A couple of months ago we purchased a new printer. It’s one of these new-fangled ones that does everything…if you can work out the instruction book that is! Fast forward to last weekend, and hubby decided to try out the scan function. He ended up scanning quite a few photos from an overland trip we did from London to Kathmandu.
This was the first big trip we did, and despite me catching malaria, we fell in love with many of the places we visited. I used this trip as the inspiration for one of my books, Wanderlust.
Instead of just posting a selection of the photos today, I thought I’d give you small snippets from my book, Wanderlust and some matching photos. BTW – Wanderlust is part of the Value in the Vaults program at Ellora’s Cave. You’ll pick it up at the bargain price of $0.99 there or $1.49 at Amazon Kindle.
I thought back to that day in Aleppo, Syria. My eyes narrowed while I remembered. The entire group had wandered through the crowded marketplace. Donkeys laden with huge loads of vegetables or bolts of cloth plodded down the narrow streets. Both locals and tourists jostled for space, the local people trying to carry out their business while tourists dallied, gawking at everything. It was noisy. Dusty.
The scent of petrol and oil was heavy on the air. We walked on, pushing our way through with all the panache of the locals. We learned quickly and we’d already visited the bazaars in Turkey. They were no place for correct and proper British manners and queues. The bazaars and marketplaces were every man or woman for himself. You pushed without being too pushy or else the locals walked all over you. And bargaining. We’d all learned to do that as well.
Without another word, we ambled down the dusty street, heading for Pushkar Lake. Other tourists wandered the streets, checking out shops and restaurants. Some wore red string bracelets on their wrists, reminding me we’d need to do the same—donate some money and receive a bracelet passport in return. Giving in and donating money stopped further harassment. Some of the priests were very persistent.
Top left: At a Pushkar cafe
Top right: The annual Pushkar camel fair
Bottom left: The crowded streets.
Bottom right: The beautiful lake
The sun lay low on the horizon when we drove in the old city of Jaisalmer, painting all the ochre-colored buildings a soft pink. I slowed the truck and waited for a cow to amble across the road in front of us.
A chill breeze blew over the flat rooftop but the knee-high wall plus the air-conditioning unit protected me from the worst. The sky glittered with a canopy of stars. I stared up at them, idly picking out fantastical shapes until my eyelids grew too weighty to hold open. A dog barked, the mournful howl picked up and repeated by another animal. Gooseflesh rippled over my arms. Talk about creepy. I heard others come up to the roof and settle down for the night, their chatter a low, background noise.
The mosquitoes came out about ten minutes later, the whine irritating and loud. Very loud. They flew in kamikaze circles around my head. I slapped my hand around my head a few times and snatched at the source of the sound. Missed. Muttering, I sat up and pulled out my mosquito net. I hadn’t put it up because there was nothing to hang it on. But desperation called for ingenuity. I covered my head and upper body with the netting, tucking it under my sleeping bag. It didn’t halt their whine but at least it stopped them landing and taking a bite.
“Don’t forget your water bottles and hats,” I said. There was always one who forgot if I didn’t remind them.
One of the camels grunted and made a loud whistling sound.
“Oh god. I think that camel farted,” Rosa said, waving her hand in front of her face.
“That will be your camel,” I said, attempting to keep a straight face.
Everyone laughed except Rosa, who pulled a face. “I expect farting is the least of our problems,” she said. “I hope I can walk by the end of the day.”
Shelley’s notes: I have very vivid memories of the mosquitoes and the dogs in Jaisalmer. Between the barking and the buzzing around my head, I didn’t sleep a wink. I actually caught cerebral malaria on this trip and spent time in a New Delhi hospital. It’s part of the reason I look so skinny in the photos.
We enjoyed our camel ride very much but most of us walked like ducks the next day! Talk about sore muscles.
I love going on holiday, but one of the things I always miss while I’m away is my own bed. There is nothing worse than an uncomfortable bed.
During my travels, I’ve slept in some interesting places:
1. Koa Cabins where the beds had rock-hard bases and no pillows. I didn’t sleep well until we went to K-Mart and purchased a small pillow each. Note – I do love Koa cabins though, despite their rock-hard beds!
2. In Egypt, one of the places we stayed had mouse dirt on the pillows. We changed rooms and the second room had the same problem. In the end, we gave up and made the best of it. I slept with one eye open all night, on the look out for rodents.
