Taste of Kiwi: Blog of Author Shelley Munro

A couple of months ago we purchased a new printer. It’s one of these new-fangled ones that does everything…if you can work out the instruction book that is! Fast forward to last weekend, and hubby decided to try out the scan function. He ended up scanning quite a few photos from an overland trip we did from London to Kathmandu.

This was the first big trip we did, and despite me catching malaria, we fell in love with many of the places we visited. I used this trip as the inspiration for one of my books, Wanderlust.

Instead of just posting a selection of the photos today, I thought I’d give you small snippets from my book, Wanderlust and some matching photos. BTW – Wanderlust is part of the Value in the Vaults program at Ellora’s Cave. You’ll pick it up at the bargain price of $0.99 there or $1.49 at Amazon Kindle.

I thought back to that day in Aleppo, Syria. My eyes narrowed while I remembered. The entire group had wandered through the crowded marketplace. Donkeys laden with huge loads of vegetables or bolts of cloth plodded down the narrow streets. Both locals and tourists jostled for space, the local people trying to carry out their business while tourists dallied, gawking at everything. It was noisy. Dusty.

The scent of petrol and oil was heavy on the air. We walked on, pushing our way through with all the panache of the locals. We learned quickly and we’d already visited the bazaars in Turkey. They were no place for correct and proper British manners and queues. The bazaars and marketplaces were every man or woman for himself. You pushed without being too pushy or else the locals walked all over you. And bargaining. We’d all learned to do that as well.

Without another word, we ambled down the dusty street, heading for Pushkar Lake. Other tourists wandered the streets, checking out shops and restaurants. Some wore red string bracelets on their wrists, reminding me we’d need to do the same—donate some money and receive a bracelet passport in return. Giving in and donating money stopped further harassment. Some of the priests were very persistent.

Top left: At a Pushkar cafe
Top right: The annual Pushkar camel fair
Bottom left: The crowded streets.
Bottom right: The beautiful lake

The sun lay low on the horizon when we drove in the old city of Jaisalmer, painting all the ochre-colored buildings a soft pink. I slowed the truck and waited for a cow to amble across the road in front of us.

A chill breeze blew over the flat rooftop but the knee-high wall plus the air-conditioning unit protected me from the worst. The sky glittered with a canopy of stars. I stared up at them, idly picking out fantastical shapes until my eyelids grew too weighty to hold open. A dog barked, the mournful howl picked up and repeated by another animal. Gooseflesh rippled over my arms. Talk about creepy. I heard others come up to the roof and settle down for the night, their chatter a low, background noise.

The mosquitoes came out about ten minutes later, the whine irritating and loud. Very loud. They flew in kamikaze circles around my head. I slapped my hand around my head a few times and snatched at the source of the sound. Missed. Muttering, I sat up and pulled out my mosquito net. I hadn’t put it up because there was nothing to hang it on. But desperation called for ingenuity. I covered my head and upper body with the netting, tucking it under my sleeping bag. It didn’t halt their whine but at least it stopped them landing and taking a bite.

“Don’t forget your water bottles and hats,” I said. There was always one who forgot if I didn’t remind them.

One of the camels grunted and made a loud whistling sound.

“Oh god. I think that camel farted,” Rosa said, waving her hand in front of her face.

“That will be your camel,” I said, attempting to keep a straight face.

Everyone laughed except Rosa, who pulled a face. “I expect farting is the least of our problems,” she said. “I hope I can walk by the end of the day.”

Shelley’s notes: I have very vivid memories of the mosquitoes and the dogs in Jaisalmer.  Between the barking and the buzzing around my head, I didn’t sleep a wink. I actually caught cerebral malaria on this trip and spent time in a New Delhi hospital. It’s part of the reason I look so skinny in the photos.

We enjoyed our camel ride very much but most of us walked like ducks the next day! Talk about sore muscles.

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.

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

~ Grab your current read
~ Open to a random page
~ Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
~BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
~ Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My teaser today comes from This Doesn’t Happen in the Movies, a mystery by Renee Pawlish. Also see below for my review of this book.

