Fiona Lowe's Blog, page 24
August 14, 2011
Four Fabulous Days
I'm here in body and spirit, but I think I lost my brain somewhere between the Romance Writers of Australia's 20th conference and home! It was a fabulous conference and kicked off with a stellar author's day on Thursday. My head was spinning after great talks by Kelley Armstrong, Angela James, Stephanie Laurens and agent Kristen Nelson. The day ended with a wonderful dinner with my fellow Harlequin authors, hosted by Harlequin Australia.
Friday, I had a workshop free day, but that didn't mean I wasn't busy. I caught up with fellow authors Annie West, Anne Gracie and Jennifer Kloester before getting busy with my calligraphy pen for the RWAus conference team. I brainstormed with Rachael Johns as we both tried to nail the conflicts in our respective WIPS and I met debut medical romance authors Leonie Knight and Louise Groarke 
Friday night was the roaring twenties cocktail party and I went as Melbourne gangster, Squizzy Taylor. I met some dolls otherwise known as authors, Sarah Mayberry, Joan Kilby and Marion Lennox.
Saturday dawned and the conference kicked off with a fabulous opening speech by NYT bestselling author, Susan Wiggs and I also took her workshop, Plotting from the Inside Out which validated my process….always useful! 
That afternoon, DH, Boy Wonder and I took Angela James and her delightful husband to the MCG for a true Australian experience…Aussie Rules Football. Sadly, it was a very one-sided match but as Angela said, it was no hardship watching buff men in shorts chase a ball around.
The awards dinner was huge, but I managed to catch up with a few people between courses. Ebony McKenna won the best cover and fellow medical romance author, Melanie Milburne won the short category of the Romantic Book of the Year. Go Melanie and go Medical romance!
Sunday arrived and I woke up to a text from special writing pal, Nicola Marsh who told me that Boomerang Bride was a 'top pick' at RT book reviews with the amazing line of 'best book this reviewer has read in a long time.' SQUEE. I had to focus quickly though, as I was teaching a workshop soon after. My workshop topic was 'Writing from the Male Point of View.' I tried to stay very calm when Bob Mayer walked in and sat down! I wasn't expecting a bloke to attend There was a lot of laughter courtesy of the BBC show, Coupling and hopefully everyone left with one lightbulb moment.
Then it was off to lunch with fellow Aussie Carina Press authors which was hosted by executive editor, Angela James. I had the lamb shanks on creamy mash (YUM!!!), followed by the lemon tart. Sadly, lunch was a clash with the Fire Fighters Charity auction so I missed seeing the fire fighters but was thrilled my ARC copy of Boomerang Bride and my goodie basket were hotly contested and raised some lovely dollars for the Otis Foundation.
Jane Porter finished the conference with some very uplifting words and then it was time to travel down the road and slowly adjust back to real life. Hmm. given how little I have achieved this morning, adjusting to real life might take some time!
My thanks go out to Romance Writers of Austalia and to the amazing conference committee for a wonderful four days!
August 8, 2011
Party! Boomerang Bride has hit the virtual shelf!
I'm really excited to announce that Boomerang Bride is on-sale now! This is my first exclusive eBook release and to celebrate, I'm having a big, virtual party! It started last night on Twitter and it's happening on Facebook and on blogs around the internet! I'm going on tour…blog tour that is.
I kick off tonight AUS time, which is Tuesday USA time over at the Carina Press blog. On Thursday AUST time and Wednesday USA time, I'll be at Manic Readers and next week the party continues at Romancing The Book, Totebag n Blogs 
and then it spills into Romance Book Paradise on the 24th of July. Don't worry, I'll keep you posted with up to the minute, links!
I'm thrilled that Boomerang Bride is getting some lovely reviews…
"I recommend Boomerang Bride to fans of romance novels with soul. The story is complete, rich, satisfying, and will not disappoint."
Not sure what Boomerang Bride's about?
