Taste of Kiwi: Blog of Author Shelley Munro

Yesterday I blog-hopped over to Rosalie Lario’s blog and read J. R. Barrett’s post about her new release, Incorporeal. Her post was titled Why I Wrote a Ghost Story.

Publishers told her ghost stories didn’t sell. Click over to Rosalie’s blog and read what Julia said. Don’t worry. I’ll hang around until you return.

Frankly, I disagree because I enjoy reading stories featuring the combination of ghosts and romance. I remember being enthralled by the old television series The Ghost and Mrs. Muir. In fact, reruns would be welcomed. I also enjoyed a detective show called Randall and Hopkirk. One of them was a ghost–I can’t quite remember which one it was, but he wore a white suit to denote his ghostly presence.

The thought that love is timeless and goes on past death attracts me, and it’s always interesting to learn how an author deals with a ghost plus a human lover. How will they finally end up together? Will they end up together? A ghost makes for an interesting conflict. Ghosts also make excellent secondary characters and can add depth and humor to a story.

There don’t seem to be many ghost romances around, but a few years ago I wrote a werewolf-ghost story called Curse of Brandon Lupinus. In fact, it’s selling at the reduced price of $1.49 at Amazon and All Romance ebooks. And of course, you can check out JR Barrett’s Incorporeal.

What do you think about ghost romances? Do you like or dislike them and why?

Check out my contest to win a shapeshifter ebook bundle or a Talking Dog ebook bundle. The details are here. Basically all you need to do to enter the contest is comment on my blog. Go forth and comment!

I read Juliana Stone’s His Darkest Salvation last week and enjoyed it very much, (Check out my review here.) so I’m delighted to welcome Juliana today. I asked Juliana about her Jaguar Warriors and this is what she said…

Definition: Jaguar Warriors or Jaguar Knights (Nahuatl: ocēlōmeh) were members of the Aztec military.[1] They were an elite military unit similar to the Eagle warriors. The jaguar motif was used due to the belief that the jaguar represented Tezcatlipoca, god of the night sky. Aztecs also wore these dresses at war because they believed the animal’s strengths would be given to them during battles.[citation needed] Jaguar Warriors were used at the battlefront in military campaigns.[1] Many statues and images (in pre-Columbian and post-Columbian codices) of these warriors have survived.[2] They fought with a wooded sword studded with obsidian volcanic glass blades, called a Maquahuitl. They also used spears and atlatls.

To become a Jaguar warrior, a member of the Aztec Army had to capture at least four enemies during battles. This was said to honour their gods in a way far greater than killing enemy soldiers in the battlefield.

For my paranormal romance series, The Jaguar Warriors I decided to make these fierce fighters shapeshifters.

I thought wouldn’t it be fun to have two opposing families, add in a whole host of otherworld creatures and then, maybe toss in an end of the world scenerio. Out of these threads my Castille brothers were born and their mortal enemies, the DaCosta Jaguars.

So, what exactly is a Jaguar Warrior in my world? Well, they’re elite soldiers who are shapeshifters and once they start to mature, their warrior tattoos will show. These are elaborate clan tattoos that wrap around their abs and up along an arm to the neck. Not every jaguar is a warriror though. In His Darkest Salvation, Julian never developed the warrior tats. He’s still a shapeshifter, just not with the enhanced magick that the warriors have.

Here is a run down of the rest of the cast of characters who populate my books!

Castille Clan: The heros in my books are a trio of brothers, Jaxon Castille the oldest. He is featured in His Darkest Hunger. Jagger Castille’s story was told in His Darkest Embrace and lastly, Julian Castille is up in, His Darkest Salvation.

DaCosta Clan: Evil jaguar warriors who’ve always been on the fringe. They dabble in a lot of illegal activities. The head of the family, Jacobi is a terrifying person but unbeknownst to him, his daughter Jaden is doing whatever she can to foil his plots.

Declan O’Hara: My sexy sorcerer. His father is the evil Cormac O’Hara and he’s in love with a woman who feels nothing for him.

Ana: Said woman. Vampire.

Cracker: A member of Jaxon’s PATU unit and his origins are unknown.
PATU Paranormal Anti-Terrorist unit. A government sanctioned unit run my Jaxon Castille. Their job, to work under the grid keeping the human populace safe from the creatures they have no idea that exist.

