Withdrawls

Right about now I'm going through withdrawals... of the Internet kind. At most, we've hit Texas... At the least we're somewhere between New Mexico and Texas. We'll see a whole lotta what I have above.

Move 'em up... Head 'em out!

Finally! We're packin' up the Big Rolling Turd and headed to God only knows where. Really, we have only a sketchy plan and a certain amount of days to be gone. We're gonna' follow old Route 66 for a while and hit the wastelands of America's mid-states. Or as I frequently call them: Prime Witness Relocation Places.

I'm gonna post a few pre-thought out posts and a few reminders along the way.

Wish me luck...

Oh, BTW my friend Dayana Knight is up for LASR's book of the week. http://www.longands hortreviews. com/LASR/ recentrev. htm

Stop on over and vote for Bestial Cravings.

Some days you just want to pull your hair out!

Don't you just love that title? Lately, this is how I feel! Why you ask? Let me tell ya.
Here it is summer... time for leisurely days by the pool, vacations with the family, camping etc. until the kids go back to school in the fall. Right? NO!

First of all... and I realize I'm complaining about something I have absolutely no control over... For So. California, our weather has sucked! Big time! We put in a lovely pool 3 years ago and every season I can't wait to jump in. But with our cold days and even colder nights the pool is so flippin' freezing the dog won't even jump in.
ERRRR... angry Catherine!

Second... What the hell is up with this flu? Both my kids are hackin' and feeling lousy. I'm convinced it's the swine flu but the local doctors won't even test for it because they haven't been "exposed" directly. Never mind there were cases of it in their schools before they let out! I'm a nurse, and I know that it will run it's course and all will be fine... but come on! It's summer, or at least that's what the calender says. Cranky kids stuck inside all flippin' day is making mommy nuts!

Third... We planned on taking a vacation... you know, jump in the "Big Rolling Turd" AKA RV - and hitting the road. As of right now there's no way in H.E. double L we're gonna do that while the germs keep spewing. And our window of opportunity is narrowing fast. Mid July holds to many work obligations for my DH so its in the next 2 weeks or never!

Fourth... Yes, there is a fourth... My mother-in-law is in the hospital and most likely won't come home. Now please don't get me wrong... I'm not an insensitive Bi*%#! But I am a nurse with over 15 years of experience. She's 90 in poor health with a "very estranged" relationship with my hubby... As a nurse I know she could turn around and be back in her home with the 24 hour care she needs... or she could be in the hospital for months. Bottom line, she doesn't really realize when we are there or not... So am I a horrible person to want to take my kids and go on a much needed vacation. They are 10 and 13... these summers are precious and few. Maybe I am a selfish "B". Maybe all my years of watching people die has jaded me beyond repair. I simply know that nothing I do is gonna change the outcome if my in-law's time is up.

So today... and almost everyday this week, I've wanted to pull my hair out!
ERRRR!!!!

Shameless self promotion

Yep, I'm shamelessly self promoting. My trailer for Kilt Worthy is up for an award at You Gotta Read. So please step over and take a look and cast your vote.

http://yougottareadvideos.blogspot.com/

Thanks a million!

Release date!

Yeah!!! I have a release date for

Soul Mate.

~~~AUGUST 20th~~~

And the winner is...

Thanks to everyone who stopped by to support Shelley Munro and her latest and greatest release, Make That Man Mine. As promised she is giving away one free download of her book to one luck winner.

After putting all your names into a very nice Longaberger basket, I went down stairs to where my ten year old was playing the Wii and asked him to pick a name. He rolled his cute little eyes at me, quickly drew one name and then promptly shooed me out of the room so he could continue his game.

The name he picked was... drum roll please....

~~~~RACHEL~~~~

Rachel, let me know which e-mail addy to send to Shelley so you can claim your prize.

Congrats and thanks again everyone for stoppin' by.

Guest Interview with Shelley Munro

Today I have a special guest, Shelley Munro. Author or so many books in my own personal library that I just had to have her over to celebrate her newest release.

