Taste of Kiwi: Blog of Author Shelley Munro

My Christmas story, Christmas is Coming is now out at Ellora’s Cave.

Here’s the blurb:

Christmas is coming. Give your lover the gift of pleasure…

Gaby Montgomery works for Fancy Free as a condom designer. Recently she’s been designing sex toys and testing her inventions with fellow designer Marc, but they’ve parted ways. The timing couldn’t be worse because she’s stuck without a willing test subject for her sexy products.

Gaby’s roommates Liam Richardson and Fletch Darcy both want a serious relationship with her, and now that she’s free, it’s time to make a move. But how do they decide which one will date her? Fletch finally suggests they share. Liam is skeptical but agrees the scheme might work, which allows Fletch to move on to step two of his romance plan. Fletch doesn’t just want Gaby, he wants Liam as well.

The loving is hot, their days full of fun product testing, exquisite pleasure and laughter. Everything is perfect until the outside world intrudes, putting their budding relationship under stress. This time their love and friendship might not stand the pressure.

Publisher’s Note: Want to have more fun with the characters in this book? Then pick up Fancy Free!

Purchase from Ellora’s Cave

Shelley’s Shoutout Corner

Don’t forget that Maria Zannini’s Do It Yourself Christmas continues until 22 Dec.

Author Beth Revis is doing an Epic Giveaway at her blog.

Cari Quinn has a new release called Unwrapped at Loose-Id. Unwrapped is a contemporary menage. If you like spicy hot reads, this one sounds like a good one.

Welcome to my guest today Renée Pawlish! Renée was born in California, but has lived most of her life in Colorado. When she’s not hiking, cycling, or chasing ballplayers for autographs, she is writing mysteries and thrillers that include the Reed Ferguson mysteries, Nephilim Genesis of Evil, the first in the Nephilim trilogy, Take Five, a short story collection, and The Sallie House: Exposing the Beast Within, a non-fiction account of a haunted house investigation.

Renée loves to travel and has visited numerous countries around the world. She has also spent many summer days at her parents’ cabin in the hills outside of Boulder, which was the inspiration for the setting of Taylor Crossing in her novel Nephilim: Genesis of Evil.

Hi Renee, and welcome! Give us an elevator pitch for your book, This Doesn’t Happen in the Movies.

Witty, intrepid Reed Ferguson is a wannabe private eye with a love of film noir, crime fiction and Humphrey Bogart. Amanda Ghering is a rich, attractive femme fatale who hires Reed to find her missing husband. It doesn’t take long before Reed realizes that all is not as it seems, and he is quickly thrust into a dark and daring investigation.

Where did the idea for your book come from and did you originally envisage more than one book featuring your lead character?

I usually get a hint of an idea and the more I think about it, a story forms in my head. This book was no exception. I had the femme fatale in my mind and I could picture her in an office, talking to a detective. Reed Ferguson came out of that scene – I first saw that old film noir detective, and then I modernized it. Once I had Reed created, I knew this could be the beginning of a mystery series. And now I’m working on book three, so I guess I was right…

What does your writing space look like, and do you have a view?

Right now my desk is a mess…maybe I shouldn’t admit that. I have lots of pieces of paper scattered around me because I jot things down that I want to remember, and they tend to stack up. I have set up my office where my desk faces a wall-to-wall floor-to-ceiling bookshelf. I love to look at books while I’m writing. And I have a ton of autographed sports memorabilia, and I look at all that too.

What advice would you give an aspiring mystery writer just starting on their writing journey?

I get asked this a lot and my answer is to hone your craft before you actually publish. Amazon has made it easy to put a book out, but for most authors (me included), that first or second book is not very good. You haven’t written enough to understand how to shape a story, and how to show a story, not tell it. Learn by reading books about writing, taking classes on writing. And then write. And write some more. And don’t be afraid to get feedback from others who will give you an honest assessment of your work. It might sting at the time, but it will make you a better writer.

When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I always wanted to be a teacher. I do some of that now when I work with other writers. I’m also pursuing an opportunity to teach creative writing at a community college here in Denver, so maybe that childhood dream of teaching will become reality.

Now Renee has a question for you: What makes a book a “page-turner” for you?

CONTEST: Renée is giving away a print or eBook copy of her book Nephilim and a $25 Amazon GC to one randomly drawn commenter during her tour. Follow Renée’s tour, comment on every post and increase your chances of winning! The tour dates can be found here.

A wannabe private eye with a love of film noir and detective fiction.
A rich, attractive femme fatale.
A missing husband.
A rollicking ride to a dark and daring ending.

Purchase This Doesn’t Happen in the Movies
Print
Kindle

To learn more about Renee and her books visit her website or blog. You’ll also find Renee on Twitter, Facebook and at Goodreads.

Many years ago, around 8.00pm, I’m told, I came into the world kicking and screaming. Yes, today is my birthday, so I thought age was a very appropriate topic for my Thursday Thirteen today.

