Taste of Kiwi

This week’s theme is lost love. I think I’ve posted this scene before, but I like it, so I’ve posted it again. Camryn Sullivan has lost her older husband and his death sends her on a downward spiral–until she is kidnapped by aliens.

HOUSE OF THE CAT by Shelley Munro

“I don’t care if Camryn’s your sister. She’s an alcoholic, and I swear she’s overdoing the prescription drugs as well. I don’t trust her near our son.”

“She loves Luke,” Max said.

“Last time Camryn baby-sat, she let Luke wander onto the racetrack. She was blind drunk.”

Her sister-in-law’s angry words brought Camryn O’Sullivan to an abrupt stop. She wavered on unsteady legs, not wasted but experiencing a buzz and blissful ignorance of the true state of her life. She smothered a giggle, slapping her hand over her quivering lips. Okay, she’d had drinks. Lots of drinks in pretty colors. Teeny umbrellas to match.

“What do you want me to do? I can’t throw her out. She’s my twin sister. She doesn’t have anyone else.”

A hit! Camryn screwed her eyes shut, protecting herself against the onslaught of pain. No, she didn’t want to think about Gabriel, about being alone. How much it hurt. Max couldn’t make her leave. He wouldn’t.

She had nowhere else to go.

“Max, it’s almost two years since Gabriel’s death. Camryn’s not improving. She needs help. More than we can give her.”

Silence fell, but Ellen’s words throbbed like the harping notes of a badly played violin. They hurt her head and brought forth a wave of indignation. She didn’t need help. She needed Gabriel, dammit. Only her husband’s presence would belay the paralyzing guilt she carried with her every day.

A rough masculine sigh sounded. “Love, you’re right. Camryn needs help, but she doesn’t see it. Until she realizes, all we can do is be here for her. She has to want change.”

“Fine, and meantime Camryn drags us down with her. I found her smoking inside the stables this afternoon. She reeked of alcohol. Other people have noticed. She won jockey of the year two years running, but have you noticed she’s not getting the rides she was a year ago? Camryn has real aptitude with horses, the gift you both have, and she’s throwing it away.”

A direct hit. Ellen’s words sliced with precision, ripping open wounds barely scabbed. The agony hit instantaneously, ferocious and heart-stopping. Silent tears ran down Camryn’s face, and she staggered against the door. Invisible bands clamped around her ribs. Camryn gasped hoarsely, the last of the drunken buzz bleeding away as she attempted to breathe. She wanted to rock away the pain, the guilt that came from knowing Gabriel would never return.

The wind caught the door, slamming it shut and the murmur of voices from the kitchen stopped abruptly.
No, not here. She couldn’t fall apart here. Camryn fumbled with the handle, increasingly desperate when footsteps neared.

“Camryn? Is that you?” Her twin brother’s baritone sounded in the passage not far from where she teetered.

Camryn finally managed to coordinate brain and hands. The door opened. She stumbled into the winter air. The bite of the wind brought a shiver, an increase to her misery. Whiskey. She needed a drink. And maybe one of those little yellow pills the nice doctor had prescribed to help her sleep. Anything to escape the horrid truth. She hadn’t meant to leave Luke alone. She loved her nephew. He raced about, so fast on his feet, and the sleepless nights had taken their toll. She’d fallen asleep in Gabriel’s favorite chair.

Luke loved horses. No surprise since his father bred and trained racehorses. She and Max had lived and breathed horses since they were Luke’s age. Camryn lurched along the muddy track leading to the cottage at the back of the main house.

Really, she didn’t need help. If Gabriel returned things would improve. She could kick the alcohol any time she wanted. A few pills to lift her mood. Camryn didn’t need them either. She needed Gabriel.

Camryn burst into her cottage, tracking mud across the tile floor. She staggered through the cluttered kitchen and into the dining room where she’d instructed her brother and his workers to place Gabriel’s chair. Camryn slumped into the big, masculine chair and pressed her nose against the cool leather. The faint scent of lavender soap and whiskey filled her senses, and a surge of tears blurred her vision. The chair didn’t smell of Gabriel anymore.