3. In Africa – we pitched our tents after dark, and they were on a slight hill. We slept on thin sleep mats and mine was on top of a rock. I ended up sliding down the hill, just trying to avoid that rock! Actually, this has happened in lots of places. Murphy’s Law applies here – if there’s a rock you will pitch your tent on it.
4. In Pakistan – the “hotel” where we stayed was owned by a very strange man with only one eye. At one stage, he was brandishing a gun after drinking a little too much alcohol. Several of us shared a room that night and we barricaded the door. We were pleased to leave the next morning!
5. In India – all the hotels were booked out because of a festival. Several of us had to sleep on the hotel roof with our sleep mats and sleeping bags. The mosquitoes had a real party that night and the dogs started barking in the small hours of the morning. They serenaded us for HOURS! The roof was very hard and uncomfortable. You might recognize this since my characters in Wanderlust experienced the same thing.
6. In Africa, we had to pitch our tents on the road because both sides of the road were thick jungle. It was wet and rainy, hot and humid and uncomfortable. We also had to get up really early before the trucks started coming through.
The ideal situation: We have a slat bed (I think you call them sleigh beds in the US). I like at least two pillows so I can prop myself up and read, but always sleep with one fairly flat pillow. I like crisp cotton sheets, hate flannelette sheets and electric blankets and king-size beds are good. My hubby is like a furnace, which is good in the middle of winter when I have cold feet, but not so much fun when it’s summer and really hot!
What is your preference when it comes to beds, linens, mattresses and pillows?
I’m visiting Nikki Duncan’s blog today where I’m talking about traveling and books. There’s a download of Wanderlust up for grabs. Comment on my post and you’re in the draw.
I’m also doing a guest spot at The Romance Studio Blue about a particular weakness of mine–my total lack of a sense of direction. Just ask my husband.
The other day when hubby and I visited his mother we ended up talking about gyms. Hubby and I said we were going to the gym.
My MIL immediately said, “You must go together. My neighbor went to the gym to get fit and lose weight. She met someone and now her marriage has broken up. You MUST go to the gym together.”
After a startled silence hubby and I both grinned at each other and burst out laughing. The gym we were talking about is in our spare bedroom. Heck, I could go naked to our gym and no one would notice! And about the comment – I’m still deciding whether to be insulted or not.
My MIL’s comment made me think about where people met their partners.
Emily Scarlet met Saber Mitchell at the Middlemarch Single’s Ball – Scarlet Woman.
Anna Tietjens met Sebastian Brady at the airport when their plane was delayed – Wanderlust.
Hayley Williams met Sam Norville at her girlfriend’s work function – Tea For Two
Joanna McGregor met Louie Lithgow during a holiday in Fiji – Soldier of Fortune.
Rafi Mura met Roberto Azam when they were kids in Melbourne, attending the same school – Fallen Idol.
I met my husband in a bank. I was a bank teller, and he was a customer. I’m not sure where I’d look for a partner if I was in need of one. Maybe the gym!
Where did you meet your partner? If you were looking for a partner, where would you search first?
In Soldier of Fortune tour news, I’m doing a guest spot at Love Romance Passion today and talking about contemporary romance. I’m also doing a giveaway.
Tracy at Bootstrap Marketing has been very busy organizing book tours for me. I’m trying something new with my promo and taking some of my backlist books on tour.
See my sidebar for full details of the upcoming tours for Tea For Two and Fancy Free.
I’ve picked my book Wanderlust for the holiday theme today, which is the story of an overland tour through India. A simple tour turns into into more complications than Anna Tietjens, the tour leader is prepared for: her troublesome sister is on the tour, her casual lover turns up and wants a more serious relationship and then there’s the fact that her passengers are dying—one-by-one.
Wanderlust by Shelley Munro
“I can’t wait to see the Taj Mahal up close,” Kathy said sighing dreamily. “It’s such a romantic story.”
I had to agree. I’d visited the monument built by Emperor Shah Jahan for his wife three times so far, but the sight of the white marbled minarets never failed to stir me.
I organized tuk-tuks and soon afterward we were at the entrance. Once I’d purchased the tickets, I handed them out. “Make your own way back to camp. You’re on your own for dinner. We’ll drive to see the Agra Fort tomorrow morning, leaving at nine. I will not chase after you. Anyone not ready to leave at nine, I will go without. Is that clear?” I asked, my gaze settling on my sister. She tossed her head, lifting her pert nose into the air, her mouth tightening. I sighed. It was going to be a long trip.
The passengers entered the grounds and disappeared apart from Sebastian. A camera hung around his neck and dark sunglasses covered his eyes.
