Taste of Kiwi: Blog of Author Shelley Munro

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.

Wolves have loomed large on my mind recently with the release of my latest book Lone Wolf, so this week I thought the differences between wolves and dogs would make an excellent TT topic.

Thirteen Differences Between Wolves and Dogs

1. The skeletons of wolf and dog are quite different. There are diagrams on In the Company of Wolves which show the difference between the two.

2. Dogs behave like adolescent wolves throughout their lives while wolves mature in their behavior.

3. Wolves don’t shed like dogs. They lose their winter coats in spring and grow a summer coat. Our puppy seems to shed constantly!

4. Wolves tend to do what they want to do whenever the mood strikes them, while dogs happily wait for their owners.

5. Wolves seldom bark while barking is the main method of communication for a dog.

6. Wolves typically ingest fur, bones and other things while these things would make a domestic dog ill.

7. The muzzle of a wolf is typically much longer than a dogs.

8. Every wolf in the pack helps to raise the pups. They regurgitate food for the pups. Dogs don’t do this.

9. Wolves rarely kill anything for fun. When they make a kill it’s for food. Dogs can kill as a type of game i.e. to show their masters how clever they are.

10. Wolves come into heat only once a year while dogs come into heat several times.

11. Wolves have much smaller litters 2 – 4 pups. A dog can have up to 12 puppies.

12. Wolves have longer legs, bigger feet and broader skulls than dogs.

13. Wolves live in packs, which have a distinct hierarchy of alpha wolves and submissive wolves. This is apparent even with the pups in the pack.

Source: In the Company of Wolves

Note: that’s our puppy in the photo on the right. She knows she’s not meant to be up on the chair!

I’m visiting Words of Wisdom…From the Scarf Princess today. The Scarf Princess interviewed me about writing, travel and Lone Wolf, my new release from Samhain Publishing.

If you’re a regular visitor to my blog you already know how much I love to travel. Seeing different parts of the world broadens the mind and exposes us to new ideas, experiences and cultures. Personally I think it’s a great way of learning, and my experiences definitely bleed into my books.

Check out my interview, and don’t forget one commenter during my Lone Wolf blog tour will win a $20 gift card from Amazon.

I’m visiting the Romance Author Hotspot today to talk about writing, a few of my favorite things, and my new print release, The Bottom Line.

I’m also giving away a print copy of The Bottom Line to one visitor. Here’s the link to Romance Author Hotspot

I spent the weekend doing edits for A Discreet Affair, and today I got a glimpse of the cover. It’s absolutely beautiful. Watch this space!

Meantime, here’s the blurb:

Summer, 1940. Britain is at war, and her brave fighter pilots attempt to keep the enemy at bay.

The last thing Pamela Allison wants is another man, especially one like her brutal, now deceased husband. Her managing mother wants her to live with her in London, but Pamela accepts a job from her aunt, working in the family store in the village near Biggin Hill.

Enter Michael Stedman, a Spitfire pilot based at the Biggin Hill airbase. Depressed and a little drunk after the death of his friend, he doesn’t expect to meet a beautiful woman during a night out at the local pub. He’s not looking for anything permanent since a pilot’s life is fraught with danger. All he wants is a little feminine company to take his mind off the war.

London is under siege by the enemy. Bombs drop every night and the danger increases for everyone. Michael and Pamela’s relationship changes and they become lovers. They are happy with their secret liaison until gossip and the past intrude and threaten to destroy everything, including her good reputation.

Today, I’ve been busy working on my current WIP. It’s a contemporary menage a trois and a followup to Fancy Free. I’ve also received some great news from one of my editors. It’s a little early to make an announcement – I like to tease.

I did an interview and totally forgot to mention it here on my blog. Here’s the link to the interview with Rhonda Print.

Tomorrow I’m starting an online course on writing alternative histories/steampunk with Savvy Authors. I can’t recommend this group enough. They have lots of excellent online classes and that’s just the start of their resources. You can join as a basic member to get a taste of what’s on offer or pay to become a premium member. Full details here.

