Taste of Kiwi: Blog of Author Shelley Munro

I picked up a copy of The Everything Guide to Writing a Romance Novel by Christie Craig and Faye Hughes the other day and came across a great list of how to make fictional characters lovable.

Thirteen Ways to Make Characters Lovable

1. Make your character an underdog. Give them a handicap and have them refuse to give up.

2. Have your character willing to admit he made a mistake and set out to make amends.

3. Make your character hurt emotionally but remain strong for others in his life.

4. Make your character kind to the underdog, small children, elderly people or animals.

5. Have a character who is self-sacrificing.

6. Have a character who is able to laugh at his or her own mistakes.

7. Have a character who is levelheaded.

8. Have a character make a mistake but for the right reasons.

9. Have a character who is the strong, silent type and means well but is unable to express it.

10. Have a character who takes risks and is willing to pay the price.

11. Have a character who has depth, layers and secrets.

12. Have a character who is able to forgive.

13. Make your character work against the odds to succeed.

Source: The Everything Guide to Writing a Romance Novel: From writing the perfect love scene to finding the right publisher–All you need to fulfill your dreams (Everything Series)

What makes characters lovable for you? Can you think of other reasons to add to the list?

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

…is that I enjoy reading romances and other genre fiction in both first and third person points of view. I like being in the main character’s head in some books while in other books seeing things from both the hero and heroine’s perspective is interesting. For a background on different points of view in writing here’s a link to a POV article. As I’ve mentioned, I enjoy reading books written in first person so today I have a list for you.

Thirteen First Person Reads or Series I Enjoy

1. Kristan Higgins (contemporary)

2. Stephanie Plum series – Janet Evanocvich (contemporary mystery)

3. Lisa Kleypas – contemporary Texas series. (contemporary)

4. Kate Daniels series – Ilona Andrews (urban fantasy)

5. Mercy Thompson series Patricia Briggs (urban fantasy)

6. Josh Lanyon – (m/m)

7. Hard Fall James Buchanan (m/m)

8. Alien Huntress series – Gena Showalter (paranormal)

9. Lori Armstrong – Julie Collins series (mystery)

10. Keri Arthur Riley Jensen (urban fantasy)

11. Bridget Jones Diary by Helen Fielding

12. Something series – Jacqueline Meadows

13. And finally, I’ve written several books in first person: Wanderlust (romantic suspense), The Shadow (contemporary mystery) and Stray Cat Strut (paranormal m/m)

Do you prefer first person or third person fiction best and why? Do you have any favorites to add to my list?

I was cruising Amazon and Barnes & Noble earlier and it seems that Tea For Two is already instore and ready to purchase, a couple of weeks earlier than I thought.

Here’s the blurb:

Lies and secrets have a way of returning to bite a girl in the butt…

Hayley Williams thought she was past the screwing-up stage of her life.
These days, she wears her good girl persona well—except when she moonlights as a gypsy tea leaf reader in order to earn money to buy her own home. There’s something about Sam Norville, though, that prods her inner imp back to life. A chance meeting, a margarita…okay, two…a stolen kiss, and suddenly she’s back in hot water.

Sam, a successful businessman, doesn’t believe in love at first sight. Not anymore. For him, involvement with any woman means risking a run-in with the tabloid press. But his mysterious gypsy lover keeps him coming back, keeps him prodding her for more…like the truth. Of course it’s not love. No, sir. Sam only does lust.

Hayley knows she shouldn’t want Sam, especially since she lied to him. The right thing to do? Shove that naughty imp off her shoulder and come clean. But that pesky imp just won’t budge…

Warning: There be lies and secrets ahead, wrapped in pretty bows with margaritas, a one-night stand, fortune telling and a gypsy. Oh, and tea. Lots and lots of pots of tea.

Find an excerpt here.

Go forth and shop! Have a great weekend.

So, you can’t go to the RWA conference this year? Well, don’t fret for long. Romance Divas is hosting their annual NGTCC (Not Going To Conference Conference) and it’s going to be fun-filled. Already they’ve got great guest spots lined up, including: Josh Lanyon, Rowan Mcbride, Jet Mykles and Shayla Kersten, Carrie Jones, Marley Gibson, Linnea Sinclair, Patti O’Shea, Ona Russel, Steve Hockingsmith, Joey W. Hill and Sasha White.

