Taste of Kiwi: Blog of Author Shelley Munro

The Great Book Trailer contest commences at JK Coi’s blog today. JK has posted all the entries she’s received, including my trailer for Leticia’s Lovers. I’d love your vote.
There is a prize for the winning author and everyone who comments/votes will be entered in a contest to win a prize as well! One vote is allowed per person.

The heroine in my recent release House of the Cat is a jockey so my Thursday Thirteen this week has a horse racing theme.

Thirteen Random Things About Horse Racing

1. All modern racehorses are descended from three Arab sires: the Byerley Turk (a horse owned by Captain Robert Byerley), the Darley Arabian (a horse purchased in Aleppo in 1704 for Mr. James Darley) and the Godolphin Arabian (a horse gifted from the Emperor of Morocco to King Louis XIV).

2. King Henry VIII took little interest in racing, but his daughter Queen Elizabeth I attended races on Salisbury Plan. King James VI and Charles I were also keen racing men.

3. The first race of the Royal Meeting at Ascot commemorates Queen Anne, who played a part in the start of racing there. The first race took place on 13 August 1711.

4. Historians believe that organized racing in America occurred around the early to mid-17th century.

5. One of the world’s greatest handicap races takes place at Flemington in Melbourne, Australia. The Melbourne cup was introduced in 1861 and takes place in early November every year. Many workplaces in Australia and New Zealand run Melbourne Cup sweepstakes each year. Without fail the horse I draw is a duffer. Without fail my sister picks the winner, much to hubby’s disgust.

6. The most famous steeplechase in the world (race with jumps) is the Grand National. It’s held in March or early April each year and began in 1837. The race is 4 ½ miles with 30 fences for the horses to jump.

7. The largest race for the Grand National was in 1929 when 66 took part and the race was won by the 100-1 chance Gregalach. The smallest was the very first running in 1837 when only 6 horses took part.

8. Although racing began as a test between owners to see whose horse was fastest, it undoubtedly was the result of a wager. Betting and horse racing are undeniably linked.

9. In 1903 doping horses was declared illegal by the Stewards of the Jockey Club in response to a campaign by trainer George Lambton.

10. Starting stalls were used for the first time in 1965 on a race course in Great Britain.

11. A two-year-old colt , later named The Green Monkey, was sold for $16 million at the Fasig-Tipton Florida Sale at Calder Race Course. The price is a world record for a horse of any age, sex or breed at public auction.

12. In 1993 the Grand National was abandoned after disruption by animal rights campaigners and two false starts. In 1913 Suffragette Emily Davison attempted to disrupt the Derby by grabbing and bringing down a horse. Anmer, the horse she grabbed was unarmed but Ms. Davison was killed.

13. In House of the Cat the heroine Camryn O’Sullivan must train a hell-horse and attempt to win the inaugural Dowry Derby. Hell-horses are man-eaters and not the same as the horses on Earth. Here’s a short excerpt:

The gates rattled. Suddenly Camryn could see the track stretching out in front of them.

“And they’re off!”

Gabby hesitated. The other horses sprang from the gates. Camryn nudged Gabby, squeezing the barrel of her body with her thighs. The mare jumped from the starting gate finally. Camryn leaned low, urging her on with hands and heels. Over to their left a horse squealed and reared in the gates. Camryn heard a man shout.

A hell-horse appeared beside them, neck extended and teeth barred. Gabby frog-hopped out of the way, the abrupt sideway move throwing Camryn off balance. Only instinct, honed from years of experience, allowed her to stay on Gabby. She kicked her hard, surprising a grunt from the mare. Gabby wasn’t used to vigorous kicks. She leapt forward, thankfully heading in the right direction.

“Run, girl. Run. Come on. Please. We need to find Luke.”

Something crashed into the back of Gabby. Again, experience allowed Camryn to keep her seat. Gabby whirled to attack the hell-horse behind. Bigger than her, it was an aggressive male with a scar-covered hide. Terror gripped Camryn as she hauled on Gabby’s head and wished they’d been able to work out some sort of a bit and bridle to give her more control. This halter wasn’t the best.

“Gabby. Turn!” Camryn applied the signal she’d taught the mare, squeezing her thighs tightly and leaning her weight forward. Too late. The mare had caught the bloodlust of the others. She charged the stallion without a shred of fear or hesitation. The clash almost unseated Camryn. She lurched sideways. With desperation, she grasped Gabby’s mane and clung. If she fell… God!

Source: The Complete Encyclopedia of Horse Racing by Bill Mooney & George Ennor

Paranormal romances often use a fated mates plotline where the hero and heroine take one look at each other and know they will spend their lives together. Some readers and reviewers consider the fated mates plot overdone. They say it’s a way for the author to cheat on the world building aspect of their writing and that the fated mate plot is a shortcut. I’ve also seen readers/reviewers say characterization suffers in a fated mates story. Others say this type of plot is unbelievable.

