The Dark Side: Shelley Munro

The Dark Side aims to shed light on that deep, dark, mysterious side of an author, a face that she rarely, if ever, shows to the public. What secret is she hiding behind that enigmatic smile on her official photo (if any)? what juicy tidbit is she keeping from the world? What are some of the things that she liked, things we would never know, because it's not part of her bio? 

Today, we have with us SHELLEY MUNRO, author of TIGER BY THE TAIL, who regaled us in a previous post with some fun facts about her book and an exclusive excerpt.

Remember, think dark, dark, dark...

Do you believe in ghosts and supernatural phenomenon? Have you ever had a close encounter? Do tell us about it. 

Yes, I believe in ghosts. My husband and I went on a working holiday in Britain. During our time there we worked in several old pubs. The last one we worked at was The Goat Tavern in Kensington. It was almost opposite Kensington Palace. We’re all convinced there were ghosts there. We didn’t hear strange noises, but some weird things happened. A couple of the guys sleepwalked in the early hours of the morning. They both did the same thing. They went to the upstairs bathroom, put the plug in the bath and ran the water. This happened on about three separate occasions. The funny thing was only the guys who sleep walked. The girls were wiser and stayed asleep in their beds! 

Imagine that for some reason, your lights suddenly went out! What would be the first thing you’d do or say? 

LOL – this one’s easy. I’d elbow my husband to fix the problem. If I was alone, I’d probably find the torch and think about investigating. No way am I going down to the basement on my own though! 

Are you afraid of the dark? Why or why not? 

I’m not usually too bad, although when my hubby isn’t at home, the noises all seem louder.  We used to have a little dog and I’d let her stay inside when I was on my own. I knew if she barked  the noise was worth investigating. Unfortunately, she died last year so I can’t count on her to protect me. 

It’s funny because we go for a walk after dinner every night. Since it’s winter here in New Zealand, it’s dark around 5.30pm. Recently the nights have been cold, but the skies clear and the moon full. The stars are just beautiful. People are missing out. 

What television series featuring dark themes did you enjoy the most? Why? 

I’m a big Supernatural fan mainly because Dean and Sam are so easy on the eye… LOL – no, that’s not the entire truth. I think they do really interesting storylines and the show features unusual supernatural creatures. The show’s writers obviously do a lot of research. Some of the episodes are plain spooky and I sit on the edge of my seat.

What dark-themed books do you enjoy and would recommend? Why?

 One of my favorite authors is Keri Arthur and her Riley Jenson series. Riley is half werewolf/half vampire and she grows a lot throughout the series. I have the ninth and final book in the series on my to-read pile. Keri Arthur has done a wonderful job and each book seems better than the last. If you haven’t read this series before I highly recommend it. 

Lightning Round.

white or dark chocolate : White

milk or coffee : Coffee – definitely. I need my coffee.
night or day : Day – I’m not a night person at all, but I enjoy getting up early and enjoying the peace of the morning.
coke or 7-up : Neither! I’m not a soda person.
New York cheesecake or black forest cake : Cheesecake
vampire or werewolf :  Werewolf – all that blood would have me fainting right away!
football game or candlelit dinner : Football game
ebook or print : ebook. I love the instant gratification.
spring or autumn : Spring. It’s my favorite time of the year and it’s almost here in New Zealand
sweet or salty : Sweet. I have a terrible sweet tooth
kitten or puppy : Puppy – I like to take a puppy for walks
cook or take-out : Cook – my hubby’s an awesome cook. 

Shelley Munro's TIGER BY THE TAIL is now available at Ellora's Cave (ebook). This title is also included in the list of giveaways for our ongoing contest.

Shelley Munro's other titles:

Sex Idol
The Bottom Line

Exclusive Peek: Tiger By The Tail by Shelley Munro

From Shelley Munro:

Tiger By The Tail is the ninth book in my Middlemarch Mates series. Those of you who are familiar with my series about feline shifters, living and working amongst humans in the small country town of Middlemarch, will know it’s a real town. Middlemarch in the South Island of New Zealand has a shortage of marriageable women, just like my books, and they hold an annual dance to attract women to the town.

The first book in the series, Scarlet Woman, introduces us to Emily Scarlet who attends the dance to find a man for a single night of pleasure. By the end of Scarlet Woman, she has fallen in love with the oldest Mitchell brother, Saber. What you might not know is that Emily Mitchell is the only series character to make an appearance in every Middlemarch book. She’s there in books one to eight, but something big happens to Emily in Catnap. It tears her world apart and sends her into deep depression. Although she’s mentioned in my latest release, Tiger By The Tail, she doesn’t actually make an appearance or have any dialogue.