There will be workshops for just about every genre, from Young Adult to Erotic to Historical. Plus, a workshop on Deep POV, one on going from e-publishing to NY, and a Q&A on how avoid and deal with burnout. And there’s bound to be a few surprises, too.

The NGTCC kicks off July 14th and runs until July 18th. If you’re not already a member of Romance Divas, all you have to do is go to the website and register! Best of all–it’s FREE!

Today’s topic is food. I always think food scenes are a lot of fun and love writing them. I think they’re fun for the characters too. My scene today is taken from Assassin, book four in my Middlemarch Mates series featuring feline shapeshifters.

Assassin by Shelley Munro

“I’m feeling fine. You don’t need to treat me like an invalid.”

“But you were unconscious.”

“I’m not now. Do you have something sweet to eat in the picnic basket?”

“Probably,” Leo said.

“Good. Then that’s all I need to get my blood sugars up again. If you have coffee, that would help.”

Leo studied her closely. She certainly looked all right now with a definite sparkle in her eyes. After a brief hesitation, he decided she probably knew best. He stood and strode over to the picnic basket. When he checked the contents, he found two portions of a rich chocolate gâteaux. That should do the trick. He pulled out the gâteaux plus a spoon and returned to Isabella’s side. She’d arranged the blanket to screen her body and Leo smiled inwardly. Too late. He’d already had a good look.

“Here you go.” After he opened the plastic container for her, he held out the dessert and spoon, knowing Isabella would need to loosen her hold on the blanket in order to eat. Difficult to rake up even the faintest hint of guilt when he couldn’t wait to stare at her luscious body some more. “Eat as much as you need. I don’t mind sacrificing my portion for a good cause.”

Somehow Isabella managed to rearrange the blanket and accept the gâteaux without a hitch. While he watched, she dug into the dessert and lifted a spoonful to her mouth. Her eyes closed briefly when she tasted the gâteaux, and she let out a faint moan when it hit her taste buds. Fascinated, Leo couldn’t take his eyes off her. He watched her swallow and saw her tongue come out to rasp against a piece of icing sticking to the spoon. She quickly spooned more into her mouth, the sheer carnality of the move and the tiny sounds of appreciation she made, jolting his body to full awareness.

“Are you going to share?” The husky cadence of his voice grabbed her attention immediately.

Her brows arched. “Do you want some?”

Oh yeah, baby. He wanted some big time, but for now he’d have to make do with gâteaux. “Please.” Suddenly Leo stilled, panic stirring inside. Every muscle in his body tightened, his bones ached, his body instructing him to shift. A fine time for his feline senses to tell him to pounce. Wouldn’t that just cap off his day? After sending his date into an unconscious state, he turned feral and jumped her. They’d probably hear her screech of horror in Middlemarch if he gave in to the impulse to shift to cat.

Leo strained for control, a fine tremor passing through his muscles. He sucked in a deep breath and gave his feline a mental push. Down kitty.

“Here you go.”

Leo glanced up to see a spoonful of chocolate gâteaux float in front of him. Instinctively he opened his mouth and closed his lips around the sweet confection. His pulse rate jumped like a startled rabbit when the chocolate flooded across his taste buds. His gaze met Isabella’s and he was lost.

Leo pounced.

Available from Ellora’s Cave: Purchase link

Follow the Snippet Saturday trail and read other excerpts:

Cynthia Eden
Lauren Dane
McKenna Jeffries
Michelle M Pillow
Moira Rogers
Sylvia Day
TJ Michaels
Taige Crenshaw
Vivian Arend
Victoria Janssen
Marissa Scott
Maura Anderson
Shelley Munro
Jody Wallace
Eliza Gayle
Kelly Maher
Lacey Savage
Mark Henry
Shelli Stevens

Lynx to the Pharaoh, my next release is coming out on 1 July. I thought I’d celebrate and invite you all to join me on a virtual trip to Egypt. Everyone who joins me on my journey (i.e. posts a comment on an Egypt post) between now and 29 June will go into a draw to win an ARC of Lynx to the Pharaoh.

