Taste of Kiwi: Blog of Author Shelley Munro

Yellowstone was the very first National Park. Established in 1872, the park hosts millions of visitors per year. The park is located in the states of Wyoming, Montana and Idaho and has a wide range of habitat ranging from grasslands and forest to lake, rivers and mountains. Note: I think the people who set the land aside had great vision, and I’m proud to say that the second park in the world was a New Zealand one.

Animals that live in Yellowstone include bison, elk, pronghorn, bighorn sheep, mule deer, grizzly and black bears, moose and a few years ago, wolves were reintroduced after being previously wiped out in the area. There are also lots of different birds.

Yellowstone is also famous for its volcanic activity. Huge volcanic eruptions occurred here, the last around 640,000 years ago. The central portion of the park is actually a large caldera (basin) and the area is still very active with many geysers, mudpots, and hot springs. The most famous of these is Old Faithful geyser, which erupts to a schedule and thrills many a tourist.

Yellowstone is vast, yet parts of it are very accessible to the daytripper tourist. I’ve been fortunate to visit twice, and during my last visit, a story idea popped into my mind. My husband and I stayed at Tower-Roosevelt in a small cabin and spent two days exploring as much of the park as we could manage. We went animal spotting and saw loads of wildlife including a grizzly bear eating its kill. I really wanted to see a wolf. I didn’t see one in the end—they’re actually very hard to spot during the summer months—but early in the morning, not long after we woke, we heard the wolves calling. It was an eerie, magical sound and provided the final inspiration for my story. Lone Wolf is the result of my visit to Yellowstone.

Have you visited Yellowstone National Park? What is your favorite outdoor spot to visit? (any part of the world)

Experience wolves and the wildlife in Lone Wolf, an m/m romance coming from Samhain Publishing on 23 August. Available now for pre-order at a discounted price.

I’m really excited to introduce my guest today. Maddy Barone writes romance and has a love of all things paranormal. In her own words, “I’ve been writing since junior high. Werewolves, time travel and handsome princes who can wield magic and lead armies are my thing. Any damsel in distress that I write can darned well rescue herself and if the hero’s ego can’t take that, then he’s not a hero. I want strong men who can respect their ladies and treat them like partners, not dainty little dolls. Is there anything sexier than a tough man who finds that one perfect woman and is willing to do anything for her?”

Maddy is also a keen member of SCA, a non-profit education organization that studies the renaissance and middle ages. She gets to dress up, mainly in garb from the Italian Renaissance but she has Japanese, Viking and Byzantine garb too. Just quietly – she has a rather cool steampunk outfit that I have my eye on. I’m very tempted to launch a surprise attack from New Zealand to nab it for myself!

Today Maddy is taking us through the process of making our own fascinator hat. Give her a warm welcome. Over to Maddy…

How to Make a Fascinator Hat

HRH the Duchess of Cambridge (nee Kate Middleton) has made fascinators the newest rage in headwear. Appropriate for every social event from weddings to the races to cocktail parties, a fascinator can add the perfect finishing touch to any outfit. But –gulp!—have you seen the prices?! Wouldn’t it be a lot cheaper to make it yourself? I made this one for $10.00 (USD) in 40 minutes.

Do you think you need to be a milliner to be able to make a fascinator hat? Well, you don’t! All you need are a few things you already have around the house and a couple things from a craft store.

Materials:

A round base. This can be a ready-made sinamay base available from some millinery supply stores and Etsy.com, or a small plastic lid covered with fabric.

Veiling. About 12-15 inches (30-37 cm) This can be purchased from bridal supply stores, eBay, Etsy. But you can do without it too. Use tulle or take a veil off some old hat from the thrift store.

Feathers. I bought mine at JoAnn Fabric & Crafts. I used:
a half-pinwheel of black feathers
a 3 inch piece of black and white marabou feather boa
2 red feather clumps

A focal piece. I used a brooch from my grandmother. You might use a silk flower, a fancy button, a cute bow, a rhinestone earring or clip.

Fastener. I’m using an old black plastic headband. You could use a comb, a clip, a barret or elastic.

Needle and thread or glue. I sewed my items on so I could remove them and re-make the hat with other items and colors, but you could easily use a glue gun if you prefer.

Directions:
1. If you will be using veiling, gather it to a length that will go half way around your base. Stitch or glue in place along the back edge. If it looks a little wonky that’s okay. The wearer can use hair pins to put the edges in place.