“I want you to find my dead husband.”
“Excuse me?” That was my first reaction

page 1, This Doesn’t Happen in the Movies

Blurb:

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.

Review:

The story starts off with a classic meeting – a beautiful woman enters Reed’s brand new detective agency, wanting him to find her missing husband. Reed’s instincts go on alert. Something is not quite right, but he succumbs to her feminine wiles and takes the case anyway. The deeper he digs the more complicated the case becomes. What follows is a fast paced plot with many twists and turns before reaching the surprising climax.

Reed, the main character is a fan of classic old detective films and wants to emulate his detective heroes. He’s likeable, if a little naive at times, and intuitive when it comes to his case. Despite suspecting/guessing who the culprit was, the twists in this story and the “why” kept me reading right to the end. The writing-style is smooth and readable, hooking me from the first page. My only quibble was that although the reader is thrust into the “noir” setting straightaway, I was a little confused about the era. It took me a while to realize the story is a contemporary set one. This is the first in the series, and I’ll be checking out the followup stories. Highly recommended, especially if you’re a fan of the noir movies of the past.

Book provided for review by the author.

Purchase This Doesn’t Happen in the Movies
Print
Kindle

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

~ Grab your current read
~ Open to a random page
~ Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
~BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
~ Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

I’ve just picked up Ghost Story by Jim Butcher. I like this series, and I was very disappointed when they cancelled the TV series.

I frowned. “What, like . . . purgatory?”
Jack shrugged. “if that works for you, call it that. But you aren’t here because you need to cleanse yourself. You’re here because there was an irregularity with your death.”

page 10, Ghost Story

Blurb:

Meet Harry Dresden, Chicago’s first (and only) Wizard PI. Turns out the ‘everyday’ world is full of strange and magical things – and most of them don’t play well with humans. That’s where Harry comes in.

But he’s forgotten his own golden rule: magic – it can get a guy killed. Which didn’t help when he clashed with unknown assailants intent on his murder. And though Harry’s continued existence is now in some doubt, this doesn’t mean that Chicago’s resident professional wizard can rest in peace. Trapped in a realm that’s not quite here, yet not quite anywhere else, Harry learns that three of his loved ones are in mortal danger. Only by discovering his assailant’s identity can he save his friends, bring criminal elements to justice, and move on before he becomes trapped in his own unending nightmare.

It would just be easier if he knew which three friends were at risk. And had a (working) crystal ball. And had access to his magic. Instead, he must accomplish his mission unable to interact with the physical world – invisible and inaudible to all but the most specialised of magical talents. He’s far from the only silent presence roaming Chicago’s alleys. Hell, he put some there himself. And now, they’re looking for payback.

Purchase Ghost Story

Goodreads Giveaway – I’m currently doing a giveaway for my latest print release Sex Idol. Enter today to go into the draw to win. Here’s the Goodread’s link.

What are you reading this week? Leave a teaser or a link in the comments because I love to add to my wishlist.

Christmas. It’s almost here, whether we want it to arrive or not. Already advertising on the TV, radio and in shops is assaulting my eyes and ears. I don’t care what anyone says. November is too early for Christmas carols about snow and dashing places. Bah humbug! I’m not feeling the Christmas spirit in the slightest.

On the home front, hubby and I are talking holidays. Yes, I know we’ve just returned from jaunts to China and Australia, but if we’ve got to buckle down and work we need something to look forward to—an incentive. After much discussion and Internet research, we came across a cruise that we rather liked the sound of. It starts in Barcelona and goes around the Mediterranean visiting stops such as Rome, Venice, Mykonos, Istanbul, Casablanca and the Azores before finishing at Fort Lauderdale. Hubby and I took about two seconds to think before we both said, “Sign me up!” So, we’re booked, and we only have to wait about 11 months.

While hubby was at the travel agents, she showed him the specials that had arrived that day. Suddenly we were taking a short break at the beginning of December. This time we’re staying at home in New Zealand, but we’re flying to Wellington and catching a cruise ship back up to Auckland. It’s amazing how quickly one can get organized given the motivation.

On the writing front, I’m waiting for my first glimpse of the cover for Cat Burglar in Training. Cat Burglar is the revised version of The Shadow and is due out at Carina Press on Feb 20 2012.

