The Dynamic Trio - Blog

A few months ago I purchased magnetic signs from VistaPrint for my car. They feature Midnight Treat and were so pretty when they arrived my husband suggested I take them on holiday. We’ve slapped them on the rental car. Here’s a photo of shelleymunro.com on tour.

After leaving San Francisco, we headed to Yosemite National Park. We’ve visited before, but it’s so pretty we decided to go again. We’d heard about the fires they’d had and were concerned about visibility. We passed loads of fire engines and a huge camp where hundreds of firemen were camped, but they were all returning home and visibility was excellent at the park. We saw some sort of deer and some tiny chipmunks. No bears today, although we had wasps when we tried to have a picnic lunch. We have a Mazda rental car and it’s a little feisty. The petrol flap wouldn’t open until Mr. Munro used some Kiwi ingenuity and then, when we stopped to get out of the car inside the park, the alarm went off. Loudly. Insistently. That’s why we didn’t see any bears. They heard us coming!! After much cursing and swearing on Mr. Munro’s part, we finally managed to get the car alarm to stop shrieking. I think we have it sussed now, although only time will tell.

Here’s a photo of El Capitan. The huge mountain dominates the skyline. Isn’t it pretty?

Just had my first margarita since I didn’t get around to having one in San Francisco. Yum. I like them very much. We’re not big on cocktails in New Zealand, and they’re very expensive. I’m still hanging out for a cinnamon bun. Soon. Very soon! Oh, and I should mention the conference was lots of fun, although I’m very tired.

I’m in a weird mood. Tired. But energized. I have a bit of a headache, but still am tempted to go run around in the (yet again) almost 100-degree weather. I have the urge to do a bunch of housework…but don’t want to do any. I’m just all mixed up! But not…LOL!

Oh, and Hatsept Heat is available for the Kindle! I’m so stoked! Also, the first two Vampire Council of Ethics books just appeared there. And they have this neat little ‘Free Sample’ thing where you can check out the book before you buy it. Now is that cool or what?

And now I’m hungry, but not sure what I want to eat, so I think this ‘What Food Are You’ quiz is perfect. I’m Sushi!

You Are Japanese Food

Strange yet delicious. Contrary to popular belief, you’re not always eaten raw.

Also, if you haven’t been to listen to the radio show I did with Mandy Roth and Michelle Pillow, be sure to check it out. And if course I mentioned my girls, SHELLEY and LAUREN! Why? Cause they RAWK!

I was on the radio last night with Mandy Roth and Michelle Pillow on the Raven Vampire Radio Show last night. It was a hoot! Gia Dawn (she writes cool books for Samhain) was on, too. Get the four of us together in the same room and we just take over the world!

I did spend some time talking about the release of Hatsept Heat (which came out on Tuesday. (To purchase, Visit Samhain Publishing ), but we spent more time cracking up and being bad than anything else. Geesh, no surprise there ;D

To listen to the show, click HERE –> BlogTalk Raven Radio.

Meanwhile, I’m at work sitting in a training class. I’ve been teaching all week and asked another staff member to come in and touch on a subject that she’s an expert at. So, I’m sitting here listening to her talk to my students while I write this blog. Class is over this afternoon - I have to give the students an exam first.

And when the day is over, I’m gonna count down to FRIDAY!!!!

I’ve been getting back to the next Vampire Council of Ethics story - it’s Alaina Bixler and Shale Krulm’s tale. But I just can’t think of a name for it. So, I’m just going to forget about it for now, and get on with the story. I’ve been jumping back and forth between working on the outline and actually writing. There’s this song by India.Arie called ‘Brown Skin’ that just makes me all hot and bothered. You can bet I’ll be listening to it as I write the steamy lovin’.

O, and in case you don’t remember, Shale Krulm almost got his butt kicked by Bix in Carinian’s Seeker when he spoke to Carin out of turn. But it’s years later and now…HE’S FREAKING HOT!!!

Talk later!

And don’t forget that HATSEPT HEAT came out on Tuesday! Woo!

TJ

It’s out everybody! Oh my God, I couldn’t be more thrilled that Hatsept Heat, the 3rd book in the Vampire Council of Ethics hit the cyber shelves yesterday from Samhain!

