Taste of Kiwi

Today I’m doing a guest post at The Rainbow Studio blog where I’m talking about the first gay romance I read. I’m also doing a guest blog at Alternative Read.com where I’m discussing Fancy Free and the use of condoms in romantic fiction. Should we or should we not have our heroes and heroines using condoms? Those who comment on my Alternative Read post will go into a draw to win a download from my Ellora’s Cave or Cerridwen Press backlist.

Warning: Condoms were tested and a few harmed during the writing of this story.

It’s not every day a girl inherits a condom company, and to say accountant Alice Beasley is astonished and out of her depth is putting it mildly. For an almost virgin, she needs a quick education in all things condom because her inheritance is in danger. Someone is intent on sabotage and playing nasty, trying to destroy her new company.

Alice is suddenly getting down and dirty with charismatic James, the factory manager, all in the name of business, testing new condom designs. The sex is hot. Mind-blowing. It’s a dark thrill and an erotic journey. Yeah, it’s a hard job, but a girl’s got to do what a girl’s gotta do.

The testing turns personal. Alice wants James. She craves his talented touch and sultry kisses, she desires passion and physical pleasure on a permanent basis but first she must convince bad-boy James to give up his fancy-free ways…

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The theme for this week is shopping, and I’ve chosen an excerpt from my gay romance Last Wish. Dillon, our hero, is tasked with buying a silver teapot for his mother’s birthday. He ends up with a lot more than a teapot…

Susan peered into the box. Cobwebs and what looked like mice droppings covered most of the articles inside. “Buy the whole box,” she said in an undertone. “The salt shaker and goblets are nice. Mum will like them. Just wipe the worst of the dust off. Let Mum do the real cleaning. She’ll get a kick out of it.”

“Okay. Ah, here’s the stallholder now.”

“Later,” she said, standing on tiptoe to give him a quick peck on the cheek before speeding away.

Dillon turned to the stallholder, an elderly man who teetered toward him with the aid of a walking stick. “How much for the box of stuff?”

The man gave it a cursory glance and sniffed. “I picked the box up at an estate sale. I can give it to you for one hundred and fifty bucks.”

“One-fifty? For this?” Hell, he wasn’t sure he had that much money in his wallet. “How about one-twenty?”
He knew he had that much for sure.

“Done!” The man grinned, flashing a large gap where two front teeth were missing. The gleam in the man’s eyes made him wonder if he’d made a mistake in offering that much. Too late now. He grabbed his wallet from the rear pocket of his jeans and handed over the money. The man grinned again and he noticed one of his bottom teeth was missing as well. The man stuffed the money in his pocket and started to pack up his stall.

“Are you leaving already?”

“My work here is done,” the man said, his rapid moves belying Dillon’s initial guess at his age. He didn’t lean as heavily on his stick. It was as if he were in an almighty hurry. “Here. Take your box.” The man’s curt words confirmed it.

Dillon placed the saltshaker and the goblets back on top of the box and lifted it. In bemusement, he watched the man load his fold-up table, a chair and his remaining stock into the back of a utility vehicle. He shook his head, wondering at the man’s weird behavior. Still at least he had the silver and was in Susan’s good books. For a change. He smirked and moved out of the man’s way, coughing at the wave of dust kicked up by the vehicle when it sped away. Turning away, he juggled the box on his hip. The contents shifted inside, clinking together with a metallic ring. The distinct rumbling of his stomach reminded him he hadn’t eaten for a while. He’d grab brunch at one of the cafes in the square before heading for home and tracking down the rogue who’d loosed the virus on his computer. Revenge was gonna be sweet.

Dillon took two steps and the bottom fell out of his box. Metallic pieces rained down on his feet and hit the ground, rolling in all directions. The saltshaker plopped onto his right boot. “Ow. Bloody hell.” He hopped on one foot and scrambled to gather his new purchases, hoping like hell he hadn’t dented anything too badly.

Susan would kill him, and it wasn’t as if he could hide the evidence. She seemed to know—probably her mother skills coming out. Unfortunately he seemed to end up on her radar system no matter how hard he tried to extract himself.

