Today I am thrilled to announce that I have Shelley Munro her at Book Junkie. I have the privledge to read her latest release Soldier of Fortune, you can read my review HERE which was fantastic!
Thanks so much for having me to visit today. My name is Shelley Munro, and I write both contemporary and paranormal romance for Ellora’s Cave and Samhain Publishing.
During a visit to the RWA conference in America and our holiday afterward, I read lots of books. In fact, I left a trail of books behind me because Mr. Munro thought my stash of free books would weigh the airplane down. And, he said, the last thing we needed was for the airline to charge us for excessive baggage. To my chagrin, he was right. Who knew books weighed that heavy? *grin*
As an author I read for both pleasure and for research purposes to keep up with the market. I noticed that in my holiday reading a lot of the heroes and heroines were detectives, police officers and military men interspersed with lords and ladies of independent means. The one lone accountant hero looked very out of place.
Hmm, I thought. Not much variety there. Why weren’t there heroes and heroines in normal occupations? Where were the bartenders? The secretaries? The school teachers? Why weren’t there more unusual occupations such as barbers, boatbuilders, cartoonists and chimney sweeps?
The thought stayed with me, and when I returned home, I looked at my own heroes and heroines. I have detectives, military men and police officers, but I also have a librarian, a cat burglar, a tour guide, farmers, and several restaurateurs. Oh, and a pop star. I have one of those, too.
Some publishers prefer specific occupations. For example, heroes without money need not apply to Harlequin Presents. I know readers are attracted to strong characters and these characters are often detectives, fire fighters, police officers or military men, which is why we find so many in the romance genre.
In my recent release, Soldier of Fortune I have a hero who is a soldier. Why not go with the flow, I thought, so I made my heroine a career solider too.
Louie, my hero is a secondary character from an earlier book called Summer in the City of Sails. It took me some time to come up with a story that I thought would work. The idea for Soldier of Fortune came to me after watching a documentary about New Zealanders who take up jobs with private security companies in warzones like Iraq and Afghanistan.
Although there are many women engaged in combat these days, it’s rare for women to work in the private security sector. It is possible though, so I went with "what if" and came up with Soldier of Fortune. Mac, my heroine was born, and my story took shape.
Here’s the blurb:
Joanna "Mac" McGregor loves her father, and she’ll do anything to keep him safe after Alzheimer’s starts to steal his mind. That takes money, and Mac uses her only skills—those of soldiering—when she takes up a security contract in Iraq. She doesn’t have time for men, her last vacation fling in Fiji relegated as one perfect moment to hold close during the grim reality of war.
Soldier Louie Lithgow is tired of fighting, the constant danger, and has decided this is his last contract. He wants to retire, sink his savings into a place on the beach, and find the sexy Joanna, his holiday lover.
Mac’s arrival in Iraq causes consternation. They’ve both been economical with the truth, but the attraction sizzling between them flares hot and bright. They embark on a clandestine affair—professional and confident during their high-danger day, passionate with the release of emotional stress during their torrid nights. One thing is clear—they have different goals and the future is both murky and dangerous. If they survive their contracts.
Buy link: http://www.jasminejade.com/pm-7810-127-soldier-of-fortune.aspx
Website: http://www.shelleymunro.com
Blog: http://www.shelleymunro.com/blog
DISCLAIMER
I received a copy of this book, at no charge to me,
in exchange for my HONEST review.
No items that I receive "in kind"
are ever sold...they are kept by me, donated to The Medford Public Library,
or given away on contests on this blog.
Welcome to Book Junkie Shelley! She is here talking about occupations in Romances. Which I personally find pretty interesting since many of us are pulled towards those tall dark and handsome who have dangerous jobs!
Thanks so much for having me to visit today. My name is Shelley Munro, and I write both contemporary and paranormal romance for Ellora’s Cave and Samhain Publishing.
During a visit to the RWA conference in America and our holiday afterward, I read lots of books. In fact, I left a trail of books behind me because Mr. Munro thought my stash of free books would weigh the airplane down. And, he said, the last thing we needed was for the airline to charge us for excessive baggage. To my chagrin, he was right. Who knew books weighed that heavy? *grin*
As an author I read for both pleasure and for research purposes to keep up with the market. I noticed that in my holiday reading a lot of the heroes and heroines were detectives, police officers and military men interspersed with lords and ladies of independent means. The one lone accountant hero looked very out of place.
Hmm, I thought. Not much variety there. Why weren’t there heroes and heroines in normal occupations? Where were the bartenders? The secretaries? The school teachers? Why weren’t there more unusual occupations such as barbers, boatbuilders, cartoonists and chimney sweeps?
