Saturday spotlight: Shelley Munro: a Nancy Drew fan realizes her dream ....

[J L Wilson]

This Saturday I'm 'chatting' with Shelley Munro, another Cerridwen RS author.

From the time she was a little girl living in New Zealand, Shelley Munro wanted to be a detective. She read all the Secret Seven and Famous Five mysteries by Enid Blyton before graduating to Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys. Her favorite television viewing was Scooby Doo where she, in her invisible guise, helped Scooby and the gang solve the crime.
As happens with children, Shelley grew up and was distracted by boys. She found one she really liked and married him, traveling the world at his side until returning to settle in New Zealand to write tales of mayhem and murder with liberal sprinkling of bodies. Shelley also writes hot paranormal and contemporary tales for Ellora's Cave. You can visit Shelley to learn more about her books at her website or blog and also at MySpace.

Website: http://www.shelleymunro.com
Blog: http://www.shelleymunro.com/blog
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/shelleymunro

Here's Shelley's story in her own words .... they echo a lot of what I went through when I decided to get serious about writing (especially the bit about tossing everything into the book whether it made sense or not -- OI! I've done that one).

--------------------- One morning I woke up with an urgent thought on my mind—if I didn't start writing I'd never realize my dream of publishing a book. I think the stars were aligned that week because I came across an advertisement for a romance writing course and also a magazine article about Romance Writers of New Zealand. I believe in fate. I enrolled for the course, sent off my check to join RWNZ and started writing my first book. I didn't plot or plan but instead took everything I liked, tossed it together and started to ferment a story. My plot ingredients included New Zealand, romance, rugby, aromatherapy, mystery, stalkers and a dash of chocolate. Playing to Win is the result. Thrilled to finish, I immediately sent off my story and waited impatiently for my contract. I was crushed when I received a rejection. However, this story does have a happy ending. I sat down and wrote more stories, attended conferences and networked on the web. I learned about editing and rewrites, I submitted this story and others to publishers. Iworked really hard and fate, along with a determination to follow my dreams, won through. I give you Playing to Win ....

Playing to Win - Blurb

Professional rugby player Lane Gerrard is used to women throwing themselves at him, but a scurrilous tabloid article naming him as father of a child sends his temper soaring. The woman he confronts doesn't fit the blackmailer profile. Kate Alexander is attractive with an enchanting innocence, enticing. A total stranger. Her feistiness draws his unwilling admiration, but the child…he is the image of Lane.

Kate can't deny her son's similarity to the sexy man at her door but no way will she hand him over without a fight. Kate doesn't possess money but she can shower her son with love. With public speculation rife, Kate reluctantly works with Lane to discover the truth. They grow closer as distrust slowly turns to mutual fascination, but the tabloid articles bring out a stalker. Mild pranks escalate into danger, and suddenly Lane realizes Kate is a woman he could love. With Kate and her son, he could have a family. Now, with his heart on the line, this is one game he's playing to win.

Excerpt: http://www.shelleymunro.com/books/playing-to-win
Buy link: http://www.cerridwenpress.com/productpage.asp?ISBN=9781419912320