So, pack your bags and get ready to choose your camel for your trek to Patria Oasis in Egypt.

Now given you’re traveling via camel, what are three things you absolutely must take with you to Patria Oasis?

I haven’t mentioned books and reading for some time. I’ve read some excellent books recently that have really stayed with me, and with every one of them it’s been the characters that have grabbed me by the throat. It’s also interesting to note that three of the four books below are written in first person. I’d highly recommend any of the following:

Smooth Talking Stranger by Lisa Kleypas – I always used to read Ms. Kleypas’ historicals, but after historical burnout I hadn’t picked up one of her books for ages or tried her contemporaries. This is the third contemporary set in Texas and featuring members of the Travis family. I hadn’t realized this was a series of sorts and as usual picked up the books out of order. They are written in first person. I started reading quite late and had problems putting the book down. I liked the two main characters, Ella and Jack and their interaction and the plot moved smoothly. There was some great dialogue too. I liked it so much I went looking for the first two books and ordered them online. This particular story is only available in hardcover as yet and was borrowed from the library. I think I’ll be buying a copy in paperback when it comes out because I liked it that much.

Magic Strikes by Ilona Andrews – This is book three in the Kate Daniels series, an urban fantasy rather than a romance. I think this series gets better and better with each book. I loved the interplay between Kate and Curran. Once again, it was the characters that grabbed me, although I like the interesting plots in this series. This one contains some Indian mythology.

The Education of Madeline by Beth Williamson – This is Beth’s first NY published book, set in the American West. I liked the characters, although I have to say that the plot didn’t ring true with me. This didn’t stop me devouring the book, and I could be wrong because I’m not an expert in American history by any means! I’m not going into detail because that would mean spoilers. Beth has another book coming with some of the characters she introduced in this book. I’ll be snapping the second book up when it comes out.

Hard Fall by James Buchanan – this is a gay romance. It’s written in first person and is about a Mormon cop who is in the closet. He falls for an ex-con and while investigating a murder, his secret comes out, creating havoc in both is personal and business lives. Joe, the main character is interesting, and I liked the glimpse of the Mormon faith. This is an excellent read.

What books have you read recently? Do you have any recommendations?

A big welcome to author Helen Hardt who is my guest today. She’s talking about her new release Outlaw’s Angel, which is set in the American west. I must admit I’ve rediscovered a love of books with this setting after watching the DVDs of Deadwood and visiting the town. Over to Helen!

Shelley, thank you so much for having me at your blog today!

My newest release is an American western historical novella, The Outlaw’s Angel, which is one of four featured novellas in an anthology called Lawmen and Outlaws. It released at The Wild Rose Press on June 5. One thing that makes this release special is that it’s my first non-erotic romance release. But don’t worry, I still packed in plenty of heat! Whether I’m writing erotic or not, I write to the steamy side.

Blurb:
The last thing bounty hunter Bobby Morgan expects after a stay in a small Dakota town is to wake up in a dirty jail cell accused of a crime he didn’t commit. When a preacher’s beautiful daughter provides a means for escape, he takes it. On the run with his feisty hostage, Bobby swears to her he means her no harm.

Naomi Blackburn wants nothing more than to go home to her ma and pa. But her handsome outlaw captor ignites a passion in her that’s both frightening and exciting. Can two decidedly different souls come together? Or will misfortunes and Bobby’s own doubts keep them apart?

The idea for this story began when The Wild Rose Press’s Cactus Rose Line put out a call for submissions for the anthology. I love American western historicals, particularly those set on the Dakota prairie, due, no doubt, to my childhood fascination with Laura Ingalls Wilder. This particular story stemmed from another novella I was working on last year (which, ironically, still isn’t quite finished, LOL.) I had recently discovered that the father of my heroine was a former bounty hunter, and that intrigued me. Hmm, maybe there’s a story there. My bounty hunter hero quickly became an outlaw accused of a crime he didn’t commit, and my heroine’s mother from the other story became the beautiful preacher’s daughter he kidnaps to escape the small town where he’s imprisoned. Voila! The premise for an outlaw story.

