Taste of Kiwi: Blog of Author Shelley Munro

On 6th of February we have another public holiday here in New Zealand. It’s called Waitangi Day and is to celebrate the signing of the treaty of Waitangi where over five hundred Maori chiefs signed what is called New Zealand’s founding document. Around forty chiefs signed the document on the 6th of Feb 1840 and by the end of that year five hundred had signed. Basically, the treaty made New Zealand a part of the British Empire, guaranteed Maori rights to their land and gave them rights as British citizens.

Recently Waitangi Day has become a day where the treaty is hotly debated and the application of it in modern day comes into dispute. Since this is also an election year in New Zealand the heated barbs between the political parties have started already.

I, like many New Zealanders, treat the day as a holiday and have never visited the celebrations they have in Waitangi, which is north of Auckland. Mr. Munro is going to play golf. I hope it rains because this heat and the resulting drought is killing me. The little dog is looking miserable as well with the heat. I intend to do some writing and relax with Red Garnier’s upcoming release Amatista.

And here’s a tip for the day, for those who need some help with promo. Check out the Promo-ho.com blog for some great tips.

Edited to add: I’m a guest blogger over at the Cata Network today and my topic is The Language of Flowers. Read my blog here.

I also have a smooch up at Ecataromance for Playing to Win.

Most of you know I live in New Zealand. It’s a small country of 4 million people. This year, the news has been dominated by murder. We’ve had ten murders in our country this year, and it’s all people are talking about at the moment. Seven of the ten murders have been solved with the perpetrator caught. The worrying part is that six of the crimes have been against women and most of those killed and many of the accused are young, in some cases under sixteen. Two of the crimes have taken place very close to where I live and both men who died were young. Too young.

As you can imagine, there’s discussion everywhere, so much discussion that police have come out with an unprecedented statement where they say this number of murders is not unusual due to the time of the year, the financial strain and pressure on families and of course, alcohol.

Huh? That was my first reaction. I’m appalled by our latest statistics and the waste of life. As I mentioned, both people murdered in my area were young. One was at university and was working at his parents’ store. He was knifed by a sixteen-year-old who appears to have been on drugs. The attack was unprovoked. The second victim was a fifteen-year-old. He was caught tagging a fence at 11pm. It appears that the fifty-year-old man who caught him was so incensed he attacked him with a knife.

Yeah, I’m appalled at these murders and think any murder is one too many. I don’t care what the police say. The problem is how do we stop this senseless violence? Many people are placing the blame on the government. I don’t know. I realize we don’t live in a perfect world but wonder if perhaps part of the problem in some cases is the breakdown of the family unit. It’s a hard question since so many factors come into the equation. I really don’t know the answer.

What do you think is the answer? How do we stop this senseless waste of life in our communities?

The weta – it’s a large and primitive insect, native to New Zealand. The reason I chose to write about wetas today is so more people know what they are. When I used a weta reference in my book Talking Dogs, Aliens and Purple People Eaters my editor didn’t know what I was talking about and I had to rewrite slightly to describe a weta as a prehistoric cricket-like insect.

There are five broad groups of weta:

1. Tree weta
2. Ground weta
3. Cave weta
4. Giant weta
5. Tusked weta

Wetas are nocturnal and live in a variety of habitats including grassland, scrub land, forests and caves. They live under stones and in rotten logs or in pre-formed burrows in trees.

They are mainly herbivores in the wild but are known to eat other insects. They can bite but are not poisonous. Species of weta are still being discovered and several are endangered. In the wild they were traditionally eaten by the tuatara (a prehistoric reptile native to NZ) but these days many are destroyed by rats, cats and dogs and of course, humans encroaching on their habitat.

The weta sheds its exoskeleton when moulting.

At 18 months the male weta selects a female and they spend time together in the male’s territory. (Romance in the insect world!)

At around two years old the female will lay 100 – 300 eggs. The parents die before the weta eggs hatch 3 – 5 months later.

The Department of Conservation in New Zealand is currently involved in weta breeding programs and translocation to safe sites such as protected islands like Tiritiri Matangi and Little Barrier Island in the Hauraki Gulf. The weta respond well to a captive breeding program.