2. Begin adding your feathers, layering them in whichever fashion you like best. I sewed the pinwheel on first. See what big ugly stitches I used? I plan to take this off and remake it sometime to go with a different outfit. Big stitches are easier to remove, and who is ever going to see them?

3. When the feather layer is secured by stitching or glue, add your focal piece. I used my grandmother’s brooch. I can take it off and replace it with another one to change my color scheme.

4. Stitch or glue the fascinator to the headband or whichever fastening method you chose.

5. Try on the fascinator. Pretend your hair is perfect, your eyes are dramatically made up and your lips have that 1950s red pout. Use hair pins to arrange the veil in the most flattering way.

You’re done!! Congratulations! You have a fascinator hat to wear to your next cocktail party!

Wolf’s Glory

After the Crash, Book 2

When goth-girl Glory Peterson’s plane crashes she walks to find help. What she finds are people living in teepees like it’s the Old West. Wolf’s Shadow knows Glory is his mate. Glory’s happy to take a roll in the hay with him while she’s waiting for transportation back to civilization, but when she finds out she’s gone fifty years into the future and Shadow is a bossy werewolf who thinks he owns her, her attitude changes fast. Shadow is used to giving orders that are obeyed. Glory hasn’t obeyed an order since kindergarten. When two strong-willed lovers clash, who will win?

Available from Liquid Silver Books Now

Visit Maddy Barone to learn more about Maddy and her books.

CONTEST: Book one in Maddy Barone’s series, After the Crash, is actually one of the ebooks in the ebook bundle I’m giving away. The contest closes soon. Details of how to enter are on my contest page.

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 this week comes from JR Ward’s Lover Unleashed. I finished reading this book last night and enjoyed parts of it, although I still prefer the earlier books in the series.

“I would do anything for you. Anything.”

With that, he pushed his way out…and as the door eased shut, she realized that I love you could indeed be said without actually uttering the phrase.

Actions did mean more than words.

page 175, Lover Unleashed

Blurb:

Payne, twin sister of Vishous, is cut from the same dark, warrior cloth as her brother: A fighter by nature, and a maverick when it comes to the traditional role of Chosen females, there is no place for her on the Far Side… and no role for her on the front lines of the war, either.

When she suffers a paralyzing injury, human surgeon Dr. Manuel Manello is called in to treat her as only he can- and he soon gets sucked into her dangerous, secret world. Although he never before believed in things that go bump in the night- like vampires- he finds himself more than willing to be seduced by the powerful female who marks both his body and his soul.

As the two find so much more than an erotic connection, the human and vampire worlds collide … just as a centuries old score catches up with Payne and puts both her love and her life in deadly jeopardy.

Purchase Lover Unleashed

I read Juliana Stone’s His Darkest Salvation last week and enjoyed it very much, (Check out my review here.) so I’m delighted to welcome Juliana today. I asked Juliana about her Jaguar Warriors and this is what she said…

Definition: Jaguar Warriors or Jaguar Knights (Nahuatl: ocēlōmeh) were members of the Aztec military.[1] They were an elite military unit similar to the Eagle warriors. The jaguar motif was used due to the belief that the jaguar represented Tezcatlipoca, god of the night sky. Aztecs also wore these dresses at war because they believed the animal’s strengths would be given to them during battles.[citation needed] Jaguar Warriors were used at the battlefront in military campaigns.[1] Many statues and images (in pre-Columbian and post-Columbian codices) of these warriors have survived.[2] They fought with a wooded sword studded with obsidian volcanic glass blades, called a Maquahuitl. They also used spears and atlatls.

To become a Jaguar warrior, a member of the Aztec Army had to capture at least four enemies during battles. This was said to honour their gods in a way far greater than killing enemy soldiers in the battlefield.

For my paranormal romance series, The Jaguar Warriors I decided to make these fierce fighters shapeshifters.

I thought wouldn’t it be fun to have two opposing families, add in a whole host of otherworld creatures and then, maybe toss in an end of the world scenerio. Out of these threads my Castille brothers were born and their mortal enemies, the DaCosta Jaguars.

So, what exactly is a Jaguar Warrior in my world? Well, they’re elite soldiers who are shapeshifters and once they start to mature, their warrior tattoos will show. These are elaborate clan tattoos that wrap around their abs and up along an arm to the neck. Not every jaguar is a warriror though. In His Darkest Salvation, Julian never developed the warrior tats. He’s still a shapeshifter, just not with the enhanced magick that the warriors have.