Not a single stallholder in sight. Not a box or a bag within snatching range. With an impatient sigh, he started to assess the damage. Using the hem of his T-shirt, he rubbed pieces of grass and dust off the blackened silver, giving each piece a perfunctory glance. Finally he stood. Yep, he’d managed to grab them all. Apart from one. He squatted and picked up the piece, a slow grin of delight curling across his lips when he turned it over in his hands. Well, heck. What do ya know? A teapot. A strange-looking one but definitely a teapot his mother would love. When it came to collecting, unusual was good—according to his mother at any rate.

The pot had four chubby legs and a long arching spout. Small hidden hinges attached the lid, and the body of the pot matched its chubby legs. Dillon picked it up and stood to check the bottom for silver marks. He rubbed it briskly and softly exhaled when he saw the requisite symbols. Bingo. He rubbed a fraction harder across the belly of the pot to clean off a smudge of dirt. Without warning a puff of smoke curled from the spout. He blinked. The smoke grew in volume. Multicolored in pink, red, silver, gold and green, it reminded him of a fireworks display but on a smaller scale and without the accompanying explosions. Slowly the dazzling smoke coalesced into the body of a man. Dillon blinked again but when the muscular man remained, he wanted to lick his lips. Oh yeah. Why the hell couldn’t he meet a man like this in Sumner?

He rubbed his eyes with the hand not holding the teapot and focused again. The man was still there. It wasn’t his overactive imagination acting out. At least he didn’t think so. He reached out to touch, positive the tip of his finger would shatter the hot vision standing right in front of him. He’d almost made contact when the vision spoke.

“Huh!” The man scanned the area before turning his gaze back on him. “Looks like you’re it. One wish and be quick about it. One wish—that’s all that remains on my contract. One wish and I’m free. So, come on. What’s it gonna be? Time’s a wastin’.”

Dillon stared, only half taking in the man’s husky and hurried words. His free hand dropped to his side. More struck by the muscular body of the attractive man standing impatiently in front of him than interested in his words, he continued to study him closely. A genie? Instead of wearing genie-type garb, the man wore a gray polo shirt and tight black jeans. Silver bands decorated his wrists, catching the late morning sun and shining brightly with each movement of his hands. His clothing clung to his body, highlighting his broad chest, lean hips and muscular legs. He guessed without looking the stranger would have a tight, firm ass. Sort of went with the territory. His tan face contained determination, not handsome but arresting with sharp angles and soft lips. Black hair, long and thick, curled in haphazard manner over his shoulders. Dark stubble shaded his strong jaw while a silver ring pierced one ear. Blue eyes glittered from beneath dark brows. Dillon’s gaze slipped to his mouth. Oh yeah. Talk about sin…that soft mouth was made for kissing.

Dillon shuddered, his brain freezing and refusing to move onward. Every muscle in his body tensed as he imagined how that luscious mouth would feel curled around his cock, working it. Teasing. Stroking. Sucking.

“Hello. Hello?” The man clicked his fingers in front of Dillon’s face. “A simpleton.” Pure disgust distorted the sensual curve of his mouth. “My contract’s almost done, one wish left to issue, and I get the village idiot.”

Purchase Last Wish @ Ellora’s Cave
Purchase Last Wish @ Kindle

To read more excerpts follow the Snippet Saturday links below:

McKenna Jeffries
Vivian Arend
Ashley Ladd
Shelley Munro
Taige Crenshaw
Lauren Dane
Mari Carr
Eliza Gayle
Jody Wallace
Lissa Matthews
TJ Michaels
Shelli Stevens

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This week’s theme is explosions. I’m using artistic license this week. LOL – my excerpt from Sex, Spies and Sapphires includes the word “explode”…

Sex, Spies and Sapphires by Shelley Munro

“Kiss me.”

“I’ve never met anyone as bossy as you before.”

“And you like it,” she retorted. “You like a woman who knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to go after it.”

She wasn’t wrong. Her independent streak and sassy mouth were the first things he’d noticed about her. Once again he thanked his lucky star for arranging their paths to cross.

