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Archive for 'Shelley Munro'Monday, July 5th, 2010
During our recent cruise I took the opportunity to get some nice portrait shots to use as author photos. I was really pleased with the final result. To see all four portraits go to my About Shelley page and scroll down. Feel free to let me know what you think and which is your favorite.
Photo credit: Princess Cruises. Do you like to see an author photo at the back of a book? Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010
Have you ever wanted to travel to New Zealand? I’m lucky enough to live in New Zealand, and today I give you a virtual tour of my beautiful country. I’m visiting Lisabet Sarai at Beyond Romance today where I discuss New Zealand and books. Saturday, May 29th, 2010
The theme for this week is Summer, so the obvious choice of book to highlight is Summer in the City of Sails. Summer is a country girl, and she’s determined to make the most of her time in the city, especially since she’s finally escaped her parents and her eagle-eye, bossy older brothers.
“I want you to look after Summer.” Summer’s bare feet froze outside the door to her Uncle Henry’s study. Her hand slid from the brass doorknob. A babysitter? Indignation stabbed her mind, robbing her of the sense of accomplishment she’d felt only seconds earlier. At age twenty-two, why did they think she needed a babysitter? Her eyes narrowed as she placed the package she carried on a wooden pedestal table then pressed closer to hear the details. “Do I look like a babysitter?” a masculine voice snapped. “Try the yellow pages.” Summer nodded emphatically, giving a silent cheer for the owner of the low, husky voice. Way to go, mister. But while she waited for Uncle Henry’s comeback, she fumed. She knew exactly where the idea had originated. Her family. Or more specifically her mother who thought danger lurked behind every corner in sinful Auckland City. “Think of it as a favor,” Uncle Henry said. “No.” The blunt, uncompromising answer made a smile surface. She liked this man. And she agreed with him. One hundred percent. Yes, she’d been a sickly child, but she’d outgrown the bad asthma attacks. As long as she used her preventer, there was nothing wrong with her health. Summer glanced down at her bust and hips, her expression turning rueful. Thanks to her mother’s excellent cooking, her body—well, the polite word was “curvaceous”. “Nikolai,” Uncle Henry groaned. “My sister will make my life miserable. She’ll hunt me down on my honeymoon.” Summer suppressed a snort as she flipped the end of her French braid over her shoulder. Why did Uncle Henry think she’d come to Auckland, the city of sails? Although her mother meant well, she was overprotective, especially when it came to the baby of the family. And now she was doing the smothering thing by remote control, all the way from Eketahuna. If Summer allowed this, her bid for freedom would end before it started. It was time her family let her make her own mistakes and let her fix any stuff-ups by herself. When her boss at the Eketahuna Library had suggested further training in big, bad Auckland City, the possibilities had made Summer breathless. Eager. At last, a chance to spread her fledgling wings. Despite her parents’ protests, Summer had grasped the opportunity with both hands. “Tell someone who cares,” Nikolai said. “With my track record, I’m the last person you should ask.” A shiver goose-stepped down Summer’s spine. That voice… His voice did things to her. She thought about easing the door open a little further to check out the body that matched the sexy rumble. Meeting men was high on her to-do list. No time like the present. “I didn’t want to do this,” Uncle Henry muttered, “but I’m a desperate man. You owe me. That time I saved you from the broad in—” The heartfelt Anglo-Saxon curse made Summer’s brows shoot toward her hairline. She hadn’t heard her brothers use that one before. “All right, dammit! I’ll check on her now and then, but if I see one girly tear, I’m outta there. And our debt is square once you get back.” “That should do it,” Uncle Henry hastily agreed. “Just check to make sure her car is there and get a visual every couple of days.” Get a visual? Summer thought, puckering her forehead. Good grief. Nikolai was one of Uncle Henry’s military friends. He’d take his duties seriously. This was not good. “All I want is a peaceful honeymoon.” “All you want is to get laid,” Nikolai muttered. Uncle Henry chuckled—a smug masculine sound that made Summer ache to deck him on Veronica’s behalf. “Yeah, that