To purchase, Visit Samhain Publishing

They chatted amicably but Kenoe didn’t miss the occasional frown whenever he let his guard down long enough for his anxiety, though slight, to creep down the bond. Bottom line—he had no desire to see the you’re-crazy-as-a-loon skepticism in her eyes when he told her what he was. God knew she wouldn’t believe him.

And he was less than enthusiastic about her reaction to the fact that he, Mr. Law Enforcement, as she called him, was investigating her closest relative for something that had nothing to do with honest vamps, and everything to do with Dr. Jekyll humans.

Not to mention the possibility of her flat-out rejecting him.

Ruthlessly squashing down all concern, he filled his mind with lighter thoughts. Actually just thinking on what a fabulous dinner she’d prepared for him, what a kind and considerate woman she was, a woman so sweet yet with an edge sharp enough to cut himself on. The perfect alpha. His perfect alpha.

And she’d prepared a dessert of strawberries covered with brown sugar syrup, laced with lemon zest. Oh yeah, she was a keeper. He only hoped she would feel the same when he told her…
When had she moved from her chair?

Shinju grinned and pushed his empty dishes off to the side. She held her hand out to him.

“What?”

“Up, handsome.”

Wondering what she was on about, he didn’t move but cocked his head to the side and waited instead.

“Naoru. Get. Up.” Her tone was stern, but not bitchy. He stood and allowed himself to be positioned to her liking. Mischief danced along their developing link and tickled the nerve endings at the base of his skull.

All of a piece, Shinju pushed her desires down the bond with such force they slammed into his brain and streaked clear down to his nuts. He reached to unbutton his shirt. A playful slap to his fingers caught him so off-guard, he froze for a second.

A snarled “mine” made it crystal clear that she was the only one getting to touch tonight. Or at least for the time being. Dropping his hands to his side, his spitfire female popped open each button slowly, deliberately, then peeled the garment off his shoulders. All the while she whispered what she wanted to do to him and let those wickedly talented fingers of hers run over the exposed skin, raising chill bumps along the way.

“God, Naoru, you’re so studly gorgeous.”

“Studly? Is that a typical Japanese word?”

“Remember I’m not a typical Japanese female. I’ve got a bit of sistah in me and I just have to let her out to play every now and then.” This was said as her fingernails scraped gently over the planes of his stomach and dipped into the hollows and ridges of his quaking abs. It made him tingle from the roots of his hair to his toes. Dayum!

“Amazing. I love your skin, so fair, smooth. Perfect. Like fresh cream. And that dusting of platinum silver hair on your chest. I missed that the last time I had you nearly naked. Is the hair around your cock the same beautiful shade?” she teased.

Holy shit! Kenoe balled his trembling hands into fists to keep from ripping her clothes off and taking her to the floor right then.

Instead, he said, “You’re being awfully naughty, but I’m all yours, lovely, so go ahead and find out.”

“I can’t wait to see what your fabulous cock looks like sliding into my pussy. I missed you so much. Dreamed about you each night until I was so hot and bothered. Kinda like I am now.”

“Shinju, you take too much longer to touch me and I’m going to have to do something about that. Sssss!” Her touch had moved down his chest, past his waist and down to the swelling ridge in his pants. Then she pushed him backwards until his ass hit the edge of the table.
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I can’t believe it. Despite the weathermen telling us we’re in for yet more storms and rain, today is sunny and warm. Everyone is drying out a little after the weather bomb from the weekend. Me - I’m looking forward to sunshine and heat so I can wear shorts. No one knows me over there in the US so it doesn’t matter if I dazzle anyone with my winter-white legs. I’m actually packed and very organized. I think I’ll even have time for a final bike ride tomorrow. We’re meeting up with friends at the airport. I can’t wait to see everyone.

It’s my nephew’s birthday today, and I spent the morning making cupcakes and updating my website. I have release dates for two Ellora’s Cave releases. Fringe Benefit will come out on 14 November and Cat Burglar is out on 31 December. That takes my total releases for the year to ten. Hard to believe I’ve done all these books, but I have worked hard this year. I’m ready for a six-week break.