“Are you just going to stare at me with a dopey smile? If Mr. Mark saw it, he’d demote you in an instant.”

She smirked. “I might suggest he promotes Chester to your job. Chester is so cute.”

Thomas moved so quickly she squealed. He whipped her over his knee and applied his hand to her naked backside. “Take it back.”

“Make me,” she said, laughter lurking in her husky voice. Sarah turned her head so she could see his face and pursed her lips. “I dare you.”

Little vixen. She knew just how to push him, which buttons would make him explode into action. He fondled her buttocks with his large hands, fascinated by the color contrasts in their skins. Sarah was pale where he was darker, tanned from spending time outdoors. Thomas bent to place a kiss in the middle of one pale buttock before leaning back against the headboard and slapping her ass.

“Oh!” she said with a squeak.

“Is that daring enough for you?”

Sarah waggled her ass. “Do it again.”

Shaking his head and laughing at the same time because of her outrageousness, he applied his hand again. The crack when hand met flesh was loud even though he hadn’t hit her hard. A rush of blood to her butt cheeks made them glow a soft pink. Sarah squirmed a little, the wriggling moves rubbing against the flared head of his penis. Thomas bit back a groan, knowing if he loosed the sound, Sarah would construe it as a weakness and think she’d won in this battle of wills. Thomas was determined to come out victor, just as he was determined to get his hands on the sapphire before Sarah. He knew she was after it even though they hadn’t discussed the matter.

He tapped her ass again, letting his hand linger on her stinging flesh to savor the heat. Sarah lifted into his hand and rubbed. The minx created a kiss of friction across his erection with the sly move, wringing a chuckle from him.

“What am I going to do with you?” he asked, his voice close to a groan.

“Love me,” she said. “You’re going to love me.”

He was doomed. Absolutely doomed.

Purchase from Ellora’s Cave.

To read more excerpts follow the Snippet Saturday trail:

McKenna Jeffries
Vivian Arend
Ashley Ladd
Shelley Munro
Taige Crenshaw
Mari Carr
Kelly Maher
Eliza Gayle
Victoria Janssen

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This shot was taken at our local Botanic Gardens. Mr. Munro and I don’t get there as often these days, now that the little dog is gone, but it’s a lovely outing for a Sunday morning.

In New Zealand news, an Invercargill woman was fined $275 for disorderly behavior after she flashed her boobs at motorists and caused an accident.

Mr. Munro has just learned he might have to go to work in Wellington for two weeks early next year, and I’ll get to go with him. Wellington is at the bottom of the North Island, and it will be a nice break from Auckland. I might even get some writing done. I’m finding it hard going this month with all the other Christmas distractions. I definitely want to visit the Day in Pompeii exhibition at Te Papa museum and we’re thinking we might do a quick trip to the South Island if time permits.

In book news, I have three more Ellora’s Cave titles available in the Kindle format: Fringe Benefits, Fallen Idol and Fancy Free are now on sale. Whisk out your credit cards and grab your copies today!

If you’re a writer, how is your writing coming along with all the Christmas razzmatazz? And readers, are you managing to relax a little with some of your favourite books?

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Some of my titles are now available on Kindle. Ellora’s Cave have a huge backlist of titles, and it’s taking a while, but all titles from A – C are now available at Amazon in Kindle format.

Several of my Middlemarch Mates series are now available on Kindle.

Here’s the link to my available Kindle titles – go forth and shop for Christmas!

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I’ve had a bit of a rough week and took myself off to the doctor today. Since I’m not feeling too clever, I thought it was the perfect time to revisit some of my favorite posts from the past.

1. Classic Romance Plots – The secret of writing a great romance is to take a classic plot and twist it to make the story unique…

2. Penises in Paranormals – the curious case of interesting bits…

3. Gifts for writers – is there a special person in your life who writes?

4. Collaborative Writing Partnerships – the wonderful Josh Lanyon and Laura Baumbach share their experiences…

5. Marcia James shares her views and ideas about promo for writers…

6. Do you like paranormal romances featuring feline shapeshifters? I discuss some of my favorites…

I leave you with a puzzle of sorts. Male writers are from _______, Female writers are from _______.

