Taste of Kiwi: Blog of Author Shelley Munro

My special guest today is fellow Carina Press author, Kim Knox. Aside from having several publishers in common, Kim shares a release date with me since her futuristic romance Gambit is out on 20 September at Carina Press. It sounds like an awesome read so head over to the Carina store and preorder your copy now! Today Kim is talking about films and inspiration for her upcoming release. Don’t forget to comment on her post to go into a draw to win one of her backlist.

There are some films I can watch over and over. My other half can testify to my current night time obsession with Hot Fuzz. Really, what’s not to love about bromance heavily laced with guns and just enough gore to make you wince? Something about the structure, the humour doesn’t get old for me. My other half may tell a different story.

Then there are the films that are a slow boil. I didn’t like the remake of Clash of the Titans when I first saw it at the cinema. Admittedly I was crushed up at the front of the theatre and I’d made the egregious error of viewing it in 3D…but I watched it again at home and enjoyed it more. I could truly appreciate a muscled hero in a leather skirt. Yes, I have also watched Gladiator a lot, too.

With children around, I can’t indulge in anything rated above PG and their repeated favourites of The Gruffalo and Dangermouse can grate a little. And the less said about Count Duckula the better.

We do have common ground though. All of us can watch films four, five and six of the Star Wars Trilogy ad nauseum. They appreciate spaceships and aliens and things generally exploding and I can appreciate Han Solo. A lot.

He was also the spark behind my novel, Gambit. Well him and Leia in her slave girl costume. My mind was drifting as I watched Return of the Jedi — the scene in Jabba’s court — and I got to thinking that the gold bikini was wasted on Leia…and really Han should be Jabba’s pet. The idea of Jabba as my heroine was a little off putting. So I swapped in a woman…who was a pilot and a hustler. One who enjoyed her men wrapped in little more than golden strings. I also gave her a collar and a leash for her new flesh-pet…and Chae Beyon was born.

I do point out Gambit to my other half as proof that my addiction to some films does mean I am actually working. I’m still not sure he believes me.

So does anyone else have a film or films that they can watch over and over?

CONTEST: Everyone who answers Kim’s question will go into a draw to win a download from Kim’s backlist. Kim will be back to pick the winner.

Links:
Web: www.kim-knox.co.uk
Blog: www.darknessandromance.com

Purchase Gambit

Blurb:

Captain Chae Beyon is a hustler, a mercenary pilot, a wounded woman who prefers her men to be easily thrown aside.

Daned Traern is a first-caste Ladaian bound by tradition and DNA to protect his race. He’s willing to align himself with the hot space captain if she’ll transport him home in time to ensure the right candidate is crowned-and thus prevent a bloody war.

Disguised as Chae’s sex toy, Daned is erotically bound to her through living gold, alien tech designed to increase pleasure. When he frees himself, their passion only increases…but succumbing to temptation will bind them together-permanently.

But there’s more at stake than their needs. As Chae is dragged into a world of insane princes and sentient stones, hired killers hound them across the quadrant.

And then, as only her lousy luck would have it, Chae must choose between the good of the galaxy and her own heart…

Bio:

Kim is published with Ellora’s Cave, Samhain Publishing, Liquid Silver Books, Loose Id and soon with Carina Press. She lives on an ancient boundary line, once marked by a Neolithic burial tomb. The tomb’s now a standing stone circle–thank the Georgians for that one–and stirs her mind with thoughts of history and ancient myths. She mixes the essence of the past into fantasy, along with the essential mix of magic and sex. She also writes science fiction romance, pushing out into the far future with effortlessly sexy men and the women who can’t resist them.

The theme this week is friendship. Quite a few of my stories deal with friends and friendship, but today I’ve chosen an excerpt from Fallen Idol. This is a m/m story about a man who has fallen in love with his best friend. There was no future for a relationship and they drifted in different directions. This excerpt shows their first meeting in a long time.

Fallen Idol by Shelley Munro

His palms were sweaty so he wiped them on his black trews. Rafi laughed at himself, his nervousness at seeing Roberto again. They’d been friends since they were kids growing up in Melbourne and had met at the education center. Roberto hadn’t cared about the color of his skin or about his mother’s racy reputation.

