Shelley Munro Blog

In honor of my Pearl themed release, LOVERS AT LAST here are a few snippets about pearls.

1. Pearl is the official birthstone for the month of June. (as adopted by the American National Association of Jewelers in 1912)

2. Pearls are formed inside mollusks such as oysters and mussels. They are formed when an irritant (a tiny stone or bit of sand) gets inside the mollusk’s shell. A lustrous substance called nacre is secreted around the foreign object to protect the interior of the mollusk. The layers of nacre make a pearl and can take up to seven or eight years to form.

3. The most valuable pearls are perfectly symmetrical and naturally produced. Most of the principal oyster beds are in the Persian Gulf, along the coasts of India and Sri Lanka and in the Red Sea.

4. Once pearls were thought to be the tears of the gods. Greeks believed that wearing pearls would promote marital bliss and prevent newlywed women from crying.

5. Pearls are thought to give wisdom through experience, to quicken the laws of karma and cement engagements and love relationships.

6. Pearls vary in color from white to those with a hint of color such as pink, brown or black.

7. Pearls are quite soft.

8. Ancient Chinese literature refer to pearls as originating in the brain of a dragon and being lustrous and visible from a thousand yards.

9. Queen Elizabeth 1 loved pearls and wore them around her neck in ropes and embroidered on her dresses.

10. In the 1800s freshwater pearls were found in US rivers. The most famous one was found in 1857 in Patterson, NJ. It was sold to Charles Tiffany for $1500 and later resold for $2500.

11. In the 15th to 17th century people thought pearls were actually the eggs of oysters.

12. Pearls were considered the ideal wedding gifts because they symbolize purity and innocence.

13. During the month of June Ellora’s Cave has several releases all featuring the pearl. Lovers at Last by Shelley Munro (that’s me!) is the first release.

Do you like pearls?

Lovers at Last is out today from Ellora’s Cave.

Pearl’s master plan to catch a rich husband—results so far…A for effort, F for success.

Justin Collet wants way more than friendship from Pearl. He craves love, laughter and hot, down-and-dirty passion. A life partner. All he needs to do is convince Pearl.

A broken relationship, a few drinks and a string of pearls. Comforting Pearl takes a turn into carnal territory. Heat blossoms between them, fiery and consuming. Sweet kisses inflame and erotic whispers tempt. It’s all or nothing for Justin as he seduces Pearl into agreeing they’re lovers at last.

Buy your copy here.

I’m also guest blogging over at the CataNetwork today and talking about wedding anniversaries.

I received the cover for Lovers at Last a couple of days ago. It’s not long until Lovers at Last hits the cyber shelves - 4 June.

I also have a gemstone story for July, so I’m looking forward to that cover as well. To read excerpts for the two stories check out the coming soon page at my website.

I have a new interview up at The Romance Studio this month featuring my latest release Wanderlust.

What’s next for me? My next release is called Lovers at Last, and it’s a friends to lovers story, which is one of my favorite plots. Read an excerpt here. Lovers at Last is out on 4 June from Ellora’s Cave.

June 10 is also the release date for Midnight Treat anthology, featuring my story Curse of Brandon Lupinus. It’s already available for pre-order from Amazon and other online bookstores, including Fishpond (for NZ and Australian readers).

I’ll leave you with a video of The Feelers and their song Stand Up. The Feelers are a New Zealand band and their song is currently playing on my ipod. The video was shot in Downtown Auckland.