It smelled of her.

Camryn crawled onto the chair properly, ignoring the muddy boots on her feet. She curled into a tight ball, her thin shoulders shaking with the force of her sobs. The cruel truth hit then. Gabriel wouldn’t be coming home. He would never come home. Gabriel was dead, and it was all her fault.

Purchase House of the Cat from Ellora’s Cave

Purchase House of the Cat – Kindle

To read other Snippet Saturday excerpts follow the links below:

Emma Petersen
McKenna Jeffries
Vivian Arend
Ashley Ladd
Shelley Munro
Lauren Dane
Mari Carr
Lissa Matthews
TJ Michaels
Shelli Stevens
Elisabeth Naughton
Juliana Stone
Leah Braemel

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The Rocket Chemical company scientists invented WD-40 to help prevent rusting and corrosion in the aerospace industry. NASA used it for their rockets. According to the WD-40 website, the original formula was so good that it’s still in use today. These days the product is used both commercially and around the home. On the TV ad I saw last night, the manufacturers stated it has thousands of uses, which made me decide to use it as this week’s TT topic.

Thirteen Uses for WD-40

1. Cleans piano keys.
2. Helps clean rust from wire shelves.
3. Removes silly putty from furniture.
4. Cleans lime scale from toilet bowls.
5. Removes crayon from wallpaper.
6. Frees stuck Lego blocks.
7. Lubricates and protects air conditioner blades.
8. Stops squeaky doors.
9. Cleans rusty bolts.
10. Lubricates baby buggy wheels.
11. Cleans gunk from pistons.
12. Cleans cell phones.
13. Removes oil and tar from hands.

Extras: Two fun facts from the WD-40 site

A bus driver in Asia used WD-40 to remove a python, which had coiled itself around the undercarriage of his bus.

Police officers used WD-40 to remove a naked burglar trapped in an air conditioning vent.

You can print out a handy PDF document listing some of the thousand ways to use WD-40 at the website.

I think I might include a can of WD-40 in the follow-up book to House of the Cat. It sounds like something Jannike might be able to use to get out of the jams I have in mind for her.

Have you used WD-40 before? What is your favorite use?

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It’s my birthday today–well, in New Zealand. It will be my birthday tomorrow in the Northern hemisphere – December 8. Definitely an auspicious day!

I received a wonderful review for House of the Cat from JERR (Just Erotic Romance Reviews)

Karen said, “House of the Cat is a great adventure saga and love story, fresh with new beings, new worlds, and definitely new animals. Ry did as much to help Camryn as she did for him. She also became the sole focus of his uncontrollable, constant, blinding need for sex that plagued him in spite of medication to stop the desire. The interaction between the crew members, all different species, and their reactions to Ry and Camryn’s very heated and constantly everywhere sexual relationship kept me entertained as much as the mystery and adventure. Lots of surprises to keep those pages flipping as quickly as the reader can scan them. House of the Cat is thoroughly entertaining as well as very physically stimulating. Of course, it does have Shelley Munro’s name on it, which usually means you can count on a great reading experience. House of the Cat is certainly no exception!”

I’m taking part in one of the four Scavenger hunts sponsored by Samhain Publishing authors. Win a Kindle or a Sony ereader plus lots of books. To learn details of how to win an ereader visit the Samhellion.

During the month of December there will also be free short stories for readers to download at the Samhellion. I have a short story called Turning Point that will be available for download on 17 December. Turning Point is a sort of a prequel to my upcoming Samhain Publishing release called The Bottom Line.

I’m not sure what I’m going to do on my birthday. I know I have edits I need to do, but I’m thinking I’ll have some down time as well.

How do you like to spend your birthday?

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I’m guest blogging with Debra Parmley today and talking about writing, books and Middlemarch. Here’s the link to my Make-Believe Monday post.