They’d liked one another immediately, having a lot in common. One of them more so than the other, Rafi thought with a wry twist of his lips. He’d fallen in love with Roberto while his friend had fallen in love with Fifi Da Groux and gone out on the Sex Idol circuit with her. Roberto had broken Rafi’s heart and hadn’t even known it. They hadn’t seen each other for two years, but Rafi had thought of Roberto every day since they’d said goodbye. Sap.

“Nah,” he muttered, shaking his head to negate the thought. “Just goes to show you I have good taste.” And was weird for talking to himself.

Rafi entered the apartment foyer, wrinkling his nose at the scent of overcooked vege rations and scorched soy meat. The interior wasn’t much better than the outside. Rundown and only suitable for those on the lower income scale. Rafi couldn’t understand why the great Roberto Azam was living here when he could afford so much better.

Roberto. Rafi pictured the man he loved. Tall and golden-skinned. Broad shoulders. A slim waist that tapered down to a tight butt. Rafi imagined stroking his hands across Roberto’s golden skin and shivered. His cock chose that moment to react to his lusty thoughts. Ah, but Roberto was worth it. His muscles rippled when he moved and Rafi knew his friend didn’t go in for body sculpting salons and artificial stuff. Those hard muscles were a combination of good genes and honest exercise in his father’s warehouse when he was a teenager.

Rafi thumped on the button to call the lift but nothing happened. Shrugging, he searched for a stairwell to reach Roberto’s flat on the fourth floor. As he climbed the stairs, Rafi thought about the amount of fuel he’d need to fill his spaceship for the trip to the outer territories. Anything to help his erection subside and save embarrassment. Roberto didn’t know how Rafi felt about him, and Rafi intended to keep the status quo. All he needed to do was get through this visit. Masochist that he was. Roberto was his friend. He was happy with Fifi. Rafi needed to accept that and move on with his life.

After climbing the dark stairwell, he exited on the fourth floor. There were six apartments on each floor. Rafi stalked down the wide passage toward number four, anticipation and apprehension skipping around inside him. Hell, seeing Roberto again was going to put him back at square one, ripping the scars from his wounded heart. But the idea of not seeing him—that was even worse.

He turned the corner and came to a halt. A pyramid of empty vroom flasks littered the passage outside number four. Rafi frowned and strode to the door. Vroom was a rough liquor produced on the planet Marchant. People became addicted to it if they weren’t careful. Eyesight was affected. In extreme cases blindness occurred along with lack of coordination and muscle wastage. The muscle melted away, replaced by excess fat. Rafi checked the pile of bottles again and shook his head. Surely this pile didn’t belong to Roberto. He knocked on the door.

“What the hell do you want?” a masculine voice demanded. “Go away.”

Rafi pounded a little harder, a tiny grin playing across his lips. Roberto’s voice. Familiar, it brought back memories. The husky growl still made his cock jump with anticipation. Rafi’s grin died. Friend’s box, remember? Roberto wasn’t interested in him in that way and all the wishing in the world wouldn’t change the facts.

“Go the fuck away!” Roberto’s rough voice rumbled through the door, slightly slurred but definitely recognizable.

Rafi shuddered at the abrasive texture of his friend’s sexy reply. He’d never met a male who turned him on so quickly with just a word. After taking a deep breath, Rafi knocked again.

The door flew open.

“I told you before, man. I have nothing left. You’ve taken everything.”

Rafi gaped at his friend. He was still tall and dark, but the bronzed god from his memory had vanished. Roberto was pale as a ghost. An overweight ghost. His muscles had disappeared, sinking into inches of blubbery fat. The sight of Roberto’s bare chest and protruding gut made Rafi faintly nauseous so he glanced at his friend’s face instead. His dark hair was long, scruffy and lank as though it hadn’t been washed for weeks. And his face—hell, his beautiful face was bloated and puffy. One bloodshot blue eye scowled at him while the other was black and almost swollen shut. Roberto’s jaw was swollen too, and when Rafi studied his body again, he noticed bruises. Someone had bashed his friend and done a pretty good job of it.