Here is a run down of the rest of the cast of characters who populate my books!

Castille Clan: The heros in my books are a trio of brothers, Jaxon Castille the oldest. He is featured in His Darkest Hunger. Jagger Castille’s story was told in His Darkest Embrace and lastly, Julian Castille is up in, His Darkest Salvation.

DaCosta Clan: Evil jaguar warriors who’ve always been on the fringe. They dabble in a lot of illegal activities. The head of the family, Jacobi is a terrifying person but unbeknownst to him, his daughter Jaden is doing whatever she can to foil his plots.

Declan O’Hara: My sexy sorcerer. His father is the evil Cormac O’Hara and he’s in love with a woman who feels nothing for him.

Ana: Said woman. Vampire.

Cracker: A member of Jaxon’s PATU unit and his origins are unknown.
PATU Paranormal Anti-Terrorist unit. A government sanctioned unit run my Jaxon Castille. Their job, to work under the grid keeping the human populace safe from the creatures they have no idea that exist.

Interestlingly, while researching the Jaguar Warriors and the Aztec culture I came across Eagle Knights which were another fierce fighting faction. This is what led me to make Skye Knightly—Jagger’s lover—into an Eagle shifter.

My books have an over reaching story arc, one that is concluded at the end of His Darkest Salvation but of course, new questions arise and will continue with my new series, League of Guardians. The first book, Wicked Road to Hell comes out next year and Declan O’Hara is the hero!

Is there anything I’ve not covered that you’d like to know? Ask away and I’ll try my best to answer!

CONTEST: Juliana is giving away a $25 Gift card from Amazon to one lucky commenter during her blog tour. The more you comment the better your chances of winning. Follow the rest of Juliana’s tour at this link. The contest winner will be drawn at the conclusion of the tour.

After six months in hell, Julian Castille has returned to the world a changed man. No longer the longer the calm, powerful CEO, but a shifter fully embraced by the blood of his clan. Julian has one goal: find the key to the portal that stands between the human realm and unprecedented darkness-and win back the pieces of his soul. The last thing he needs is a distraction like the beautiful, enigmatic Jaden DaCosta.

Three years ago, a forbidden night of passion left Jaden forever altered: mated to Julian Castille–bound to a man who despises her. But the temptation to trust this darker, more savage-and more captivating-Julian is overwhelming. And as they fight for their immortal souls, their insatiable desire for each other may prove their fatal undoing…

Purchase His Darkest Salvation

To learn more about Juliana Stone and her books visit her website – Juliana Stone

His Darkest Salvation
By Juliana Stone
Dark paranormal romance
Avon, an imprint Harper Collins Publishers
Release Date: 26 July 2011

ARC provided by the publisher

Official blurb:

In a world on the brink of chaos, passion and vengeance collide …

After six months in hell, Julian Castille has returned to the world a changed man. No longer the calm, powerful CEO, but a shifter fully embraced by the blood of his clan. Julian has one goal: find the key to the portal that stands between the human realm and unprecedented darkness—and win back the pieces of his soul. The last thing he needs is a distraction like the beautiful, enigmatic Jaden DaCosta.

Three years ago, a forbidden night of passion left Jaden forever altered: mated to Julian Castille–bound to a man who despises her. But the temptation to trust this darker, more savage—and more captivating—Julian is overwhelming. And as they fight for their immortal souls, their insatiable desire for each other may prove their fatal undoing…

His Darkest Salvation is a dark paranormal romance and is the third in a series featuring jaguar warriors. Juliana Stone has written a wonderful book, full of emotion that leaps off the page. Her hero and heroine come from enemy families, yet during a meeting, years earlier, Jaden took Julian as her mate. He discovered her identity and rejected her, and when they come together again, their hatred and distrust of each other is clear. The constant push-pull between the characters is very well done. The reader experiences their hopes and the sheer hopelessness of the situation they find themselves in. At times the tortured Julian is plain horrible to the heroine, yet by the end of the story it’s clear why he behaves this way, and their relationship evolves to a deeper understanding.

Jaden is the perfect foil for Julian. She’s a warrior in her own right, is strong and capable and very sensual. The love scenes between the two are explosive and full of passion.