Thanks for stopping by today, Shelley. Oh, and for all who comment, Shelley will be giving away a free copy of her release. So tell your friends and yack, yack, yack...

Tell us about your new book out now:

Thanks for inviting me to visit today, Catherine. Make That Man Mine is my new release, and it’s out at Ellora’s Cave on 15 June. Funnily enough it’s a story featuring one of my favorite type of heroes—a shifter. Jack Sullivan is a taniwha. Most of you probably haven’t heard of a taniwha before, but it’s a creature from Maori mythology, a kind of a serpent/dragon. In some tales, a taniwha is a terrible wife-stealing creature who eats people and breaks canoes. In other tales, a taniwha is a benevolent creature who brings good luck to a tribe. Legend says that a taniwha lives at every bend in a river. They also live in lakes and by the seaside.

My taniwha Jack Sullivan works for George Taniwha & Sons, a private investigator. Secretary Emma Montrose has lusted after Jack from afar for a long time, and she’s finally decided it’s time to make him aware of her interest. Jack is one alpha man who is about to meet his match!

Here’s the blurb:

On her 25th birthday Emma Montrose decides it’s time to show bad boy investigator, Jack Sullivan she’s more than an efficient secretary. She’s a woman with needs, and she wants him.
Jack is a taniwha, a shifter, who requires women to satiate the sexual demands of the serpent within. Nothing more. Then work forces the reluctant Jack and ecstatic Emma undercover as a couple. Thrown together, pretence and reality blur generating hot sex laced with risk…

And here’s a short except from the start of the book where his boss informs Jack he’s going to have a new partner for his upcoming case.

“Okay,” he conceded. “I guess a partner might help. Who’s available? Hone? Billy?”
George made a choking sound, merriment dancing across his lined face as he stuck his feet up on his desk.

“What’s so goddamn amusing?” Jack ground out. Another chortle exploded from George.

Jack bounded upright and paced the length of the room, trying to work off the agitation that thrummed through his body. He paused to stare out the window, his mind taking in the yachts that zigzagged across blue waters of Auckland Harbor. Jack turned away from the window and stalked across the room to drop into the chair opposite George. He kept his expression neutral despite the amusement that still simmered across his boss’s face. “You’d better let me in on the joke.”

“You can partner up with Hone or Billy, if you want,” George said. “But you might want to consider the special circumstances.”
“What circumstances?” Jack bit out. Man, he had a hot date with Melissa tonight. Good, hot, sweaty, no-strings sex. He didn’t have time for this crap. “Either Hone or Billy. I’m not fussy.”

“Reuben J. Mahoney runs a couples-only resort. I’m assigning you a female partner.”

“A female— No.”

“I guess you can take Hone. Or Billy,” George mused. “Of course, you’d have to share a room. And a bed.” He shook his grizzled head. “Two taniwha in the same room. Add in a blue moon and things might get a mite ugly.”

Fuck. Jack sent a hard glare at his boss. Trapped as neat as an eel in a net. Jack shuffled through the range of possibilities and came up blank. “Who is she?” he gritted out.

“A new operative.”

Great. Just bloody great. Not only was he being forced to take a female partner, he was getting a raw beginner. Jack didn’t trust himself to speak so he firmed his mouth, folded his arms across his chest and scowled his displeasure.

“I’m teaming you with Emma Montrose.”

“Your secretary?” Jack heard disbelief in his voice but thought he managed to keep his panic to himself. What the hell did a secretary know about investigating a case? What about the danger? To both of them. They would have to share a room for God’s sake. Jack refused to let his mind dwell on Emma’s sexy legs…or the rest of her body.

“Emma’s capable of assisting you on this case.”

“Assign me another case.” Spending time alone with Emma was enough to give a man ideas. Jack wasn’t interested in anything but sex. No relationships for him. Been there. Done that. Chucked away the T-shirt.

How do you respond when someone says.... "Oh, you write THAT kind of book?"