The thought stayed with me, and when I returned home, I looked at my own heroes and heroines. I have detectives, military men and police officers, but I also have a librarian, a cat burglar, a tour guide, farmers, and several restaurateurs. Oh, and a pop star. I have one of those, too.
Some publishers prefer specific occupations. For example, heroes without money need not apply to Harlequin Presents. I know readers are attracted to strong characters and these characters are often detectives, fire fighters, police officers or military men, which is why we find so many in the romance genre.
In my recent release, Soldier of Fortune I have a hero who is a soldier. Why not go with the flow, I thought, so I made my heroine a career solider too.
Louie, my hero is a secondary character from an earlier book called Summer in the City of Sails. It took me some time to come up with a story that I thought would work. The idea for Soldier of Fortune came to me after watching a documentary about New Zealanders who take up jobs with private security companies in warzones like Iraq and Afghanistan.
Although there are many women engaged in combat these days, it’s rare for women to work in the private security sector. It is possible though, so I went with "what if" and came up with Soldier of Fortune. Mac, my heroine was born, and my story took shape.
Here’s the blurb:
Joanna "Mac" McGregor loves her father, and she’ll do anything to keep him safe after Alzheimer’s starts to steal his mind. That takes money, and Mac uses her only skills—those of soldiering—when she takes up a security contract in Iraq. She doesn’t have time for men, her last vacation fling in Fiji relegated as one perfect moment to hold close during the grim reality of war.
Soldier Louie Lithgow is tired of fighting, the constant danger, and has decided this is his last contract. He wants to retire, sink his savings into a place on the beach, and find the sexy Joanna, his holiday lover.
Mac’s arrival in Iraq causes consternation. They’ve both been economical with the truth, but the attraction sizzling between them flares hot and bright. They embark on a clandestine affair—professional and confident during their high-danger day, passionate with the release of emotional stress during their torrid nights. One thing is clear—they have different goals and the future is both murky and dangerous. If they survive their contracts.
Buy link: http://www.jasminejade.com/pm-7810-127-soldier-of-fortune.aspx
Website: http://www.shelleymunro.com
Blog: http://www.shelleymunro.com/blog
What occupations do you like to read about in romances? Are you tired of books featuring the same occupations? Are there any occupations you’d like to read about but haven’t seen to date?
***GIVEAWAY***
To win a download of Shelley's e-book Summer in the City of Sails, an erotic romance, or Playing to Win, a sensual romance (the reader’s choice), just answer Shelley's question above.
+1 to Comment with answer to Shelley's question
+5 For Being a Follower
+7 For subscribing via e-mail to Book Junkie (check my sidebar)
+20 for Hitting this button and entering the Great Kindle Giveaway
**Winner chosen 12/05 11pm EST**
*open to all*
DISCLAIMER
I received a copy of this book, at no charge to me,
in exchange for my HONEST review.
No items that I receive "in kind"
are ever sold...they are kept by me, donated to The Medford Public Library,
or given away on contests on this blog.
Posts
37 comments:
+1 Hi, Shelley! "Soldier of Fortune" sounds great! Lots of emotional drama and sensual heat! I suppose it is more dashing for the hero or heroine to have a glamorous, powerful or adventurous profession. The high-powered executive heroes used to be millionaires. Now, they are no less than hard-edged mega-billionaires! We love the "bad boys" who have a hard beginning in life, but in some scenarios, even they have to become successful and wealthy beyond imagination. Publishers for some genres still seem to follow the same format: Economically depressed heroine rescued by fabulously wealthy playboy hero. Heroine is saved from dire circumstances and reforms said playboy. Those stories are great when the characters are well-developed and the writing has depth. Could we not love teachers, social workers, carpenters, farmers, administrative assistants, clerks, librarians and shop keepers? For me, character development is the key. Great characters with true depth can fit in any genre, time frame, social setting, circumstance & etc.
November 23, 2009 8:13 AM+5 Follower
+7 Email Subscriber
gcwhiskas at aol dot com
Soldier of Fortune sounds great!
November 23, 2009 8:25 AMI'm fairly new to reading romances, so I still can't get enough of heroes in uniform. But I also like to read about other professions. I especially like the heroine to have an unusual occupation which suites her. I think there're a lot of books featuring H/H in all kind of different occupations. There's pretty much variety out there.
Thanks for the contest, Book Junkie!
Hugs,
ErotRomReader
eroticromance[at]live[dot]nl
So glad you're doing a sequel from Summer In the City of Sails. I loved that book. I love Ops & Navy Seal stories.