Personally, I love reading and writing this type of plot. I read romance for the happy-ever-after aspect and like to think there is a special person or a soul mate waiting out there for every person. In my Middlemarch world, every feline shifter has a special mate. They don’t necessarily have to hook up with that person, but mostly they do end up together. Fated mates stories often contain other elements such as a suspense subplot.

What do you think? Do you like the fated mates plotline? What do you like or dislike about it? Are stories that use the fated mate scenario too predictable? Are there any particular stories featuring fated mates that you’ve enjoyed?

My latest release LETICIA’S LOVERS is out tomorrow. It’s part of my Middlemarch Mates series about a feline shapeshifter community in the South Island of New Zealand. I love both reading and writing feline shapeshifters. There’s something about a cat that’s graceful, mysterious and beautiful at the same time. I like them because they’re independent, confident and have a touch of arrogance about them.

In celebration of feline shifters: Thirteen Feline Shifter stories.

1. Nalini Singh’s Psy series. Nalini’s both a friend and a wonderful writer. The first book in her series is called SLAVE TO SENSATION. It’s a great read and very different and original from other paranormal stories available. My favorite in the series is CARESSED BY ICE. (mostly leopard but not all)

2. MERCURY’S WAR by Lora Leigh, one of the Breeds series. I really enjoyed this one. (lion)

3. SABER-TOOTH by Jordan Summers (tiger)

4. PRIMED TO POUNCE and JAGUAR’S RULE by TJ Michaels (jaguar)

5. HUNTING THE HUNTRESS by Ember Case (lion)

6. STRAY by Rachel Vincent. This is the first book in a were-cat series. (leopard)

7. SLAVE by Cheryl Brooks. This is the first book in a futuristic series with feline-like heroes.

8. MAGIC BITES by Ilona Andrews. This isn’t exactly a shapeshifter book but one of the male characters is a lion.

9. WILD RAIN by Christine Feehan. (leopard)

10. TIGER EYE by Marjorie Liu (tiger)

11. FERAL ATTRACTION by Marie Hart and Paige McKellan (lion/cougar)

12. Middlemarch Mates: SCARLET WOMAN, PEEPING TOM, STRAY CAT STRUT, ASSASSIN, CAT AND MOUSE, CAT BURGLAR by Shelley Munro. These are the first six books in my feline shapeshifter series. (leopard – mainly black/lion)

13. LETICIA’S LOVERS by Shelley Munro – out today from Ellora’s Cave (leopard/lion)

Do you like feline shifters? If so what do you enjoy about them? Is there a different paranormal creature that floats your boat? And if you prefer contemporary romance, that’s fine. Tell me what you’re reading because contemporary romance is my second favorite thing to read.

My special guest today is JK Coi who I met online a while ago. I enjoy visiting her blog and meeting her many guests, and then there’s her books…

JK writes a series about a very sexy group of Immortal warriors. Let’s go to the movies first before we chat with JK, and don’t forget, if you have any questions for JK ask them in the comments section.

Hi! First off, I want to thank Shelley for having me as a guest today. She’s got the best blog and even better shifter alpha heroes! (You’re very welcome, and thank you. Compliments are always welcome! – Shell)

I’m celebrating the release of the third book in my Immortal Series, Dark Immortal, and I’m very excited about it. It took me by surprise, you see. I hadn’t intended to write this book at all when I first started down this particular road.

When I started writing the series, I had a very clear picture of the characters and the roles they were going to play. Rhys is the hero of book one. He’s the eldest Immortal and a bit of a recluse. He didn’t take to this leadership thing so easily and he didn’t quite know how to deal with a sharp, determined woman like Amy who turned his life upside down from the first moment he saw her. Then there was Baron, a smartass, smartmouthed, ex-military sharpshooter who was all set to embrace his new life as an Immortal…that is until his past came back to haunt him in the form of the irresistible and forbidden Maxine. Ah…and then it was supposed to be Gideon’s turn. A man of science, he’d had his life planned out so perfectly. He wasn’t supposed to be dragged into a demon war, and he definitely wasn’t supposed to fail so miserably at it—now he can barely live with the consequences.

Just as I was finishing up Baron’s story and getting ready to start Gideon’s, one of the other Immortals stepped forward, not content to stay in his “supporting role”.

Alric. In the first two books, he is strong, centered, happy.

But his past was revealed to me; the torture, the darkness, the rage. After living so close to madness for so long, I needed to know how he had gotten past it to become the man he is now—and of course, the answer was Diana. She was his light.