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I really admire the people who review books–it’s a job I couldn’t do. I have to admit that before I wrote, I never read them. These days I read my own, of course, but I’ll usually flick through the other reviews that come through at the same time. A review doesn’t usually sway my purchases, but if I see lots of good reviews, sometimes I do get tempted to buy. I never search for reviews before I buy a book. Do you check out reviews before you purchase a book?

I’ve received reviews recently for House of the Cat and Make That Man Mine.

Megan at Veiled Secret Reviews says, “With an abundance of lovable characters playing against a backdrop of stars and alien worlds House of the Cat is a rollicking thrill ride that will keep you turning page after page…With so many secondary characters steeling your heart and the mystery of Ry’s origins to unravel I can only hope that Ms. Munro plans another visit to the exciting world of House of the Cat.” 4 Dragons. Read the full review here.

Hockeyvamp at Bitten by Books says, “I was totally enthralled with this short novella from start to finish. The erotic play between the two main characters was both flirtatious and arousing. The perceptions of themselves as less than desirable because of the flaws they saw within themselves could be both accepted and desired by the other. I only wish that this had been a full length novel as the sexy and fun banter between the main characters was very entertaining.” 4 1/2 Tombstones. Read the full review here.

In sale news, my story Wild Child has been chosen as one of the stories in All Romance ebooks’s 28 Days of Heart charity campaign to benefit the American Heart Association. The stories will be released in February 2010 and Charlaine Harris, author of the Sookie Stackhouse series is doing the forward. Very exciting!

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The heroine in my recent release House of the Cat is a jockey so my Thursday Thirteen this week has a horse racing theme.

Thirteen Random Things About Horse Racing

1. All modern racehorses are descended from three Arab sires: the Byerley Turk (a horse owned by Captain Robert Byerley), the Darley Arabian (a horse purchased in Aleppo in 1704 for Mr. James Darley) and the Godolphin Arabian (a horse gifted from the Emperor of Morocco to King Louis XIV).

2. King Henry VIII took little interest in racing, but his daughter Queen Elizabeth I attended races on Salisbury Plan. King James VI and Charles I were also keen racing men.

3. The first race of the Royal Meeting at Ascot commemorates Queen Anne, who played a part in the start of racing there. The first race took place on 13 August 1711.

4. Historians believe that organized racing in America occurred around the early to mid-17th century.

5. One of the world’s greatest handicap races takes place at Flemington in Melbourne, Australia. The Melbourne cup was introduced in 1861 and takes place in early November every year. Many workplaces in Australia and New Zealand run Melbourne Cup sweepstakes each year. Without fail the horse I draw is a duffer. Without fail my sister picks the winner, much to hubby’s disgust.

6. The most famous steeplechase in the world (race with jumps) is the Grand National. It’s held in March or early April each year and began in 1837. The race is 4 ½ miles with 30 fences for the horses to jump.

7. The largest race for the Grand National was in 1929 when 66 took part and the race was won by the 100-1 chance Gregalach. The smallest was the very first running in 1837 when only 6 horses took part.

8. Although racing began as a test between owners to see whose horse was fastest, it undoubtedly was the result of a wager. Betting and horse racing are undeniably linked.

9. In 1903 doping horses was declared illegal by the Stewards of the Jockey Club in response to a campaign by trainer George Lambton.

10. Starting stalls were used for the first time in 1965 on a race course in Great Britain.

11. A two-year-old colt , later named The Green Monkey, was sold for $16 million at the Fasig-Tipton Florida Sale at Calder Race Course. The price is a world record for a horse of any age, sex or breed at public auction.

12. In 1993 the Grand National was abandoned after disruption by animal rights campaigners and two false starts. In 1913 Suffragette Emily Davison attempted to disrupt the Derby by grabbing and bringing down a horse. Anmer, the horse she grabbed was unarmed but Ms. Davison was killed.

13. In House of the Cat the heroine Camryn O’Sullivan must train a hell-horse and attempt to win the inaugural Dowry Derby. Hell-horses are man-eaters and not the same as the horses on Earth. Here’s a short excerpt:

The gates rattled. Suddenly Camryn could see the track stretching out in front of them.

“And they’re off!”