Interestlingly, while researching the Jaguar Warriors and the Aztec culture I came across Eagle Knights which were another fierce fighting faction. This is what led me to make Skye Knightly—Jagger’s lover—into an Eagle shifter.

My books have an over reaching story arc, one that is concluded at the end of His Darkest Salvation but of course, new questions arise and will continue with my new series, League of Guardians. The first book, Wicked Road to Hell comes out next year and Declan O’Hara is the hero!

Is there anything I’ve not covered that you’d like to know? Ask away and I’ll try my best to answer!

CONTEST: Juliana is giving away a $25 Gift card from Amazon to one lucky commenter during her blog tour. The more you comment the better your chances of winning. Follow the rest of Juliana’s tour at this link. The contest winner will be drawn at the conclusion of the tour.

After six months in hell, Julian Castille has returned to the world a changed man. No longer the longer the calm, powerful CEO, but a shifter fully embraced by the blood of his clan. Julian has one goal: find the key to the portal that stands between the human realm and unprecedented darkness-and win back the pieces of his soul. The last thing he needs is a distraction like the beautiful, enigmatic Jaden DaCosta.

Three years ago, a forbidden night of passion left Jaden forever altered: mated to Julian Castille–bound to a man who despises her. But the temptation to trust this darker, more savage-and more captivating-Julian is overwhelming. And as they fight for their immortal souls, their insatiable desire for each other may prove their fatal undoing…

Purchase His Darkest Salvation

To learn more about Juliana Stone and her books visit her website – Juliana Stone

It’s Rugby World Cup year, and the tournament is taking place in New Zealand. Get in the mood!

I’m visiting JA Saare’s blog, Random Musings today and talking about my love of rugby. I’m also giving away a download of one of my rugby-set stories, Best Man or Issy’s Infatuation.

Come and say hello!

Picnic (1748) ~ an excursion or outing with food, usually provided by members of the group and eaten in the open.

I have lots of fond memories of family picnics. During the summer months we’d go to the beach, agricultural shows, rodeos and sports days. My mother would make delicious sandwiches with egg and lettuce, ham and mustard or salmon. There were club sandwiches and sometimes rolls filled with salad. We’d have bacon & egg pie and fresh fruit, usually apples or oranges. For drinks there would be a thermos flask of tea and sometimes fresh lemonade. The food always tasted better when eaten outdoors.

When my husband and I visited Yellowstone National Park a few years ago we also had a picnic. We stopped at one of the park stores and purchased a salad each. Yellowstone has so many beautiful picnic spots and we found one to eat our meal. There are signs everywhere about not feeding bears and other wild life and disposing of rubbish correctly in the bear proof bins. We were both hoping for a glimpse of Yogi and Boo Boo, but it wasn’t to be, although we did see a grizzly bear later in the day. We did come across one of the downsides of eating in the outdoors. Bugs!

Do you like picnics? What are your favorite picnic foods? Do you have a favorite picnic spot?

Experience wolves and the wildlife in Lone Wolf, an m/m romance coming from Samhain Publishing on 23 August. Available now for pre-order at a discounted price.

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

~ Grab your current read
~ Open to a random page
~ Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
~BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
~ Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My teaser this week is from Deanna Raybourn‘s The Dead Travel Fast. I’m about halfway through this book and enjoying it very much. It reminds me of the gothic romances I read as a teenager, and I’m turning the pages quickly while attempting to decide if the hero is a supernatural being or not…

I thought of the revelations Cosmina had made about his character, his evil habits. I thought of them, and still I went, putting my hand willingly into his.

page 81, The Dead Travel Fast

Blurb:

A husband, a family, a comfortable life: Theodora Lestrange lives in terror of it all.

With a modest inheritance and the three gowns that comprise her entire wardrobe, Theodora leaves Edinburgh — and a disappointed suitor — far behind. She is bound for Roumania, where tales of vampires are still whispered, to visit an old friend and write the book that will bring her true independence.

She arrives at a magnificent, decaying castle in the Carpathians replete with eccentric inhabitants: the ailing dowager; the troubled steward; her own fearful friend, Cosmina. But all are outstripped in dark glamour by the castle’s master, Count Andrei Dragulescu.