So what would happen if that light were taken away? If darkness were to envelop him once more?

The story just had to be written.

J.K. Coi writes dark and edgy paranormal romance, where love is all consuming, the stakes are always high, and the immortals are to die for…

Book 3 of the Immortal Series, Dark Immortal, is available now…

Five years of happiness, erased in one vicious act of violence.

Diana freed Alric from his prison and the insanity of his own mind, offering him the kind of love only a fool would deny. Now she lies broken and comatose from a vampire attack, locked deep inside herself where he cannot reach her.

Awakening in a strange bed, Diana has no memory of how she got there. The huge, muscled man leaning over her is straight out of nightmares full of blood and pain. Married to him? It can’t be true…even if her body craves his touch, and the anguish in his eyes shatters something deep inside her.

Alric has no intention of giving up on the woman who never stopped fighting for him. His one hope is that time will heal her mind. But with a demon god poised to tip the balance of power, time is not on their side…

Don’t forget to pepper JK with questions. If you’d like to know anything about her books or writing process feel free to ask in the comments section.

I’m very excited to introduce Christina Phillips as my guest blogger today. Foretaste of Forever is Christina’s debut book and it was released at the end of last week. I can’t wait to grab some time and read my copy. Foretaste of Forever is a paranormal tale featuring a witch heroine. Christina tells us why she chose a witch as her heroine.

FORETASTE OF FOREVER – A Witch’s Tale

Thank you Shelley for inviting me onto your blog today to talk about my debut release, FORETASTE OF FOREVER, a dark erotic romance published by the Scarlet line at The Wild Rose Press.

Blurb:
Elyesha, last surviving descendant of a line of powerful witches, finally finds the only man she’s ever loved, the man who deserted her countless years before. But Ben is torn between desire and despair when Elyesha, his only love, eventually penetrates his protective retreat. He knows what she wants, but the price of their love is too high. At midnight, on the beach, a battle of wills and erotic seduction ensues as each confronts the other’s darkest fears.

So why did I decide to write about a witch and her emotionally tortured lover? Well, when Elyesha first came to me in a dream I had no idea she was a witch.

Yes – this story came to me in a dream! And it was a perfectly gorgeous dream, in vivid color and with sound effects. Midnight, on a storm tossed beach with the moon casting silver threads across the chilly sand. And her hero was breathtaking. Dark, dangerous. Powerful. And an utter mystery.

I loved everything about this recurring dream. But after a while – like, four years – it began to drive me mad. Because this couple never got any further! All I knew was the heroine would do anything to be with the man she loved, and the hero was too blinded by his sense of honor to see his destiny when she was standing right in front of him.

So I decided to do some sleuthing. And gradually I discovered the heroine was the last of her line, descended from a powerful matrilineal family of witches.

The whole concept fascinates me and I spent ages reading about ancient beliefs, particularly the goddess culture, and specifically Hecate the goddess associated with witches.

But what kind of man could captivate a woman like Elyesha?

I started digging into the hero’s past. Not only was he more than a match for my heroine, but he was immune to her magic, much to her frustration. And while he loved her more than anything else in this world or the next, it was that very love which drove them apart.

Contest: For the chance to win a download of FORETASTE OF FOREVER, all you need to do to go into the draw to win is comment on this post. The winner will be chosen and announced on Thursday 30th October.

Read an Excerpt

Christina’s Website
Christina’s Blog

Google book link from The Living Goddesses By Marija Alseikaite Gimbutas, Marija Gimbutas, Miriam Robbins Dexter

WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT: Christina’s daughter chose the winner…

Amy, I’ll contact you in private. Thanks to everyone who visited us this week!!

My first guest for 2008 is Cindy Spencer Pape, author of several novels for Ellora’s Cave, Cerridwen Press and The Wild Rose Press. Cindy Spencer Pape has been, among other things, a banker, a teacher, and an elected politician, though she swears she got better. She does volunteer work in environmental education, when she can fit it in around writing. She lives in Michigan with her husband, two teenage sons, a dog, a lizard, and various other small creatures, all of which are easier to clean up after than the three male humans. Her most recent release is Djinni and the Geek from Ellora’s Cave. (Those who attended my birthday bash during December might remember me mentioning Cindy’s book in my post on genies.)

Cindy is discussing paranormal romance and why she loves writing it so much. She’s also giving away a download of Djinni and the Geek. All you need to do to go into the draw is comment on this post. Why do you like reading paranormal romance? If you’re a writer and write paranormal romance, why do you enjoy writing it? And if (gasp!) you hate paranormal romance and don’t “get” it – why? Cindy will be drawing the winner on 4 Jan so make sure you pop back to check to see if you’re the winner.

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