How was your weekend? If you’re a writer, what are you working on at present?

My special guest today is fellow Ellora’s Cave author and friend, Cari Quinn. I’m delighted to welcome Cari today and help her celebrate the release of her latest book, Personal Research. It’s out today! I asked Cari a little about her book plus her writing process and there’s a contest at the end of the post.

Tell us a little about your new release, Personal Research. Did you need to do any special research during the writing of this story?

Personal Research is about Elena Thomas, an erotic romance writer who’s feeling a little uninspired lately. She’s a legal secretary who spends her free moments at work writing her sexy books—and watching the hot Italian IT guy fix the printer that, luckily for her, seems to break down daily. Also luckily for her, her attraction’s not one-sided. The only question is if she’s actually willing to have a crazy, sexy adventure, or just experience them vicariously through her books.

I will say this though – Nunzio can be pretty persuasive. ;)

Personal Research didn’t require any special research because like Elena, I write erotic romance and also work in an office setting. We’ve had lots of issues with the printer, too, although unfortunately our IT guy isn’t quite as sexy as Nunzio. But fiction’s often more fun than real life.

What is it that draws you to writing contemporary romances?

As much as I love romance for the possibilities of what-if, I like a dash of realism in my stories. I really enjoy current cultural references in the stories I read and write. It just adds a sense of authenticity for me. The other reason I like writing contemporaries is because they’re a natural fit for my voice. I tend to have a sort of snarky, sexy fast-paced way of writing and contemporary subjects work well for me. But I do have a completed vampire paranormal romance that I’m currently editing and plans for additional urban fantasy, paranormal and even erotic horror stories. And my latest love is reading historicals, so I never rule out writing in any genre.

I’m going through a historical binge at present, too, Cari. Tell us a little about your writing process. Are you a plotter? Do you do music playlists or collages? Character interviews?

I don’t plot, much as I wish I did. I usually sit down at the keyboard with an initial scene and my characters and go from there. Sometimes I don’t even have my characters before I sit down to write. My favorite pantsing story involves my novel currently submitted to Harlequin Blaze, Virgin Territory, where I didn’t even know my heroine’s name until I reached her first POV scene. I’m really guided by the characters, which is why I’ll sometimes get stuck for weeks while I’m waiting for them to tell me what they intend to do already. ;)

I have gotten in the habit of doing music playlists because music really gets me in the mood to write certain scenes. Occasionally I’ll find pictures that suit my characters. Mostly I just write my way through the mist until something emerges I can work with.

Ah, another fly into the mist writer! There are a few of us around. How do you maintain your creativity and keep your writing fresh?

First and foremost, I take a lot of breaks. I don’t write every day. I’ve tried. My muse seems to get cranky if I ask her to show up several times in one week and tends to go on strike. This week, for example, I’ve written 11K in three days. That’s more then I’ve written in the last month. As much as I’d like to be on a regular schedule, I think that thinking space in between writing sessions is a must for me to stay fresh. Plus it goes back to that whole lack of plotting thing I mentioned—I can’t go forward until I’ve figured out how to get from point A to point B. Sometimes that takes weeks to discover. Sometimes months. I also work on multiple manuscripts at one time, which helps keep me interested and excited to write. If one story’s not working, I switch to another.

Another big creativity boost for me is reading. An excellent story can spur me to return to my manuscript with fresh eyes. That happened to me today actually, with Juniper Bell’s Samhain release, Training The Receptionist. Juniper’s voice is so unique and fun and sexy that I immediately jumped back into writing with new enthusiasm. I love when that happens.

Do you have any favorite books on the craft of writing?

Honestly, no. I know that’s an unusual answer. I’ve read and enjoyed a lot of the popular ones, but I’ve always felt you learn the most by doing. Nothing can teach you more than the act of sitting in front of the computer and getting all the way through to the end. Reading other books in the genre you’re targeting works for me too, although I know some people advise against that. Reading widely gives you clues on how to build a story. Eventually you start picking up the rhythm, so to speak, which is essential for pacing. Paying attention to what works for me as a reader also helps me hone my craft.

