Fiona Lowe's Blog, page 22

November means…

I had lunch with a good friend today to celebrate her birthday. I always know when it is her birthday and then DH's which is next Wednesday, then Christmas is close. The junk mail has quadrupled telling me I should be buying presents. Thing is, in Australia, November also means school is careening to a close and that means the middle school play, exams and carol services, not to mention end-of-year school trips.

Life gets super busy, however have done one Christmas thing, and that is I have chopped up all the Christmas cake fruit and I have it soaking in whiskey, rum, vanilla, lemon essence and brandy. Everyone in the family walks past and gives it a shake.  I will bake it when it has soaked a month so that's in two weeks.

I've also started a Christmas book which will be published this time next year. It's a great time of year to write a Christmas book given the decorations are all up in the shops  and everywhere you turn there is something to remind you of the season. The only problem that I can see is actually finding the TIME to write it!

Life With a Kitten

Pekoe, the kitten has been with us for four weeks. She's a regular kitten with two speeds-flat out spack or asleep. Depending on the weather and the time of day, she chooses to sleep in a variety of places. Our laps do not seem to be one of them, but she likes to be closeby. Today she is behind my back as I type.

 Best toy? Has to be a polystyrene ball the size of a tennis ball. It is so light whenever she touches it, it moves and she charges around the house trying to catch it. This wears her out beautifully! 

She loves getting up on her back legs and watching the washing machine go around and around and around. Apparently it's fascinating! Here are some pictures to enjoy.

RT Book Reviewers Choice Awards & the nominees are….

I am thrilled to annouce that Boomerang Bride has been nominated for an award in the annual  RT BookReviewers Choice awards. What is super exciting about this is that as my medical romances are not sold on the shelf in the US, I am never eligable for this. Mind you, neither is BB sold on shelf in the US but for some reason it is eligible and I am not complaining 

The annoucment from RT read thus:

Dear Book Lovers,

2011WAS ANOTHER great year for readers. So many fabulous books were published! We reviewed more than 250 books in each issue of RT BOOK REVIEWS—more than 3,000 titles for the entire year. Our ace reviewers and editors have scoured 12 months' worth of reviews to compile the best of the best for the annual  RT BOOK REVIEWS Career Achievement and Reviewers' Choice Awards. For the Reviewers' Choice nominees, our star team selected only those novels that deeply resonated with them. The Career Achievement nominees have continuously crafted superior books throughout their careers in each category.

Winners will be announced in the May issue of RT, just prior to our 29th annual Booklovers Convention in Chicago, April 11 -April 15, 2012.  

Boomerang Bride is in the category of 'Digital First & Indie Press' and I'm also really happy to also see Shannon Stacey's Yours To Keep, (another Carina Press novel) in the same category. It is a book I really enjoyed.

Congratulations to all the nominees!

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Why I am a NaNoWriMo Grinch or a girl has to write it her own way.

[image error]Tomorrow is November 1st and the start of NaNoWriMo , or 'Write a book in November'. If you want to see me get really het up, fling the words NaNo WrioMo at me or even worse, 'Write a Book in a Week.' 

Yes, I know this idea is to get people into the habit of writing every day but so often it ends up as a competition of 'I wrote 5,000 words today', which is quickly countered by someone who reports they wrote '10,000.' And you know what? I can't compete. I just can't write 50K in four short weeks.

Yesterday I finished my 17th Harlequin Medical Romance (50K) and I've also written two 100K single titles. I have NEVER written a book in a month and this is why.

 Back on August 18th I started the book  and  I had ten weeks to write it.  I've been calling for want of a better name,  'My Argentine Guy'. He's pretty gorgeous so it seemed enough. I got off to flying start for me by writing 1000 words. This was a huge . Seriously. First day of writing often is less than 500 words.  Thirteen days later, having worked eleven of those days I had 7,171 clean words… that is 561 words a day.

 Do you see why I am an NaNoWriMo Grinch? Starting is hard for me I have to get to know my characters.  I frequently sit down and have no idea what they are going to do next and my only guiding light is their belief they hold about themselves.

