Taste of Kiwi: Blog of Author Shelley Munro

Surprise! Assassin is out in print from Ellora’s Cave today. I have a soft spot for this book, and I’m thrilled that Leo and Isabella are finally out in print.

Here’s the blurb:

Feline shifter Leo Mitchell is the pretty brother who attracts women with ease, but he’s turned picky. He suspects the mystery blonde hanging around Middlemarch is the one for him. If only he could grab the elusive female and seduce her. Oh yeah. He craves some hot, sinful lovin’ with the lady in black leather.

Assassin Isabella Black has harbored a huge crush on hunky Leo for ages. Because the timing sucked she’s watched him from afar, praying another woman won’t snatch the hottie away before she’s free to stake a claim.

Finally the pair meet. Isabella offers her naked body but Leo counteracts with a cup of tea. Seems Leo likes to call the shots when it comes to sex. A day later they’re finally dancing horizontally. It’s smokin’ hot, steamy, delicious—everything she’s ever wanted. Isabella is ecstatic until another assassin threatens to ruin her happiness. It’s life or death now. One wrong move and her secrets will destroy the Mitchells along with everything that has become dear to her…including Leo.

Purchase from:

Ellora’s Cave
Amazon
The Book Depository

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 today comes from Primal Law by JD Tyler, a new-to-me author. I’m about three-quarters of the way through and thoroughly enjoying this story of wolf shapeshifters and fated mates. This is the start of a series called Alpha Pack.

The soldier in him knew the smart move would be to go for the man with the gun; the beast demanded blood from the one with his hands on her. The one who’d hit her.

page 20, Primal Law

Founded by a group of former Navy SEALS, the Alpha Pack is a top-secret team of wolf shifters with Psy powers tasked with eliminating the most dangerous predators in the world. But the gift of their abilities comes at a price…

After a massacre decimates half his team and leaves him crippled, Jaxon Law must relearn how to fight—and battle the anger and guilt threatening to overwhelm him. But when he rescues a beautiful woman who reawakens his primal instincts, Jax is unprepared for the dangers that lie ahead.

On the run from her employer, brilliant lab assistant Kira Locke has evidence that leads the Alpha Pack on a hunt for someone targeting human civilians with Psy abilities. And as Jax and Kira circle both the killer and each other, Jax will have to decide if the deep connection he feels with Kira is worth breaking the ultimate shifter rule—because bonding with Kira means putting his abilities at risk, and they might be the only tools he has to keep his mate alive…

Purchase Primal Law

What are you reading this week? Leave a link to your teaser or give me a two-sentence teaser in the comments section. I love adding to my to-read list.

One of my favorite things to do when visiting another country is to wander around the markets. I like to see the different types of food, and of course, do some people watching. These are some of the photos hubby and I took during our wanders.

Banana Lady

Sugarcane Lady

Grape Man

Handicraft Lady

The Chinese people enjoy sightseeing, and we encountered many groups of local tourists at the Great Wall, on the Yangtzee River and visiting the Terracotta men. They’re big on photography, and if we smiled at anyone we’d find ourselves in the middle of a photography session. This couple grabbed me to pose in their photo. In fact, most of our group ended up in their photos. It was a real hoot.

Me and Random Tourists

Which one is your favorite?

I’m visiting Savvy Authors today and talking about heroines. Here’s the link to my post, which contains suggestions for writing a good heroine.

I intend to try and catch up on some writing this weekend, and I’ll be watching the quarter-finals of the rugby World Cup on both Saturday and Sunday. The All Blacks are playing Argentina.

What are you doing this weekend?

Underwear is something I think about quite often. I admit to a love of nice lingerie, and I also have to dress my characters, so underwear struck me as a good topic for a TT.

Thirteen Types of Undergarments

1. Bloomers – an old-fashioned type of underwear.

2. G-string – not my personal favorite because I find them uncomfortable.

3. Thermal underwear – not very sexy, but who cares as long as it keeps us warm.

4. Codpiece – what every well-dressed Tudor man wore.

5. Diaper – something that most of us wore as a baby. Interestingly, babies in China don’t wear them. They have pants with a slit at the back.

6. Bra – something to help keep the girls looking perky.

7. Loincloth – a garment from caveman days. Other civilizations wore loincloths too.

8. Jockstrap – something for the boys to wear.

9. Chastity belt – a garment to keep a woman chaste.

10. Boxer shorts – mainly for the men.

11. Long johns – something for grandpas!

12. Push-up bra – something to give a boost.

13. Garter-belt – useful for holding up stockings.

I like comfort combined with silky material and lace. Pretty colors too, although black is better if you intend to do some travel. The heroine in my recent WIP didn’t wear any underwear because she lived in the 1700s.