Emily and Saber Mitchell are the only characters who have two books. Blue Lady, book ten (due out on 11 August 2010) features their follow up story.

(Warning! Explicit Material below) 

Exclusive Excerpt: 

Ambar froze, muttering an apology around Jake’s cock. Double holy crap. Her canine teeth had popped into prominence. She could feel the faint ache in her gums, her feline pushing her body to complete the shift to tiger. Ambar placed her left hand on the mattress and curled her claws into the fabric, focusing on remaining in human form. Tension simmered inside her as she wondered what to do next. She could hardly stop, not when she’d offered in the first place. One thing was clear—she needed to get him off quick so she could leave, or at least get away from Jake before he saw her claws and teeth. And would he notice her tongue had become rougher than usual?

Using a combination of hands and her mouth, she worked harder to get him off, relieved when he started to rock his hips, pushing his shaft deeper into her mouth. Her usual enjoyment in Jake and his sexy body had faded with the attempted takeover of her feline. On automatic, she moved her head faster and mentally urged him to hurry. He was close—she knew it. Even as the thought entered her mind, he gave a raw, guttural cry and climaxed in her mouth. Ambar swallowed automatically and carefully licked him clean, trying to act as usual even though her mind screamed at her to get the hell out of his presence.

"Babe, that is a brilliant way to start the morning." He dragged her from beneath the covers and hugged her tight, running his hands through her long hair. Ambar turned her face into his chest, concentrating on holding her human form. He dropped a kiss on her shoulder then sighed. "I'd better get moving. I have a long day in front of me. Is it okay if I take the shower first?"

Normally, she’d insist on sharing the shower. Not today. "You go ahead. I might laze here." The stupid canines made her words emerge with a strange lisp. Thankfully, Jake didn't seem to notice.

The moment he left the bedroom, Amber leapt from the bed and scrambled into her clothes. She couldn't seem to get her nails and teeth to return back to normal. Still barefoot, she hurried down the passage, the scent of coffee becoming stronger as she neared the kitchen.

"Good morning," Hari said without turning away from the stove. "You timed that well. The scrambled eggs are almost ready. I've made extra."

"Hari," Ambar said urgently.

Something in her voice must have alerted Hari to her alarm. He removed the eggs from the heat and turned to face her. She bared her teeth and held up her hands to show him her fingernails. The beginnings of black claws protruded above her fingernails.

"They won’t go back." One whiff of Hari’s scent and her body went into high alert. She battled an inappropriate urge to rub against him and, in desperation, moved to the other side of the kitchen. Panic filled her as she fought the change to tiger. "What do I do?"

"Has it happened before?" Hari moved closer, concern in his brown eyes.

"Never. Don’t come any closer," she blurted finally in desperation. She was running out of room to retreat, and his scent was driving her crazy. Worst of all, she was a hairsbreadth away from jumping him. Her sharp claws dug into her palms until the faint scent of blood drifted up to her.

"I'm not gonna bite," Hari said, his English accent holding a trace of irritation.

Ambar rolled her eyes. Men were so slow, so dense sometimes. She decided to spell it out for him, halting her flight. Instead, she prowled across the kitchen to him, letting her need blaze across her face. "It's you I'm worried about." 


Summary from Publisher's Website:

Middlemarch Mates, Book Nine

One plus one equals three.

Tiger shifter Hari Daya takes one look at Ambar Patel's photo and is smitten. Further research heightens his fascination. An arranged marriage would work, except the lady isn't buying and tells him to take a hike.

Ambar is already involved with human Jake Quinn. Casual pleasure and lovin' works best for her since she dreams of traveling the world and delving into new experiences. The frisson of heat and desire she feels for Hari is unacceptable. There will be no tiger mate for her.

Jake Quinn has no idea either his lover or his new friend are shifters, but there sure as hell is something weird going on in his head. As much as he enjoys sex with Ambar, he's thinking about Hari too. Suddenly there's kissing and togetherness way past his comfort zone. The slide into sinful pleasure with both Hari and Ambar is easy-it's the relationship dynamics that give them headaches and make them wonder if they're making a huge mistake.

Available now at Jasmine Jade (ebook).

Note: This title is included in the list of giveaways for the ongoing contest.