Um…I usually think up a great response about four hours later! Actually I’m fairly open about the type of book I write. I don’t fit the profile of a person who writes THAT kind of book, not the one that most people have in their heads at any rate, and they usually stare at me in stunned shock when I tell them I write erotic romance.

I did hear about one woman who went around telling everyone that I wrote porn. One of my writer friends knew her and told the woman that she also wrote romance. The woman then insulted my friend and sneered about Mills & Boon stories. Sometimes you just can’t win and it’s best to just laugh off the comments. I mean I make money writing THAT kind of book. I’m happy, and that’s all that counts.

What are your goals as a writer?

I want to keep learning and trying new things, challenging myself to improve my writing. I want to keep enjoying the process and definitely don’t want to get to the stage of burnout where the writing is forced and becomes a chore. Like most writers, I’d like to sell more books and gain a larger audience, but my main goal is to continue enjoying what I do without the stress of too many deadlines.

How many books do you read a month?

It depends on my writing schedule. If I’m busy with writing, my reading suffers, although I always read before I go to sleep at night. That said I usually read ten – twenty books a month. I read a lot because I think it’s one of the best ways of research for a writer and also for keeping up with the market.

Do you have anything new in the works?

Always! I have more books in my Middlemarch Mates series underway. Ambar’s story (a new character introduced in CatNap) and the twins’ story, which readers have been demanding for ages. I also have a paranormal/sci-fi book I’ve just subbed to my editor, a historical underway and the glimmer of a contemporary series in my head, ready to pour out. I always have more ideas than time. A good way to be, I think!

Where can we find you?

I have a website with details of my available titles, upcoming ones plus excerpts, story background info and also some free reads. http://www.shelleymunro.com/ You can also find my blog there. I blog most days about totally random things—some pertaining to writing and others not—and you’re very welcome to come over and chat. http://www.shelleymunro.com/blog
I can also be found over at the Coffee Time forum http://www.coffeetimeromance.com/board/forumdisplay.php?f=508 and at MySpace. http://www.myspace.com/shelleymunro

Where can we find your books?

I write for Ellora’s Cave and for Samhain Publishing. Several of my books are available in print and are available from the usual online sources such as Amazon.
http://www.jasminejade.com/m-127-shelley-munro.aspx
http://samhainpublishing.com/authors/shelley-munro

If you have any questions about writing or my books, please feel free to ask. I’d also like to give away a download of Make That Man Mine to one commenter. I’ll get Catherine to choose the winner for me tomorrow. Thanks for visiting!

Shelley
http://www.shelleymunro.com/

Thanks for coming, Shelley. I can't wait to sink my teeth, or eyes, into this one.

Come Back Tomorrow

EXTRA! EXTRA!

Special guest

Shelley Munro is in the hot seat tomorrow.

Come back tomorrow and chat about her newest release.

She's giving away a lucky winner a copy of her newest erotic romance.

Whoo Hoo... Lookie what I have

Ohhh isn't it pretty? And just a tad yummy? I'll let you know of my release date as soon as I have it. I'm told late summer - early fall. Whoo hoo.

Blurb:

Kari Pearce lives the life of a lone werewolf. No one knows of her affliction, not even her sister. When she hears of a missing child up in the Sequoias, Kari goes on the hunt to find the child and her abductor before tragedy can occur. Saving the child is easy, avoiding the FBI agent associated with the case, is not.

Agent Nick Murdock knows he's seen Kari before but damn if he can remember where. There's one thing he knows for sure. Kari Pearce with her blonde hair and piercing blue eyes is hiding something. And Nick is going to find out what.

