I’m taking part in Rainbow Reviews Scavenger Hunt. If you’re a fan of gay romances and enjoy exploring the internet for new books and authors then this is the contest for you. The winners will be announced on 30th June so get hunting now!
I’ve received a really great review from Fallen Angel Reviews for Wanderlust. Cheryl, the reviewer said, “What a splendid read Wanderlust was. If you are looking for adventure, romance, suspense and plain old fun than Shelley Munro’s latest Wanderlust is the book for you.” Five Angels. Here’s the link to the full review.
And finally, I have a new release out tomorrow! Actually, you’re going to see quite a few releases from me in the coming months since I’ve been very busy. I just love it in that writing cave.
Lovers at Last features pearls and is a friend to lovers story. It’s set in Auckland, New Zealand. I’ll post the blurb tomorrow but thought I would leave you with a snippet about pearls.
Did you know that Cleopatra and her lover Marc Antony wagered about whether she could give the most expensive banquet in history? He accepted her bet and during the dinner, Cleopatra took off one of her pearl earrings, which was extremely large and valuable, crushed it, dissolved it in vinegar and drank it. Marc Antony acknowledged her win.
A lady with attitude. I don’t know if I could drink my wealth so casually. What do you think?
I have a new interview up at The Romance Studio this month featuring my latest release Wanderlust.
What’s next for me? My next release is called Lovers at Last, and it’s a friends to lovers story, which is one of my favorite plots. Read an excerpt here. Lovers at Last is out on 4 June from Ellora’s Cave.
June 10 is also the release date for Midnight Treat anthology, featuring my story Curse of Brandon Lupinus. It’s already available for pre-order from Amazon and other online bookstores, including Fishpond (for NZ and Australian readers).
I’ll leave you with a video of The Feelers and their song Stand Up. The Feelers are a New Zealand band and their song is currently playing on my ipod. The video was shot in Downtown Auckland.
James Belshaw, 26, and his girlfriend Sophia Severin, 23, from London, shared an unbroken kiss for 31 hours, 30 minutes and 30 seconds. They began kissing in the Plaza Shopping Centre in Oxford Street at 11:15 BST on Wednesday. The pair broke the previous record, which was set in the US four years ago, by more than half an hour. Throughout the event they were not allowed to sit, or fall asleep, could only take sustenance through a straw and had to stay kissing even while visiting the toilet.
Now that sounds a little extreme. I like kisses. I like reading about them and writing them, although I’m not sure about 31 plus hours of kissing. It makes my lips hurt thinking about it, but I thought we could share a few virtual kisses today.
Writers: post your excerpts up to 500 words maximum showing a kiss from your published book or work-in-progress. If it’s a naughty kiss with lots of explict language please post a WARNING at the top of your comment. Excerpts from m/m books are okay, but once again, post a warning at the top of your excerpt. If your book is published also leave us a buy link so we can explore further.
Readers and Writers: Tell me what you like to see in a kiss. If you have any kiss trivia you’d like to add, tell us about it. I’m giving away several spot prizes of downloads from my New Concepts books. All you need to do is post a comment and you’re in the draw. I’ll announce the winners on Sunday. If you like a kiss excerpt, tell the author. We love praise!
Kiss Quotes
It was brief, swift, and then it was done. It was a professional job. I needed to be kissed, and I was kissed. ~Actress Uma Thurman
This girl said “Yes” when I wasn’t ready. I kissed her lightly and got so dizzy I had to sit down. ~Actor Antonio Banderas
The first kiss I had was the most disgusting thing in my life. The girl injected about a pound of saliva, into my mouth, and when I walked away I had to spit it all out. ~Leonardo DiCaprio
If you kiss on the first date and it’s not right, then there will be no second date. Sometimes it’s better to hold out and not kiss for a long time. I am a strong believer in kissing being very intimate, and the minute you kiss, the floodgates open for everything else.
~Jennifer Lopez
A kiss can be a comma, a question mark or an exclamation point. That’s basic spelling that every woman ought to know. ~Mistinguett (Jeanne Bourgeois), Theatre Arts, December 1955
People who throw kisses are mighty hopelessly lazy. ~Bob Hope
Kissing is like drinking salted water. You drink, and your thirst increases. ~ Chinese Proverb
I’ll leave you with a kiss from my latest release, Wanderlust.