The following photo is of a giant weta.

I’ve never seen a giant weta but have personal experience with both tree and cave wetas. We often find tree wetas in our garden and will return them to live in peace. They can nip and look creepy but I don’t mind them. My experience with cave wetas is a bit more spooky. When I was a kid my girlfriend lived on a farm with limestone caves. It was a favorite pastime to visit the caves and wander through them with a candle and maybe a torch to search for stalactites, stalagmites and glow worms. When I think about our cave visits now I can see how dangerous it was but for us it was an adventure – an hour or two of wandering through pristine caves. One day we discovered a new tunnel and were all set to charge into it to explore. I happened to shine the torch over the ceiling and it was covered with huge cave wetas! Really covered. I think I let out a screech and dropped the torch and we all decided to explore another part of the cave. I also took to checking my gumboots carefully and shaking vigorously before I put my feet in them. This lasted for a few weeks until the initial horror passed. I’ve never been bitten by a weta but I’m always careful not to get too close either. I can appreciate them from a distance.

How are you with insects? Do you like them or hate them with a passion? Do you have any insect stories to tell? What do you think of New Zealand’s weta?

Like most people, I love music. There’s nothing better than driving along with music blasting, walking briskly with music playing through a set of headphones or just sitting and dreaming while listening to some favorite music.

The music scene in New Zealand is blooming with lots of new bands and some great music releasing during the last ten years. In 2000 New Zealand music was given approximately 10% of the airtime with music from overseas (USA, UK & Australia) making up the rest. In 2005 this figure had risen to 23% and I suspect that now in 2008, the percentage of New Zealand music played on radio stations is even higher.

My favorite New Zealand band at the moment is OpShop. Their newly released album is called Second Hand Planet, and if you check out their website you can listen to tracks from the album. Here’s a YouTube of their most recent hit, One Day. It’s number one on itunes in New Zealand.

And here’s a second song, Maybe, from the album with a more interesting video.

Happy listening. I hope you have time to pop back later in the day when I’ll post another He Said, She said – on Playing to Win. The first one is here.

Today our news in New Zealand is full of Sir Edmund Hillary, an ordinary man who was extraordinary. He died today from a heart attack at the age of 88. Sir Ed was brought up in Tuakau, the small town where I lived for part of my life and went to high school. In a coincidence, the story I’ve just sent off to Samhain is set in Tuakau. Sir Ed climbed Mt Everest years before I was born, but I, like many New Zealanders, really admire his achievements. He will be given a state funeral.

In writing news I finished my story targeted to Samhain for the Red-Hot Summer anthology and sent it off. Submissions closed yesterday and successful authors are notified at the beginning of February. Luckily it’s not long to wait. I’m getting very impatient in my old age.

This morning I pulled out the Middlemarch story I started in December and reread the 10,000 words I’d completed, editing as I went. I’m actually really pleased with it and will continue with it next week. During the afternoons I’ve been working on a tiger shifter story and putting my storyboard lessons into practice. While storyboarding is good in theory, I’m finding it much harder in practice. This method of plotting has, however, highlighted some conflict difficulties and I’m pondering about whether to change my contemporary idea into a fantasy. I haven’t written fantasy before but I think my initial idea lends itself better to this genre than contemporary. If I set it in the present day I think readers would need to suspend disbelief a bit too much and I’d lose them. I shall continue to ponder and fill out my storyboard. If you’re puzzled by storyboarding here’s a link.

And this week I’ve read some wonderful books. I read Lauren Dane’s Wolf Unbound, which I highly recommend. I loved it. I’ve read Lora Leigh’s Hidden Agendas. I really liked this book, much better than the previous one in the series (Dangerous Games) because the hero appeals to me more. He seems more sympathetic than the hero of Dangerous Games. I thought Lora Leigh did a great job with the character emotions. And at the moment, I’m reading Dangerous Grounds by Shelli Stevens. So far this is great, and I like both the suspense plot, with the man who is holding up coffee stores, and the two main characters.

I hope everyone has a fun weekend. Hubby is going fishing so I’ll be able to get some work done on my Middlemarch story, and hopefully fill in the dreaded storyboard a little more. What are you up to for the weekend?