“Roberto,” Rafi said. He stood in the open doorway, uncertain for once in his life. He still didn’t know where to look. Didn’t Roberto have some clothes? That belly…it… Hell! It needed camouflage. Really badly. Rafi stared with fascinated horror as Roberto’s belly jiggled when he inhaled.

His crew would have gaped with open mouths if they’d seen their captain appearing so indecisive. In the past, the two men would have exchanged a quick hug and clapped each other over the back. Rafi would have savored the moment as he usually did. He’d imagined the feel of Roberto’s arms around him from the moment he’d decided to look his friend up between trips to the outer territories. Instead, there was awkwardness. Rafi didn’t know what the hell to do. It was difficult looking at that blubber, but touching it?

He shuddered inwardly and continued to hover outside the apartment. Part of him wanted to leave, to run away, but no, he couldn’t do that. He refused to run away. His legs remained firmly planted outside the apartment while his mind told him to deal with it. No matter what, or how he looked, Roberto was still his friend.

“Rafi?”

Rafi tensed and steeled himself, forcing his real feelings deep so nothing showed from the outside. “Yeah, man. I stopped by the Gratham Apartments. One of the security men said you’d moved here.” Not bad. His voice had sounded calm. Even.

“I don’t suppose you’d leave if I asked you?” A tinge of shame colored Roberto’s cheeks and his gaze slid away to stare at the floor.

Rafi forced himself to look his friend in the face. He was so…so… Hell, he reminded Rafi of a bloated whale. His gaze flitted across Roberto’s face before darting over his friend’s shoulder to study what he could of the apartment. Another heap of opaque vroom flasks lay beside a wooden chair. The apartment was filthy and offended Rafi’s nose. Soy dog wrappers littered the cheap plastic table. An open suitcase lay on the floor and the contents were strewn across the grubby gray floor in haphazard heaps. Rafi gave a cautious sniff before frowning. The smell could be coming from Roberto. He wasn’t certain, but whatever the source, it was disgusting.

Rafi straightened and forced himself to look Roberto in the face again. “Why would I leave? Roberto, I came to see you.” Roberto was his friend, and he was a friend in need.

Purchase Fallen Idol from Ellora’s Cave or Amazon Kindle.

To read more Snippet Saturday excerpts follow the links below:

Mari Carr
Shelley Munro
Vivian Arend
Taige Crenshaw
McKenna Jeffries
Ashley Ladd
Emma Petersen
TJ Michaels
Lauren Dane
Eliza Gayle

Travel-Ready Packing: Pack Light, Dress Right—Anytime, Anywhere
by Julie Ann Martin
Publisher: Argo & Cole Publishers
ISBN: 978-0-9791186-1-6
Publication Date: 1 Jan, 2010
Website: www.travelreadypacking.com
Amazon link: Travel-Ready Packing: Pack Light, Dress Right – Anytime, Anywhere

Any of my friends or family or people who visit my website knows how much I enjoy traveling and exploring different parts of the world. Since my marriage, my husband and I have spent months in Africa, America, Europe, Central America, India, Asia and Australia. Sometimes we traveled with our backpacks, and at other times, we went more up market. You’d think with all my experience in traveling that packing would be a breeze. Not so. It’s one thing that remains a bit of a trial for me, so when I saw that Ms. Martin’s publisher was offering Travel-Ready Packing for review, I grabbed the chance to learn from an expert.

Travel-Ready Packing has an intro which discusses things such as culture in different countries, fabric types and types of climate. The next part of the book is split into sections for each country or region of the world. Each of these sections gives the temperatures for different months of the year, a list of recommended clothing for both males and females, the risk of danger at the destination, recommended colors to wear and how casual or formal the dress-code is in the country being visited. There are also sections for business travelers and those who travel to adventure destinations, multi-climate packing and also a list for expatriate packing. At the rear of the book there’s a world map, which makes it a simple matter to find the country you’re visiting and look up the corresponding page reference. In fact the book covers everything I could think of from clothes to bags to accessories.

