Guest Author Shelley Munro & Giveaway

Today I am thrilled to once again have author Shelley Munro visiting Book Junkie! Please give a warm welcome to Shelley while she talks a little about her Paranormal Series, the Middlemarch Mates series and in particular Scarlet Woman, book one in the series! Don't forget to scroll down and enter the Giveaway!

Big Cats by Shelley Munro

Hi! Thanks for having me to visit again. Today I’m here to talk about Scarlet Woman, the first book in my Middlemarch Mates series.

I’ve always enjoyed reading and writing paranormal romance, and the first full length novel I wrote was about fairies. I wrote a couple of sci-fi romances next before I started thinking about paranormal again. A few years earlier, I’d clipped a newspaper article about sightings of an alien black panther roaming the countryside in the South Island of New Zealand (Big cats aren’t native to New Zealand). When I watched a special interest item on the news about the small country town of Middlemarch having a shortage of marriageable women the two ideas blended nicely. I had an idea for my next paranormal story, which became Scarlet Woman, the first book in my Middlemarch Mates series.

There’s something about a big cat that lends itself as a hero or heroine in a paranormal romance.

Cats are sleek and beautiful with gorgeous fur and markings. They’re strong and agile, skilled hunters and very intelligent. Some big cats are loners such as tigers or leopards and it’s difficult to catch sight of them in the wild because they’re so secretive. Other big cats such as lions are very family orientated. They live, hunt, eat and play together.

I chose to write about black leopards because the newspaper article mentioned panthers. My feline shifters are very family orientated. They’re strong and feisty (in the case of female shifters), loyal to their friends and family and highly protective of their loved ones. They’re also secretive in that humans don’t know of their existence.

In Scarlet Woman, Saber Mitchell wants to marry off his four younger brothers in the hope they’ll settle down and stop giving him gray hair. The town elders organize a dance to bring young women into the town. The trap is set… Unfortunately it’s Saber who springs the trap when he meets Emily Scarlet, much to the delight of his younger brothers.

Do you prefer cats or wolves in your paranormal romances and why? If you could choose any paranormal being to read about, what type would it be?

To learn about the stories in Shelley’s Middlemarch Mates series, read excerpts, see family trees and other background information visit her website at www.shelleymunro.com
Excerpt from Scarlet Woman:

“Oh, man. Look at the tits on her.” Felix made kissing noises deep in his throat. “I’ve died and gone to heaven. Oh, man. She winked. Yep, heaven.”

Sly thumped his brother on the back. “Don’t think it’s heaven, bro. Can’t be with all that sinful lust shining on your face.”

“Cut it out, the pair of you,” Saber said, trying to scowl his boisterous younger brothers into obedience. Despite laying down the law this afternoon, the four were out of control. He had to get them settled before one of their harmless pranks boiled over into something that threatened them all.

“Yeah, gotta remember, this is punishment,” Leo chided, humor dancing in his dark eyes.
Joe let out a low whistle. “I vote the lady in red administers my punishment.”

Saber relaxed a fraction. Good. His plan was working already. If he managed to get each of his brothers mated, they’d cut out the mischievous shenanigans and settle down to raise a litter or two. And he wouldn’t have to worry about articles in the paper like the one he’d seen last month.
Black panther sighted again.

At least the article had lit a match under the council elders. Finally. Agreement that they needed to do something to help the younger males settle. Saber’s mouth firmed in introspection as he recalled the heated meeting. The council had discussed the lack of females of marriageable age. They knew the causes—the feline families tended to have male offspring while the human females seemed to enjoy the lifestyle offered in the city of Dunedin or farther afield. They attended high school and university in the city and never returned to their birthplace. The human males left too, but they tended to return after exploring a little of the world outside Middlemarch. Until the reporter’s story had appeared, no one had tried to solve the problem of a lopsided gender ratio. The article in the paper had been the catalyst. They’d all swung into action to organize a dance they hoped would benefit both the young shifter and human males living in Middlemarch. The task they’d called impossible suddenly became imperative.

Saber eyed Felix and Leo, the brothers standing closest to him, feeling the tension brought about by responsibility coalesce into a solid lump in his chest. They both strenuously denied taking part in the prank, but Saber wasn’t so sure. He knew his brothers—where there was fun to be had, they were in the thick of it.

Felix nudged Sly. “Big bro’s looking serious. He’s got Mission Mate on his mind again.”
Joe leaned closer and whispered, “Can’t have shape shifters roaming around Middlemarch for the humans to see.”

“Enough,” Saber snapped. His brothers sobered, knowing they’d pushed him far enough tonight. Dammit, he had to find them mates. It was too late for him. But not for them. None of his brothers remembered how it had been between their parents. They’d been too young when they died, but Saber remembered how they’d laughed and played together, how they’d made everything seem like a game, even the work on the farm. Yes, he remembered the intimacy between his parents, and that’s what he wanted for his four brothers.
http://www.jasminejade.com/pm-5674-127-scarlet-woman.aspx

***GIVEAWAY***

Shelley has generously offered to give away an ebook download of one of the books in her Middlemarch series - there are eight to choose from.
http://www.shelleymunro.com/series-guide/ .

She also have a free download available on my website that features a family tree for the Middlemarch series. Readers can download that for free. Here's the link (scroll down a little) http://www.shelleymunro.com/free-reads/

To enter you MUST answer Shelley's question above in her post. Leave your e-mail!!! or your entry won't count.

Open to All

Winner Chosen 02/08

**Please also note that Shelley's Wild Child is out at All Romance eBooks. All the proceeds from this book and the other books in the 28 Days of Heart series will be donated to the American Heart Association.