By Shelley Munro, TellTale
October 4th, 2008

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by Shelley Munro

I collect ideas–newspaper clippings, articles from magazines, Internet links, travel brochures and DVDs on various topics. Anything can spark my interest, and when it does, I add it to my idea box. It’s full at the moment - in fact, I either need to write faster or get another file box! Whenever I start a new book I think about the type of characters I want, the possible settings and head to my idea box. My Middlemarch Mates series came about after a marriage of two ideas from my box.

A few years ago there was a special interest item on our local television news. It was about a small town in the South Island of New Zealand called Middlemarch. Like many country towns, the young people weren’t sticking around, preferring to seek employment in the cities. This meant Middlemarch had a shortage of women of marriageable age. They decided to combat this problem head-on by organizing a dance to bring young women into the town. A special train, dubbed the love train, traveled all the way from Dunedin to take partygoers to the event. The first dance was so successful it is now an annual event. You can visit the Middlemarch website here. The next dance takes place on 11 April 2009 if you’re interested!

This story snared my interest and promptly went into my idea box.

The second story was about the sighting of an alien cat near Ashburton, also in the South Island of New Zealand. An alien cat is a large feline, such as a leopard or cougar, sighted in an area or country where it’s not indigenous. Many countries have sightings of alien cats including Britain, Australia, Finland, Denmark and Hawaii. This was a sighting in my home country and definitely attracted my curiosity, especially with my love of the paranormal.

In this case, the alien cat was a large black panther or leopard. I clipped the story and put it in my box until I could figure out a way of using the idea in one of my stories.

One day I had a brainwave. The two ideas simply had to go together, and the first book in my Middlemarch Mates series, SCARLET WOMAN was born. It tells the story of Emily Scarlet, a woman who is determined to experience a single night of pleasure after her husband leaves her for another woman. She decides to seek this single night at the Middlemarch dance and travels from Dunedin with her best friend aboard the love train.

My hero Saber Mitchell is the oldest of five brothers. He’s also part of the feline shifter community in the town of Middlemarch. His younger brothers are out of control and he’s desperate to marry them off, positive that a good woman will have a settling effect on them. Unfortunately, Saber falls into his own trap. You’ll have to read the story to see what happens.

The fifth book in the series, CAT AND MOUSE came out this week from Ellora’s Cave. I’m currently working on the seventh. I’ve used various New Zealand settings and have found writing this series a great excuse to explore some of the South Island. Luckily my husband is always keen to set off on an adventure and it was easy to talk him into a research trip.

The real Middlemarch is a very small town. I’ve embellished a little in my books, giving the town a police station and a vet. The real town doesn’t have these but they do have a school, a petrol station, a café, a pub and several bed and breakfasts. The Otago rail trail is also real as is the train that travels from Dunedin to Middlemarch via the Tairei Gorge. I’ve mentioned Sutton Salt lake, which is a real place - a salt water lake that dries up to smelly mud during the hot Otago summers.

The action in SCARLET WOMAN and PEEPING TOM takes place mainly in and around Middlemarch with a brief foray to the nearby city of Dunedin.

With STRAY CAT STRUT I headed to the Aoraki Mount Cook National Park. Mt. Cook is New Zealand’s highest mountain and I loved the scenery during my visit. I knew I had to write a book set in the mountain region. Saul, the hero, works as a guide at Mt. Cook when he meets Lucas, a lion shifter from South Africa.

One of my favorite spots is Queenstown, a tourist destination during both summer and winter with its gorgeous lake, the Remarkables mountain range and nearby ski fields. Queenstown is the adventure sport capital of New Zealand with bungee jumping, jetboating, gliding, skydiving and the like. It’s the place people go for an adrenaline rush. In fact commercial bungee jumping was born here. Like many towns in the region, Queenstown owes its origin to the 1800s gold rush. The gold petered out in the 1900s and tourism has taken over.

Between Queenstown and Cromwell there’s a grape-growing region, a place I remember with fond memories because I’ve stopped there to sample the wines and local produce. In ASSASSIN the Mitchell family diversify into the wine business and I also introduce readers to beautiful Queenstown.

In CAT AND MOUSE I delved into my memories. Until a few years ago my father was heavily involved in rodeo, providing bulls and horses for local rodeos in the North Island. Rodeo is also popular in the South Island, and since I’m going through a real Western phase at the moment, I decided to move the rodeo to Middlemarch. My hero Duncan Ross follows the rodeo circuit in the US (as my cousins did. I wasn’t quite as keen to climb aboard bucking bulls and went into accountancy!) He returns to New Zealand with one thing on his mind–to woo Lana Sinclair. Of course he rides at the Middlemarch rodeo so my knowledge of bull riding and rodeo came into play. Rodeo certainly isn’t a sport for the fainthearted but cowboys sure make sexy heroes.

My December release, CAT BURGLAR returns to Middlemarch, and as the title suggests, there are jewel thieves on the loose in the country town.

I love writing the Middlemarch Mates series. Each time I return to Middlemarch it’s like returning home. The Mitchells and their friends are like members of my family, and if you’re already a fan of the series you’ll be pleased to know there are more stories to come. After all, Saber Mitchell would never forgive me if I didn’t marry off his youngest brothers, twins Sly and Joe.

Visit my website to read excerpts of all the Middlemarch books including the upcoming December release.

Do you have questions? Comments?

I’m giving away one download from my Middlemarch Mates series. The winner can choose from Scarlet Woman, Peeping Tom, Stray Cat Strut, Assassin or Cat and Mouse. Everyone who asks a question or posts a comment will go into the draw to win. I’ll be back on Monday to announce the winner.

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