Taste of Kiwi: Blog of Author Shelley Munro

Why is it on days that you’re really busy everyone decides they simply have to talk to you? I had one of those days today. My edits arrived from Carina Press. No problem. They were expected. I had breakfast and sat down to work.

Bang! Bang! Someone was at the door. Sighing, I answered it and came face to face with a woman who wanted to convert me to religion. I politely said I wasn’t interested, but she was a tenacious one. I finally informed her I was busy and shut the door. I sat down and half an hour later, the phone went. It was my sister. I know if I’d had said I was busy, she wouldn’t have minded, but she’s been going through chemo, and I wanted details. (She had an MRI yesterday and will know in a week if the treatment has helped or if she requires more radical treatment) Fingers crossed! Anyway, I finished talking to her, and decided I’d quickly check my email. That was a mistake because there was another set of edits waiting for me, this one from Ellora’s Cave.

Somehow, I think it’s going to be a busy weekend. I leave you with a relaxing holiday shot, meanwhile I’m off to attack more edits.

The person surrounded by fish is me. Mr. Munro and I did a helmet dive while we were in Bora Bora, Tahiti. It was so much fun and definitely makes my list of most memorable experiences. Note the stingray on the left of the photo.

I’m doing a guest post at Coffee Time Romance today on Friends with Benefits and The Bottom Line.

And, if you haven’t already, check out my guest post at Manic Readers about The Other Side of the Fence.

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.

The Bottom Line by Shelley Munro

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
Mari Carr
TJ Michaels
Ashley Ladd
Lacey Savage
Helen Kay Dimon
Eliza Gayle

Yahoo! I have a new release out today at Samhain Publishing. It’s a Red Hot contemporary romance and the start of a new series about a group of friends who work for the same employer.

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.

I’m visiting Amanda Young today where she asks me some probing questions, and we talk about my upcoming release, The Bottom Line.

Here’s the link to my interview with Amanda Young.

The Scarlet Woman tour hits Love Romance Passion today. I’m discussing Middlemarch and the setting for the Middlemarch Mates series. Visit Love Romance Passion and comment on my post to go into a draw to win for your choice of an ebook from the Middlemarch Mates series.

If you’re a Middlemarch Mates fan, don’t forget to take a look at the free Middlemarch family tree. It’s in PDF format plus there are some photos and background info on my website.

I’ll also take this opportunity to remind you to check out my free reads and the downloadable bookmark.

The 28 Days of Heart promotion continues today with the release of Unshuttered by Emery Sanborne & Philippa Grey-Gerou. Have you purchased your copy of Wild Child yet?

What do you think of the cover for The Bottom Line?

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…

The Bottom Line goes on sale at Samhain Publishing on 20 April 2010.

This is a shot of Albert Park (named after Prince Albert) in Central Auckland. It’s not far from the university and on a fine day, it’s the perfect place for students to eat their lunch.

Mystery writer JA Konrath has a very interesting post about e-books and what he predicts will happen during 2010 in the e-book/e-reader world.

I’m actually feeling very positive about e-books at the moment. I love the freedom of writing for e-publishers, although the pirate issue does worry me. It’s truly disheartening when pirates put up books for free download on release day. It’s not only the e-authors who have a pirate problem though. The pirates have no compunction in making e-copies of paperback books and giving those away free too.

I think the increased competition in the e-reader market can only mean good things, driving the price down. Like Mr. Konrath, I’d like to see a standard industry format. What do you think will happen in the e-book world during the next year?

I’m guest blogging at the Samhellion blog today and talking about diaries and my upcoming release, The Bottom Line. While you’re there don’t forget to check out the special Christmas scavenger hunts to win either a Kindle reader or a Sony reader.

It’s my birthday today–well, in New Zealand. It will be my birthday tomorrow in the Northern hemisphere – December 8. Definitely an auspicious day!

I received a wonderful review for House of the Cat from JERR (Just Erotic Romance Reviews)

Karen said, “House of the Cat is a great adventure saga and love story, fresh with new beings, new worlds, and definitely new animals. Ry did as much to help Camryn as she did for him. She also became the sole focus of his uncontrollable, constant, blinding need for sex that plagued him in spite of medication to stop the desire. The interaction between the crew members, all different species, and their reactions to Ry and Camryn’s very heated and constantly everywhere sexual relationship kept me entertained as much as the mystery and adventure. Lots of surprises to keep those pages flipping as quickly as the reader can scan them. House of the Cat is thoroughly entertaining as well as very physically stimulating. Of course, it does have Shelley Munro’s name on it, which usually means you can count on a great reading experience. House of the Cat is certainly no exception!”

I’m taking part in one of the four Scavenger hunts sponsored by Samhain Publishing authors. Win a Kindle or a Sony ereader plus lots of books. To learn details of how to win an ereader visit the Samhellion.

During the month of December there will also be free short stories for readers to download at the Samhellion. I have a short story called Turning Point that will be available for download on 17 December. Turning Point is a sort of a prequel to my upcoming Samhain Publishing release called The Bottom Line.

I’m not sure what I’m going to do on my birthday. I know I have edits I need to do, but I’m thinking I’ll have some down time as well.

How do you like to spend your birthday?