My first post for the year in my new Taste of Kiwi category. For those who don’t know, “kiwi” is an affectionate term for a New Zealander and it’s taken from our native flightless bird, the kiwi. Refer back to my Thursday Thirteen post from last year for a photo of a kiwi. They’re cute little birds.

Yesterday hubby and I visited Villa Maria Estate, which is a hop, skip and a jump away from central Auckland. I hadn’t visited before but they have a small vineyard (the main grape crop is grown elsewhere in New Zealand) along with a restaurant, wine tasting, a conference center and during the summer they have concerts. Joe Cocker is appearing there later this month.

Read the rest of this entry ?

When I first started writing romance there were three published authors who gave members of Romance Writers of New Zealand real inspiration. They are Robyn Donald, Daphne Clair and Susan Napier. They are all published with Mills & Boon (Harlequin Presents) and at each conference they imparted their knowledge with enthusiasm. They inspired us all. We soaked up their advice on publishing and craft, entered writing contests and helped each other improve. Now, about ten years later we have so many wonderful published writers to emulate. I thought I’d mention a few and would heartily recommend that you check out their books. There’s a reason New Zealand has so many published writers!

1. Fiona Brand. – Fiona was the first who sold and she wrote initially for Silhouette Intimate Moments. She’s now writing thriller/suspense for MIRA.

2. Nalini Singh – I can truly say, “I remember Nalini way back when…” Nalini writes her excellent Psy series for Berkley and gets better with each book. Which reminds me – I must go and annoy her…

3. Tessa Radley – Tessa writes for Silhouette Desire and I’m positive we’ll see her in single title in a year or two.

4. Amanda Ashby – Amanda’s first book, You Had Me at Halo, has recently been nominated in the RT Reviewer’s Choice awards. If you like paranormal with a little humor definitely check out her book.

5. Sara Hantz – Sara’s debut book, The Second Virginity of Suzy Green, is a Young Adult from Flux.

6. Karina Bliss – Karina used to win all the unpublished competitions and it wasn’t a surprise when she sold to Harlequin Superromance.

7. Leda Swann – Leda is a husband and wife team who write hot and spicy romances for Avon Red and Ellora’s Cave.

8. Abby Gaines – Abby also writes for Harlequin Superromance and uses her interest in motor sport to write for Harlequin’s NASCAR line.

9. Helen Kirkman – Helen writes about brooding Vikings for HQN.

10. Emily Gee – Emily’s first book came out in 2007. She writes dark fantasy with a slight romance element.

11. Yvonne Lindsay – Yvonne is another Desire author. Her heroes – delicious!

12. Jan Colley – yet another Silhouette Desire author. There’s a lot of them down this way. In fact check out Diamonds Down Under. Several of the Desire writers from New Zealand and Australia are writing a series.

13. Natalie Anderson – Natalie’s first book released in 2007. She writes for Harlequin Presents new Modern Extra line.

There you have 13 New Zealand romance authors. I should also mention the founder of Romance Writers of New Zealand, Jean Drew who has an Egyptian time travel with Highland Press. We also have several very talented e-published authors, but that’s a post for another day. And of course, there’s me – Shelley Munro.

Have you read a book by a New Zealand author lately?

Tirau is a small New Zealand town. It’s pronounced Tee-rau

1. Tirau, originally referred to a hill three miles southwest of the village, is covered with cabbage trees where Maori trapped the keruru (wood pigeon). It was first settled by the Ngati Raukawa, although various tribes won the area in battle before Europeans purchased the surrounding district in 1868.

2. Tirau has always been a rest stop for travellers with the Oxford Royal Hotel operating as a staging post between Rotorua, Cambridge, Lichfield and later Taupo.

3. The benefits of its central location continue today. In fact Kate and Lane from PLAYING TO WIN stopped here for a break during their drive to Taupo. These days the town is unique for its corrugated iron sculptures.

4. A shop disguised as a sheep.

5. A dog.

6. Poppies

7. A book shop.

8. The toy shop.

9. Me standing outside the tourist center.

10. Gourmet Food shop.

11. A garage.

12. A dairy.

13. A gift shop with a pukeko (bird).

I’ve been tagged by both Rhian and Wylie to do this meme about my hometown of Auckland.