Excerpt:

“I know how this sounds,” he paused, took a breath, “but do I know you?”
She shifted and swallowed her mouthful of food while her eyes raked his form. Tilting her head back, she replied, “No, I don’t think so.”
“Are you sure? I never forget a face.”
“Now that sounds like a line.”
He put out his hand. “Nick Murdock.”
After wiping a hand on her napkin, she reached over. “Kari.”
Small, soft, and confident, again, not the combination he expected. By his estimates, she couldn’t be more than one hundred and twenty pounds yet she shook hands like a politician. She let go all too quickly, but not before he felt her pulse quicken. “Just Kari?”
“A girl can never be too careful, even to seemingly innocent men who wear FBI jackets in a Podunk diner.” Raising her fork she pointed to the paper with the dark headline, “You must be here because of that missing girl.”
Small, soft, confident, and he needed to add smart. Nick was impressed. “Found girl,” he corrected.
“Oh, I didn’t hear she’d been found. She’s all right I hope.”
“Safe with her parents as we speak.”
Kari nodded and finished the last of her pancakes, which meant she’d be leaving soon. He hadn’t placed her yet and didn’t want her to leave. “So, you must be here on vacation.”
She put down her fork and stared across the counter at the wall. “Maybe I live here.”
Nick shook his head. “You called this a Podunk diner. Your shoes are meant for walking on Rodeo Drive and not the trails of the forest.” He leaned forward and sniffed. “And you smell like expensive perfume, not bug spray. No, Kari, I don’t think you live here.” Odd though, she wasn’t wearing a ring and didn’t have any trailing boyfriend or children at her side. Vacationing alone in the Sequoias struck him as odd.
“This is a nice place to visit,” she clipped out as she reached inside her purse. Removing a ten-dollar bill and placing it by her plate, she stood up. “It was nice talking to you, Mr. Murdock. I’m glad the girl came back to you safe and sound.”
“Leaving already?”
Her smile was lethal, her laugh seductive. “I need to get back to Rodeo; Gucci is calling out to me.”
His chest rumbled in laughter.
As she walked away, his eyes followed the gentle sway of her hips. Damn, she was something to watch.
Once out of sight, he turned in his seat and brought the coffee cup to his lips. As he swallowed, his eyes landed on the car keys sitting next to Kari’s empty plate.
With a wicked smile, he covered them with his hand and headed toward the door.
Outside he watched her fumbling through her purse while standing in front of a four-wheel drive rental car. A strand of blonde hair slid over her face; she tossed it back in frustration and mumbled a curse.
“Looking for these?” He held up the keys and shook them with a jingle.
Her head shot up, eyes narrowed.
“You left them on the counter,” he found himself explaining.
Taking a step in his direction, she reached out to capture them from his fingers. Nick playfully pulled them out of reach. She cocked her head to the side and dropped her hand.
“Have dinner with me,” he spoke before she could say anything.
“What?” She looked at him as if he was crazy.
“You know, dinner. Kind of like breakfast, only later and with wine.”
“Are you always so forward, Mr. Murdock?”
“Nick.”
“Are you always so forward, Nick?” she emphasized his name to express her annoyance.
“I believe in being direct.”
She took another step in his direction and smoothed her hair back. Her tongue shot out and moistened her lips. The action shot heat to his groin. “I’m glad to hear that, Nick. I believe in being direct, too.” Stepping closer, she brought one hand up between them, tilted her head back to gaze into his eyes. Low lashes fluttered in a way that proved she knew her affect on him.
A small shock registered when she trailed a finger down his arm. “I think you are very attractive.”
“That’s a start.” His voice grew husky. “But...”
“But,” she sighed and walked her fingers down his arm. “I don’t like being held hostage for a date.” With that, she grabbed her keys from his hand and turned to walk away.

Happy Day!

I have another contract!!!!!!!

Callie sent words last night that my story Only For You is going to contract.

Only For You is a spin off my Got Wolf? entry from last year.

Before the Moon Rises is already in edits with The Wild Rose Press.

What's the story about?

Oh, I'm so glad you asked! LOL

Love. Family. Werewolves.

I think that's good for now.

Tease, tease, tease.

Check it out!

I'm such a GEEK! Okay, you don't have to agree to that so quickly next time. grin...

Take a look at You Gotta Read Videos. Kilt Worthy's trailer is up today. So swing by and comment... please and when the time comes vote, vote, vote!

http://yougottareadvideos.blogspot.com/2009/06/entry-5-kilt-worthy.html

10 Things to do while waiting for your editor.