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

Don’t give up on yourself or the stories you need to tell. No one can express themselves in quite the same way as you and the world needs your unique point of view. Everyone goes through rejection and self-doubt. I imagine even la Nora still does. Well, maybe.

Thanks so much for having me here today, Shelley! Love your blog and your books.

You’re very welcome, Cari, and thank you!

CONTEST – Cari is giving away a copy of Personal Research to one commenter. To enter the draw answer this question: What do you think of office romances? Fun or forbidden? Both?

You can visit Cari’s website or blog for more details about her books. She’s also on Facebook and Twitter

Purchase Personal Research at Ellora’s Cave

My special guest today is Leah Braemel, a friend and fellow author at Carina Press and Samhain Publishing. Leah has a new release out called Texas Tangle. It’s currently locked and loaded on my reader, and I can’t wait to find time to read it. Meantime, I asked Leah a few probing questions about herself and her writing. I think she deserves a medal – any woman who lives in a household of males is definitely braver than me!

Tell us a little about yourself and how you started writing.

That’s good that you asked for me to tell a little, because there’s not much to tell. I’m the only Canadian-born member of my family – my mother, father and sister are all English. I’ve been married for 32 years and hope to last another 64 (only half-kidding on that one) and have two sons who have just finished school (one high school, one college) but still live at home. Oh, and I have a cat, Spike, who is very disgusted that my lap is often taken by my laptop instead of him. (If you noticed, they’re all males, even the cat. So no frilly stuff in this household. They won’t even allow flowers on the wallpaper, the upholstery or the curtains. Plain colors only please. Talk about testosterone poisoning.)

As for my writing…I wrote my first story when I was around seven. My sister and I were addicted to a brand new science fiction show called Star Trek. (Yes, this is during its first run, before it was known as “The Original Series.” My sister was so enamored of it that she started writing her own scripts. That was the first time I twigged to the fact that people wrote books, that I could write down the stories that I’d tell myself when I went to bed each night. I wrote down one of my ideas and showed it to my sister who was my very first critic. She was also my last critic because after that horrific review (which was probably dead on the mark) I vowed to never show anyone my writing Ever. Again. And I didn’t. For close to 40 years. Oh, I wrote lots of non-fiction manuals for my job, and I wrote newsletters and articles and such, but my fiction I kept hidden and didn’t dare show anyone until the mid 90s. I can’t remember why I trusted that particular friend with my writing but she told me I should try to get published. But I blew her off. “Everyone’s trying to get a book published, I wouldn’t stand a chance” I told her. And I kept that stance until about 2004 when I met a lady on line who was trying to get published. I showed her a bit of my writing and she also encouraged me to get published. She became my critique partner, but after opening her first critique I wondered how the heck she thought I could get published, there were comments made on every line. Of course, she was right on the money and soon I’d learned about showing versus telling, and passive verbs versus active verbs. Then she did the unthinkable. Because I’d been waffling about actually submitting any of my work to an editor or agent, she issued a dare. Next thing I knew I was registered for the 2007 RWA conference and had an appointment with an editor who asked to see a partial of my story.

Your new book, Texas Tangle, is a ménage a trois. What attracted you to write a ménage a trois?

Hmm, that’s a good question. Texas Tangle wasn’t supposed to be a menage until Brett walked in as a secondary character. Then one thing led to another, LOL, and the story demanded it. Menages are always a challenge to me because although I do know a few couples (triples?) who have had them in real life, they’re not generally socially acceptable. After Private Property came out, I had a reader mention that she’d loves to read about menages that end up turning long term, so I played around a bit with Texas Tangle to see if I could find a situation where I could see it being an obvious solution that all parties could live with.

Where did the idea for Texas Tangle come from?