Thirteen Age Quotes

1. I was surprised when I started getting old. I always thought it was one of those things that would happen to someone else. ~ George Carlin, Brain Dropping 1997

2. I am in the prime of senility. ~ Benjamin Franklin

3. You’re not old until it takes you longer to rest up than it does to get tired. ~ Phog Allen, Kansas basketball coach

4. He says he’s young at heart – but slightly older in other places. ~ Anon.

5. Old is always fifteen years from now. ~ Bill Cosby

6. One day you look in the mirror and you realize that the face you are shaving is your father’s. ~ Robert Harris, Sunday Times 1996

7. One should never trust a woman who tells one her real age. A woman who would tell one that, would tell one anything. ~ Oscar Wilde, A Woman of No Importance, 1893

8. The four stages of man are infancy, childhood, adolescence and obsolescence. ~ Art Linkletter, A Child’s Garden of Misinformation, 1965

9. First thing I do when I wake up in the morning is breathe on the mirror and hope it fogs. ~ Earl Wynn, Hall of Fame pitcher

10. The old believe everything: the middle-aged suspect everything: the young know everything. ~ Oscar Wilde, Phrases and Philosophies for the Use of the Young, 1894

11. As we grow older, our bodies get shorter and our anecdotes longer. ~ Robert Quillen, American author

12. Just when I finally got my head together, my body fell apart. ~ Anon

13. Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional. ~ Anon

I admit that sometimes I wish I were in my twenties again. I’d do a few things differently i.e. start writing much earlier than I did, but on the whole getting older isn’t too bad. The wrinkles can be a little scary, but it’s easy enough to avoid mirrors :-)

Does getting older worry you? Which of the above quotes is your favorite?

E-books have lots of advantages. They don’t take up much space. They’re light and easily portable.

Feeling tired? No problem. Make that font bigger and easier to read.

Interrupted mid-chapter? The e-reader reopens to exactly where you stopped reading.

Notes? A dictionary? Yes, that’s covered too with the touch of a button.

An autograph from your favorite author? Autographing an e-book for a reader at a book signing? Um…

Earlier this year the answer would have been no, but now Kindlegraph has arrived on the scene.

With Kindlegraph you can request autographs from your favorite authors (provided they have registered their books at Kindlegraph) and an autograph will be sent to you in a PDF document. The developer is constantly working to improve his product, and says Kindlegraph’s motto is to make e-books a little more personal.

If you have a kindle reader do check out the registered authors and try out the service. Authors, it’s simple and painless to register and load up your books. Signing an autograph for a reader is also easy. I love that warm, tingly feeling of doing a signing for a reader.

Check out my Kindlegraph page here. I’m also part of the Not Your Usual Suspects Kindle group (romantic suspense and mystery authors)

You can also follow Kindlegraph at @Kindlegraph

Do you collect autographed books? Have you tried the Kindlegraph service?

Shelley’s Shoutout Corner

I’ve joined a Carina Press group blog comprising of romantic suspense and mystery authors. Not Your Usual Suspects is celebrating Christmas with recipes, jokes and Christmas traditions as well as giveaways for the entire month of December.

Jenny Schwartz has a new release. Wanted: One Scoundrel is available at Carina Press and most other online bookstores.

Win a copy of Reclaiming His Pregnant Widow by Tessa Radley. Details of how to enter are on my contest page.

Win a copy of Sex Idol at Goodreads.

Christmas is Coming is out at Ellora’s Cave on 9 December. Two days to go!

And finally Maria Zannini is hosting a Do It Yourself Christmas at her blog from 7 – 22 Dec. For entertainment, giveaways and more visit Maria today!

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 This Doesn’t Happen in the Movies, a mystery by Renee Pawlish. Also see below for my review of this book.

“I want you to find my dead husband.”
“Excuse me?” That was my first reaction

page 1, This Doesn’t Happen in the Movies

Blurb:

A wannabe private eye with a love of film noir and detective fiction.
A rich, attractive femme fatale.
A missing husband.
A rollicking ride to a dark and daring ending.

Review:

The story starts off with a classic meeting – a beautiful woman enters Reed’s brand new detective agency, wanting him to find her missing husband. Reed’s instincts go on alert. Something is not quite right, but he succumbs to her feminine wiles and takes the case anyway. The deeper he digs the more complicated the case becomes. What follows is a fast paced plot with many twists and turns before reaching the surprising climax.

Reed, the main character is a fan of classic old detective films and wants to emulate his detective heroes. He’s likeable, if a little naive at times, and intuitive when it comes to his case. Despite suspecting/guessing who the culprit was, the twists in this story and the “why” kept me reading right to the end. The writing-style is smooth and readable, hooking me from the first page. My only quibble was that although the reader is thrust into the “noir” setting straightaway, I was a little confused about the era. It took me a while to realize the story is a contemporary set one. This is the first in the series, and I’ll be checking out the followup stories. Highly recommended, especially if you’re a fan of the noir movies of the past.

