Today, I'm thrilled to welcome Shelley Munro to the blog!
I’ve known I was visiting NJ for a while,
but for some reason I couldn’t decide on a topic for my blog post. Of course I
could have written about an element from my recent contemporary release, Past
Regrets (Samhain Publishing) or about Stoned (Ellora’s Cave), the book about
statues and curses that came out on Friday.
No, I thought, let’s go back to basics.
So that’s what I’m going to do.
Before I even thought about becoming a
writer, I was an enthusiastic reader. My parents were both keen readers, and they
started me and my brother and sister on the same path.
Reading helps me relax. It allows me to
travel to new worlds and experience things that might be outside my comfort in
real life. Reading is a way to research and learn the things I need to know in order
to write my own books. When I read books by other authors I’m inspired to
improve my own writing. I sometimes receive flashes of ideas for future plots,
and books themselves are like textbooks for the writer. I absorb things like
pace, characterization and plotting every time I open a book. When I read a new
release, I get a hint of what is popular with readers and this might change how
I approach the current book I’m working on. And lastly, reading entertains me.
People who say they never read confound me.
I can’t imagine my world without a book. It would be an empty place indeed.
So what am I reading at the moment?
I’ve just finished reading To Command and
Collar by Cherise Sinclair. For those of you who aren’t familiar with Cherise’s
writing, she writes contemporary erotic BDSM and has several series. This book
is part of the Masters of Shadowlands series. It’s possible to read this book
without knowledge of the other books, but several of the characters make guest
appearances in more than one book, and I’d recommend beginning at the start of
the series with Club Shadowlands. To Command and Collar deals with a slaving
ring and it was difficult to read at times. I came to adore the hero Master
Raoul and I thought he was a great match for the heroine. If you’re looking for
something to read after Fifty Shades, grab this series. In my opinion it’s a
hundred percent better!
I’m about to start reading Heart of
Obsidian by Nalini Singh. Nalini lives in New Zealand, and I love her
Psy-Changeling series. I think each book is better than the last, and the plot
arc across the series incredible. Her world building is excellent and without
fault and so different from anything else that’s out on the market. This is
also a series and one that you’ll enjoy more if you start at the beginning. I
highly recommend Nalini’s books to anyone who enjoys paranormal romances.
And the third author I’m going to mention
is one of my all time favorite historical authors. I’ve been a fan since I read
Jess Michael’s story Ancient Secrets in a Secrets anthology. Jess had a recent
release from Samhain Publishing called Taken By The Duke, which is sitting on
my Kindle ready to read when I get a spare moment. When I read this story I
know I’ll get great characters, spicy love scenes and be transported back to
Regency times. Win-win for me. J
As I said, I can’t imagine not having a
book to hand, and to safeguard against the horror of running out, I have a huge
pile. It will be a few years before my stockpile dwindles.
Which
books have you read recently that you’d recommend to other romance lovers?
Shelley Munro lives in New Zealand with her husband
and a cheeky puppy called Bella. She writes romances for Carina Press, Ellora’s
Cave and Samhain Publishing. To learn more about Shelley and her books please
visit her website at http://www.shelleymunro.com