Thirty days has September and I wrote on twenty-six of those days. By the end of September I had 24,750 words ….which works out to be 676 words a day. I was up to page 100 and I have five other pages of notes which I've included in the word count because they ended up in the book in some shape or form.  I had 31 days left to write more words than I had written in 38 days.

Fifteen days later with only sixteen days until the book was due I was at 34,360 words having only advanced 10K, which is still about 600 words a day and I am writing for a full working day here. It isn't like I am just at the computer for a couple of hours!!

 And the book wasn't working. I had no clear idea of how my heroine was going to get her epiphany. I hauled out pen and paper, I made charts, I re-read what I had written twice and I highlighted their emotional journeys. I was horrible to my husband, I was irritable with everyone and I had a bright red light over my head flashing, 'deadline, deadline deadline.'

I also had a part of my brain saying, 'trust your process.' In the past I have written books in ten weeks, in fact that is the time I allow to write one. Once I shaved off a week but generally I make it in ten. It does mean it's tight for me though.

By October 22nd I had turned a corner. I was up to 42,122 words, a whooping 1100 words a day. The last week I wrote 9500 words, bringing my average for that week up to 1357 words  day. I spent Saturday and Sunday doing  a final read and now it has gone.

Why have I written this post? To say that my process is mine and that your process is yours. Word counts are NOT everything. Finishing a well crafted book is everything and often that is achieved not by pumping out words but sometimes by reflecting. I worry for unpublished authors that they feel they have to write fast and then beat themselves up when they don't reach a word target. The muse isn't always going to oblige and I find on the days she coughs up a lot of words, the next day is a writing bust.

So yeah, I'm not joining NoWriMo because I can't write a book in a month, but I can write a clean ready to go book in ten weeks. I probably should allow eleven….

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Free Books!

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The Biggest International Bookish Giveaway Online  is happening this week so to be PART of it head over to Small Blogs, Big Giveaways!

62 prizes split between 5 winners 6 Gift Card Giveaways!

This includes Boomerang Bride AND if you leave a comment on my blog this week  you also go into an extra draw for Career Girl In the Country

Follow the event on twitter
 

 

* Having Other Giveaways During The Event  are:

*Can't Put It Down

*The Magic Attic

Bona Fide Reflections

*Laurie's Thoughts & Reviews

My Cute Bookshelf

A Writer's Life With Liz Fielding

No Page Left Behind

*Close Encounters with the Night Kind

*Sweeping The USA

*Frugal Experiments

Alexa Loves Books

I Just Wanna Sit Here and Read

Romance Around the Corner

Coffee Beans & Love Scenes

So Many Books, So Little Time

*Sexxy Blogger

Thank you to our featured authors:

Talia Jager | Fiona Lowe | Jenn LeBlanc | Donna Alward| Christy Hayes| Gail Barrett| Lorhainne Eckhart | Sarah Ballance | Sandy Wolters | Hazel Osmond | *Bianca Swann | *Natasha Blackthorne | * Barbara Monajem | *Kate Hewitt | Wendi Zwaduk

GIFT CARDS:

$25 gift certificate to Amazon or The Book Depository
$15 Barnes & Noble eGift Card (US & Intl) or Gift Card (US)
$10 gift certificate to Amazon
$15.00 in books from the Book Depository
$10 in books from the Book Depository
$5 gift certificate to Changeling Press for a book of the winner's choice

(x2) $ 5 gift certificate to Amazon

BOOKS:
* with the option of being signed with Kindlegraph (for the Kindle ebook version).
Angle of Incidence by Christy Hayes (ebook)

Boomerang Bride by Fiona Lowe (ebook) signed postcard and magnet

Celestial Sin by Bianca Swan (ebook) Signed cover flat and customized pen

Concrete Pearl by Vincent Zandri (ebook)

Dark Corners by Liz Schulte (paperback)

Divergent by Veronica Roth (hardcover)

Dodge the Bullet by Christy Hayes (ebook)

Entangled by Authors4theCure (ebook)

Feed By: Mira Grant (paperback)
Fractured Time by Alan Draven (ebook)

Ghost on Black Mountain by Ann Hite (paperback)

Grey's Lady, Carte Blanche Series Book One by Natasha Blackthorne (ebook)

Guardian Angel by Julie Garwood (paperback)

(x2)Hawthorne by Sarah Ballance (ebook)