Gabby hesitated. The other horses sprang from the gates. Camryn nudged Gabby, squeezing the barrel of her body with her thighs. The mare jumped from the starting gate finally. Camryn leaned low, urging her on with hands and heels. Over to their left a horse squealed and reared in the gates. Camryn heard a man shout.

A hell-horse appeared beside them, neck extended and teeth barred. Gabby frog-hopped out of the way, the abrupt sideway move throwing Camryn off balance. Only instinct, honed from years of experience, allowed her to stay on Gabby. She kicked her hard, surprising a grunt from the mare. Gabby wasn’t used to vigorous kicks. She leapt forward, thankfully heading in the right direction.

“Run, girl. Run. Come on. Please. We need to find Luke.”

Something crashed into the back of Gabby. Again, experience allowed Camryn to keep her seat. Gabby whirled to attack the hell-horse behind. Bigger than her, it was an aggressive male with a scar-covered hide. Terror gripped Camryn as she hauled on Gabby’s head and wished they’d been able to work out some sort of a bit and bridle to give her more control. This halter wasn’t the best.

“Gabby. Turn!” Camryn applied the signal she’d taught the mare, squeezing her thighs tightly and leaning her weight forward. Too late. The mare had caught the bloodlust of the others. She charged the stallion without a shred of fear or hesitation. The clash almost unseated Camryn. She lurched sideways. With desperation, she grasped Gabby’s mane and clung. If she fell… God!

Source: The Complete Encyclopedia of Horse Racing by Bill Mooney & George Ennor

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When we first married, my husband was a part owner of a thoroughbred race horse. The filly named Paul’s Gold won 13 races and placed in others before being sold as a broodmare. We still have photos hanging in our garage of her winning races.

Racing is an old sport. It’s full of both glamour and despair. Some call it a rich man’s sport. A good horse certainly isn’t cheap to either purchase or train. I remember going to the yearling sales as a child. It was an all day thing and my brother, sister and I went with our parents when they were looking for a horse to purchase. We were told to behave and not to fidget while the auctions took place. I took my parents’ stern warnings to heart and was always afraid to move in case I purchased a horse by mistake. They are beautiful animals, and I decided a while ago that I wanted to find a way of putting horses into a book.

HOUSE OF THE CAT is that book, except I don’t think a trainer from Earth would recognize the horses on the planet Ornum.

My hell-horses are black in color and look more like overgrown hyenas than their Earth counterparts. They’re savage beasts and eat meat as well as vegetation. They’re also very intelligent and are man-killers. Jockey Camryn O’Sullivan has her work cut out for her trying to train a hell-horse to win the Dowry Derby.

Buy your copy of House of the Cat from Ellora’s Cave today.

Have you ever attended the races and did you enjoy them?

NEWSFLASH

I’m blogging over at Access Romance today about ideas and where I find them for my books. Here’s the link.

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Today I’m participating in a mass blogging! WOW! Women on Writing has gathered a group of blogging buddies to write about family relationships. Why family relationships? We’re celebrating the release of Therese Walsh’s debut novel today. The Last Will of Moira Leahy: A Novel
(Random House, October 13, 2009) is about a mysterious journey that helps a woman learn more about herself and her twin, whom she lost they were teenagers. Visit the Muffin to read what Therese has to say about family relationships and view the list of all my blogging buddies. And make sure you visit www.theresewalsh.com to find out more about the author.

Family –there’s no doubt families can be fun, irritating, supportive, encouraging or they can be a pain in the neck, causing total misery. When it comes to families the saying the good, the bad and the ugly certainly fits.

My own family is complicated. My parents divorced when I was a teenager and that marital split changed the design of our family. I think this personal history shows its face in the sometime theme that shows up in my writing. I tend to write about people seeking security and often that security takes the form of a newly formed family. It might not be a traditional one, but it’s a family none the less.

Most of us would define a family as a group of persons with a common ancestry, but Webster’s dictionary says a family can also be a group of individuals living under one roof. That’s right! Individuals don’t need to be related to each other in order to become a tight-knit unit or family.