Partly from a trip to Texas I took a few years back, and partly because I love the rural way of life (I was raised on a farm.) As for Nikki’s being robbed, that’s drawn straight from real life — being robbed, excuse me, burgled, steals more than your belongings, they steal your peace of mind. I’ve known quite a few women very similar to Nikki and a couple like both Brett and Dillon, so when I started writing the story, they just seemed naturals for that setting.

What do you tell people when they ask you about writing love scenes or ask the inevitable question of your husband – do you do all that stuff?

It sometimes depends on how I’m feeling or how they ask. Most times I laugh it off and say I have an active imagination and my husband grins and says he loves being my research assistant. There have occasionally been people who are a little more judgmental in their questioning so I have to bite my tongue and not ask them if they would ask Jeffrey Deaver or Harlan Coben how many people they’ve killed in real life researching their stories. (Not that I’m comparing myself to Mr. Deaver or Mr. Coben, of course.)

What is your favorite thing to do on a lazy Sunday?

Depends upon the season — throughout the winter, sitting inside by the fireplace, curled up beside my hubby watching a movie. In the summer? If it’s too hot, then I’m sitting inside curled up beside my hubby writing while he watches golf.

What tip would you give to an aspiring writer who is just starting their writing journey?

Write! Seriously. You can’t find your voice until you’ve written for a while. And if you do plan on getting published at some point you have to have something finished to submit to an editor. That can only be accomplished by writing until you can type those two lovely words “The End.” (Then the editing begins, but that’s another story.)

If you want to know more about Leah, her website is at http://LeahBraemel.com and her blog is at http://leahbraemel.blogspot.com. They can also follow her on Facebook or on Twitter.

And here’s an excerpt from Texas Tangle

Brett reached for Dillon’s front door then stopped. Why couldn’t Dillon have been home? At least that way he knew he could control himself. Even though he’d stayed away a full month, he still hadn’t gotten her out from under his skin.

Get it over with. Give her the news, then stay far away.

He lifted his hand and after a moment’s hesitation, knocked on the door. Maybe he’d get lucky, and she wouldn’t be here. Maybe she’d gone into town with Dillon.

The door creaked open, and there she was, wearing one of the white shirts he’d left behind, a pair of cut-offs beneath. She’d left the top three buttons undone, giving him a tantalizing view of her cleavage. His cock punched against his zipper at the thought of unbuttoning the rest of the buttons, of spreading the fabric wide and tasting her nipples.

Why didn’t he just cut off his balls and hand them to Dillon on a plate?

“Brett?” She looked startled to see him. “Come on in.”

He followed her into the kitchen, watched her fiddle with the coffee maker. Nikki never fiddled and, more importantly, she wasn’t looking at him. He made her nervous. Did she worry he might try something on her again?

His fists clenched at the thought that he might have scared her, made her think he might take what she wasn’t willing to give.

“I didn’t mean to drive you away.” She made a gesture of impatience. “I’m sorry, I’m being selfish. I just…I’ve missed you.”

The heated blood racing through his veins headed south when she smoothed her hands down her front, tightening the fabric over her breasts, accentuating that she wasn’t wearing a bra.

Did she realize how beautiful she was with the color high in her cheeks when she blushed? Longing spun his senses until he felt like he’d been caught in a twister, especially when she turned those soulful eyes on him. The lost tone in her voice cut right through him, pierced defenses he didn’t know he’d erected.

Purchase Texas Tangle from Carina Press

Leah is giving away a download of her ebook Private Property to one lucky commenter. All you need to do to enter the draw is either ask Leah a question or tell us what you say to people who give you a hard time about reading romance. The winner will be announced on Wednesday 14th of July.

I’m visiting Amanda Young today where she asks me some probing questions, and we talk about my upcoming release, The Bottom Line.

Here’s the link to my interview with Amanda Young.

I’m doing a guest spot at The Blackraven’s Erotic Cafe today. There’s an interview, some excerpts and a contest to win an ebook download from my backlist.

The contest closes at 12:00 Noon (CST) tomorrow so there’s still plenty of time to enter.

See you there!