Heart of Glass by Christy Hayes (ebook)

Heiress by Susan May Warren (paperback)

(x3)High-Risk Reunion by Gail Barrett SIGNED(paperback)

How A Cowboy Stole Her Heart by Donna Alward SIGNED(paperback)

I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith (paperback)

(x4) Justice For Emily by Sandy Wolters (ebook)

Misconception by Christy Hayes (ebook)

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (paperback)

Notorious Eliza by Barbara Monajem (ebook)

*Off The Clock by Donna Alward (ebook)

One Night in Milan by Michelle Reid, Kate Hewitt, and India Grey (paperback)

Practice Makes Perfect by Julie James (paperback)

Saving Grace by Julie Garwood (paperback)

(x4) Secret Bloodline by Talia Jager (eBook)

Shoe Strings by Christy Hayes (ebook)

Sunrise in a Garden of Love and Evil by Barbara Monajem SIGNED(paperback)

Tastes of Love and Evil Barbara Monajem SIGNED(paperback)

(x3) Tempted By Trouble by Liz Fielding (paperback)
The Bitternest Chronicles by Alan Draven (ebook)

The Choice by Lorhainne Eckhart (ebook)

The Commander And The Den Asaan Rautu by Michelle Franklin (eBook)

The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton (paperback)

The Man Who Could Never Love by Kate Hewitt (paperback)

The Matchmaker Bride by Kate Hewitt (paperback)

*(x3) The Rake And The Recluse by Jenn LeBlanc (ebook)

The Secret Baby Scandal by Jennie Lucas and Kate Hewitt (paperback)

Unforgiven by Sarah Ballance (ebook)

*Waltz of Seduction by Natasha Blackthorne (ebook)

(x2) Who's Afraid of Mr Wolfe? by Hazel Osmond (paperback)
Wild Justice by Liz Fielding (ebook)
Wild Lady by Liz Fielding (ebook)
Wild Fire by Liz Fielding (ebook)
 
**Winners:**
We'll be selecting a random participant to win a gift card for every 1000 entries till we reach 6000!
-The first winner will choose 15 items from the prize list

-The 2nd will choose 13 items after the 1st winner has chosen

-The 3rd will get 12 items after the 2nd winner has chosen

-The 4th gets 10 items after the 3rd winner has chosen

-The 5th gets 10 items after the 4th winner has chosen
The remaining books and/or giftcards will be given to our hosts.
 
**Rules:**
1.Sign up using the RAFFLECOPTER tool. 1.2Read the blog rules to know how to sign up for other giveaways the blogs might be providing.
2.This is an INTERNATIONAL giveaway, but some prizes might be available only to where The Book Depository ships to.
3.You must be at least 18 years or older, or of legal age in your country.
4.The contest will end on OCTOBER 30rd at 12:01 AM EST.
5.Winners will be selected using the RAFFLECOPTER tool and posted on the the next day after the event is over.
5.1The winners will be notified by email and announced on all hosting blogs.
5.2 The winners will have 48 hours from the date they are posted to provide a mailing address. If you do not contact me within two days a replacement winner will be selected. NO EXCEPTIONS.
6.Each blogger/author will be responsable for mailing the prize they provided. No replacements will be made. Your email address will not be saved or used for any other purposes then to contact the winner in the contest for their mailing address.
6.1 The other bloggers/authors are not responsible for other prizes that are not honored, distributed in a timely manner, lost, stolen, or damaged during transit.
7. Prizes are subject to change/cancellation without prior written notice. 8. .The giveaways are in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook.

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Revolting Rhymes

Boy Wonder is getting an award today at Speech Day…he won the Reading prize for his year level Each year all students read a passage from the book of their choice. I've always quoted 'Singing In The Rain' with 'Make 'em laugh' or cry, but in two minutes its easier to make them laugh.  

This year he chose from Roald Dahl's 'Revolting Rhymes' and read 'Goldilocks and the Three Bears.' If you're not familiar with 'Revolting Rhymes', check them out because they will definitely make you smile.

As a child, my school librarian introduced me to Dahl by reading us 'James and the Giant Peach' and then the much anticipated 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'.  I used to count the days between library classes so I could get my next 'fix' of the stories.