Robyn Carr writes the Virgin River series, which is one of my favorites. The first book Virgin River (Virgin River, Book 1) tells the story of Melinda Monroe, a nurse practitioner, who starts afresh in the township of Virgin River. It’s a small town and as the series progresses, it’s a joy to experience the sense of family that Robyn Carr evokes in her books. Only a few of the characters are blood relations but they learn to depend on each other in both good and bad times. This is to me what a family is about.

I have a new release called House of the Cat out on Wednesday. My hero Ryman Coppersmith is adopted into a loving family as a child. Unfortunately there’s jealousy bubbling under the surface, his stepbrother sets him up and he’s accused of a murder. Ry is forced to flee for his life. We first meet Ry several years later. During the passing years, he’s become captain of a spaceship. He’s a good man and tends to collect people who are down and in trouble. They usually end up as part of his crew, their loyalty to Ry and each other blending them into a family. When Ry decides it’s time to take revenge on his brother and clear his name, they’re there for him one hundred percent. Ry and his crew will do anything for each other. It’s all for one and one for all. A true family.

How would you define a family?

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This week’s theme is character in danger so I naturally thought of my upcoming release House of the Cat, which is out on 14 October. This book is a bit of a departure for me in that it is a sci-fi romance, although I managed to fit in my love of feline shifters because the hero is all alpha feline. In this scene, the hero and heroine have Red Mumbers trailing them. Red Mumbers are muscular beings with red skins who specialize in security and protection work.

HOUSE OF THE CAT by Shelley Munro

“Shush,” Ry interrupted. “We’re drawing attention.”

Camryn gasped when a Red Mumber snarled in her direction. To Ry’s relief, she stopped her questions.

Finally they reached the front of the line and paid their currency to the gray-haired administrator who sat behind a bulky desk. The man scrawled on his parchment, his quill scratching loudly.

“Entry fee is one thousand quid.” He peered at them, picking up a quizzing glass to study Camryn. “Is she healthy? The ruler is seeking women for his harem. This woman would be to his taste. Give you two thousand quid for her.”

“No.” Black fury gripped Ry, tightening every muscle in his body. His jaw set hard and he glared at the administrator for his audacity. “She is not for sale.” His tone should have ended the matter, but the administrator smiled with smug confidence.

He lifted his quizzing glass to survey Camryn again. “Five thousand quid. That’s my final offer.”

“My woman is not for sale.” Ry gripped Camryn’s forearm, willing her to remain silent.

“Very well.” The administrator didn’t sound happy, and Ry knew he’d have to guard Camryn well. The administrator’s offer was as good as a price on her head to any being who’d eavesdropped. He stared a challenge at the Red Mumber waiting behind the administrator until the guard shifted his attention to his sandaled feet.

They completed formalities, were told the areas they could hunt for their hell-horse, accepted their entry number and a copy of the rule book before leaving. “We’d better head back to the ship.” Ry didn’t release her arm, dragging her from the manor and down the road in the direction of the spaceport.

“I thought we were going to see the hell-horses.”

“New plan.” Ry stopped abruptly with his back to the nearest building, watching for trouble. Sensing the Earthling’s streak of obstinacy, Ry explained. “A lot of people overheard the administrator make an offer for you, which makes you a liability.” A bigger problem than she was already.

“It wasn’t my fault.” Camryn scowled when she took his meaning. “You mean they’d force me into captivity, to be at a man’s whim because of my looks?”

“Yes.” But not if he had his way. Ry propelled her along the rutted road.

“Don’t walk so fast. I can’t keep up.”

Ry glanced over his shoulder, catching a glimpse of a Red Mumber—the same one who’d stood with the administrator. The back of his neck itched in warning, especially when he caught sight of a second Red Mumber, the muscular beings contrasting with the dingy gray buildings. Damn. “In here.” He didn’t give Camryn time to object, dragging her into a tavern. He pushed through the mass of bodies, using his elbows to make his way to the bar. A back door. Ry opened the door a crack and saw a Red Mumber approaching via the alley running between the tavern and the building next door.