There are blurbs and excerpts up for the two new books. Just follow the links from the coming soon page. I’ve also put up new articles- one for readers and one for writers. They’re under the extras tab.

I have several guest bloggers coming during August so don’t forget to pop over to my blog. Lorelei James, Nina Pierce, Josh Lanyon, JK Coi, Nancy Anderson and Laura Baumbach are all coming to visit while I’m away. If everything goes well I also hope to post some photos and a few snippets about our trip. You’ll be able to see what I’m up to over in the USA.

I’m off to do a final few things. Be good!

…and it was so danged funny I thought I’d post it here today.

In HATSEPT HEAT, Vampire Council of Ethics Book 3 (coming this Tuesday, July 29th, by the way) our heroine happens to be a culinary whiz who keeps one of our favorite vampires in dessert heaven (and that’s both in and out of bed – woohoo!). Well, it got me to thinking about some of my own culinary experiences.

As most of you know, both my daughter and I are total geniuses in the kitchen. My speciality is…actually that’s hard ‘cause I’m pretty good at cooking just about anything. My daughter’s specialty is baking and Japanese food.

But I’m still at a total loss. I’m not the Dessert Diva or anything but this is beyond believable. SOMEONE ACTUALLY SCREWED UP BANANA PUDDING! How do you possibly mess up something so wonderfully delicious and simple as banana pudding?

Yes, people, it has happened to me. I went to a potluck and one of the dishes I looked forward to after the typical spaghetti, stringbean casserole and chili (you know, typical potluck food) was, you guessed it, the banana pudding.

Basically, you just take some vanilla pudding and layer it in a casserole dish with vanilla wafers, or savory ginger snaps if you’re so inclined. Top it off with some whipped cream and toss it in the fridge to chill. Tadaaa! Banana pudding at it’s finest.

So, I can’t figure out how this particular batch tasted like burned tires on a hot summer day layered over some freshly tarred blacktop. Gack! I won’t say who made it ‘cause if she reads this blog, she’ll kill me, especially since she thinks it tasted more like melted crayons with a bit of vanilla stirred in and she’ll be upset that I used my own analogy.

Then, there was the girl’s night out I held at my house one evening. A bowl of potato salad showed up…and it tasted like steamed cabbage without the steamed bit. Now, uh, since the only ingredients in potato salad is potatoes, spices and a bit of mayo, where the heck did the cabbage thing come from since there was no cabbage in it?

So, have you ever encountered a dish that you believed was impossible to get wrong? More nosily (I just can’t help it, I’ve gotta know ;D) have you personally done a dish that you knew how to really prepare well…only to have it come out like you’d made it in someone elses kitchen with a blindfold on?

I’ve gotta have feedback on this one! And feel free to provide recipes ;D

TJ

I’m a bit late with my post today since I’ve been out on the town doing last minute chores and getting my hair cut. Conversation this week at Munro house has centered on packing and what things we’re taking with us on our trip. Packing for both the conference and six weeks of holiday comes with challenges. I’m definitely not gonna be a fashion icon.

It’s also been a busy month writing wise. I’ve completed edits on Tea for Two, my first Samhain release, which is out in October. I’ve also completed edits on Cat Burglar (another Middlemarch story) and Fringe Benefits - a threesome Quickie. Not that the lovin’ is quick. It’s a Quickie title. I’m waiting for release dates on the two EC stories and once I have those I’ll update my website with excerpts and blurbs.

Assassin, book four, in the Middlemarch series is out on 6 August. I hope you’ll enjoy this story since it ties up all the lose ends in the story arc.

Don’t forget to enter the Hussies Summer Sizzler contest. The link is on my website.

I’m spending the rest of the afternoon packing and doing small odds and ends. It’s pouring with rain, in fact, we have bad weather heading our way. They say it’s going to be the worst storm to hit New Zealand in a decade - a real weather bomb - so it seems as if hanging around inside is the way to go.

I hope everyone has a great weekend. Are you doing anything exciting?