I've passed my love of Roald Dahl to my boys and we and have the complete collection of his stories. I remember a long car trip whizzing past as we listened to 'The Fantastic Mr Fox.' We've seen the films, we've seen stage productions

Sometimes, what we loved as a kid does not translate well to our own children but Dahl did for us. Do you have an author that you passed onto your kids successfully?

Small Blogs, Big Giveaways

I'm getting excited about being part of 'The Small Blogs Big Giveaways' which  is the biggest bookish international giveaway online! 
This is what SBBG is all about…
 
The event is organized by @ ReadingRomances and happens once a month! The 4th edition is from October 22nd to October 29th:
there are 15 featured authors ,17 hosts, over 60 prizes, 3 prize winners and 5 giftcard winners! You can follow the event on twitter and to know more about it through the blog: http://smallblogsbiggiveaways.blogspot.com/ 
 
I 'm giving away two prizes as part of this so I hope you'll join in as there are lots of fabulous prizes.

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Seductive Frenchmen and a cute but testing kitten

I don't know who was more excited this morning when the postman came- me or the kitten. I was excited because of a very unexpected arrival of a box of books and the kitten is beside herself because of the box:-)

It turns out, I'm in a special release titled, 'Latin Lovers-Seductive Frenchmen' along with lovely Presents/Modern authors Abby Green and Chantelle Shaw. Awesome!  My book is The French Doctor's Midwife Bride. This story was written using the kernals of the story from the  very first book I ever wrote back in 1995.

Peko, the kitten, who has been in the house for six days now, loves a box, but this book box is the biggest one she's had so far. It's kept her entertained for a good hour. The sun is out in the office so I'm hoping she will settle down now for a nap as I start work.

She is generally a good kitten but seems to have one accident a day. I am worried this is going to turn into a battle of the wills. She knows where the litter box is and when I put her in it she mostly uses it. But then she will meow and instead of going to the litter box, start looking for places to void. I pick her up and put her in the covered, clean litter box that is sprinkled with the litter she had at the shelter. She uses it but she won't if I don't put her in it.

Any tips cat people?  Just as well she is gorgeous cute!

Two Hundred Years of Wedding Dresses

                                                                                                     It's spring 'down under' and three days ago, I had a short break with the family. We headed to a regional country town in my state called Bendigo.  During the gold rush a lot of money poured out of the Bendigo hills and as a result it has the most beautiful Victorian buildings for a town of its size. Today, Bendigo's economy is heavily underpinned by tourism and they have a very dynamic art gallery director. The current exhibition, all the way from London's Victoria and Albert museum is called 'The White Wedding Dress' and it has dresses dating back more than 200 years. Not all of the dresses are white. Did you know Queen Victoria is responsible for the tradition of the white wedding dress?

I am a sucker for a wedding dress, and in my book Boomerang Bride, Matilda wore a vintage dress. It seemed obvious to me that I had to go this exhibition. My teenage boys were not so certain so I sent them to the science Discovery Centre.

As well as dresses, there were shoes, gloves, bonnets and handbags. The beadwork on some of the dresses was amazing. Some dresses were  over the top for me and others too plain but all were a fascinating snap-shot of their time. I learned all sorts of things including the rise of the 'celebrity' bride. I thought it a recent phenomena but no, it dates  back to the 1900s.

The best way to describe this exhibition and to show you some of the dresses is this You Tube video clip. Enjoy!

And the Big Men Fly!

Today a large part of southern Australia and slabs of Queensland will come to a halt at 2.30pm to watch the Australian Rules Football Grand Final. The two teams that are competing for the Premiership cup this year both have a huge fanbase. If you combined the paid up members of both Collingwood -The Magpies- and Geelong-The Cats- they would exceed the 110,000 capacity of the MCG- the stadium where the game will be played. Both teams are at the top of their game and we're all hoping for a super -competitive match.

Geelong was in the football wilderness for  44 years, until the great victory of 2007. Today is their fourth GF appearance in five years and they've won twice. Will they make it a third?

Collingwood won last year and has won many times before. It is a team that brings out a passionate response- you either LOVE them or you HATE them and there is nothing much in between.

Who am I supporting?

Here's a tip.

GO CATS!