I've known Shelley for years although we've only met once at my last NZ conference, and she is absolutely gorgeous :-)
And look at this sexylicious cover!!
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Give us an elevator pitch for your book, Past
Regrets.
Julia
Maxwell wants to divorce her husband’s cheatin’ ass and move on with her life,
but Ryan Callander has no intention of letting the woman he loves end their
marriage.
Where did the inspiration for your
book come from, and how much research have you needed to do during the writing
of your spicy contemporary romance?
The
Love and Friendship series started with The Bottom Line. I wanted to write a
story about a group of friends. In my usual pantser way I wasn’t sure how many
friends until I started writing. It turned out there were five friends, known
as the Tight Five, which is a rugby term. Two of the friends hooked up in the
first book. Past Regrets is the second book in the series and features Julia.
We learn a little about Julia in The Bottom Line and all the readers’ questions
are answered in Past Regrets.
I
did a little research about burlesque, which plays a part in Past Regrets. The
action is set mainly in Auckland and a little in Mt. Mauganui, both places I’m familiar
with, so all of the setting stuff was already in my brain. Once I got past the
first chapter this story practically wrote itself.
Describe
the sights, sounds and scents we might experience if we were to visit Julia during a normal day.
Maxwell’s
is a nightclub on K’ Road in central Auckland, and the club has been in
Julia’s family for several generations. Julia’s mother has health problems and
the club has become run down. Julia and her friends change the name from the
Last Frontier to Maxwell’s. At the start of Past Regrets Julia takes over
running the club and closes it down for a redecoration. She’s busy training new dancers so the sound
of loud music rocks the club. Julia is a stern task master and all the dancers
are exhausted and hot and sweaty. The scent of paint fills the air since
Connor’s rugby team has repainted the walls for Julia. There’s a faint scent of
cigarette smoke in a few places, depending where you’re standing because the
customers used to be heavy smokers. Thankfully there’s no smoking indoors due
to law changes but some of the old furnishings still smell of smoke.
And
finally, Ryan, Julia’s husband has arrived with his friend Caleb. They’re
practicing their new songs in the corner, strumming their guitars and singing a
few of the lyrics.
It’s
all go at Maxwell’s.
Why do you write romance, and what is
it about contemporary romance that attracts you to the genre?
I
like the predictability of romances and the knowledge that there will be a
happy resolution at the end of the story. That’s what I like reading, and the
reason I started writing romance too. While the end might be prediction—we know
the couple will get together eventually—the plots and the twist and turns in
the relationships vary from book to book. I think of romances as happy and
uplifting. If I want reality and grit, I can watch the evening news!
When
it comes to genre I’m equal opportunity and like to change it up by writing
different genres. At present I’m writing mainly contemporary stories, but I do
divert into historical and paranormal when the urge strikes me.
Is there any part of the writing
process that you find particularly challenging and why?
The
hardest thing for me is keeping my butt in a chair and getting the first draft
down. It’s also the part I enjoy most, but sometimes the words come out kicking
and screaming and it’s plain hard work. When that happens, I usually head to
one of my favorite cafes and write there. In a café it’s not as easy to get up
and wander around. If I do someone is likely to steal my seat, so that’s an
incentive to keep working away until my daily word count is done.
What is the best advice you’ve ever
received as a writer?
I’ve
received a lot of great advice since I started writing. One thing that seems
obvious to me and advice I’ve always subscribed to is to read a lot and widely
throughout the genres. This serves two purposes. One, you get to read the
latest releases and the work that editors are buying or readers are finding
enjoyable and two, reading is a learning tool. Even if I don’t enjoy a book,
I’m taking mental notes and analyzing why a book isn’t working for me so I can
make sure I don’t do the same thing when it comes to my own writing.
Now a question for you – Do you like
the current trend of cliffhanger endings?
Blurb:
Never look back…unless that’s where your heart belongs.
Julia Maxwell was a seize-the-moment party girl until the night
she spent with up-and-coming rocker Ryan Callander. From that moment, she was a
one-man woman. Pity he hasn’t kept with the program.
Tired of the secrets that have kept her out of the press and
Ryan’s fans happy, angry with mounting evidence of infidelity, Julia is older,
wiser, and determined to divorce his cheatin’ ass.
Ryan’s long European tour had more than its share of hard
knocks—one of which landed on his head when he was mugged. Divorce papers
waiting for him at home are a shock that fills in some of the holes in his
sketchy memory. But it could be too late to salvage his marriage.
If Ryan thinks flirtatious smiles, seductive touches, and
hot-and-heavy kisses are going to smooth things over, Julia’s got a hammer with
his name on it. To her surprise, he picks it up, determined to rebuild a bright
future for both of them. But the past is lurking with some missing pieces that
could bring their hearts crashing down.
Warning: Contains a pissed ex-stripper turned burlesque
dancer, a bunch of nosy friends and a smooth-talking rocker with one thing on
his mind. Stripper poles and skimpy costumes may be involved.
Purchase
links:
Samhain
Publishing http://store.samhainpublishing.com/past-regrets-p-72998.html
Shelley Munro - 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 the links below:
WEBSITE: http://www.shelleymunro.com
GOODREADS: http://www.goodreads.com/ShelleyMunro
PINTEREST: http://www.pinterest.com/ShelleyMunro
