Please welcome Shelley Munro

Shelley, Thanks for agreeing to be a guest on my blog.

Thanks for inviting me. It’s good to get out because the writing cave gets a bit cold and lonely at times.

Can you tell everyone a little bit about yourself?

My name is Shelley Munro, and I write mainly erotic romance for Ellora’s Cave and Samhain Publishing. I live in New Zealand with my husband and a bossy little dog who has trained me to produce food for her at regular intervals. I enjoy cycling, walking, rugby, travel and exploring new countries and of course, reading.

How long have you been writing?

I’ve been writing seriously since 1998. I’d always wanted to write, but it wasn’t until I woke up one morning and decided if I didn’t begin writing soon, I’d never start or worse would run out of time, that I jumped into action. That week I enrolled in a romance writing course and joined Romance Writers of New Zealand and started my writing journey. I haven’t looked back.

What is your writing process like?

I’m not a writer who plots, that’s for sure. I tend to get a germ of an idea. It might be a character name, a title or a partial scene. I usually think about the idea for a while. It could be days or it might be weeks or months until I come up with strong conflict for my characters. Once my conflict is solid I start writing and go on a journey with the characters, never knowing for sure what will happen next. When I’m not writing I’m usually thinking about what will happen next so I don’t usually run into roadblocks. I write most days and feel really lost when I don’t have a project under way.

Can you tell us about your latest release Leticia’s Lovers?

Leticia’s Lovers is book seven in my Middlemarch Mates series about a community of feline shifters. Leticia’s Lovers follows Leticia Huntingdon who I introduced in Stray Cat Strut. She’s a lion shifter and she and her brother were forced from their South African tribe after Leticia was attacked and infected with FIV, the feline version of aids. The local Middlemarch vet/feline doctor has treated Leticia and she’s been in remission. At the start of the book, she finds the disease has returned and she knows she was right to push Gavin Finlay away because she’s going to die.

Meantime Gavin is trying to hold his life together. He loves Leticia but she’s made it clear she’s not interested in him. He meets Charlie McKenzie, the new Middlemarch cop. The attraction between the two of them is instantaneous and they spend the night together. The next morning Leticia comes to see Gavin to discuss the return of the FIV and finds Gavin and Charlie together. She’s distraught and realizes she loves Gavin and now she’s lost him.

I don’t want to give away too much, but this is a threesome story and there is a happy ending. I cried while I was writing a couple of the scenes in this book so be prepared for an emotional journey in between page one and the end.

Do you have any other books coming out this year?

At present I have Tea For Two coming out in print in August from Samhain Publishing. I’ve also recently signed contracts with Ellora’s Cave for two new stories. I don’t have release dates for these yet, but they’re both reissues of older stories.

What are you currently working on?

I’m working on a new Middlemarch Mates story. I have three Middlemarch stories I’d like to write this year and I also have a new series in mind – also a feline shifter series but a bit darker.

Where do you get your ideas for your books?

Everywhere! On TV, from songs, magazines and newspapers. Ideas are one thing that’s never in short supply.

As an author, you must be an avid reader. What books do you enjoy reading? Who are your auto-buy authors?

I’ve always loved reading and I have lots of favorite authors. If pressed I’d have to say Lora Leigh, Erin McCarthy, Robyn Carr and Kristen Higgins are my particular favorites at the moment. In the ebook world I enjoy Lorelei James, Samantha Kane, Ally Blue, Jory Strong and Josh Lanyon.

What books are on your keeper shelf?

I have a lot of books on my keeper shelf. Christine Feehan, Robyn Carr, JD Robb and Amanda Quick are four I can think of offhand but there are heaps of others as well. My keeper shelf tends to be electronic these days because I buy more ebooks than paperbacks.  

Do you read books other than romance books?

Sometimes I swap genres and will read a thriller or mystery. I like cozy mysteries as well, although I prefer a romantic thread in anything I read.

What was the first romance book you read?

You know I can’t remember. I know I was spending time at the beach and I’d run out of books. I was about twelve or thirteen and in desperation, my mother gave me some Mills & Boon romances to read, more to keep her sanity than anything. They were pretty tame in those days. Times have changed!!

If one of your books was made into a movie, which book would you like it to be and which actors would like to see as the lead characters?

This is something I’ve never considered. Hmm, it would have to be my Middlemarch series so that means Scarlet Woman first. The male actors need to be tall and dark, preferably with green eyes. LOL Maybe I’ll go for unknowns and make them famous. Kate Winslet might make a good Emily.

If you could switch lives with one of your characters who would it be & why?

I have a real soft spot for Emily Mitchell. She makes an appearance in Scarlet Woman, book one of the Middlemarch Mates series and usually pops in to say hello in any Middlemarch book I write. She was the first woman to tame a Middlemarch man and she’s made them into a real family. Emily is all about family.

Do you have a day job?

These days I write full time but I used to work in the accountancy field. My last job before I started to write full time was as administration for the local McDonald’s franchisee.

Are any of your characters based on real people?

I think most writers are keen people-watchers. I sure am. Whenever I go out I watch people and catalogue their body language and the way they speak or move. I never base my characters on actual people I know but they might have bits and pieces of people I’ve observed over the years.

When you are not writing or reading, what do you enjoying doing in your spare time?

A few years ago my husband suggested we buy a bicycle each because there are loads of walking/cycle paths around where we live. Quite frankly I thought he was mad but I allowed him to convince me to get a bicycle. I was surprised to find how much I enjoy cycling and I go out most days. I also enjoy walking and my husband and I love to travel. We’ve explored quite a few parts of the world, and you can see photos of some of the places I’ve visited on my website.

If you could ask readers anyone question, what would it be?

I’m always interested in trends. Are there genres you enjoy reading that you’re not able to find readily? Are there genres you think I should be writing? Are there some genres that you’d like to see vanish from the shelves?

 

To find out more about Shelley, please visit her website: http://www.shelleymunro.com/

***Leave a comment for a chance to win a download e-book from Shelley Winner’s choice – of her Middlemarch Mates***