The story comes to an exciting climax with lots of drama and an ending that makes me hope there will be more books to come. I hadn’t read the earlier books in the series, and although I managed to follow most of the back story, there were a couple of places where I think I missed something that was imparted in previous stories i.e. the relationship between the characters. If you’re new to Ms. Stone’s series, I’d suggest you grab all three and have a dark paranormal blitz to get maximum satisfaction from the jaguar warrior world the author has created.

I recommend His Darkest Salvation to any reader who enjoys a dark paranormal story with lots of emotional intensity and drama. You won’t be disappointed.

Author website Juliana Stone

Purchase link His Darkest Salvation

Series:
Book one – His Darkest Hunger
Book two – His Darkest Embrace
Book three – His Darkest Salvation

I’d like to welcome fellow Ellora’s Cave author, Elaine Lowe to my blog today. She’s celebrating her recent paranormal release, Magic Eights. Do you know I had to drag her from her writing cave? She’ll explain…

Hello Shelley, thanks for having me visit here at your blog. It’s a chance for me to pick my head up out of my den of writing and look around for a minute and wave. I’m in one of those places right now where I’m writing non-stop, the muse waking me up at night to point out missed opportunities for irony, comedy or deeper emotional impact. I love it and it happens all too rarely, but I also sometimes forget the need to eat anything but convenient junk food and pay the bills.

I’m completely obsessed with my latest manuscript, which is shaping up to be a fun urban fantasy that is very loosely connected to my latest release, Magic Eights. The characters are fun, the situation is perfect for emotional tension, and I’m having so much fun worldbuilding I have to be very very careful to avoid that greatest of sins, the infodump. But even if it all ends up a riotous mess, I’m having so much fun. I’ll get out everything I can until writer’s block strikes again.

Writing for me is an ebb and flow of the need to push myself to force the words to come, and the need to dial myself back and edit so things make sense and run-on sentences don’t procreate and take over the world for the forces of evil. There are times when I don’t write anything for weeks and am letting stories and characters percolate in my brain, aging like good brandy. I try to find enjoyment in each facet of the writing process, as each is important to the creation of a good story. After seventeen books, I try to relax into the process and don’t fight what my instinct tells me to do.

Right now, my instinct is calling me back to finish my next chapter, and I’d better strike while the iron is hot.

Have fun and keep reading!

Bio:
Elaine Lowe is a work-at-home mom in Silicon Valley California. Of her many part-time jobs, her favorite one by far is writing. She has a background in biotech, but she has branched out into the demanding world of home management, child entertainment, transcription, envelope stuffing, and of course, writing romantic and erotic fiction.

A love of history, magic and romance combines to inspire a lot of her writing. That and her wonderful husband, who is a fantastic sounding board, support system, and research consultant. He really enjoys research. And so does she. You can visit Elaine at her website or find her on Twitter.

Magic Eights Blurb:
A casual wish by a frustratingly horny wife results in a most unexpected bit of magic…
Susanna walks into her kitchen to see two copies of her husband of eight years, William. When they both seduce her, she’s helpless to resist. Who would want to? When another copy walks in and makes love to her, and another, she ceases to ask why, only, how much can she take?

Seven copies, one original, and all of them want to push her to the very brink. Can she handle them all? Sinful satisfaction is the best anniversary present, and eight is Susanna’s lucky number.

Purchase Magic Eights

I thought I’d add a question for everyone: What do you think a writer’s cave looks like? If you’re a writer, what does your writer’s cave look like? Do you have any questions for Elaine?

Today, I’d like to welcome author, Rosalie Lario. She’s celebrating the release of a new paranormal romance called For Love of An Angel. Today Rosalie is talking about story arcs, and I’m really looking forward to your comments. Over to Rosalie…

First off, I’d like to say thanks, Shelley, for having me here today!

Have you ever read a series with a continuing story arc? I’m not talking about cliff-hanger endings, but an overall storyline that pulled you forward from one book to the next. That’s what I aimed for when starting my new paranormal romance series, The Fallen Warriors.

My series features angels, but not in the biblical sense. Rather than servants of Heaven, the angels on my world are a race of beings from an alternate dimension. They are forced into our world when the walls between the dimensions collapse. Once the angels realize they are forever stuck here, they convince humans to allow them to rule over Earth in exchange for peace and security…the ultimate utopia. But in reality, their designs on Earth are far more sinister.

The heroes of my series are a group of angels who seek to protect humankind. Because of this they have been cast out of their society and condemned to die. They are Fallen.