When I decided to “test” the book and relive my trip to Africa, the packing list was spot-on—exactly what I should have taken for my trip. It was also very accurate for my recent trips to Samoa and Phuket, Thailand. The only gap I could see was for a cruising holiday, but I think the lists for the South Pacific, which is where my cruise holiday is taking place, will do the trick nicely. I found the book easy to use, very readable, and as I mentioned very accurate with the suggested packing lists. No more back-breaking suitcases for me!

I recommend this book for anyone who intends to travel for work or pleasure. And romance writers, if you’re heading to a conference and you’re not sure what to pack, this is the book for you.

Shelley Munro

You can see from above that I’m all sorted with my packing now since I have this book to refer to. How do you approach packing for a trip or a holiday? Are you a good packer or do you forget half the things you need?

I’m doing a guest spot at The Rainbow Studio (part of the Romance Studio) and talking about reality shows and Fallen Idol. Here’s the link to my post at The Rainbow Studio.

The theme for today is departures, and I’m posting a scene from one of my m/m romances, Fallen Idol.

FALLEN IDOL by Shelley Munro

Rafi made it back to the spaceport with five minutes to spare. He paid the cab driver and sprinted for the ship, trying to ignore the throb in his leg. Barker would look at the injury once they were safely en route for Patigous.

“About time,” Henry snapped. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” He turned away to seal the door before nailing Rafi with a glare. “We don’t need any more crew on this voyage. They’re only teenagers. And where’s your shirt? Aw, man. You stink. Whatcha been doing? Rolling around in the drains?”

Rafi ignored the comments about his appearance. Teenagers? That old? It was better than he’d thought.
He’d had visions of the authorities charging him with child slavery or worse. He nodded at the grizzled male who had been with him from the start. “Yeah, I know they’re just kids. Long story. The shirt is in the story as well.” Now that he’d stopped his headlong rush, the pain seemed to have caught up with him. His leg throbbed, his shoulder ached where he’d scraped the skin off and his head hurt. “Where are they?”

“I told Mac to look after them. She’s a female. She knows about kids.”

Rafi snorted, trying to imagine the blonde temptress from Dalvine looking after the two street kids. She might look like centerfold material but all she really cared about was the spaceship and the engines that drove them. Fortunately for him, she was bloody good at her job. “Did you inform Mac she’s meant to know about kids?”

“Do I look stupid?” Henry’s grin bloomed to display a sapphire in his front tooth as he scrutinized Rafi carefully. They shared a knowing smirk. Mac was not a typical female. Henry’s humor faded, his brow crinkling in worry. “Hey, man, you okay? You don’t look so good.”

Rafi ignored the query, concentrating on more important things instead. He couldn’t believe he’d brought Bob and two street kids aboard the ship. The two street kids he could handle—he’d just delegate responsibility—but Bob was different. Bob had the ability to create turmoil. Hell, the man had him tied in knots of confusion already. And worse, it was difficult to reconcile the yearning inside with Bob’s physical appearance. Rafi swallowed and glanced at his second-in-command. “How’s Bob?”

Henry rolled his eyes in clear contempt. “The whale?”

“He’s my friend,” Rafi snapped, drawing up tall and threatening. Regret followed immediately since the movement stretched his thigh and hurt like a bitch. Rafi relaxed his body deliberately but his glare was designed to make Henry back down. “He’s going through a rough patch. He used to do well on the sex circuit. Bob has won lots of competitions.”

“Sorry,” Henry said, holding his hands up in a sign of surrender and apology. “We should be used to your strays by now. He’s going to be okay. Barker took care of him. Said he’s going to heal up fine. He’s in your berth, strapped in, ready for takeoff. I think Barker gave him something to knock him out because he’d started shrieking like a baby.”

Rafi swallowed and tried not to think about Bob lying in his bed. His berth was Spartan with not much in the way of personal touches, not that it usually mattered since Rafi spent most of his time up on the bridge or in the recreation room with his crew. Having Bob around was going to make his life difficult. Rafi pictured Bob as he used to be, regret at the forefront of his mind. Thoughts of Bob’s current appearance blotted out everything good. Difficult? Hell, make that impossible. “Where is Barker now?”

