Failure means death at the hands of a curse and the entire family will lose their feline shape shifter powers.
I can imagine the lure of finding treasure and can understand that experts would discount talk of curses. William and Justin certainly don’t believe in the curse and are determined to find the tomb of the cat. They want the riches and fame the discovery of the tomb will bring.
Imagine you’re a 19th century adventurer and you’ve traveled to Egypt, determined to find a lost tomb. Would a curse scare you off? How long would your determination last? How long would you continue your search before you gave up and went home? And what do you think of Tutankhamun’s mask?
Source: Lonely Planet, Egypt
Both photos taken at Egyptian Museum
Photo 1: jars containing organs i.e. mummy’s organs.
Photo 2: Tutankhamun’s Golden Mask
Note – I’ll announce the winner of the ARC at the end of the day (my day in NZ)
Whipped Cream (Long and Short Erotic Reviews) has chosen Tea For Two as one of their books of the week. Readers are asked to vote for their favorte in order to determine the winner. Place your vote for Two For Two here. I’d really appreciate your support.
I received 5 cherries and Xeranthemum said Tea For Two is a book I definitely recommend for readers who enjoy upbeat, funny and touching romances between two characters that come to life from the moment you meet them.
Thank you very much, Xeranthemum! Read the entire review here.
Today’s topic is food. I always think food scenes are a lot of fun and love writing them. I think they’re fun for the characters too. My scene today is taken from Assassin, book four in my Middlemarch Mates series featuring feline shapeshifters.
Assassin by Shelley Munro
“I’m feeling fine. You don’t need to treat me like an invalid.”
“But you were unconscious.”
“I’m not now. Do you have something sweet to eat in the picnic basket?”
“Probably,” Leo said.
“Good. Then that’s all I need to get my blood sugars up again. If you have coffee, that would help.”
Leo studied her closely. She certainly looked all right now with a definite sparkle in her eyes. After a brief hesitation, he decided she probably knew best. He stood and strode over to the picnic basket. When he checked the contents, he found two portions of a rich chocolate gâteaux. That should do the trick. He pulled out the gâteaux plus a spoon and returned to Isabella’s side. She’d arranged the blanket to screen her body and Leo smiled inwardly. Too late. He’d already had a good look.
“Here you go.” After he opened the plastic container for her, he held out the dessert and spoon, knowing Isabella would need to loosen her hold on the blanket in order to eat. Difficult to rake up even the faintest hint of guilt when he couldn’t wait to stare at her luscious body some more. “Eat as much as you need. I don’t mind sacrificing my portion for a good cause.”
Somehow Isabella managed to rearrange the blanket and accept the gâteaux without a hitch. While he watched, she dug into the dessert and lifted a spoonful to her mouth. Her eyes closed briefly when she tasted the gâteaux, and she let out a faint moan when it hit her taste buds. Fascinated, Leo couldn’t take his eyes off her. He watched her swallow and saw her tongue come out to rasp against a piece of icing sticking to the spoon. She quickly spooned more into her mouth, the sheer carnality of the move and the tiny sounds of appreciation she made, jolting his body to full awareness.
“Are you going to share?” The husky cadence of his voice grabbed her attention immediately.
Her brows arched. “Do you want some?”
Oh yeah, baby. He wanted some big time, but for now he’d have to make do with gâteaux. “Please.” Suddenly Leo stilled, panic stirring inside. Every muscle in his body tightened, his bones ached, his body instructing him to shift. A fine time for his feline senses to tell him to pounce. Wouldn’t that just cap off his day? After sending his date into an unconscious state, he turned feral and jumped her. They’d probably hear her screech of horror in Middlemarch if he gave in to the impulse to shift to cat.
Leo strained for control, a fine tremor passing through his muscles. He sucked in a deep breath and gave his feline a mental push. Down kitty.
“Here you go.”
Leo glanced up to see a spoonful of chocolate gâteaux float in front of him. Instinctively he opened his mouth and closed his lips around the sweet confection. His pulse rate jumped like a startled rabbit when the chocolate flooded across his taste buds. His gaze met Isabella’s and he was lost.
As you can see from the photos above, we’ve ridden our camels all morning and now it’s time for a lunch stop. It’s a chance to sit out the worst of the day’s heat and relax. I’m sure our heroine, Lady Charlotte will get out her sketchpad and sketch some of the sights. Her stepbrother William and his friend Justin are probably whispering together in a shady corner and checking their maps.
Delicious scents are wafting through the makeshift camp. There’s flat bread and the local white cheese. Today we’re having Fuul, which is mashed fava beans and another dish with eggplant, tomato, garlic, oil and spices. There’s some sort of meat—it looks like strips of lamb. Oh, and there’s fresh oranges and juice along with bottled water and the usual hot tea served with mint.
I tend to have a cast-iron stomach and have only had a stomach bug once during our travels. I was very sick in Turkey and spent an entire night running to the loo. I struck up a friendship with the night guard, and he had the cheek to tell me the next morning that I looked much older than he thought. I ask you – who looks great after running to the loo all night and getting no sleep?
I eat the local food, as long as it’s vegetarian. I’ve eaten some delicious food from little roadside stalls in India, Pakistan, Turkey and of course, Egypt. The trick is to pay careful attention to their cooking and get freshly cooked food. Watch your food being cooked and make sure it isn’t reheated. A good hint is to buy from stalls that the locals frequent.