November 23, 2009 8:53 AMShelley, great to see you here! Intriguing topic, too. I mean, we've never read a romance between, say, a mailman and a hospital orderly, LOL. The more glamourous occupations seem to appeal to readers -- and of course they would, because people read romance for the escape, the fantasy. Some of my favorite occupations to read and write about are: cowboys, attorneys (maybe because I was one in my former life before kids, LOL), writers (imagine that), and dancers/personal trainers (good excuse for those hot bods!).
November 23, 2009 10:45 AMShelley your work is always amazing as always ty for stopingby today you rock
November 23, 2009 11:01 AMim already a subscriber
and a follower
and i entered for the kindle
Great tour post, Shelley - and Book Junkie, you've got a great blog here!
November 23, 2009 11:51 AMI'm always the odd one out - I prefer romance occupations that aren't police officer/fire fighter/Navy SEAL, etc. Of course, I mainly read historical, so it's next to impossible to get away from lords and ladies. But I would love to!
This is a great post to ponder and some good responses too. I agree that it's the depth of character and the well written story that is best, not really the occupation. But there are tried and true formulas because romance is first, for the reader's escape. And the same occupations seem to work with some stories.
November 23, 2009 11:58 AMI enjoy a taste of the different in character occupation. I like seeing archaeologists and scientists for either or both hero and heroine. I wrote a dancer heroine once--(probably because I was a ballet dancer) ahh, but there agian, she travels through a rift and meets a hero who is a healer.
So I think it's wonderful that we are wide open to create what ever occupation we want. Unless you are reading/writing just for the formulas that require certain character types.
Great blog here, Book Junkie!
+1 I love heroes in uniforms. Also I love the rich man poor girl scenario which is normally visible in historical romances.
November 23, 2009 1:22 PM+5 follower
Hi Virginia,
November 23, 2009 1:29 PMGreat point. Some authors can grab me with a character who has a very ordinary job while others don't grab me with billionaires and high-flying executives. Author execution is a big one. I think though that there are some occupations that might sound "blah" on paper and sometimes publishers are unwilling to take a chance on books featuring them.
Sometimes, too, the fly-highing jobs require character traits that make our hero or heroine really interesting. They need drive, determination and all those other things that make a great character.
ErotRomReader - thank you. I've just checked my to-read pile and most of the books there feature the type of occupations I mention so maybe it's me? I need to broaden my horizons and step outside my comfort zone. The book I'm reading at the moment does feature a gym owner and an accountant so I do step on the wild side occasionally!
November 23, 2009 1:32 PMMary G - thanks. It's taken me a while to do a sequel, it's true. I couldn't think of the right story, but I think this is the one. I would like to add to this series again very soon. :-)
November 23, 2009 1:33 PMHelen - I think you've hit it on the head. We, as readers, enjoy a glimpse into the perceived "glamor" or "danger" of these jobs. It's all part of the reading process.
November 23, 2009 1:35 PMSiNn - thank you so much.
November 23, 2009 1:36 PMJulia - LOL - it's true there are lots of lords and ladies in historicals. I have read a couple of romances where the hero is a member of the law and there's the odd smuggler, but they're often a member of the aristrocracy as well.
November 23, 2009 1:39 PMKaye - there was a time when there seemed to be a lot of archeologist stories. I haven't seen as many around. I read a wonderful story this year by Sarah Mayberry that featured dancers. I really enjoyed that one.
November 23, 2009 1:41 PMMilka - there's no getting away from it. A man in a uniform is a sexy sight!
November 23, 2009 1:42 PMHi Shelley :)
November 23, 2009 2:20 PMThank you for sharing here today.
I really enjoyed reading your post on occupations in Romance. I hadn't thought much about it before and it made me think. I haven't read much about astronauts in romance.
:)
I am now a Follower of this blog.
:)
All the best,
RKCharron
xoxo
PS - I posted this on my blog.
I love cowboy/rancher heroes.
November 23, 2009 3:28 PMI am a follower.
Hi Shelly! This was so good! I totally enjoyed this when I read it! Divas rock!
November 23, 2009 3:34 PMHi, Shelley! I love reading about all kinds of professions--the ones I do know something about are fun because it's like a little "being in the know" when I read. The ones I know nothing about are fun because I get to feel like I'm learning about them as I read :)
November 23, 2009 5:00 PMRight now I'm on a "regular" people kick--teachers, accountants, writers ;) I've also loved reading about dancers because I'm a huge fan of ballet.