“Aren’t you going inside?”
“I’m waiting for you.” Before I could reply, he took my hand and led me in. I didn’t look at him but was very aware of his touch, his scent and most of all his statement of intent. Sebastian wasn’t going to give up.
Just inside the entrance, we paused to study the monument. The sunlight caught the far minarets making them gleam like a lustrous pearl. The fountains were silent, allowing perfect reflections in the ponds. Around us people called to each other and laughed, but it felt as if we were in our own private bubble. I heard the buzz of a bee, felt the gentle kiss of the breeze and smelled Sebastian’s scent along with a touch of incense. His hand squeezed mine and I turned to him, my breath hitching when I caught his gaze. It felt like a punch to the solar plexus. I was in big trouble. I knew instinctively he wasn’t going to leave me alone. He’d made that fairly clear. I wasn’t exactly doing a great job of pushing him away. For every step forward, I seemed to take three or four steps backward. If he’d been openly forceful or bossy, I might have had a chance, but he was wooing me, dammit. And doing an excellent job. My body hummed with desire, thoughts of him intruding at inappropriate times and I craved his touch, his kisses. Maybe we could just spend the time together and walk away afterward? Somehow I didn’t think that would work. I shook off the thought and walked toward the monument. Sebastian fell into step, still holding my hand. We passed my sister and some of the other passengers. Elizabeth stared, her eyes slitting in a manner that made me nervous.
“We shouldn’t be together like this in public.” I attempted to regain possession of my hand, but Sebastian held tightly, refusing to let me go.
He yanked me to an abrupt stop. “Are you ashamed of me?”
“No!” My reply was instant and pulled a grin from him.
“Glad to hear it. I haven’t told anyone about my job. You’re the only one who knows because I trust you. Some of the things I’ve done, the people I deal with aren’t nice. Meeting you at the airport and then spending time together felt like a safety valve. You ground me, Anna. I needed a holiday and I wanted to see you so I came.”
“I don’t know anything about you,” I said, trying not to think about the things he did in the course of his job. “We never talked. It was all about sex.”
“You didn’t seem to mind.” His gaze sharpened, his laughter dropping away. A frisson of danger slipped between us. It made me realize he was dangerous. Maybe unpredictable. My gaze dropped to our linked hands. Those hands had killed, and I wasn’t sure how I felt about that.
“This is different,” I said. “We’re going to spend weeks together rather than one night or a weekend. We can’t spend all our time in bed.” Heck, what if that was the only place that our relationship worked? I squeezed my eyes closed, hardly believing my thoughts. A relationship? Oh boy. I was in big trouble here.
By common consent we continued walking through the gardens and past the ponds. “You haven’t had a holiday before.”
“I wanted to see you, Anna. We haven’t seen each other since the night in Paris six months ago. I take breaks between assignments.”
Confusion hit me and it felt as if I’d thumped into a brick wall. I swallowed the lump in my throat. He had breaks—holidays—but this was the first time he’d sought me out. “Where do you go?”
“Mostly home to England. I help out on my brother’s farm or spend time with friends in Scotland or Wales. Sometimes I spend time at my apartment on the Gold Coast in Australia.”
All news to me. I didn’t even know he had family in England. I wasn’t sure why I was surprised since he was English.
“As I said, I want to spend time with you. Can we do that?”
I nibbled on my bottom lip, trying to decide on the best course of action. Was he asking for too much? Not really, I decided. Of course, work needed to come first. I prided myself on my professionalism. “I guess,” I answered finally.
Sebastian squeezed my hand. He wanted to kiss me, I could tell, but he refrained, tugging me into a quick hug instead. “Let’s go check out this monument. I want to take some photos.”
We stepped into the cool interior of the main Taj structure. It stood on a raised platform and was made of translucent white marble, carved with flowers and inlaid with thousands of semiprecious stones. Sebastian took several photos, some of the inlaid work and some of me. We wandered the gardens, pausing to take photos from different angles and soaking in the pure romance of the place. Sharing the experience with Sebastian made it all new, and I enjoyed playing tourist with him at my side. It struck me then that we were making memories together, we’d have something to discuss when we met in the future. Anxiety slithered through me for an instant before I shoved it away. I’d take this thing between us, whatever it was, one day at a time. If I looked at it in small increments, maybe I’d manage to keep the terror at bay.
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.
I’m visiting 
In Soldier of Fortune tour news, I’m doing a guest spot at 