What would you put in the blank spaces?

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It’s the time of the year where everywhere looks back and thinks of their favorite and sometimes least favorite things for the year. I thought I’d list my top romance reads for both print and e-books. NOTE: Most of the above books came out in 2009, but a few of these are 2008 releases. I read them this year and therefore they’ve made my list.

Favorite Romance reads in no particular order.

1. Wicked Burn by Beth Kery (erotic contemporary)
2. Pleasure Unbound (Demonica, Book 1) by Larissa Ione (paranormal)
3. Able-Bodied (Harlequin Blaze) by Karen Foley (Blaze)
4. Amorous Liaisons (Harlequin Blaze) by Sarah Mayberry (Blaze)
5. Bound to Shadows (Riley Jensen, Guardian, Book 8) by Keri Arthur (paranormal)
6. On the Prowl (Tales of an Urban Werewolf, Book 2) by Karen MacInerney (paranormal)
7. She’s Got It Bad (Harlequin Blaze) by Sarah Mayberry (Blaze)
8. The Education of Madeline by Beth Williamson (historical)
9. Magic Strikes (Kate Daniels, Book 3) by Ilona Andrews (urban fantasy)
10. Smooth Talking Stranger by Lisa Kleypas (contemporary)
11. Bound to Please by Lilli Feisty (erotic contemporary)
12. Soulless (The Parasol Protectorate) by Gail Carrigan (historical paranormal)

Favorite Romance e-books in no particular order.

1. Hard Fall by James Buchanan (m/m)
2. Branded as Trouble by Lorelei James (erotic contemporary)
3. High Line by TA Chase (m/m)
4. The Ghost Wore Yellow Socks by Josh Lanyon (m/m)
5. Rough Stock by Cat Johnson (erotic contemporary)
6. Happy Ending by LB Gregg (m/m)
7. Hara’s Legacy by Bianca D’Arc (futuristic)
8. Gray’s Awakening by Cameron Dane (m/m)

The interesting thing is that while I’ve read plenty of e-books this year, many of them have been by NY published authors. I’ve purchased far more books in e-format than print this year. There are some books in my to-read pile that I suspect would have made this list, if I’d had time to read them such as Tere Michaels’ Love & Loyalty and NJ Walters’ Alexandra’s Legacy. I’ve been drowning in edits for the last two months, which cuts into my reading time!

Which books made your “best of list” for 2009?

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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.

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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

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The other day when hubby and I visited his mother we ended up talking about gyms. Hubby and I said we were going to the gym.

My MIL immediately said, “You must go together. My neighbor went to the gym to get fit and lose weight. She met someone and now her marriage has broken up. You MUST go to the gym together.”

After a startled silence hubby and I both grinned at each other and burst out laughing. The gym we were talking about is in our spare bedroom. Heck, I could go naked to our gym and no one would notice! And about the comment – I’m still deciding whether to be insulted or not.

My MIL’s comment made me think about where people met their partners.

Emily Scarlet met Saber Mitchell at the Middlemarch Single’s Ball – Scarlet Woman.

Anna Tietjens met Sebastian Brady at the airport when their plane was delayed – Wanderlust.

Hayley Williams met Sam Norville at her girlfriend’s work function – Tea For Two

Joanna McGregor met Louie Lithgow during a holiday in Fiji – Soldier of Fortune.

Rafi Mura met Roberto Azam when they were kids in Melbourne, attending the same school – Fallen Idol.

I met my husband in a bank. I was a bank teller, and he was a customer. I’m not sure where I’d look for a partner if I was in need of one. Maybe the gym!

Where did you meet your partner? If you were looking for a partner, where would you search first?

In Soldier of Fortune tour news, I’m doing a guest spot at Love Romance Passion today and talking about contemporary romance. I’m also doing a giveaway.

Tracy at Bootstrap Marketing has been very busy organizing book tours for me. I’m trying something new with my promo and taking some of my backlist books on tour.

See my sidebar for full details of the upcoming tours for Tea For Two and Fancy Free.

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