Again, due to my childhood fascination with the works of Laura Ingalls Wilder, I didn’t need to do a whole lot of research. When I was young, I devoured all the Little House books, as well as anything I could find on Wilder and her life and times, so I already knew much about that time period. I did need to look into The Railroad Act, The Homestead Act and a few other small details, but that was about it. Though I enjoy research, I kind of have a love/hate relationship with it. It takes away from my writing time ;). So when I can, I choose settings I already have knowledge of. It’s easier that way.

Thanks again for having me, Shelley! Here’s a quick excerpt from The Outlaw’s Angel:

Naomi woke to the sun rising against a pinkened sky. She stretched, and discovered new twinges in her already aching body. Where was Bobby? She smiled when she discovered he’d rolled up his shirt and placed it under her head.

But if his shirt was here…

She warmed. He’d haunted her dreams through the night. She’d awoken several times, drenched in sweat, images of their bodies entwined plaguing her, to find him still sleeping soundly. He was older than she, and more experienced. To him, she was no doubt just another woman of many. Clearly, he’d had no problem sleeping.

She sat up and brought his shirt to her nose, inhaling his now familiar aroma. Would she ever be able to get enough of it?

“Stop,” she said aloud, and tossed the shirt to the ground. She was behaving like a loose woman. She’d been raised better.

Naomi stood and brushed the now dried dirt from her dress.

And beheld a dazzling sight.

Bobby stood in the creek, his back to her, cleansing himself in the cool water. He was too far away for her to see much, and though she knew it a bad idea, her feet, seemingly disengaged from her brain, propelled her forward.

When she’d walked a few hundred feet, she plopped on her fanny and appraised his male beauty with wide eyes. His hair was wet and clung to his thick neck. His golden back rippled with muscles, from the breadth of his strong shoulders to the leanness of his narrow hips. The smooth slopes of his buttocks shone with wetness. Two perfect globes. Her heart quickened, and she lowered her eyes, only to raise them again, unable to look away. His legs were long and powerful, covered with fine brown hair, and when he squatted to rinse his face, the sinewy lines in his calves bulged.

As she considered averting her eyes, he stood tall and turned around, his eyes widening at the sight of her.

Brown hair, the same color as his head, scattered across his golden chest. Two copper nipples poked through, and she had the strangest urge to touch them. She gazed downward, to his flat belly, his navel, and the line of hair that ended where the male part of him hung loosely within a nest of chestnut curls.

It drew her eyes like a magnet.

Helen Hardt is an attorney and stay-at-home mom turned award-winning romance author and freelance editor. She met her real-life hero in law school, and they live in Colorado with their two teenage sons. Helen writes contemporary, historical, paranormal, and erotic romance, and is currently contracted with The Wild Rose Press and Ellora’s Cave. Her non-writing interests include Harley rides with her husband, attending her sons’ sports and music performances, traveling, and Taekwondo (she’s a blackbelt.) Visit Helen at www.helenhardt.com and www.helensheroes.blogspot.com.

I’ve been in the writing cave again today and doing some heavy-duty thinking about the story I’m plotting. I took a bit of a break to write a post for Selena Illyria for her menage a trois week. While I was writing my post, I started to think about character driven stories and plot driven stories.

A character driven story is where the characters drive the story. Whatever decisions they make direct the course of the story, and at the end of the story the characters should have changed and grown in some way.

A plot driven story is where the events unfolding in the story direct the characters’ actions. At the end of the story, the characters are not necessarily changed or different.

Romances, by their very nature, tend to focus on the characters and their journey.

When I first started writing, I tended to write a plot driven story. I like action and lots of things happening, and this showed up in my writing. Over time I’ve noticed this has changed with my latest release, Leticia’s Lovers being more character driven.

The Nocturnes I’ve been reading recently are very much plot driven, although there’s a character driven element to the stories as well. If you enjoy paranormal stories and haven’t tried the Nocturne line yet, there are some great reads waiting for you. I highly recommend Patrice Michelle’s Scions series (for a different take on vampires and werewolves) and Rhyannon Byrd’s Blood Runner series.

Do you prefer character driven stories, plot driven stories or a combination of the two?