Today my special guest is agent Holly Root from the Waxman Literary Agency.

Shelley: Tell us a little about yourself. How did you become an agent?

Holly: I actually had no idea that “agent” was a job until after I’d already landed in publishing. When I moved to New York I knew I was interested in trying something a little different than the editorial work I’d been doing, and that led me to make my way to the agency side. Agency work allowed me to work with authors shaping their books but also shaping their careers.

Shelley: What are the most recent books you’ve sold?

Holly: This summer was busy with renewing contracts for clients at Pocket, Grand Central, Harlequin and elsewhere, and that’s always fun, seeing an author’s series continued. I have some great debut fiction heading out on submission soon too.

Shelley: You’re going on holiday. What books do you take with you for your reading pleasure?

Holly: If I were leaving tomorrow I’d take the four books at the top of my TBR pile: Jennifer Weiner’s Best Friends Forever, Sophie Kinsella’s Twenties Girl, Malinda Lo’s Ash and James Dashner’s The Maze Runner. Unfortunately there are no holidays planned soon!

Shelley: A query letter is very important these days. What mistakes or problems do you see in the query letters you receive?

Holly: Most are just not quite ready for prime time—clear first drafts, or letters that lay out the entire plot to less than stirring effect. I also see many letters that say, “Writing this was very therapeutic.” I find most authors feel that way, but it doesn’t affect the market appeal of the work so it doesn’t belong in your query.

Shelley: How would you describe your ideal client?

Holly: Crazy talented as a writer, thoughtful as a person, and cool-headed enough for the wild ride we’re about to go on together. Ideally we’d also have similar communication styles; nothing is harder than working on a subjective endeavor like fiction with someone who doesn’t speak your language editorially.

Shelley: Do you offer editorial advice for your clients?

Holly: Yes. We do at least some editing before every submission. Once there’s an editor involved, I defer to that person so as not to have extra voices whispering in the author’s ear while writing, but I am always available for advice, even if the advice is just “write it and see.”

Shelley: A lot of aspiring authors struggle with high concept and the fact agents and editors are looking for a high concept in submissions. What is your advice to writers with regard to high concept and how would you define it?

Holly: I actually did a blog post on just this question, so I’ll refer readers here: http://waxmanagency.wordpress.com/2009/02/06/recipe-for-success-high-concept/

Shelley: For authors who live outside America, one problem that comes up is setting. Is a US setting necessary or does it depend on the genre?

Holly: That’s an excellent question. For contemporary genre fiction I think a setting outside of America is a bit tougher sell, but of course historicals (mystery, romance, general fiction) have often, even primarily been set outside our borders. If you’re in the more upmarket fiction market there’s more openness to settings beyond the US as well.

Shelley: What is your best craft tip for aspiring authors wanting to submit to an agent?

Holly: 90% of writing is rewriting. I don’t know that it ever gets easier, but I know that the more you learn to self-edit and polish, the stronger you’ll be at those skills.

Shelley: Thank you very much, Holly!

For more information about the Waxman Literary Agency, and up-to-date details of genres they represent or would like to see in the future, check out their website and blog.

Last month, I did an online class with John Foxjohn through the Kiss of Death chapter. The course was called Eight Steps to Murdering a Manuscript and it covered all the things a writer should do during the editing stage. One tip I’d like to pass on related to dialogue.

Characters shouldn’t chitchat about the weather or what they did last week at work. Dialogue should advance the plot. A tip to make sure your dialogue does its job is to delete everything from your scene apart from the dialogue (or just highlight all the dialogue) and read it out loud without all the narration. Does it give the reader new information? Does it advance the plot? If so, great job. If the dialogue is just a lot of chitchat then think about reworking.

I’m blogging at Access Romance and giving away a print copy of Tea For Two.

I also have a new interview with author Fran Lee at the Examiner.

And finally, I got together with three other New Zealand writers to do free bookmarks. Readers can download the file and print it out. Here’s the link to download your free bookmarks. Please do let me know what you think of them!