Taste of Kiwi: Blog of Author Shelley Munro

Our local supermarkets have vouchers on the back of their shopping receipts, and I usually scan them to see if there is anything that might apply to me.

I was surprised to see the following voucher:

Great Gift for Someone With Every Thing!

$20 + p & p for YOUR OWN ACRE ON THE MOON

(as filed with the United Nations)

Purchase your slice of the moon

I blinked when I saw this ad. Hello? How can someone sell off bits of the moon? According to their website they can. Maybe the better question is who wants to purchase the moon? And would the title stand up in court? I also wondered how much postage and packing it would take to wrap an acre of moon.

What do you think?

Lisa Sanchez is my guest on Friday. Come along, comment on her post or one of the other posts in her Obsessed tour and go into a draw to win a $20 Amazon voucher.

My Tea For Two tour continues today with two stops.

The first stop is at I Do Not Want to Wait, I Want The Book Now where I’m talking about scandal. Tiger Woods, anyone?

The second stop is at Alternative-Read.com. I’m discussing tea leaf reading here, an age-old method of fortune telling. Hayley, my heroine in Tea For Two reads tea cups. EDITED: My apologies. I have the date wrong for this one. I’m here on the 13th Jan.

As always, I’m doing a give away at each stop. I’d love to see you there.

And finally, I’m doing a guest spot at The Rainbow Studio blog, The Romance Studio. I’m discussing weddings and Naughtiest Nuptials.

I’m blogging at My Foolish Wisdom today with Soldier of Fortune. I’m talking about Occupations in Romance, and I’m doing a giveaway. Here’s the link to My Foolish Wisdom.

Last week I watched a reality-type show on the Living Channel called Shopping is My Life. Each show features a shopping addict and two experts give them advice so they can get their habit under control. They mentioned some interesting statistics about shopping.

The average person used to purchase 19 items of clothing per year.
The average person now purchases 34 items of clothing per year.
The featured shopping addict purchased 400 plus items of clothing per year.

My sister really enjoys the Sophie Kinsella Shopaholic series and has suggested I read them. I haven’t seen the movie either. Maybe one day soon. It’s on my list, but from what I hear the heroine should probably submit themselves to the Shopping is My Life experts.

I’ve had a rough count, and I think I’ve purchased 15 items of clothing and footwear this year. It’s been a busy year shopping for me this year. Last year it would have been well under 10 items. I can’t imagine 400 items. That’s a lot of shopping!

How many items of clothing have you purchased this year? Have you read any of Sophie Kinsella’s Shopaholic series? Have you seen the movie? If so, what did you think?

My Soldier of Fortune tour begins today. The first stop on the tour is Tracy Cooper-Posey’s blog where I have an interview. I’m also doing a giveaway so pop over to Tracy’s News & Gossip to say hello.

I’ve also received my very first review for Soldier of Fortune. I Do Not Want to Wait, I Want the Book Now said, “This story has the perfect balance of what I look for in a book. It shows the heartbreak of watching someone you love disappear into the illness of Alzheimer, the danger and fear of being in a war zone, and the camaraderie of friends, while still keeping the romance the central point. Did I mention the scorching hot sex? Can’t forget that. Seriously hot!”

You can read the entire review here. Thanks so much! I’m thrilled with my review.

Today Soldier of Fortune is out at Ellora’s Cave. It’s an erotic contemporary romance that’s set in both Iraq and New Zealand. Two years ago, I watched a documentary about private security companies operating in the war zone and the New Zealanders who take up contracts with them to make big money. It’s a dangerous job, yet some of the men go back for more than one contract. They’re in it for both the money and the adrenaline rush.

I’ve been wanting to write stories about some of the secondary characters in Summer in the City of Sails, and this documentary provided me with a possible plot line. I did lots of research, watched heaps of documentaries on British and American soldiers fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan in order to make my story realistic. I didn’t want to overwhelm the reader with war so hopefully I’ve managed to strike the balance between realism and romance.

In my story, there’s a female correspondent who works for CBS. One of the jobs of the private security force is to keep her and the other CBS employees safe when they go about doing their job, reporting on the progress of the war. It takes a clear head to calmly report a story while dodging bullets, and I know I couldn’t do it. Female correspondents are often able to interview local women about their experiences and get answers to quite intimate questions. Male correspondents would not have the same access, and many women refuse to talk with them.

I’m taking Soldier of Fortune out on tour. Yes, it’s true—you’ll get to hear more about me and my Ninja Turtle soldiers. Here’s a link to my blog tour schedule.

Would you like to be a reporter? Would you like to be a reporter in a war zone?