I completed a super secret writing project and turned that in last week. My story will be out in February, and I’ll give you more details as soon as I’m given the go ahead.

This week, I’ve completed edits for my Ellora’s Cave release, Christmas is Coming. It will be out in December (exact date to be confirmed). This story takes place in the same small town where my Talking Dog series and Fancy Free take place. I bet you didn’t know the country town of Sloan was such a hot-bed of activity. If you’d like to get a head start and in the mood for Christmas is Coming you might like to check out the aforementioned books.

In the next few weeks I’ll be taking part in a couple of blog hops. Watch for details because there are some good prizes up for grabs. I’ll be giving away books—both e-format and print. I don’t know about you, but I can never have enough books on my to-read pile.

While I think about it, author Alice Audrey hosts Win a Book at her blog. It’s a chance to win a book, perhaps by a new-to-you author. If you’re an author hosting a book giveaway complete the form on Alice’s Win a Book page, and she’ll add your giveaway details.

And finally, if you’d like to win a copy of Peeping Tom, book two of my Middlemarch Mates series, today is the last day of my Goodreads give away. Don’t delay or you’ll miss out on the chance to enter.

I’ll leave you with a question: If you had 24 hours alone how would you spend it?

My answer: Right at this moment, I’d spend a good portion of that time sleeping. Life has been a bit of a whirlwind for the last few weeks. I’d also go for a long walk with Bella, catch up on some reading for pleasure and get stuck into some writing. It’s so good to work on something new for a change. There would also be a nice meal and a glass of wine in those hours somewhere. Probably a cup of coffee or two as well. What about you?

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
~ Grab your current read
~ Open to a random page
~ Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
~BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
~ Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

I’m currently reading Second Grave on the Left by Darynda Jones. I loved the first Charley Davidson book, First Grave on the Right and have been looking forward to reading the followup. So far, so good!

Here’s my teaser:

“Oh. So, did you buy this car used?” I asked, thinking back to the dead guy in her trunk and wondering how he got there. I still needed to figure out if Cookie had been a black widow before she met me.

page 20, Second Grave on the Left

Charley Davidson, Grim Reaper Extraordinaire, is back in this sexy, suspenseful novel of supernatural shenanigans

When Charley is rudely awakened in the middle of the night by her best friend who tells her to get dressed quickly and tosses clothes out of the closet at her, she can’t help but wonder what Cookie’s up to. Leather scrunch boots with a floral miniskirt? Together? Seriously? Cookie explains that a friend of hers named Mimi disappeared five days earlier and that she just got a text from her setting up a meet at a coffee shop downtown. They show up at the coffee shop, but no Mimi. But Charley finds a message on the bathroom wall. Mimi left a clue, a woman’s name. Mimi’s husband explains that his wife had been acting strange since she found out an old friend of hers from high school had been found murdered a couple weeks prior. The same woman Mimi had named in her message.

Meanwhile, Reyes Alexander Farrow (otherwise known as the Son of Satan. Yes. Literally) has left his corporeal body and is haunting Charley. He’s left his body because he’s being tortured by demons who want to lure Charley closer. But Reyes can’t let that happen. Because if the demons get to Charley, they’ll have a portal to heaven. And if they have a portal to heaven…well, let’s just say it wouldn’t be pretty. Can Charley handle hot nights with Reyes and even hotter days tracking down a missing woman? Will Cookie ever get a true fashion sense? And is there enough coffee and chocolate in the world to fuel them as they do?

Purchase Second Grave on the Left

What are you reading at present? Leave me a link to your Tuesday Teaser or a two-sentence teaser in the comments section. I love to add to my to-read pile!

I have a new release coming out with Carina Press in February 2012. It’s a rerelease of my contemporary mystery/romance The Shadow, although I’ve done extensive revisions and rewrites with the help of my wonderful editor. There’s no official title or blurb as yet, but the release date is definitely February.