too.” Right, that did it. If she allowed this, she’d never escape her family’s well-meaning influence. Yeah, she loved them, knew they loved her in return, but enough was enough. Summer shoved the door open and strode through. “I’m back. Oh—” She stopped in front of her uncle’s large wooden desk. Her hand fluttered to her left breast. “I didn’t know you had a visitor.” “Summer, this is Nikolai Tarei. He’s my closest neighbor.” Summer’s gaze had already snapped to the man with the sexy voice. Physical awareness floored her, made her tongue stick to the roof of her mouth. Luckily, her brain continued to function and nothing impaired her twenty-twenty vision. Oh, boy! Tall, dark and sinfully sexy was welcome to guard her body any time. Summer in the City of Sails is available in both print and e-formats from Ellora’s Cave and Amazon. To read other Snippet Saturday excerpts follow the trail below: Mari Carr Monday, May 24th, 2010
I’m so excited. My Georgian-set historical, The Second Seduction has found a new home at Carina Press. It has a new title – The Spurned Viscountess– but that might change. I’ll keep you posted. The tentative release date is September. I’m thrilled to be part of this new digital company. I mean have you seen my fellow authors? And the books coming soon? In a word – amazing! Carina Press opens for business on 7 June. Oh, and they’re currently asking for erotic romances. Their submission guidelines are here. Check them out. Saturday, May 22nd, 2010
The theme for this week is music. Despite my love for music, I don’t have many mentions of music in my books. I do have a release called Seeking Kokopelli, coming out on 29 June from Samhain Publishing, that features a band of musicians. Seeking Kokopelli is a m/m romance and there are a few naughty words in the excerpt. You are warned…
The plaintive notes of a sax throbbed through the gloomy pub. Nate McKenzie watched Adam James’s strong fingers as he played, enthralled by both the performance and the man—a sexy, dark-haired figure illuminated in a golden spotlight. Adam caressed the music from his instrument, his eyes closed while he focused on playing the song. Despite the other men and women in the crowded room, Nate felt as if Adam played for him. Only for him. Blood pounded through his veins, his cock drawing tight beneath the unforgiving denim of the faded jeans he wore. It was the same every time Adam played his saxophone or sang in that smoky voice of his. Intense arousal surged through Nate’s mind along with confusion. How could one man make him feel this way? So lost. So incredibly aroused. So damn needy. Nate clenched his fingers around a bottle of beer and forced himself to take a sip. The warm taste of hops made him pull a face. Rosa. Thoughts of his wife should fill his mind, bring the sting of arousal to his cock and pull his body taut with desire, not his employer Adam James. Sweet Jesus, Rosa hadn’t been gone for that long. It was far too soon to try to fill the empty gap her death had left. His lips pressed tight. Both men and women might have interested him before he’d met his wife, but one look at her dark hair, flashing brown eyes, her curvy body, and he’d been smitten. He hadn’t looked at another man since meeting Rosa. Until Adam. A pair of red lace panties sailed through the air and struck Adam’s thigh before plopping to the stage. Adam continued playing smoothly as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened, filling the pub with his sultry, seductive music. A woman screamed, “I love you, Adam.” The crowd roared. A few hooted with laughter. A second woman hollered an obscene suggestion of what she’d like to do if she cornered him alone. Another pair of panties hit the stage. Nate turned away in disgust, telling himself it wasn’t jealousy. He tipped back his head, swallowed the dregs of his beer and ordered another. His last one for the night, because he needed to make sure Adam and the other three members of Stampede made it back to their motel rooms safely. He and Keith helped the band when they were on the road with security and anything else they required. Sometimes the women refused to let the band leave or, worse, tried to sneak into their vehicle or rooms. Nate didn’t expect problems tonight. This crowd appeared well behaved. They’d get the band back to the motel. What the guys did after they reached the motel was up to them. Nate’s responsibilities for the night usually ended there. Nate shot a quick look at Adam, took in the way the damp T-shirt clung to his chest and gulped. He saw a cold shower in his near future. And if that