Matilda Geoffrey risked it all for love. She left Australia to be with Barry—the man who had swept her off her virtual feet. Now, wearing a wedding dress, she's alone on Main Street in small-town Wisconsin, and things aren't working out exactly as planned…
In town for his annual family visit, Marc Olsen had never seen a bride quite like Matilda—staring into a storefront window, holding a tottering wedding cake, and looking desperately in need of a groom. He may not have any warm feelings for his hometown, but meeting Matilda just as she discovers she's been scammed by her online "fiancé" stirs something in him.
Matilda is not the kind of woman Marc imagined himself with, and Marc is anything but the romantic hero that Matilda has always dreamed of. But as unlikely circumstances throw them together, can they let go of their misconceptions and risk their hearts for love?
For photos and pictures that inspired the story, and for an excerpt, check out my website.
Boomerang Bride is being released as an eBook only and you can read it on your computer or on the eReader of your choice. New to eReaders? Wondering which format to buy? Click here to learn more.
You can buy Boomerang Bride at Carina Press, Amazon Kindle, Barnes and Noble Nook and other on-line book stores.
There are fab prizes to be won at the different blogs and I'm so looking forward to celebrating my single title romance with you all 
I hope you can join me on my blog tour!
July 31, 2011
Brooding Hero
I've just finished reading Jane Eyre. I was revisiting it as the only other time I read it was when I was 15 and I thought perhaps I hadn't done it justice then. Having re-read it, I am still not a huge fan, but I saw Jane and Mr. Rochester in a new light. It got me thinking about the brooding hero, especially as I'd just written one. In my latest release, Career Girl in the Country, Dr Matt Albright is indeed a brooding hero. He's experienced a devastating loss in his life, one that many people have had to deal with and when I hear their stories I often ask myself, 'How do they cope? How do they manage to get up in the morning?'
So real life was the inspiration, but it was this picture of Johnny Depp that was the muse. What do you think? Does this picture tell a lot of stories?
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Career Girl in the Country hits the shelf in the UK today and is available for online purchase in Australia and will be on-shelf in Oz mid September. It's also available as an ebook from Mills and Boon UK and Australia.
July 28, 2011
Blogging over at Love Cats Down Under
Today, I'm chatting over at the LoveCats Down Under…great women who love category romance and cats and dogs and pets in general! I'd love to see you there!
July 27, 2011
What's Your Favourite Story Theme?
Today I'm over at eHarlequin talking about favourite story themes. Do you have one?
What makes you pick up a medical romance? Are you a sucker for the cinderella story…..rising above your lot in life? Do you love a friends-to-lovers book? A second chance at love? A miracle baby…talking miracle babies, a 50 year old Australian woman has just broken the record as the oldest Australian on record to give birth naturally after natural conception.
What else? Um, marriage of convenience…granted this isn't a big theme in medical romances. Overcoming physical/emotional odds? Bad boy reformed? Secret baby?
I bet I've forgotten a heap. Please fill me in on what story trope in medical romance you enjoy best.
July 22, 2011
Holiday Snaps
I'm nose down tail up with revisions but meanwhile here are some holiday photos to enjoy.Here we are camping on the beach at Cape Range national park, Western Australia which contains the Ningaloo Reef
The dolphins above are at Monkey Mia, Western Australia and just below are the boys looking at the stomatalites…oldest living things on the planet and the reason life is on earth at all. They created the first oxygen into the atmosphere. The four wheel drive was fantastic and we were able to visit Francois Peron National park which was red outback dust and white sand beaches! We swam with the whale sharks which was beyond awesome.
Kalbarri national park was rugged and the wildflowers were about to burst into bloom. If you haven't been to this part of Western Australia, I recommend you do!
July 18, 2011
Where have you taken your eReader?
I've been on vacation and am still chasing my tail but wanted to give you a sneak peak into one of the things I did while I was away.
I read on my Kindle on the glorious 'Sandy Beach' at the Cape Range National Park in Western Australia. We had this glorious beach to ourselves for 90 minutes and we got a bit stroppy when other people arrived
We bush camped and my Kindle battery powered on without needing to be recharged until about day 9 and then I just plugged it into the cigarette lighter in the 4WD and it charged up while I kept reading and DH drove
So where have you taken your eReader?
June 22, 2011
What Can't You Live Without?
I've had one of those weeks where you start to think, 'Have I offended the universe in some way?'
