Taste of Kiwi: Blog of Author Shelley Munro

Recently I watched the FBI drama Eleventh Hour and the episode dealt with super soldiers. In a coincidence, I’m reading the second book in Bianca D’Arc’s Resonance Mates series. (You know the one I mentioned in yesterday’s post—the one I don’t have time to read!) The series is about the Alvian race who takes over Earth. The only humans who survive the attacks are the ones with psychic gifts. The Alvians have taken genetics to the max and have no emotions. Anyone with emotions is suspect and the few remaining humans are subjected to experiments, some of which are horrid. Ms D’Arc writes a great book with awesome world building.

Nalini Singh’s Psy series also deals with something similar- the Psy race have managed to cancel out all emotions in order to make a “perfect” life.

In fiction I can live with this scenario, although I’m not sure I understand the drive behind a race seeking the perfect being. My personal opinion is that disease etc is nature’s way of limiting population. Emotions, both good and bad, bring color to life.

Anyhow, my question is do you think a super or perfect person is a good thing? Does anyone have any recommendations for sci-fi romances in a similar vein?

I have a guest spot at coco & kelley about travel. This blog is a new discovery for me and I enjoy my visits there, indulging my love of pretty clothes, interior decorating and the like. Here’s the link.

Thirteen Random Things about My Week

1. Only six sleeps to go until my holiday.

2. The wind has howled this week, making it precarious to cycle. I HAD to go outside because I was getting cabin fever and almost got blown off my bike.

3. The wee dog has perked up a lot with her new medication. She seems much brighter and came to me asking for more food today. I gave her more food.

4. I went to a chat at Writerspace yesterday and heard about Bianca D’Arc’s new release, Grady’s Awakening. It sounded so fascinating that I went and purchased the first book in the series, Hara’s Legacy straight away, despite having hundreds of books on my to-read pile and many things to do. It was an excellent sci-fi romance with very good world building. It was also hot and spicy. I’m pondering book two. Should I?

5. The Romance Writers of New Zealand conference is this weekend. I’m looking forward to catching up with old friends and meeting new ones.

6. I totally kicked hubby’s butt and beat his score at snowboarding on the Wii Fit. Maybe I’ll hide the controls so he can’t try to beat me again. My little Mii figure and I celebrated with a sexy hip swivel and a cheer on my part.

7. I haven’t started packing yet for my holiday and need to at least think about it.

8. Online promotion takes a lot of time! This week I’ve done blog posts, corresponded with other authors re a new promo idea, sent off an interview, gone to a chat and done a hundred other things with not much to show for all my work. I still have a blog post to go. Selena, it’s coming!

9. I finished going over a contemporary story and sent it off to two ladies at Romance Divas for a beta read before I do my last changes and send the story to my final beta reader. Can you tell this story has given me problems?

10. I’ve craved sweet things all week and mostly managed to ignore the craving. I can indulge on holiday after all.

11. I received a new cover for House of the Cat. (see post below) It’s very pretty and sexy.

12. I need to vacuum clean. Hmm, maybe a brisk carpet sweep will do the trick?

13. I’ve sent off a query for a short contemporary story, and I’m currently working on a story for Nocturne Briefs, one I started a few months ago and didn’t finish.

How was your week?

Here’s a special sneak preview of the cover for House of the Cat. Syneca did the cover and I really love it. All going well, I hope to have House of the Cat up on my website with the blurb, excerpt and a release date before I head off on holiday to Thailand.

What do you think?

I’m guest blogging at The Romance Studio today and talking about my adventures with Wii Fit. My post is titled Podgy Stomachs and Competition. I hope you’ll pop over and say hello.

I went off to my favorite café today, armed with my writing notes, and ordered a latte and a blueberry muffin. I love blueberries. They taste good and I hear they’re full of healthy stuff. But here’s the thing. How can a café call a muffin blueberry if it doesn’t contain blueberries?

Last time I had a muffin I complained. I marched up to the counter and shoved my muffin at the counter staff. It didn’t contain a single blueberry and they gave me a replacement. Today’s muffin had three blueberries. I counted.

I’m thinking this is a sign from above telling me not to eat blueberry muffins, but really, don’t you think a blueberry muffin should contain more than three tiny blueberries?

What say you? Do you think there should be a specified number of blueberries in a blueberry muffin? How many blueberries are the ideal number?

Yes, it’s true. I did a bad, bad thing…according to hubby. He arrived home from golf and spoke to me in a very stern manner.

My transgression?

My sock sorting skills are below par. To his horror I matched a plain brown sock with a different brown sock that bore a dark brown pattern on one side. And even worse, he didn’t notice until he was at golf in a public place.

Oops!

Personally I thought it was funny, and at a quick glance they did look the same. I have put on two different shoes when I’ve been half asleep and in a hurry to get to work. Luckily I noticed before I walked out the door.

Have you done something like this? Have you left the house in an unmatched state?

I took this photo at our local Agricultural show. This goat was patiently waiting its turn for judging.

To visit more Camera Critters go here.

The theme for this week is characters. I thought I’d introduce you to Rohan Patel, one of the heroes in my upcoming release CatNap. Rohan is a tiger shifter. He’s a caring person with an innate strength. Level-headed and mature, he has a sense of fun. He loves his sister enough to start up a new business with her. They tease each other, keep each other in line and are friends as well as siblings.

I think both of the following short excerpts help give a sense of Rohan and his character.

CatNap is due out from Ellora’s Cave on 2 September 2009.

CatNap by Shelley Munro

EXCERPT ONE:

At six they closed the shop. It was earlier than usual, but since they had two days before the new owners took over, he and Ambar had decided to close early to organize the last of their packing before the move to Middlemarch.

