Guest Post – Shelley Munro with Contest!
Maxwell’s: The New Home of Burlesque
Meet Julia Maxwell. Her family arrived in Auckland, New Zealand several generations ago and went into the entertainment business. Their place on Karangahape Road—known locally as K’ Road—caused a few ripples, especially when Julia’s grandfather turned The Last Frontier into a strip club.
Fast forward a few years and The Final Frontier isn’t doing well. Other clubs have opened up in opposition, and Elise Maxwell, Julia’s mother and the current owner has health problems. Added to that, the man who she trusted to manage the place for her has run off with all the takings. Now the mortgage payment is due and things are looking dire.
Julia visits The Last Frontier with her girlfriends, and she’s shocked at the changes and the way the club has become so run down. Since the club has been in the Maxwell family for so long, Julia feels it’s her duty to try to save it. It’s time to haul The Last Frontier kicking and screaming into the future.
So, what does Julia do?
1. She redecorates the interior of the club.
2. She decides to go into burlesque rather than continuing with the tired strip routines.
3. She renames the club Maxwell’s.
4. She hires new dancers, although most are working for the competition.
5. She aims for a classier place to attract both male and female customers.
Julia is a dancer. During her late teens, she performed onstage as a stripper to earn money to pay for her education. Now the club is going into burlesque, which is a routine often done with adult humor, music and dance. The lines between stripping and burlesque have blurred over the years. A stripper removes his or her clothes while a burlesque performer is more likely to tease. Julia’s dancers mostly tease.
Here are a couple of quotes taken from The Burlesque Handbook by Jo Weldon.
“Burlesque is making and having fun, usually in a short dance that either begins or ends with some kind of nudity.” ~ Julie Atlas Muz
“Burlesque is a private joke between you and the audience that slowly reveals itself as the clothes hit the floor.” ~ Tanya Cheen
Let’s hope Julia’s new venture is successful, and she finds more dancers soon. If any of you are looking for a job, the costumes are sure pretty! I have a liking for blue and lots of sparkles, a long blonde wig and a sexy mask to conceal my identity. Oh, and a pair of blue strappy sandals to go with my Velcro dress.
What type of sexy costume would entice you into applying for a job at Maxwell’s? Answer this question, complete the rafflecopter and go into a draw to win an Amazon Gift Certificate.
Here’s the blurb for Past Regrets
Never look back…unless that’s where your heart belongs.
Love and Friendship, Book 2
Julia Maxwell was a seize-the-moment party girl until the night she spent with up-and-coming rocker Ryan Callander. From that moment, she was a one-man woman. Pity he hasn’t kept with the program.
Tired of the secrets that have kept her out of the press and Ryan’s fans happy, angry with mounting evidence of infidelity, Julia is older, wiser, and determined to divorce his cheatin’ ass.
Ryan’s long European tour had more than its share of hard knocks—one of which landed on his head when he was mugged. Divorce papers waiting for him at home are a shock that fills in some of the holes in his sketchy memory. But it could be too late to salvage his marriage.
If Ryan thinks flirtatious smiles, seductive touches, and hot-and-heavy kisses are going to smooth things over, Julia’s got a hammer with his name on it. To her surprise, he picks it up, determined to rebuild a bright future for both of them. But the past is lurking with some missing pieces that could bring their hearts crashing down.
Product Warnings
Contains a pissed ex-stripper turned burlesque dancer, a bunch of nosy friends and a smooth-talking rocker with one thing on his mind. Stripper poles and skimpy costumes may be involved.
Available at 30% discount right now at Samhain Publishing http://store.samhainpublishing.com/past-regrets-p-72998.html
Amazon http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CZ8MCII
Barnes & Noble http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/past-regrets-shelley-munro/1115456463?ean=9781619218093
Shelley Munro lives in New Zealand with her husband and a rambunctious puppy called Bella. She writes spicy romances for Carina Press, Ellora’s Cave and Samhain Publishing. To learn more about Shelley and her books visit her website at http://www.shelleymunro.com