Sebastian moved closer, stopping when we almost touched, his expression cloaked in shadows. “Is that it? Don’t I get a kiss good night?”
“I—” His lips came down on mine, interrupting my train of thought about mixing business and pleasure. He nibbled my bottom lip, nipping and soothing the sexy bite with his tongue. When I gasped, he took advantage, pushing his tongue inside. Our tongues moved together in a sensual dance. Our breath mingled. It was as if we’d never parted. Sebastian drew me closer, fitting our bodies together. My breasts squashed against his muscled chest, increasing the throb of excitement that pounded me. It had been so long. It would be so easy to open the door to my cabin and let him inside. Apart from the fact that Elizabeth would arrive back at some stage and it was against hotel rules.
My mind hazed with pleasure, moisture starting to form between my thighs. Temptation slithered through my veins, and it was with deep regret that I pulled back from the kiss. “Good night, Sebastian.”
He smoothed his palm across my cheek. The tender gesture brought renewed desire and the siren lure of lust and temptation. So enticing just to step into his arms, hold on and never let go.
“Good night, sweetheart. Happy birthday.” He smiled before turning away and walking off into the darkness.
I’m a guest over at Jenyfer Matthew’s blog today. I’m talking about my new release, WANDERLUST and also giving away a download of Playing to Win.
Come over and say hello to go into the draw to win.
When my husband and I traveled through India, we went with a group. Much like the characters in my new release Wanderlust, we traveled in a truck, both camping and staying in hotels during our circuit of India. At the beginning of the trip we decided we’d play a game that’s all about murder. Here’s how it works:
Everyone receives a slip of paper, one of which bears the word “murderer”. Once the murderer is picked he or she quietly tells one member of the group they are murdered and how they must die. That particular person must pretend to die in the chosen manner and then he or she is out of the game. The murderer chooses his next victim and waits for them to die before choosing another. The object of the game is for the person acting as the murderer to kill off everyone before someone in the group discovers his “or” her identity.
One person acts as the judge. All players can take one guess at the murderer’s identity. If they make an incorrect guess, they are out of the game.
Here’s a little real life drama from when we played the murder game during our trip to India. My husband was in charge of lighting campfires each night, and the murderer suggested he died very realistically with fire. He scared me half to death. I was so angry and upset I refused to play the game any longer. I also didn’t talk to my husband for a few hours. Mr. Munro won the prize for the best death, and we still have his small plastic Oscar trophy. It’s bright orange – for those who’d like to picture it.
In Wanderlust, the passengers play the murder game. Anna, the tour leader isn’t very amused with her passengers when they pretend to die. And when her passengers start dying for real, she’s not impressed with the game at all!
I’m guest blogging over at Jenyfer Matthew’s blog today. The excerpt over at Jenyfer’s site shows the first death in the murder game. Everyone who comments on Jenyfer’s blog goes into a draw to win a download of Playing to Win. What are you waiting for - hop over and say hello.
Wanderlust is out today from Cerridwen Press. It’s a contemporary romantic suspense set in India. Since I’ve already covered the travel through India angle of my new release, today I thought I’d talk about murder and intrigue.
Thirteen Things about Murder and Death
1. The first murder in Wanderlust happens before the book starts. It takes place in Aleppo, Syria in a crowded market place. When we visited there were lots of narrow roads, running through a confined space. People shared with donkeys, camels, and noisy motorbikes. With all the pushing and shoving I could imagine a motorbike colliding with a person. The first death appears to be a hit and run. It’s not…
2. The most common cause of death in the USA is heart attack followed by cancer.
3. The current medical-legal definition of death: Death has occurred when all cerebral function has ceased and is irreversible.
4. I’m not afraid to die. I just don’t want to be there when it happens. ~ Woody Allen
5. Because I could not stop for Death, He kindly stopped for me. ~ Emily Dickinson
6. A smell of a patient’s breath or body may help identify toxins or other medical conditions. e.g. Ammonia - Uremia (kidney failure), Violets - turpentine, almonds or bitter - cyanide.