Bewildering and bewitching in equal measure, the brooding nobleman ignites Theodora’s imagination and awakens passions in her that she can neither deny nor conceal. His allure is superlative, his dominion over the superstitious town, absolute — Theodora may simply be one more person under his sway.

Before her sojourn is ended — or her novel completed — Theodora will have encountered things as strange and terrible as they are seductive. For obsession can prove fatal…and she is in danger of falling prey to more than desire.

Purchase The Dead Travel Fast

Technology and things on the web are constantly changing. Evolving. Sometimes it’s hard to keep up with the pace of the changes. For writers, the changes mean trying new ways to get the word out about their books and different means of connecting with readers.

Blogging:

I’ve always blogged. It’s fun writing a post and it allows me to write something different from my current work in progress. Some bloggers use their blog post as a way to start the day and ease into writing. Mostly, I don’t post about the business of writing since there are others who do a great job of this already. I’m more likely to mention something random about an interest or hobby, an interesting fact I’ve seen or read in the media, or something relating to the background of one of my books. I also host a lot of other writers and visitors.

MySpace/Facebook/Twitter:

I used to MySpace. It was fun, but some of the pages were unwieldy and graphic heavy. My computer didn’t like the graphics. Hated them, actually! After many screen jams, I decided to move on to Facebook. I like Facebook too, although a few things bug me. The constant changes on the part of Facebook are frustrating. The need to check on security and check/uncheck various settings because of updates and improvements is something that irks many users.

When it came to Twitter, I took baby steps, fiercely resisting the lure for some time. Once I embraced Twitter, it didn’t take me long to release the short messages make for easy interaction with people who live in far flung parts of the world.

Google+:

Now there’s the new kid on the block, Google+. A friend sent an invitation to join, and I signed up last week, curious about what Google+ offers that’s so different from Facebook and Twitter. In Google+ you connect with other people and assign each person to a circle (a little like Twitter’s lists). Each circle is particular to the user so no one knows what circle you’ve assigned them.

There’s a video feature where you can hook up with friends and another section called Sparks where you can follow your interests e.g. sports, crafts, recipes etc. I like this feature a lot.

Here’s the link to Google+ where you will find basic info and can watch videos showing how things work.

Here’s a link to an interesting article about the new Google+

I’m interested in what types of social media you use. These are mine:

Blog
Facebook
Twitter

Do you blog? Facebook? Twitter? MySpace? Google+? Let me know what you enjoy and make sure you leave your links so I can connect with you. Which ones are your favorites? Also, if you’d like an invite to Google+ let me know in the comments.

His Darkest Salvation
By Juliana Stone
Dark paranormal romance
Avon, an imprint Harper Collins Publishers
Release Date: 26 July 2011

ARC provided by the publisher

Official blurb:

In a world on the brink of chaos, passion and vengeance collide …

After six months in hell, Julian Castille has returned to the world a changed man. No longer the calm, powerful CEO, but a shifter fully embraced by the blood of his clan. Julian has one goal: find the key to the portal that stands between the human realm and unprecedented darkness—and win back the pieces of his soul. The last thing he needs is a distraction like the beautiful, enigmatic Jaden DaCosta.

Three years ago, a forbidden night of passion left Jaden forever altered: mated to Julian Castille–bound to a man who despises her. But the temptation to trust this darker, more savage—and more captivating—Julian is overwhelming. And as they fight for their immortal souls, their insatiable desire for each other may prove their fatal undoing…

His Darkest Salvation is a dark paranormal romance and is the third in a series featuring jaguar warriors. Juliana Stone has written a wonderful book, full of emotion that leaps off the page. Her hero and heroine come from enemy families, yet during a meeting, years earlier, Jaden took Julian as her mate. He discovered her identity and rejected her, and when they come together again, their hatred and distrust of each other is clear. The constant push-pull between the characters is very well done. The reader experiences their hopes and the sheer hopelessness of the situation they find themselves in. At times the tortured Julian is plain horrible to the heroine, yet by the end of the story it’s clear why he behaves this way, and their relationship evolves to a deeper understanding.

Jaden is the perfect foil for Julian. She’s a warrior in her own right, is strong and capable and very sensual. The love scenes between the two are explosive and full of passion.