didn’t work, he’d go for a run and take another icy shower when he returned. He would not think about Adam. He would not jerk off while thinking about the man again. And no more spending time with Adam. If he followed these rules, maybe he’d manage to stuff the man into the “friends box” instead of letting him drift into bloody uncharted territory. He was still faithful to Rosa, dammit. It was way too soon to replace the memories he clutched close to his heart. And Adam—Adam had more women than he could possibly want. Why would Adam show interest in him? The last haunting note of the sax drifted away, and the rest of the band joined in with the melody. Adam started to sing. His gaze drifted across the rapt audience and, although Nate knew Adam wouldn’t be able to make him out in the gloom, the man seemed to stop looking when he glanced in his direction. Nate’s breath caught in his throat. He stared at Adam’s face, the intense eyes, the high cheekbones, the dark golden complexion. And that mouth… A groan built deep in his throat. The man had him tied in knots and didn’t even know it. Despite his growing fame, Adam was a private man. He handled his fans and the reporters with aplomb, hiding behind easy charm. They thought they knew him, but Nate looked deeper than most. Adam James had secrets. Nate didn’t know what they were, didn’t want to. A man deserved some privacy. The song slid to an end, and the crowd burst into applause and cheers. Somewhere a woman hollered about her underwear, making Nate wince at her crudeness. “Thanks,” Adam said in a husky voice. “We’re about to play our last song for the night. It’s a new one for us. It’s called ‘Alone’.” The band started playing, with Adam singing the poignant lyrics about a man being alone, looking for love, a mate. The words tore at Nate’s gut, ripping him open and laying his heart bare. He noticed a woman sitting not far from him with tears pouring unchecked down her cheeks. Rosa. Damn, he missed her so much. She’d filled the empty loneliness inside him. It was almost one full year since she’d passed, and he missed her every single day, despite the weird yearning that struck him whenever he spent time near Adam. Adam held the last note of the song, and the music trailed away. There was a long pause of pulsing silence before the cheering started. Nate couldn’t help his pleased grin. Stampede had a new hit on their hands. Pre-order your copy from Amazon Kindle To read other excerpts in the Snippet Saturday trail follow the links below: Mari Carr Saturday, May 15th, 2010
The theme for this week’s excerpt is Favorite Intimate scene. My favorite scene is just about always one from my most recently released book, and in this case, that’s The Bottom Line. The very first love scene in a romance is usually the one I find most memorable because this is when the hero and heroine test the waters and take a step forward in their relationship. They risk everything and take a jump of faith with their emotions. In the short excerpt below Connor and Maggie have decided to take their friendship a step further into a friends-with-benefits relationship.
Friends only. Maggie gulped. And now they were going to have sex. The mutual scratching of an itch. She had it bad. But could she really do this? The warmth in his eyes not only made her heart beat faster, but turned her limbs to jelly. This time she advanced instead of retreating, reaching out to touch him. His skin burned her fingertips, and Maggie jerked her hand away, her head lifting to study the sensual sweep of his lower lip. She’d felt his mouth on hers, knew how soft it was, and wanted more. “Touch me.” This time his purr tempted her like rich, bitter chocolate. She had no defenses. “How do you want me to touch you?” Let me count the ways. “Run your fingers over my chest. Use your mouth. Anything you want, babe. I need you to touch me.” A dream. Christmas and birthday gifts combined in one. What was she waiting for? “So we’re not going for a walk after all?” “Not unless you want to.” His laser-sharp gaze contained questions. “No,” she whispered. “Maybe later.” With a trembling hand, she reached out and pressed her palm against his chest, basking in his warmth, the soft grin curving his mouth. His heart beat with a solid thud. A faint sprinkling of dark hair covered his pectoral muscles, soft to her touch. He smelled of soap and the aftershave she’d given him for Christmas. She loved his scent. Clean and masculine. Sexy and tempting, and he was all hers. Grasping his shoulders, Maggie leaned into him, heard his sharp intake of breath. A small sign