The Fallen are determined to stop the other angels from eradicating humankind, and this is the series arc that pulls each story forward. I knew I wouldn’t be able to resolve this huge plot point in one, or even three, novellas, so the entire series revolves around the Fallens’ attempts to protect humans. Ultimately , it will culminate in war against the angels.

Each of my novellas is a complete story featuring a Fallen finding and wooing his mate in the midst of the group’s preparation for battle. Read on for more about For Love of an Angel, Book 1 of The Fallen Warriors Series:

Blurb:

In a world where angels rule over humans, twelve outcasts dare to defy expectation, warring with their angel brethren to prevent the extinction of humankind.

They are The Fallen…

Michael is one of twelve angels who have been outcast due to their determination to protect humankind. In order to preserve his immortality and strength, he must find a mate with angel blood. Eva Smyth has never believed the propaganda spouted by the Consortium—the elite system of guards put into place once angels took over reign of Earth—but she never expected to learn the angels plan to eradicate all of humankind, or that she herself is part angel. Joining Michael means living a life on the run, at war against the angels and hunted by the Consortium. Eva must decide whether to risk it all…for love of an angel.

You can read the first chapter of For Love of an Angel here

Please Visit me at:

Website
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Buy Links:

Barnes and Noble
Amazon
Smashwords

So I’d love to know, do you enjoy stories with continuing series arcs?

Rosalie Lario practiced real estate law for several years before finally admitting to herself that negotiating contracts wasn’t nearly as fun as dreaming up stories. As an avid reader of romances and supernatural stories, she knew she wanted to write paranormal romance.

When not writing, she enjoys spending time with her husband and son in their home state of Florida, as well as searching out things that go bump in the night. She still hasn’t found any proof of the supernatural, but she’s keeping her fingers crossed.

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 this week comes from Scoundrel, book two in Zoe Archer’s Blade of the Rose series. I’m a fan of this series. If you enjoy historical romances set in unusual settings plus a little paranormal, this is the series for you.

“You abducted me from my cabin in the middle of the night, forced me off my ship, stuck me in a minuscule boat, and then brought me here,” London said, her voice surprising her with its strength. “If all you want to do is talk, then it sure as hell had better be good.”

Page 74, Scoundrel

Blurb:

The Blades of the Rose are sworn to protect the sources of magic in the world. But the work is dangerous—and they can’t always protect their own…

READY FOR ACTION…

London Harcourt’s father is bent on subjugating the world’s magic to British rule. But since London is a mere female, he hasn’t bothered to tell her so. He’s said only that he’s leading a voyage to the Greek isles. No matter, after a smothering marriage and three years of straitlaced widowhood, London jumps at the opportunity—unfortunately, right into the arms of Bennett Day.

RISKING IT ALL…

Bennett is a ladies’ man, when he’s not dodging lethal attacks to protect the powers of the ancients from men like London’s father. Sometimes, he’s a ladies’ man even when he is dodging them. But the minute he sees London he knows she will require his full attention. The woman is lovely, brilliant, and the only known speaker of a dialect of ancient Greek that holds the key to calling down the wrath of the gods. Bennett will be risking his life again—but around London, what really worries him is the danger to his heart…

Purchase Scoundrel

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

I made an appointment for a haircut yesterday, which made me think about hair. I thought it would make a good Thursday Thirteen topic.

Thirteen Hair-related terms

1. Chignon – when hair is styled in a knot or bun at the back of the head.

2. Dreadlocks – hair that is styled in long twisted locks or braids.

3. Pomade – hair cream or wax, usually applied to hold a style.

4. Bangs – a fringe across forehead.

5. Molt – to shed hair.

6. Ringlet – a single curl of hair.

7. Afro – hair that is bushy or frizzy.

8. Toupee – a wig or hair piece, usually worn by a male.

9. Mohawk – a shaven head with a strip of hair left down the middle.

10. Cowlick – when the hair sticks up in a natural manner.

11. Bedhead – what I have when I get up every morning. Hair that sticks up in all directions.

12. Mullet – a style that’s shorter on top with a tail at the back. I call House of the Cat, my sci-fi paranormal romance my mullet cover. See below:

13. Beehive – a style achieved by backcombing and piling on top of the head.

Do you have any hair terms to add to my list?

Source: Flip Dictionary by Barbara Ann Kipfer