We’re in the airport on the way home. Even with our flight delayed I couldn’t be happier to be on my way back to Colorado. And it’s not because I think Colorado is so fabulous (can’t stand the place) but…MY BED IS THERE! I totally loved vacation but there’s no place like your own home, your own bed, your own bathroom, your own kitchen, etc.

I saw that Lauren has a new book called FATED - be sure to pick it up. The Cascadia Series rocks! Shelley also has some pretty cool things hitting the shelves, too. I love her Middlemarch Mates series.

And for me, it’s 5 days and counting until HATSEPT HEAT, Vampire Council of Ethics Book 3 comes along! Can’t wait!!!

My plane will be boarding shorly, so I’m off to gather all my crap together. I pack like I”m going on a month-long trip or something - geesh, who needs so many clothes for a one week trip? Anyway, catch ya’ll later ;D

TJ

So for those of you who enjoy my Cascadia Wolves, there’s a new book coming out called Fated. This one is Megan getting her HEA at long last. I love fated mate stories but they can’t all be the same or it gets boring. So what happens if you get your fated mate but it’s not easy? What happens if a proud and powerful werewolf mates with a man who has hidden from what he truly is for most of his life?

Blurby Bit: Just because Fate brings you your perfect mate doesn’t mean it’ll be easy.

Could there be any worse fate than a road trip from Seattle to L.A.—with one’s mother—to attend a wedding? Why yes, when one isn’t married yet, like Megan Warden. Toss in a grandmother and a carload of already married sisters and it’s a recipe for sneaking sips of “special” coffee while someone else drives.

Shane Rosario has better things to do than attend a wedding where his father’s relatives will be at him nonstop about getting married and having children. If it weren’t for seeing his anchor bond, Layla, he’d have taken a pass on the entire weekend. It would be easy, since he’s become adept at hiding who and what he is.

When the two weren’t even looking, Fate steps in and before they know it, their bond is sealed. Bonded pair, married in the eyes of their people. Two people tied together in every way. Trouble is, Shane’s not sure he wants all that comes with Megan. And Megan’s certain she’s not willing to live outside her pack, pretending to be human.

The distance between them is more than geographical. It’s a widening gulf rapidly filling with resentment…an emotional divide only acceptance could bridge. Can Shane can accept himself to cross it? Only if they let love take control.

I loved writing Fated. It was a challenge because it was emotional and I did spend some time crying as I wrote it. But I hope it turned out well and I hope you all enjoy it too.

I received my author copies earlier this week so I thought a contest might be in order. SO - if you’d like to win an ARC of Fated all you need to do is tell me why you like fated mate stories, or why you don’t.

I’ll choose a winner at random from the comments Friday July 25 at noon pacific. Good luck!

WINNER IS COMMENTER #5 - Tracy Lenz-Pessin! Tracy email me with your format choice and I’ll email it your way ASAP!!

With Hatsept Heat coming on Tuesday, needless to say I went to sleep thinking about it. And after waking from the most delicious and decadent dream of me and a vamp right out of the pages of one of my Vampire Council of Ethics books, I rolled over in appreciation of air conditioning and thought…what the hell was I thinking to book a vacation in Florida in July? My god, it’s so freakin’ hot here I swear I’m tempted to put ice down my drawers just to cool off a bit.

Unfortunately my daughter got sick yesterday. We think it’s something she ate the day before, but he poor thing was throwing up and had a high fever. I’m glad she’s cool this morning because last night she was so hot I was concerned we’d have to take her to a hospital, which is no fun when you’re AT home, let alone AWAY from home in a city you’re not familiar with.

I’m getting ready to run to the airport to pick up a friend of mine I haven’t seen in years. She’s lives on this coast in South Carolina so she’s flying down to hang out with us for a couple of days. My kids are WAY excited to see her again. If I can talk her into taking some picture I’ll put them up when I get home. Oh, and want to hear the dumbest thing ever? We’re on vacation and NONE of us brought a camera, so we’re reduced to using the ones on our phones. LOL!

See you later,

TJ

PS - Thank you to all of you who sent me notes after reading the TJ On A Tangent newsletter. This has been a really challenging half-a-year for me. I’m looking forward to the second half with some serious renewed hope ;D