7. The law requires a physician or the coroner or medical examiner to certify the cause of death. When a person is declared dead, the exact time must be recorded for legal purposes. The term “time of death” refers to the legal time of death, and is the moment that a professional person first sees the body and declares it to be dead.
8. If a body is warm, the person has been dead less than three hours; if cool to the touch, between four to six hours; and if cold and clammy, eighteen to twenty-four hours. Loss of warmth varies with environmental temperature, but averages a drop of 1 1/2 degrees per hour.
9. One of the characters in Wanderlust is found in a lake. Suicide by drowning is rather uncommon, and it is very difficult to prove without other circumstances (suicide note). Death in the bathtub is frequently suicide. Often the person is under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of death.
10. Food poisoning is still a common killer around the world, involving everything from botulism, to mushrooms, to puffer fish in Japan. Something to ponder when reading Wanderlust…
11. Falling - there are two ways to fall: a vertical “controlled” fall, with the person landing upright and feet-first; and an “uncontrolled” fall, with some other part of the body hitting first, such as landing on your head, back, stomach, etc. the important thing to remember is that you can “kill” one of your characters by having them fall short distances, or survive falls from great heights if your plot calls for it. Just saying…
12. What are your chances?
Your chances of dying by a terrorist’s hand if you travel overseas 1 in 650,000
Your chances of dying from skiing 1 in 500,000
Your chances of dying from rock climbing 1 in 5,000
Your chances of dying from parachuting 1 in 4,000
On the news yesterday I heard a teenager had recalculated the chances of a huge meteor hitting Earth 1 in 450. I’m sure I heard that right. Evidently it’s more possible than they initially thought.
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An excerpt from Anna Tietjen’s travel journal. Anna is the tour leader of OE68, a Wanderlust Adventures overland trip from London to Kathmandu.
~*~
Felixstow, England.
There are eleven passengers on the tour, and for a change the male/female split is about even. The ages range from 19 - 32 and there’s a mix of Australian, New Zealand and British passengers with one lone American. Like most trips, all the passengers seem pretty subdued at the moment, feeling their way with people who will become close friends or possibliy enemies for the next four months.
After checking off names, Greg and I loaded the luggage in the back locker and the passengers piled on board Alice (our truck). Home for the next few months. It should be a good trip. I’ve driven the route from London to Kathmandu a couple of times before. This is my second trip as leader. Greg, my co-driver is great to work with and thankfully, he doesn’t spend time trying to talk me into sex. Not gonna happen. Ever. It’s a personal rule. I don’t sleep with my co-driver or the passengers, although I might share a room to keep costs down. This is work. My personal life (Sebastian) is separate and that’s the way I like it.
Once we were on board the ferry, we left the truck and headed up to the passenger deck. I had a quick word with the passengers, trying to connect faces with names, and arranged a meeting point for them in the morning. That done, Greg and I went to the bar for a quick drink before finding our cabin. The passengers were on their own…
Wanderlust by Shelley Munro, coming to Cerridwen Press on 17 April 2008. Read an excerpt here.
My upcoming release from Cerridwen Press, Wanderlust is set in India. You might wonder why I mention this since my title is about diaries. For me there’s a definite connection, since the only time I write a diary or journal is while I’m traveling.
I recently hunted out all my travel diaries, especially the ones relating to our overland trip from London to Kathmandu and India. When I flicked through them all the small details came back to me, the good and bad. I was reminded of the wonderful temples and natural scenery, the people and the not so good things such as being hellishly sick while in Turkey and Iran. I started to come right about halfway through Iran, having existed on rice for quite a few days, and still remember the cheese omelette I had that tasted absolutely amazing. I remember the markets, the vivid color and friendly people, even though we spoke different languages. Hmm, I’m suffering from a definite case of itchy feet after reading my diary entries.
I’m home. We had a wonderful long weekend down in Wellington, although the little dog wasn’t well and had to make a trip to the vet. She seems okay this morning, which is good news.
I received another new cover while I was away. This is for my April release, Wanderlust. I really like the cover since the artist has captured the exotic flavor I wanted. There’s an excerpt and blurb up on my website on the coming soon page.