The story comes to an exciting climax with lots of drama and an ending that makes me hope there will be more books to come. I hadn’t read the earlier books in the series, and although I managed to follow most of the back story, there were a couple of places where I think I missed something that was imparted in previous stories i.e. the relationship between the characters. If you’re new to Ms. Stone’s series, I’d suggest you grab all three and have a dark paranormal blitz to get maximum satisfaction from the jaguar warrior world the author has created.

I recommend His Darkest Salvation to any reader who enjoys a dark paranormal story with lots of emotional intensity and drama. You won’t be disappointed.

Author website Juliana Stone

Purchase link His Darkest Salvation

Series:
Book one – His Darkest Hunger
Book two – His Darkest Embrace
Book three – His Darkest Salvation

There’s nothing nicer than sitting down with a glass of wine and a few nibbles on a Saturday afternoon, so I thought I’d try my hand at making some crackers. This recipe is taken from Allyson Gofton’s The Great New Zealand Baking Book. These crackers are fairly low in fat, which counteracts a delicious topping!

Sesame Crackers
1 cup white flour
1 cup wholemeal flour
1 tsp salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
2 Tablespoons sesame seeds
1 Tablespoon butter
¼ cup plain unsweetened yoghurt
½ cup chilled water

Put the flours, salt and baking soda into a food processor. Toast the sesame seeds in the butter until lightly golden and add to flour mix. Mix the yoghurt and water together and with the motor running pour the liquid down the feed tube. Process until the mixture forms a soft ball of dough.

Turn out onto a lightly floured board and knead lightly. Cover with a clean towel and stand for 10 minutes.
Roll the dough out very thinly. Cut into preferred shapes and place on a greased tray. Prick the crackers all over with a fork.

Bake at 180C for 10 minutes or until lightly golden. Cool on a cake rack. Store in an airtight container.

Shelley’s notes:
Our crackers weren’t rolled thinly enough. Next time I’d roll them much thinner.
We added poppy seeds to ours as well. You could add just about any type of seeds or herbs. I think ground black pepper or rosemary might be nice.
We had salmon and cream cheese plus olive tapenade on our crackers

My special guest today is author, Maria Zannini who recently self-published a paranormal romance called The Devil to Pay. Maria has been out on the virtual road with the Indie Roadshow where she tells writers about her self-publishing journey and the things she’s learned along the way. Today Maria is talking about promotion, which I know is something many writers struggle with and don’t enjoy. Over to Maria…

Psst. Do you want to know the secret to good promotion? You might be surprised when I tell you because it’s been in front of you the whole time.

Ready for it?

You have to find the reader, rather than wait for him to find you. And when you do find him you have to talk to your reader and keep him engaged.

Book promotion is time consuming, expensive, and there are no guarantees that your efforts will bear fruit. But a lot of your labor can be cut in half if you focus on the reader and what S/HE needs.

Think about yourself as a reader. You just finished a fantastic book from a new-to-you author and you decide to Google the author to learn more about her. When you reach her blog, all you find are advertisements for more books. It feels like a bit of letdown, doesn’t it?

To attract the reader your best bet is to go to his haunts. And when it comes to indie publishing most of those avid readers will be found at book blogs, reading forums, book clubs, and book outlets (like Amazon).

Most of these outlets are free to you, though some might require asking for an invitation to appear. Others, like Goodreads and Shelfari welcome you as long as you keep the pimping low-key.

And there’s still room for legitimate advertising. LASR (Long and Short Reviews) and The Romance Studio are two I’ve used. Both offer low-priced packages and get a ton of traffic.

Here are a list of options for you to consider that are either low cost or no cost.

Buy advertising packages at a book-centric web sites. (Make sure they get a lot of traffic.)
• LASR (Long and Short Reviews)
• The Romance Studio
• Coffee Time Romance
• All Romance ebooks

Share yourself
• Guest blogging. Double your mileage and blog at places where you’re lesser known.
• Forums, such as Kindleboards, Absolute Write Water Cooler, and genre-specific forums

Talk to book bloggers about:
• Reviews
• Interviews
• Guest posts

Give your book away
Liz Fichera had a marvelous idea when she gave away her arc for Craving Perfect to ten people who would agree to review it. With an indie book, there are no limitations on how many books you can give away. Be generous. Word of mouth is priceless.