What is your favorite type of underwear? Writers – what unusual underwear have you inflicted on your characters?

The Rugby World Cup is currently taking place in New Zealand with the quarter-finals this coming weekend. I’m visiting Stephanie Burkhart’s blog today where I’m talking about rugby, my love of the sport and books.

I hope you’ll pop by and say hello. Go All Blacks!

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!

I’m currently reading Second Grave on the Left by Darynda Jones. I loved the first Charley Davidson book, First Grave on the Right and have been looking forward to reading the followup. So far, so good!

Here’s my teaser:

“Oh. So, did you buy this car used?” I asked, thinking back to the dead guy in her trunk and wondering how he got there. I still needed to figure out if Cookie had been a black widow before she met me.

page 20, Second Grave on the Left

Charley Davidson, Grim Reaper Extraordinaire, is back in this sexy, suspenseful novel of supernatural shenanigans

When Charley is rudely awakened in the middle of the night by her best friend who tells her to get dressed quickly and tosses clothes out of the closet at her, she can’t help but wonder what Cookie’s up to. Leather scrunch boots with a floral miniskirt? Together? Seriously? Cookie explains that a friend of hers named Mimi disappeared five days earlier and that she just got a text from her setting up a meet at a coffee shop downtown. They show up at the coffee shop, but no Mimi. But Charley finds a message on the bathroom wall. Mimi left a clue, a woman’s name. Mimi’s husband explains that his wife had been acting strange since she found out an old friend of hers from high school had been found murdered a couple weeks prior. The same woman Mimi had named in her message.

Meanwhile, Reyes Alexander Farrow (otherwise known as the Son of Satan. Yes. Literally) has left his corporeal body and is haunting Charley. He’s left his body because he’s being tortured by demons who want to lure Charley closer. But Reyes can’t let that happen. Because if the demons get to Charley, they’ll have a portal to heaven. And if they have a portal to heaven…well, let’s just say it wouldn’t be pretty. Can Charley handle hot nights with Reyes and even hotter days tracking down a missing woman? Will Cookie ever get a true fashion sense? And is there enough coffee and chocolate in the world to fuel them as they do?

Purchase Second Grave on the Left

What are you reading at present? Leave me a link to your Tuesday Teaser or a two-sentence teaser in the comments section. I love to add to my to-read pile!

Panda are native to China, and during our recent visit to Chengdu, we were lucky enough to visit the Panda Research Center.

I was very impressed with the Research Center. The grounds are landscaped with bamboo and other native plants, making the entire place seem like a wilderness area.

Once they reach adulthood, pandas are solitary creatures. The only time pandas come together is to mate, and the window of opportunity is a very small one. Along with the diminishing habitat, this is one of the reasons pandas are in danger of extinction.

An adult panda

The Research Center is having great success with breeding, although it hasn’t been easy. They found that the pandas raised at the center didn’t know how to mate. They solved this problem by showing the pandas blue movies—a movie of pandas mating in the wild. This ingenious solution has produced a bumper “crop” of babies this year, and we saw many of them in the nursery.

Babies in the Nursery

Keepers feed the pandas early in the morning before temperatures rise. Their natural habitat is at a high altitude, and they dislike the muggy temperatures in Chengdu. We arrived at the center around nine, just after feeding time. During the late morning the pandas return to their quarters, which are air conditioned, and spend the hottest part of the day sleeping.

Teddy Bear’s Picnic

We saw adults, groups of juveniles and the nursery where there were babies of various ages. We also saw red pandas, which are not as rare but share the same habitat as pandas. They’re smaller and are able to climb higher where they eat different parts of the bamboo to the giant panda.

One of the highlights of my visit was a close encounter with a young panda. I had to pay extra, but it was worth every penny. The money goes to the Research Center and helps further research and pay for the upkeep of the pandas.

I had to “gown up” with plastic booties, gloves and a coverall to help keep contamination at bay. The keeper plonked the panda on my knee. He wasn’t very heavy and he had very soft fur. He sat calmly, chewing on bamboo while helpers took many photos for me. I know my grin was wide. I love animals, and it was a real privilege to hold a panda.

This was the first time I’ve ever seen pandas. They certainly have the cuteness factor going for them. My visit was a dream come true and was right up there with seeing gorillas in their natural habitat. One for my life top ten experiences.

I’ve added some new photos to my online photo album. There are photos of the Forbidden City and the Chengdu pandas, and I’ve also uploaded some photos from England, Ireland, Nepal and India.

To explore my photo album follow this link and select the category you’d like to explore. Double click on the thumbnails to enlarge the photos.

More photos to come. Enjoy!