Good morning. It’s Meet and Greet Monday!

With us today is Romance Author, Shelley Munro.

Welcome, Shelley! 

Describe a typical day in the life of Shelley Munro.
Greetings from New Zealand, and thanks for having me to visit today. When I first started writing full time, I decided to treat writing as a job. My writing day starts by at least nine and I write during the mornings. The afternoon and evening is for editing, promo and for taking care of the business side of writing. I usually fit a bike ride and a walk with the puppy into my day as well to combat the bottom spread that comes from sitting around for too long.

Even though I’m essentially “the boss” I tend to work longer hours than I ever did while working in an office.

Tell us, what’s the first thought that comes to your head when you read the following words…
Romance … Husband
Baseball … American
Vacation … Cruise
Vin Diesel … Movies
Rubix Cube… Vibrant color

What is your favorite word in the English Dictionary?
At the moment it’s cantankerous. I like the way it sounds on the tongue. Shenanigans comes a close second.

What is the most devilish thing you’ve ever done? (ie: maybe a prank pulled on someone)
I’m not big on pranks. It’s not that I don’t have a sense of humor because I do. It’s more that I don’t get a chance since my husband is the prankster in this family. He always seems to be one step ahead of me!

What is your favorite junk food?
For me it’s sushi. It’s my favorite. Not really junk food but we don’t do takeaway or fast food. We like to cook and hubby and I discuss our days while making dinner together.

Preference – Sam or Dean Winchester? If you haven’t seen Supernatural (and why not! It’s MY Fave show LOL), then would you prefer Iron Man or Wolverine?
I have to be honest and say I haven’t watched Supernatural for a while, but I’m on team Dean. *g*

What do you like to do for fun and relax?
I like cycling and walking the dog, reading, cooking and travel. Hubby and I try and get away and explore the rest of the world as often as time and money allow.

Who is your celebrity crush?
Let’s see – how about Alex O’Loughlin from Hawaii Five 0.

What three words would your family use to describe you?
Determined. Optimistic. Easy-going.

If you were given an all-expense paid, five day/night trip to anywhere, where would you go?
I’d fly down to the South Island of New Zealand and spend time in Queenstown and the surrounding area. It’s so pretty and yet it is not overcrowded with people.

What song are you most sick of hearing right now?
I haven’t spent much time listening to the radio or to music recently, since I’ve been on an audio book kick, but Lorde’s Royals has been thrashed to death on the radio down here.

Who are some of your favorite authors?
So many! I like Nalini Singh, Jeaniene Frost, Nora Roberts writing as JD Robb, Lorelei James, Jennifer Ashley, Jess Michaels just to mention a few. I read a lot and read widely across lots of genres.

If you had the chance to meet one author – past or present – who would it be? Why?
I’d like to meet Agatha Christie. I grew up reading her mysteries and would love to learn about her writing process.

Tell us about your “big break” in the publishing world. Was there any one person believe in your work first (besides yourself of course)? What did you do to celebrate your first contract?
My first sale was an e-book. My husband believed in me from the start, and he’s still my biggest champion. My first contract came via email. I shrieked at the top of my voice and my husband and our dog came running to see what was wrong. I was almost incoherent, but finally communicated I’d sold my first book. We celebrated with a bottle of nice wine with dinner.

Writing can be a crazy business. How do you stay positive within the craziness?
I try to balance work and rest, make sure I eat properly and exercise. If I do this I’m much better prepared to handle anything that’s chucked in my direction. If I don’t do some sort of exercise each day, I tend to get fidgety and very grouchy.

What is your one pet peeve about the writing business?
Everything seems to move at the speed of a snail. Thank goodness for self-publishing where I can go at my own pace.

 
Blog Post:

In my recent release, Mistress of Merrivale, my hero and heroine have an arranged marriage.
They come to their marriage with different expectations. Jocelyn, my heroine, wants security and a home for both her and her eccentric mother. Leo, my hero, wants a wife to replace his first one and to make his life more comfortable. His first marriage wasn’t successful, and above all, Leo desires peace and a biddable wife.
Leo journeys to London to stay with his cousin the Earl of Melburn. This is the letter I imagine Leo wrote to his cousin before arriving to begin his search for a wife.

Dear Melburn,
After much soul-searching, I’ve come to the decision I need to remarry and the sooner the better. To that end, I will arrive in London in two weeks to begin my search for a wife. If you have any suggestions as to suitable women, I’d appreciate your input.

Any candidate should possess intelligence and loyalty. I have no preference regarding appearance but do require the following qualities. She must be trustworthy and discreet. She must like children and be happy to live at Merrivale in Dartmoor rather than spend the season in London. I want a biddable wife.

I look forward to seeing you again and wish you happy on the occasion of your betrothal to the Neville girl.

Fond regards,
Your cousin, Leo.

On arrival in London, Leo meets Jocelyn, and they decide a marriage of convenience will suit their needs. Both Leo and Jocelyn have their reasons for agreeing to the marriage, but it is only after they’re married that they come to learn the full truth and must face the monsters hovering in the background.

Here’s the blurb:
A marriage of convenience…full of inconvenient secrets.

Jocelyn Townsend’s life as a courtesan bears no resemblance to the life she envisioned in girlish dreams. But it allows her and her eccentric mother to live in relative security—until her protector marries and no longer requires her services.

Desperate to find a new benefactor, one kind enough to accept her mother’s increasingly mad flights of fancy, Jocelyn is nearly overwhelmed with uncertainty when a lifeline comes from an unexpected source.

Leo Sherbourne’s requirements for a wife are few. She must mother his young daughter, run his household, and warm his bed. All in a calm, dignified manner with a full measure of common sense. After his late wife’s histrionics and infidelity, he craves a simpler, quieter life.

As they embark on their arrangement, Leo and Jocelyn discover an attraction that heats their bedroom and a mutual admiration that warms their days. But it isn’t long before gossip regarding the fate of Leo’s first wife, and his frequent, unexplained absences, make Jocelyn wonder if the secrets of Merrivale Manor are rooted in murder…

Warning: Contains mysterious incidents, a mad mother who screeches without provocation, scheming relatives, and a captivating husband who blows scorching hot and suspiciously cold. All is not as it seems…and isn’t that delicious?

 

Buy Links:
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1eW93rW

All Romance ebooks: http://bit.ly/RjmH1W

Shelley’s Bio:
Shelley Munro is tall and curvaceous with blue eyes and a smile that turns masculine heads everywhere she goes. She’s a university tutor and an explorer/treasure hunter during her vacations. Skilled with weapons and combat, she is currently in talks with a producer about a television series based on her world adventures.

Shelley is also a writer blessed with a VERY vivid imagination and lives with her own hero in New Zealand. She writes mainly erotic romance in the contemporary, paranormal and historical genres for publishers Carina Press, Ellora’s Cave and Samhain Publishing. You can learn more about Shelley and her books at her website and you might even find her lurking at Facebook or Twitter.

 

Connect with Shelly:

WEBSITE: http://www.shelleymunro.com

BLOG: http://www.shelleymunro.com/blog

FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/ShelleyMunroAuthor

GOODREADS: http://www.goodreads.com/ShelleyMunro

PINTEREST: http://www.pinterest.com/ShelleyMunro

TWITTER: http://www.twitter.com/ShelleyMunro

AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE: http://www.amazon.com/Shelley-Munro/e/B001JOWGNK

NEWSLETTER: http://eepurl.com/A2xfH

 

 

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