Ambar started doing the cash up while Rohan went to check on their guest. He found him sound asleep, his clothes tossed over the end of the bed. He lay on his back, the covers draped low on his waist, his easily discernable ribs highlighting his need of a few good meals. At least they could fix that. The man stirred, rolling to his side, and Rohan saw several old scars on his back. Rohan frowned, not liking where his mind went on seeing those scars. Had someone beat him? The man shifted onto his back again. His breathing sounded normal and even, so Rohan ripped his gaze off the enticing sight and forced himself to leave the room and their guest sleeping.

Back downstairs, he restocked the laundry powder and cleaning material aisles, his mind on their guest and Middlemarch. What the hell were they going to do?

Ambar grabbed the money to take to the safe, pausing at his side. “What are we going to do, Rohan?”

“I’ve been thinking about that. The obvious solution would be to take him with us to Middlemarch.”

“But what if someone follows us? Or we take him to Middlemarch and he turns into a problem. We don’t know him, but we’d be responsible.”

Rohan pictured the male asleep in his bed and knew Ambar was right to preach caution despite his gut instinct and his yearning to keep the man with them. There was something about him that called to Rohan. He wanted to know him better. He wanted to care for him. A snort escaped. If that didn’t beat all. A big strong tiger shifter like him turning soft. Nah, wouldn’t happen. It was frustration, that’s all.

EXCERPT TWO:

Since their parents’ death they’d started a new tradition—a drink before dinner where they discussed anything and everything. Their parents hadn’t approved of alcohol either, and the ritual made them feel like rebellious teens.

Rohan joined Ambar in the small lounge. The room appeared stark and plain with only a single three-seater couch left. A stack of boxes piled against one wall, ready for collection by the removal company.

“He’s still asleep. I’ve been thinking about Saber Mitchell. Maybe we shouldn’t do anything and just take him with us.”

“Because you have the hots for him.” Ambar took a sip of her wine. “Are you gay?”

Rohan almost choked on his beer. Ambar didn’t believe in tiptoeing around anything. He bit back a smile, knowing he was lucky she didn’t sound judgmental. Her voice held curiosity but none of the distaste he’d feared. “Why would you think that?”

“You didn’t run away in horror when the stranger said he wanted to f**k you. And I’m not blind. I know an erection when I see one.”

“Ambar! Hell.” There were limits to their closeness. They’d never talked about sex in such detail before. Fiery heat seeped into his cheeks, and he couldn’t look his sister in the eye.

“I know you dated women but I never saw you kiss any of your dates,” Ambar said.

“Were you spying on me?” He didn’t have to pretend exasperation. A man should have some privacy.

“At least you were allowed to date,” his sister reminded him, and just like that his irritation dispersed. He’d had way more freedom than Ambar and he knew it.

To read other excerpts on the Snippet Saturday trail follow the links below:

Michelle Pillow
Eliza Gayle
Jody Wallace
McKenna Jeffries
Moira Rogers
Shelley Munro
Taige Crenshaw
Vivian Arend
Lauren Dane
Leah Braemel
Victoria Janssen
Mark Henry

I noticed this topic about the number of books that publishers put out each month a few weeks ago at Dear Author and thought it was an interesting one.

Are there too many releases each month?

From a reader’s point of view I think the answer has to be no. Having a choice is a good thing. I mean lots of books to choose from must be a reader’s idea of heaven. The number of books a reader can purchase is limited only by their budget.

For an author an increased number of releases is a bad thing. It means more competition and likely lower royalties, especially if you’re a new or midlist author.

For a bookseller, one who isn’t online, more releases probably brings problems with space, both in warehouses and on bookshelves. This might mean that newer authors miss out on shelf space. It might mean that books are on the shelves for a shorter time before they’re returned to the publisher.

For the publisher it could be good or bad. An online publisher doesn’t have storage or returns to think about so overall their income could increase. A traditional publisher probably needs to schedule carefully so they’re not faced with low orders or a high number of returns.

So what say you? Are you happy with a large number of releases or would you like the releases limited to a certain number per month?

I’ve been having a problem with sticky-uppy hair recently. Actually it’s more that I forget to comb it. I climbed into my car yesterday to drive to my local town for a coffee and to do some writing. Luckily I happened to glance in the mirror. I’d washed my hair and totally forgotten to comb it. Not one of my best days!

So to celebrate bad hair days here’s a list of Thirteen Types of Hats

1. Beanie – a close-fitting cap usually made out of a wool-type fabric.
2. Boater – a straw hat.
3. Cossack – a tall fur hat worn by Russian men.
4. Sombrero – a Mexico hat of either straw or felt with a high crown and broad brim.
5. Top Hat – a tall hat with a narrow brim and a shiny finish.
6. Turban – a length of fabric wrapped around the head.
7. Fez – a red hat with a black tassel worn by Turkish men.
8. Stetson – a cowboy hat.
9. Beret – a flat hat usually made of wool.
10. Davy Crockett – a coonskin cap with a dangling tail.
11. Deerstalker – the hat made famous by Sherlock Holmes.
12. Pillbox – a small brimless hat popular during the 1920s. Worn on top or side of head.
13. Baseball cat – closefitting hat with a large brim in the front. My favored hair flattener.

Do you wear hats? What is your favorite type of hat?

I have one. A man-cold that is…

I’m sneezing and my nose is running. I told Mr. Munro that I had a man-cold…a really bad one. He laughed, but at least he made me a hot toddy with whiskey, honey and lemons. It helped, but I still have a man-cold!

What’s your favorite remedy for a cold?