Do you like to try the local food when you’re visiting an unfamiliar place? Do you prefer to eat food you’re familiar with? Do you travel armed with anti-diarrhea pills? (Don’t forget – every comment on an Egypt post puts you in the draw to win an ARC of Lynx to the Pharaoh.)
In honor of my upcoming release, Lynx to the Pharaoh which features a caracal shifter hero:
Thirteen Things about Caracals
1. A caracal is related to both the leopard and the lynx.
2. They have large elongated ears with long tufts of hair on the ends, which make them very distinctive.
3. The caracal has a reddish-brown coat and is short-haired.
4. The caracal makes its home in Africa, Arabia, Afghanistan and India.
5. It’s usually nocturnal but can be seen during the day.
6. A caracal is very dangerous if it’s cornered and will attack.
7. The caracal is agile, is a good climber and is known to catch its prey in the air – i.e. it will spring into the air to capture birds on the wing.
8. Men in India and Iran used to capture them and use them to hunt birds.
9. It’s generally a solitary hunter.
10. They occupy varied habitats such as grasslands, plains and rocky hills. My caracal shifter lives in the desert. This is actually not usual, but my hero is not a usual man.
11. Their tail is short.
12. Their eye color ranges from golden or copper to green or grey.
13. Lynx to the Pharaoh is a historical paranormal set in Egypt. It comes out at Ellora’s Cave on 1 July.
Here’s the blurb:
Sethmet Khalil comes from a line of shapeshifters who protect the pharaoh from tomb robbers. It’s a sacred duty handed down from father to son—a duty he’s determined to carry out successfully so his family retain the shapeshifter powers they cherish. Failure means death at the hands of a deadly curse.
Desperate to escape the strictures of mourning, Charlotte Webster travels to Egypt with her stepbrother. The freedom of Patria Oasis is heady after the stuffy rules of the London season. It’s full of temptation. Sethmet, their guide, is handsome and sparks forbidden desire in Charlotte. Risking censure, she embarks on a passionate affair, secret rendezvous full of lingering caresses and explosive pleasure.
Charlotte pleases both man and feline, but she’s with the men Sethmet suspects are hunting for the pharaoh’s treasure. If Charlotte is involved, he can’t protect her from the pharaoh’s curse and she’ll die with the others. Love, danger and betrayal battle beneath the blood-red desert moon as the lovers steal moments together and fate works its wiles.
Win an ARC of Lynx to the Pharaoh – comment on this post or one of the other Egypt posts to come before 29 June and you’ll go into a draw to win an ARC of Lynx to the Pharaoh.
Today my special guests are Toni Andrews and Mercy Hollings, the heroine of Toni’s new release, Cry Mercy. I interviewed Mercy and this is what she said…
Toni is giving away a copy of Cry Mercy. All you need to do to enter the draw is comment on this post. (Note – I’m a little late posting this for Toni and Mercy so I’ll choose the winner on 25 June)
Lynx to the Pharaoh, my next release is coming out on 1 July. I thought I’d celebrate and invite you all to join me on a virtual trip to Egypt. Everyone who joins me on my journey (i.e. posts a comment on an Egypt post) between now and 29 June will go into a draw to win an ARC of Lynx to the Pharaoh.
So, pack your bags and get ready to choose your camel for your trek to Patria Oasis in Egypt.
Now given you’re traveling via camel, what are three things you absolutely must take with you to Patria Oasis?
I haven’t mentioned books and reading for some time. I’ve read some excellent books recently that have really stayed with me, and with every one of them it’s been the characters that have grabbed me by the throat. It’s also interesting to note that three of the four books below are written in first person. I’d highly recommend any of the following:
Smooth Talking Stranger by Lisa Kleypas – I always used to read Ms. Kleypas’ historicals, but after historical burnout I hadn’t picked up one of her books for ages or tried her contemporaries. This is the third contemporary set in Texas and featuring members of the Travis family. I hadn’t realized this was a series of sorts and as usual picked up the books out of order. They are written in first person. I started reading quite late and had problems putting the book down. I liked the two main characters, Ella and Jack and their interaction and the plot moved smoothly. There was some great dialogue too. I liked it so much I went looking for the first two books and ordered them online. This particular story is only available in hardcover as yet and was borrowed from the library. I think I’ll be buying a copy in paperback when it comes out because I liked it that much.
Magic Strikes by Ilona Andrews – This is book three in the Kate Daniels series, an urban fantasy rather than a romance. I think this series gets better and better with each book. I loved the interplay between Kate and Curran. Once again, it was the characters that grabbed me, although I like the interesting plots in this series. This one contains some Indian mythology.
The Education of Madeline by Beth Williamson – This is Beth’s first NY published book, set in the American West. I liked the characters, although I have to say that the plot didn’t ring true with me. This didn’t stop me devouring the book, and I could be wrong because I’m not an expert in American history by any means! I’m not going into detail because that would mean spoilers. Beth has another book coming with some of the characters she introduced in this book. I’ll be snapping the second book up when it comes out.
Hard Fall by James Buchanan – this is a gay romance. It’s written in first person and is about a Mormon cop who is in the closet. He falls for an ex-con and while investigating a murder, his secret comes out, creating havoc in both is personal and business lives. Joe, the main character is interesting, and I liked the glimpse of the Mormon faith. This is an excellent read.
What books have you read recently? Do you have any recommendations?
Assassin by Shelley Munro