“Change of plans.” Ry noted a staircase leading to a second floor. “This way.” He resisted her struggle and dragged her up the stairs. The flashy interior gave him pause. A pox on it. A brothel. He halted before realizing he’d run out of alternatives. Ry smiled at the madam, summoning every measure of charm available. “I know this is an unusual request…could we have a room?”

The madam fluttered her ridiculously long lilac lashes and leaned forward to better display her assets, showcased in a tight ruby-red gown. “We cater for all requests here. Take your choice of my ladies. Would you like two to join you? Maybe more?”

The choked sound from Camryn went straight to his cock. Ry’s mouth twisted at the sensual reminder of the woman. Dammit, he’d lied to himself. Another woman wouldn’t work. Another woman wouldn’t soothe the ache echoing through his body. He wanted Camryn.

“Just a room,” he said in a hoarse voice. A mistake. He sensed his error straight away. No alternative. Blast it. “Some privacy. Some of our crewmembers might stop by to ask if you’ve seen us…” He let his voice trail off suggestively for the madam to connect the dots.

“I won’t say a word.” She winked at him, her broad smile indicating a streak of romanticism despite her profession. “My girls know how to keep their lips buttoned. No one will interrupt you.” She handed him a key. “The room at the end of the passage.”

Ry bent to whisper in Camryn’s ear. “Quick.” He propelled her forcibly down the passage, unlocking the door and pushing her inside. With a final glance and a grateful wave at the madam, Ry entered the room. He locked the door and turned to face temptation.

House of the Cat will be released on 14 Oct, 2009 at Ellora’s Cave.

To read other Snippet Saturday posts follow the links below:

Eliza Gayle
Moira Rogers
Sasha White
Shelley Munro
Taige Crenshaw
Vivian Arend
Lauren Dane
Jaci Burton
Juliana Stone
TJ Michaels
Lacey Savage
Victoria Janssen
Ashley Ladd
Shelli Stevens
McKenna Jeffries
Anya Bast
Kelly Maher
Michelle Pillow
Mandy Roth

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Thirteen Random Things about My Week

1. Only six sleeps to go until my holiday.

2. The wind has howled this week, making it precarious to cycle. I HAD to go outside because I was getting cabin fever and almost got blown off my bike.

3. The wee dog has perked up a lot with her new medication. She seems much brighter and came to me asking for more food today. I gave her more food.

4. I went to a chat at Writerspace yesterday and heard about Bianca D’Arc’s new release, Grady’s Awakening. It sounded so fascinating that I went and purchased the first book in the series, Hara’s Legacy straight away, despite having hundreds of books on my to-read pile and many things to do. It was an excellent sci-fi romance with very good world building. It was also hot and spicy. I’m pondering book two. Should I?

5. The Romance Writers of New Zealand conference is this weekend. I’m looking forward to catching up with old friends and meeting new ones.

6. I totally kicked hubby’s butt and beat his score at snowboarding on the Wii Fit. Maybe I’ll hide the controls so he can’t try to beat me again. My little Mii figure and I celebrated with a sexy hip swivel and a cheer on my part.

7. I haven’t started packing yet for my holiday and need to at least think about it.

8. Online promotion takes a lot of time! This week I’ve done blog posts, corresponded with other authors re a new promo idea, sent off an interview, gone to a chat and done a hundred other things with not much to show for all my work. I still have a blog post to go. Selena, it’s coming!

9. I finished going over a contemporary story and sent it off to two ladies at Romance Divas for a beta read before I do my last changes and send the story to my final beta reader. Can you tell this story has given me problems?

10. I’ve craved sweet things all week and mostly managed to ignore the craving. I can indulge on holiday after all.

11. I received a new cover for House of the Cat. (see post below) It’s very pretty and sexy.

12. I need to vacuum clean. Hmm, maybe a brisk carpet sweep will do the trick?

13. I’ve sent off a query for a short contemporary story, and I’m currently working on a story for Nocturne Briefs, one I started a few months ago and didn’t finish.

How was your week?

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