On Friday night, a car came out of nowhere and plowed into my car and although the car is a mess, I am mercifully fine apart from bruised ribs. We are juggling one car, which is working okay as long as we plan the day. Then the washing machine died and the dryer went out in sympathy.
We are currently a family of five (gorgeous French exchange student living with us for 9 weeks), it's mid-winter and as Sharon will attest, we haven't seen sun or a temperature over 50f/10C in weeks.
Last time the machine had a cardiac arrest, it was gone for two weeks while it was being resuscitated and I spread my washing around friends and the local launderette. (By the way, the launderette is a great place for book ideas). This time the machine mercifully died and the one bright thing to happen was that we are fortunate enough to be able to go out and buy a washing machine. I really feel for women with children who don't have their own machine. I also remembered how excited my 26 year old nephew was when he was given one for Christmas.
Having your own machine makes your life easier in so many ways and if I had to make a choice between the car and the washing machine, I'd take the machine! So now I have a natty front loader which sings to me when it's finished and the dryer only needed a fan belt so I am back in business. I can take clean clothes on holidays/vacation! YAY.So which household appliance would you be totally LOST without?
(BTW, I am off on a two week camping holiday on Saturday to (hopefully/it better be!!) warmer Western Australia as long as the ash cloud doesn't come back. Given my track record this week I am not holding my breath!!)
June 20, 2011
Free Book Week at Carina Press
It's FREE BOOK WEEK at Carina Press!
Starting on June 20th, on every weekday, of this week, Carina is offering a spectacular title for free download. When they say free, they mean FREE. Not "sorta free", or "free with a $50 purchase" free, but actually, totally, no strings attached FREE! So, get thee to Carina Press to download a free book every day! Here are the books being offered, and the links and promo codes for your free download:
Monday's FREE BOOK is:
The Debutante's Dilemma by Elyse Mady
Just type in the promo code DEBUTANTEFREE at checkout
http://ebooks.carinapress.com/ContentDetails.htm?ID=50C0978A-DAC7-44E7-B627-C26A520471C0
Tuesday's FREE BOOK is:
Demon's Fall by Karalynn Lee
Just type in the promo code DEMONFREE at checkout
http://ebooks.carinapress.com/ContentDetails.htm?ID=1E5A3A07-9BC7-4449-9B8F-377C21E2F664
Wednesday's FREE BOOK is:
The Twisted Tale of Stormy Gale by Christine Bell
Just type in the promo code TWISTEDFREE at checkout
http://ebooks.carinapress.com/ContentDetails.htm?ID=D79D7CD6-1BAA-4D2E-AE65-FF0E42F79BE7
Thursday's FREE BOOK is:
Blue Galaxy by Diane Dooley
Just type in the promo code GALAXYFREE at checkout
http://ebooks.carinapress.com/ContentDetails.htm?ID=827CC21D-6F33-437A-977B-B0F291B70367
Friday's FREE BOOK is:
Friendly Fire by Megan Hart
Just type in the promo code FRIENDLYFREE at checkout
http://ebooks.carinapress.com/ContentDetails.htm?ID=E1466469-DB0C-404F-A0AA-3491BB9E9B14
Enjoy a great week of reading!
June 13, 2011
eBooks on the Rise
Harlequin have been selling electronic versions of my books since 2008, but the sales of eBooks has really hit its stride in the last year. It's not often I'm 'on trend' but as I studied my latest royalty statements I can see a big jump in the eBook sales of my books. The biggest jump has been in the USA. My books are not on the shelf in the USA, (long story but Medical Romances are only sold online in both print version and ebook) With my book Miracle Twin Babies, if you take out subscription sales, I sold more books in eBook format than I did in print in the USA. It stands to reason I guess, as people have to go online anyway to buy the book, but in past books the print had still won out.
Amazon Kindle have been selling my books for a while, but today I got a 'google alert' that my books are now in NOOK format as well KOBO so that's exciting because the more options, you, my readers have in buying my books, the better. I know as a reader I value the choice in how I buy a book and I imagine you do too
New to ebooks? Check out my ebook and eReader information page on my website