Book provided for review by the author.

Purchase This Doesn’t Happen in the Movies
Print
Kindle

I’d like to welcome fellow Carina Press author Jenny Schwartz to my blog today. I’m very excited since I’ve wanted to read the A Clockwork Christmas anthology ever since I heard about it, and it’s out today! Over to Jenny who is talking about mixing Australia with steam punk. I’m off to start reading…

Shelley, thanks for inviting me to guest post at your blog. I thought I’d bring some history with me across the Tasman.

“Wanted: One Scoundrel”, my steampunk novella in the anthology “A Clockwork Christmas”, is set in the Swan River Colony, the precursor of the state of Western Australia. It was an obvious setting for me to use. I grew up in Perth and studied Australian social history there. All those hours in the State Library scribbling notes in pencil from colonists’ letter had to prove useful, sometime.

The fun part of writing Steampunk is you get to mix real history with fictional touches. Perhaps my most radical change to real history is the addition of Bombaytown to the Swan River Colony of 1895.

My Bombaytown is modelled on San Francisco’s Chinatown, but with an Indian character. Actually, Swan River has a bit in common with San Francisco. Both boomed on the back of gold rushes. Both were Wild West. Both lured people intent on following their dreams.

My inspiration for Bombaytown was my long-held sense that it should have existed. Geographically, Western Australia and India are relatively close. In the earliest days of the colony, colonists exported horses and sandalwood to India. Even today, sandalwood remains a valuable export.

Somehow, history stuffed up and Bombaytown never existed. But in “Wanted: One Scoundrel” it is loud, colourful, full of exuberant hope and exotic spices.

For me, that’s one of the joys of Steampunk: It’s history as it ought to have been.

So, how about you. What bit of history would you rewrite?

We Wish You a Steampunk Christmas

Changed forever after tragedy, a woman must draw strength from her husband’s love. A man learns that love isn’t always what you expect. A thief steals the heart of a vengeful professor. And an American inventor finds love Down Under. Enjoy Victorian Christmas with a clockwork twist in these four steampunk novellas.

Anthology includes:
Crime Wave in a Corset by Stacy Gail
This Winter Heart by PG Forte
Wanted: One Scoundrel by Jenny Schwartz
Far From Broken by JK Coi

Stories also available for purchase separately.

117,000 words

Buy link: http://bit.ly/ClockworkX

Wanted: One Scoundrel http://bit.ly/WantedScoundrel

If you’d like to learn more about Jenny and her books visit her website.

I took this turtle photo at the Forbidden City in Beijing, China. This creature is a cross between a turtle and a dragon and I immediately thought of steampunk when I first saw it.

And in a totally random question – are you a list maker? Do you have a list to take control of Christmas?”

I tend to make lists when I’m starting to get stressed about the number of things I need to do. Making a list and ticking off items helps me feel more in control. I keep my list on my iPad.

What about you?

Not that I’m implying animals have anything in common with aspiring authors. I just happen to be talking about both topics today. I have a real soft spot for animals and love to see them in their natural habitats. So far I’ve been lucky enough to visit several game parks in Africa, see the gorillas in Rwanda, watch rhinos in Chitwan, spy on whales in various seas and oceans, and during my most recent adventure I held a panda. All of these experiences are very special to me.

If you could sponsor one animal and save it from extinction, which animal would you choose? Your pet or a wild animal?

I like big cats and cheetahs in specific. They’re so fast and graceful and have gorgeous coloring. Very aristocratic in appearance. When it comes to animals that are already extinct, I’d like to save the New Zealand moas, which were huge flightless birds. The Haast eagle can stay extinct. They sound scary because they carted off animals, moas and small children. The dodo bird also sounds very cool, but from what I understand, they were a little stupid.

Which animals would you choose?”

Today I’m visiting Michele Stegman’s blog and talking about my tip for aspiring authors. Check out my post at Thoughts from a Writer’s Block.

One of the places I’ve always wanted to see is the Great Wall of China. I enjoyed our visit very much, but it was different to what I expected. The first part we climbed was very steep with steps that challenged my long legs. It was also very busy with red-faced, puffing tourists. The farther we climbed the quieter the wall became. Hubby and I walked up as far as we could, ending at Watch Tower 13. Climbing down was much easier and the beer we purchased at the bottom tasted very nice indeed!

Do you enjoy walking for pleasure? Is there a particular walk you’d like to complete one day?

There’s a walk in New Zealand called the Milford Track. It’s in the South Island and I hear it’s very beautiful. One day, I hope to do this 53.5 km walk, which goes through the Fiordland National Park.
I’d also like to cycle the Otago Central Rail trail, which ends at the small country town of Middlemarch where I’ve set my Middlemarch Mates series.

What about you?

I’m doing another Goodreads giveaway. This time I’m giving away a print copy of my recent Ellora’s Cave release Sex Idol. Here’s the link to the Goodreads giveaway. Contest closes Dec18.