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

~ Grab your current read
~ Open to a random page
~ Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
~BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
~ Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

I’m reading The Dark Enquiry, the latest book in Deanna Raybourn’s Lady Julia Grey series. I’ve quickly become a big Deanna Raybourn fan, and just love her mysteries. Her characterization is so good–she always leaves me with writer-envy and I enjoy the historical setting. I’m about a third of the way through. In this teaser, Lady Julia is dressing up as a man in order to sneak off after her husband…

The freedom from corsets was delicious, but I found the tightness of the trousers disconcerting, and when Portia came to pass judgement, she shook her head.

“They are quite fitted,” she pronounced. “You cannot take off the coat at any point, or you will be instantly known for a woman.”

page 41, The Dark Enquiry

Blurb

Partners now in marriage and in trade, Lady Julia and Nicholas Brisbane have finally returned from abroad to set up housekeeping in London. But merging their respective collections of gadgets, pets and servants leaves little room for the harried newlyweds themselves, let alone Brisbane’s private enquiry business.
Among the more unlikely clients: Julia’s very proper brother, Lord Bellmont, who swears Brisbane to secrecy about his case. Not about to be left out of anything concerning her beloved—if eccentric—family, spirited Julia soon picks up the trail of the investigation.

It leads to the exclusive Ghost Club, where the alluring Madame Séraphine holds evening séances…and not a few powerful gentlemen in thrall. From this eerie enclave unfolds a lurid tangle of dark deeds, whose tendrils crush reputations and throttle trust.

Shocked to find their investigation spun into salacious newspaper headlines, bristling at the tension it causes between them, the Brisbanes find they must unite or fall. For Bellmont’s sake- and more- they’ll face myriad dangers born of dark secrets, the kind men kill to keep….

Purchase The Dark Enquiry

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

~ Grab your current read
~ Open to a random page
~ Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
~BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
~ Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

I’m in the middle of reading a mystery this week. The Missing Ink is by Karen E. Olson and is A Tattoo Shop mystery.

He lay slumped over the edge of the Jacuzzi bathtub, his head lolled on its side, an eye staring at the ceiling. There was no water in the tub, and I was pretty sure he was dead.

page 85, The Missing Ink

Brett Kavanaugh is a tattoo artist and owner of The Painted Lady, catering to high-profile clients in Las Vegas. But in her free time, she does a little investigating too – because murder really gets under her skin. . . .

When a girl makes an appointment to get devotion ink with the name of her fiancé embedded in a heart, Brett takes the job, but the girl never shows. The next thing Brett knows, the police are looking for her mysterious client and the name she wanted on the tattoo isn’t the name of her fiancé.

An alliance with an unlikely partner leads Brett to a dead body, a suave Englishman, and an Elvis karaoke bar. And who is the tattooed stranger stalking her? Brett draws lines between the clues, unwittingly putting herself in danger. But she intends to see justice done, since death, like a tattoo, is permanent. . . .

Purchase The Missing Ink

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

~ Grab your current read
~ Open to a random page
~ Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
~BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
~ Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My teaser today is from First Grave on the Right by Darynda Jones. It’s a paranormal romance featuring Charley Davidson, a grim reaper. I’m about halfway through and enjoying both the main character and the touches of humor throughout. I’m looking forward to getting my hands on book two in the series.

Just a bit of background to this teaser – Charley has a sign on her bathroom door, which reads, “No dead people beyond this door.”

Even with the sign, I tended to wash my hair as if the apartment were on fire. Dead people standing in the shower with me after the rinse cycle was a bit much.

page 12, First Grave on the Right

Private investigator Charlotte Davidson was born with three things: a smoking hot ass; a healthy respect for the male anatomy; and the rather odd job title of grim reaper. Since the age of five, she has been helping the departed solve the mysteries of their deaths so they can cross. Thus, when three lawyers from the same law firm are murdered, they come to her to find their killer. In the meantime, she’s dealing with a being more powerful, and definitely sexier, than any specter she’s ever come across. With the help of a pain-in-the-ass skip tracer, a dead pubescent gangbanger named Angel, and a lifetime supply of sarcasm, Charley sets out to solve the highest profile case of the year and discovers that dodging bullets isn’t nearly as dangerous as falling in love.

Purchase First Grave on the Right