Go where the readers are like:
Goodreads
Shelfari
Facebook

Finally, don’t leave out television and radio. It might be difficult to nab a guest spot, but if you have a small station locally, you’ll reach an audience you might not otherwise find.

It’s scary to put yourself out there because you don’t always know how you’ll be received, but if you’ve written the best book you can, all that’s left is to be the kind of author people want to know.

And I’ll tell you my personal secret for promoting myself. I comment on many different blogs. Not a ‘hi, I like your site’ comment, but something personal and thoughtful. If you leave short and intriguing comments, I promise you, people will follow you back.

***

I hope you’ll follow along with the rest of the Indie Roadshow as I share the things I learned on my road to self-publishing.

The Devil To Pay is available at Amazon and Smashwords for only $2.99. It is the first book of the series, Second Chances.

Synopsis: The road to Hell is paved with good intentions and bad tequila. Shannon McKee finds herself at the end of her rope, and she bargains her soul in a fit of despair.

Shannon’s plea is answered immediately by two men who couldn’t be more different from one another. Yet they share a bond and an affection for the stubborn Miss McKee that even they don’t understand.

When Heaven and Hell demand their payment, Shannon has no choice but to submit. No matter who gets her soul, she’s not getting out of this alive.

Bio: Maria Zannini used to save the world from bad advertising, but now she spends her time wrangling chickens, and fighting for a piece of the bed against dogs of epic proportions. Occasionally, she writes novels.

Follow me on Facebook or my blog.

I have author, Miranda Neville visiting me today. She’s celebrating the release of her historical romance, The Amorous Education of Celia Seaton, which is out at Avon on July 26. Her heroine, Celia is taming a dandy, among other things. Please welcome Miranda and read on to learn about Celia…

The 13 Step Guide to The Amorous Education of Celia Seaton

1. The hero starts out needing a good kick in the behind. Tarquin Compton is London’s social leader, famous for his fine figure, perfect dress, and poisonously witty tongue. Someone needs to take him down a peg, or three.

2. Celia Seaton is the woman to do it. He ruined her marriage prospects and she’s angry.

3. When she finds him the wilderness, having lost his memory and most of his clothes, she tells him his name is Terence Fish and they are betrothed.

4. Tarquin isn’t pleased, but “Terence” turns out to be a different guy than she expected: kind, brave, amusing – and really hot.

5. In fact he’s just the man to help her escape across the moors, pursued by the villains who kidnapped her.

6. Tarquin happens to have a naughty novel with him, which Celia finds highly educational. And you know what happens when a man and a woman spend several days alone together. There’s a reason they used to have chaperones.

7. They fall in love.

8. Tarquin gets his memory back and the real trouble starts. He goes back to being the rude dandy she hates so much. Or does he? Perhaps he’s changed.

9. A house party in a ducal mansion provides opportunities for late night corridor prowling.

10. We find out why Tarquin became the way he is – and how he discovers the socially unacceptable Celia is the woman he wants and needs.

11. We learn what Celia’s kidnappers want – and how it relates to the shameful secrets of her past.

12. We meet the villains, some more desperate – and more villainous – than others and learn how our intrepid hero and heroine foil them (of course) as true love overcomes all obstacles (of course)

13. The thirteenth point I leave up to you. What would you like to know?

Blurb:

Being kidnapped teaches Miss Celia Seaton a few things about life

LESSON ONE
Never disrobe in front of a gentleman … unless his request comes at gunpoint.

LESSON TWO
If, when lost on the moors, you encounter Tarquin Compton, the leader of London society who ruined your marriage prospects, deny any previous acquaintance.

LESSON THREE
If offered an opportunity to get back at Mr. Compton, the bigger the lie, the better. A faux engagement should do nicely.

LESSON FOUR
Not all knowledge is found between the covers of a book. But an improper book may further your education in ways you never guessed.

And while an erotic novel may be entertaining, the real thing is even better.

Purchase The Amorous Education of Celia Seaton

To learn more about Miranda and her books visit her website.

CONTEST: Miranda is giving away a $25 Amazon Gift card to one commenter during her blog tour. The winner will be drawn at the conclusion of Miranda’s tour. For full details and more chances to win follow the VBT for The Amorous Education of Celia Seaton