Congrats on Soldier of Fortune--looking forward to reading this! Your other titles that I've read tell me I can expect another fantastic story!
--Fedora
- follower
- subscriber
I love stories about men in uniforms the strong alpha male just is so hot. I love all kinds all jobs for men but one thing they all have to be is a strong take charge man I can't stand to have a wimpy hero it's such a turn off.
November 23, 2009 5:28 PM+1 I live reading about occupations having to do with the military and law enforcement. I don't get tired of reading them. I haven't seen too many books about artistic occupations. They might be interesting.
November 23, 2009 5:36 PM+5 Follow on Twitter (BookOwner)
+7 Subscribed to e-mail
+20 Pushed button for Kindle giveaway.
Congrats on the new release, Shelley. I love seeing heroes and heroines in law enforcement. I would like to see more archaeologists.
November 23, 2009 6:01 PMI'm a follower.
+1 Very excited about your new release! Congratulations!! As for hero's occupations, I'm still a fan of firefighters and policemen. They can come save me anyday! A unique occupation I'd like to see written is astronaut.
November 23, 2009 6:07 PM+5 I'm a follower.
+7 I'm a subscriber.
joderjo402 AT gmail DOT com
Hi Shelley!
November 23, 2009 6:57 PMI have to say after reading Soldier of Fortune it was so refreshing to see a woman in a combat zone as well and treated as an equal. I think the astronauts idea is very cool! But men in uniform and cowboys just scream fun to me! As I wish there were more vaiety I have to say I still am attracted to those alpha types.
Brande
Hi Shelley! Fun question. I like to read about exotic occupations but I relate to characters most who have occupations like mine. Writers, artists, musicians. But I do like to read about lawyers and architects and cops and PIs, too. Danger can be sexy (in regard to the cops and PIs, not the architects. LOL)
November 23, 2009 9:53 PMCan't wait to read Soldier of Fortune!
Hi RK - astronauts would make great characters though somehow, I don't think they'd have much privacy to pursue romance.
November 24, 2009 12:55 AMEstella - I'm a huge fan of cowboy stories. :-)
Hi Danielle - thanks so much!
November 24, 2009 12:57 AMFedora - I like dancer stories too. There aren't that many around.
Sherry - that's true. I prefer an alpha hero who is take charge. I'm not quite sure how I'd react to that in real life though. I don't like being bossed around. *grin*
Linda - I tend to go through stages with my reading where I read a lot of the same type of hero, as I mentioned in my post. I think sometimes I OD, which is why I like a change sometimes.
November 24, 2009 1:00 AMThanks, Jane.
Joder, I have a firefighter book sitting on my to-read pile at the moment. I'm looking forward to reading it.
Brande - thanks so much for having me here today, and I'm glad you enjoyed Soldier of Fortune. I do enjoy my alpha heroes, it's true. Perhaps that's part of the problem - heroes who work in some occupations aren't perceived as alphas.
November 24, 2009 1:03 AMHi Cari - I do love a bad boy rocker. I've just written and sold a rock star hero to Samhain Publishing. :-)
November 24, 2009 1:05 AMGreat interview! I like occupations that involve questing like a relic hunter, forensic archeology, or investigation.
November 24, 2009 3:50 PMOccupations don't matter too much to me in a romance novel but it might be fun to read about someone who is a flight training instructor.
November 24, 2009 6:04 PMI am a follower of your blog.
wandanamgreb(at)gmail(dot)com
+1
November 25, 2009 9:24 AMI do want to see more variety in the occupations featured, as much as I love an Alpha male who has it all, I also want to read about the Beta male who plays a very important role in the story development. I think it would be interesting to read about unusual occupations once in a while, I mean, I guess it's shallow of me but I also want to read about heroes with all the "it" factors...I mean after all, it's all about the escapism when it comes to reading, reality can take a back seat.
+5 Am a Follower
+7 Subscribing via e-mail to Book Junkie
Happy Reading
Anna Shah Hoque
s7anna@yahoo.ca
I like alpha males, but could care less about the occupation.
November 30, 2009 2:03 PMFollow through Google.
Subscribe via e mail.
+1 I like to read about the "average Joe" like construction workers or farmers.
November 30, 2009 4:49 PM+5 I am a follower (booklover0226)
+7 I am subscriber (see email below)
Thanks,
Tracey D
booklover0226 AT gmail DOT com
I like books about any kind of service profession, medical, firefighter, police... that sort of thing... This looks like a great book.
December 3, 2009 3:02 PMjustpeachy36@yahoo.com
I am a follower by Google Friend Connect and by email.
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