“Getting ready for takeoff,” Henry said.

Rafi nodded. “I’d better head up to the bridge now.” Damn, his thigh was hurting. It throbbed with each stride he took and he also gagged at the stench coming from his body. Too bad. Both a bath and medical attention would have to wait until they were out of Earth’s atmosphere and safely on autopilot. He headed down the short and narrow passage toward the bridge, limping as fast as he could. Beneath his feet, he could feel the rumble of the ship’s engine. The smooth purr was a credit to Mac, their engineer. Rafi grinned. Those two street kids would be driving her nuts.

“Captain. ‘Bout time you arrived.” Mac scowled at him. “You almost made us lose our slot. Where is your shirt?” Her dark stormy eyes said a lot more and Rafi knew he was in for a tongue-lashing later on once the complexities of liftoff were out of the way. “You look like you’ve been rolling around the gutter with all that muck on you and the torn trews.” Her perfect nose wrinkled. “You honk like a pack of dog-rats.”

“Sorry. It’s a long story. Plenty of time for that later.”

Barker and Mac were at their stations when Rafi slipped into the pilot’s seat. Everything looked set for takeoff. Mac had the two street kids strapped into the spare seats on the far side of the bridge. Wide-eyed and unable to hide their excitement, they gaped at the black and silver interior of the bridge. Colored lights flashed on the console. Henry communicated with traffic control and each member of the crew went through final preparations for takeoff. A huge porthole filled the area in front of the bridge, giving a view out over the busy spaceport. Henry slid into the copilot seat beside him and patched through to main control. The two kids took in everything, reminding Rafi of his first voyage into space, the exhilaration, the excitement and knowledge that this was what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. It didn’t seem to bother the kids that they had no luggage or were with people they didn’t know. They seemed to trust him—another weighty responsibility he wasn’t sure he wanted.

Mac increased the power of the engines and after the last muffled instructions from control they soared upward into the Earth’s atmosphere. They shot through fluffy white clouds, continuing upward at a steep incline. In a short time, the color of the sky darkened and they blasted out of the atmosphere into dark space.

“Wow!” one of the kids said.

Rafi smiled, trying hard to concentrate on the instruments. Difficult when his leg ached so badly. He scanned all the readings and nodded slightly when he saw everything was working smoothly. Not that he’d expected anything else since his crew was topnotch. The ship leveled out and they headed out on the flight path they’d filed.

“On to autopilot,” Henry said.

As one, the crew relaxed and soon banter filled the bridge.

“Hey, Barker,” Rafi called. “You got a minute?”

“Sure, Captain.” Barker was a fearsome sight—a huge bear of a man with a scar down his left cheek, but he was the best medic Rafi had ever met. Barker strode over to Rafi, his right eyebrow rising in a question.

“I took a gunshot to my thigh.”

Henry’s head whipped around. “Why didn’t you say so?”

Purchase Fallen Idol at Ellora’s Cave.

To read more Departure excerpts follow the Snippet Saturday links below:

Eliza Gayle
Jody Wallace
Moira Rogers
Kelly Maher
Ashley Ladd
Shelley Munro
Taige Crenshaw
Vivian Arend
Lauren Dane
Savannah Foley

My special guest today is author Cheryl Brooks. Cheryl writes futuristic romances and I really enjoyed the first story in her Cat Star Chronicles series–Slave. Today, Cheryl is talking about the background and setting of her unique series.

When I wrote Slave, the first book in the Cat Star Chronicles series, I had Star Wars, Star Trek, and Farscape to inspire me, but for the second book, Warrior, that spark came from my love of animals, my own personal interest in the healing powers of herbs, and Practical Magic. One of my all-time favorite movies, Practical Magic was perfectly cast in every role, and the way the “aunts” dabbled in spells, herbal medicine, and people’s love lives made being an “old witch” something to aspire to—and certainly brought out the witch in me!
Read the rest of this entry ?