he wasn’t as calm as he pretended. Her lips touched his skin, and his solid muscle bunched in a visible reaction. Maggie dragged her tongue along his collarbone and nipped him. Connor groaned and moved so fast she blinked. One moment she stood, the next she lay on her back, staring up at Connor’s intense face. He wasn’t even breathing hard after his rapid trip down the passage and into his bedroom. “You okay?” he asked. “Yes.” He’d acted like a caveman, tossing her onto the bed as if she were a lightweight. When Greg had tried the same thing, he’d dropped her and she’d borne bruises on her backside and hip for days. And he’d had the cheek to tell her she needed to lose weight. This time it wasn’t anger coursing through her veins. This time excitement pounded in time with every beat of her heart. Invisible energy crackled in the air between them. She stared up at him with wary fascination, wondering what he’d do next. Purchase The Bottom Line from Samhain Publishing or Amazon Kindle To read more excerpts follow the Snippet Saturday trail below: Shelley Munro Tuesday, May 4th, 2010
Read. You’ll probably hear this from every published writer you meet. You’ll probably hear it at every conference you attend too. It really is important to know how the romance genre works and the classic hooks that are popular with readers. Analyze each book you read. Treat them like textbooks and learn from every book. Discover what works for you as a reader, learn how other writers deal with dialogue, narrative and love scenes. As you read, you’ll absorb quite a bit of craft and you’ll probably find that you do things instinctively after a while. A bonus tip: Take the time to exercise. Not only does it keep your mind alert and give you down time to plot and work through problems, it helps keep the dreaded bottom spread at bay. What? You thought bottom spread was an urban legend put out by published authors to scare you off? No, unfortunately. It’s quite true. If you spend all your time writing and don’t exercise you will end up with a large backside. Heed my warning and exercise! Visit Shelley Munro’s website Tuesday, April 27th, 2010
The Bottom Line is Maggie’s story. Here’s the blurb: Spicing up her sex life sounds exciting…until the fantasy hits the fan. When Maggie Drummond buys an erotic romance novel by mistake, she gets more than an unexpected eyeful. She gets an introduction to a world that arouses her to a fever pitch. Spanking. Her boyfriend isn’t interested in pushing his vanilla-flavored sexual boundaries. Then there’s Connor Grey, who haunts her fantasies like a magical genie. As a source of masculine advice for her and her female friends, he’s off limits. The only safe place to explore her fetish is her anonymous blog. The recent changes in Maggie don’t escape Connor’s notice. Now that her boyfriend has dropped her, he can finally—carefully—make his move. Given his family history, laying a hand on any woman, even in fun, is a line he’s reluctant to cross. But for Maggie? Anything the lady wants. As Maggie gives in to the temptation to let Connor add some sin to her life, she finds herself juggling lies, half-truths, friendship and sensual delights. Her job is in jeopardy—and she’s falling in love. Exploring her fantasy is one thing, but she’s beginning to question if indulging her own pleasure is worth the cost to everyone around her. Especially Connor… Purchase The Bottom Line today. Tuesday, April 13th, 2010
“My advice is to keep hope in the mail ie. always have more than one submission out with editors or agents at a time. If you receive a rejection, this means you’ll still have another submission to pin your hopes on, and it will cushion your disappointment about the rejection. During my pre-published days I found the hope in the mail method worked well for me. I entered contests. I submitted manuscripts to editors and agents. I worked out a plan for each manuscript, and if I received a rejection, I’d evaluate the feedback and move on to the next part of my plan. Since becoming published, I still adhere to the hope in the mail method as much as possible. Having more than one submission floating around really does help cushion disappointment if you receive a rejection.” You’re already at Shelley’s website. Why don’t you explore a little while you’re here? Saturday, March 27th, 2010
This week’s theme for Snippet Saturday is a fight. Instead of giving you a scene where my characters fight either physically or verbally, I’ve chosen a scene from House of the Cat where the ship is attacked by pirates. This is definitely a fight for survival!