Best place to eat:

This is such a hard question since my favorite place to eat depends on my mood and my wallet. Hubby and I both enjoy the Belgium Beer Cafe at Mission Bay. It overlooks Mission Beach and is beautiful during the summer when the pohutukawa trees are in full bloom. They specialize in huge pots of mussels done in various ways, which hubby loves. I usually go for the vegetarian option. We both love their beer. My favorite is the raspberry beer – the Framboise.

Best Shopping Mall

I love to shop at Botany Town Center in all weathers, although they don’t have a decent book shop. Actually that’s probably a good thing. Hubby and I buy our groceries here and usually have a coffee and people watch first. It’s quieter when it rains because it’s not all under cover but a little water never worries me. They have an English style pub here along with my favorite clothes store.

Famous Landmark

For me it would have to be Rangitoto Island. The perfect cone of the dormant volcano is visible from most parts of Auckland. It’s the youngest in Auckland’s field of volcanoes. A ferry trip to the island and climbing to the top to eat a picnic lunch is a fun day trip and a good way to tire out the kids.

Best Tourist Attraction

We have a lot of rain in Auckland so how about the Auckland Museum for a rainy day. Soak up the maori culture, check out the carvings and artwork, the sculpture.

Place for Kids

Kelly Tarlton’s Antarctic and Underwater World. It’s fun for big kids as well. Check out the sharks and huge stingrays along with the Antarctic Encounter.

Popular Outdoor Activity

It’s got to be the beaches – from the Auckland harbor to the wild West Coast beaches. Take a ferry ride out on the harbor, go yachting or take an afternoon coffee cruise, visit the outer islands or go for a swim. Try surfing. Go fishing. If you’re into water sports we’ve got it all.

Breathtaking Views

For anyone wanting a view of Auckland and the harbor I’d send them to the top of Mount Eden. From here you can see most of the harbor and outlying gulf as well as the other dormant volcanoes and the city. Best of all it’s free.

Only Found in Auckland

The Auckland Sky Tower. Climb to the top in a super fast lift for the views and bungee back down. The tower is also in the photo above.

I’m meant to pick others and tag them now. I choose Christina and Gabriele.

On 5th November 1605 a man called Guy Fawkes tried to blow up the British houses of parliament. He was part of a group of men and their mission was to kill King James and several of his leaders by setting barrels of gunpowder below the room where a meeting was to be held. Guy Fawkes was meant to light the fuse but the plot was discovered, Guy was captured and subsequently hung.

As early as 1607 the day was celebrated. King James declared the day a public holiday because he was so pleased the plot was foiled. Ever since, Guy Fawkes Day has been a time for merrymaking. It is a holiday that both children and adults can enjoy. And the fun really begins when darkness falls, then “the “Guy” is tossed onto the bonfire, and set alight. Then the fireworks go off, and “the Guy” goes up in a flames.

With our English connection (we’re a member of the Commonwealth and Queen Elizabeth is our sovereign) we celebrate Guy Fawkes day here in New Zealand. During past years accidents with fire crackers, injuries and property damage have increased to the point where there is continual talk about banning the sale of fireworks. This year fireworks went on sale on 2 November. Already we’ve had accidents and fires. Personally, I’m not a fan and our little dog is terrified of them. Things are a little easier now she’s going deaf but she’ll be sleeping inside for the next two weeks until everyone in the neighborhood uses up their supplies! It wouldn’t worry me at all if firework sales are banned to the public and only public displays were allowed. We normally have a family get together, a BBQ and when it gets dark the fireworks come out.

Does anyone else celebrate Guy Fawkes day? What do you do to celebrate?

We had an awesome weekend in Rotorua and Taupo, although the weather wasn’t the best. I’ll post some photos later in the week but my highlights for the weekend were spending time with hubby, going to the Blueberry and Honey places (lots of yummy samples) and our visit to Wai-o-tapu, a thermal area between Rotorua and Taupo. I see Wylie has tagged me with the same meme that Rhian has so visit tomorrow and I’ll reveal all about Auckland.