Camryn gave a gasp of mortified horror, her face flaming. “Get out of my head.” “I—” The wail of sirens brought a curse. Ry scooped her up like a troublesome parcel and dumped her on a chair. She’d scarcely settled her butt on it when Mogens leaned over and buckled her into a harness. He sat beside her and strapped in, his body tense while he surveyed the blackness outside the ship. “What is it?” Camryn finally gathered the courage to ask, alarm swooping through her belly when the ship suddenly dropped. Her stomach followed, feeling as if it’d landed on the floor at her feet. “What’s happening?” “Pirates,” Mogens said tersely, his attention on the porthole and instruments. Pirates? Camryn craned her neck, watching the fast-approaching black ship with acute trepidation. A violent explosion seared her retinas. Their ship tilted. A second explosion tossed the ship in the other direction, forces throwing Camryn against her harness. A squeak squeezed past tight lips. She glared at Ry, casting blame. His fault. All of it. Hell, she was gonna die. “Another black ship at Nor-nor-west,” the man at the controls said in a tense voice. “I see him. Three total.” The captain sat totally at ease. Why weren’t they firing back? “Looks like Banio colors,” the warrior said, her blue eyes narrowed to angry slits. “How the hell did they know we were in this part of the universe?” “Get ready to fire,” the captain said. “Ready to fire,” the pilot answered. “Ready to fire,” the warrior confirmed. Camryn grasped the edge of her seat with a white-knuckle grip. Scared rigid, she closed her eyes to shut out the ships firing on them and almost immediately opened them again. A harsh sob jammed halfway up her throat. “Fire.” Cat Man—Ry—finally gave the order. The ship bucked. Camryn’s stomach divebombed south. Yesterday she’d have welcomed a reunion with Gabriel. Now, in the face of death, she learned she wanted to live. Flashes of light detonated across the black depths of space. Had they hit the other ships? Blind from the bright flares, Camryn couldn’t see. One of the ships returned fire. Their pilot attempted evasive action but wasn’t quite quick enough. The ship tilted at an acute angle. Shook wildly. Alarms screeched. One of the aliens cursed. “Fire in the hold,” Ry shouted. “Nanu and Kaya to the hold.” Two of the crew unbuckled and leapt to their feet. “Come in, Indefatigable,” a mocking voice transmitted. “We have you, Monsieur Coppersmith. Surrender so we can claim the très bien bounty on your pretty head, no?” “Fukk you, Banio. Fire!” Ry took over Warrior Woman’s gun. Simultaneous shots rang out. A ship exploded in a fireball. Scant seconds later something clipped their ship, sending it into rapid rolls. The other crewwoman flew from her seat, belting into a fixed chair with a sickening crunch. She moaned. Ry fired his gun again. “Yep, hold steady. Mogens sitrep on Jannike.” Mogens unfastened his harness, grabbed his satchel and scrambled across the bridge to the woman. “Camryn, man the gun,” Ry ordered. “Me?” “There’s no one else. When I say fire, push the black button.” Camryn fumbled with the harness release. She teetered across the bridge with gangly foal steps. “Buckle the harness.” Another order. Damn, she didn’t want to die. Shaky fingers clicked the harness into place. When she stole a glance at Ry, his green eyes held approval. Calm confidence. “Ready?” Camryn licked her lips and nodded, the ball of nerves inside her stomach huge and bigger than any pre-race nerves. This couldn’t be any worse than killing aliens on a computer game. Surely? “Yes,” she said hoarsely. “Black button. Push on command.” “Line her up, Yep. They’ll expect us to go for the stricken ship. Target the other first. Bloody mercenaries.” Camryn gave her palms a furtive wipe across her trouser legs. She swallowed, wished for a shot of whiskey. Her knees quaked and she felt strangely disembodied. Just a game, she told herself. A silly kid’s game. “One. Two. Three. Fire!” Camryn’s sweaty finger slid across the black button, depressing it. The ship bucked, a metallic screech grating against her ears. “A hit! Great shooting,” the pilot shouted. “Once more,” Ry ordered. The pilot lined them up. Ry shouted orders. Camryn fired. When she focused, after a huge explosion of bright light, not a single ship showed in the black vacuum outside. “We got ’em, Captain,” the pilot shouted in jubilation. “They’ll think twice before they engage a frigate again. Long-range guns get them every time.” Purchase from Ellora’s Cave To read more Snippet Saturday excerpts follow the links below: Shelli Stevens
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Summer in the City of Sails by Shelley Munro
SEEKING KOKOPELLI by Shelley Munro
The Bottom Line by Shelley Munro
HOUSE OF THE CAT by Shelley Munro
