At Home With RITA Award Winning Author Fiona Lowe (& Giveaway!)
To celebrate my new release, THE JANUARY WISH, the first book in my small coastal town series set in Tarrin’s Bay; The Town of New Beginnings, I’m running a new interview segment called ‘At Home With…’
Today, I’m excited to be paying a visit to award-winning author, Fiona Lowe! Read on to see how you could win a copy of Runaway groom.
1. Hi Fiona, where are you from and how long have you lived there?
I’m from all over the place. I was born in country NSW, raised for a bit in Papua New Guinea, lived my twenties in Melbourne, my thirties in the USA and now I’m in coastal Victoria.
2. What do you love about the place you call home?
The sea, the size of the town and the fact if I have to drive more than 15 minutes to get anywhere, it’s a long way out of town.
3. Do you have a favourite local cafe, restaurant, bar, club, business, or store? Give them a plug here!
I am the world’s worst shopper. Seriously, I would do anything to avoid going shopping so I’m not great at helping the retail economy at all.
4. Do you have any pets? If so, what are their names? (Feel free to share a photo)
I have Pekoe, the feisty cat. She plays soccer with all balls and she is an excellent goalie. NOTHING gets past her.
5. What is your favourite room in the house and why?
I have two fave rooms. My office because it has a view of the sea and my living room because it is the only place I ever sit down!
[Juliet ~ An office with a sea view – lovely!)
6. If you had to evacuate your house, what three items (apart from people and pets!) would you take?
My external hard-drive because it has all the family photos on it.
The moustache cup that came from England with my grandmother.
My Rita statue!
[Juliet ~ And with that heavy Rita statue it would be hard to carry anything else! — See the pic below of me with Fiona, I’m helping her carry it because it’s so heavy. Nah, I just wanted to touch it! 😉 ]
7. If you had a magic wand, what’s one thing you would change about your home or your town?
I’d have a north-facing back garden instead of a south-facing one and a lovely deck to go with it.
8. It’s movie night at your place, the popcorn’s out, and everyone’s nabbed their favourite couch corner or armchair… what movie/s will we watch?
Anything directed by Richard Curtis. I think his latest film, About Time is up there with Love Actually and Four Weddings and a Funeral.
[Juliet ~ I agree. About Time is definitely one of my new favourite movies!]
9. Imagine you have the luxury of a chef for a night and you’ve invited people over for a dinner party, what would you have the chef cook?
It really wouldn’t matter what it was because the fact I did not have to cook it would mean it would taste fantastic.
10. Name three books on your To Be Read bookshelf or e-reader:
A Question of Travel by Michelle de Krester
Love A Little Sideways by Shannon Stacey
Holding out for a Hero by Amy Andrews
11. Name something unique or uncommon that you have in your pantry or fridge:
Lemon Myrtle. It’s great on chicken and fish.
12. If you could live anywhere for one year, where would you go?
Well, as I’ve seen a lot of the world, I would go someplace I’ve never been so that would be either Africa or South America.
13. You’ve just received a phone call from a friend or relative, and they’ll be arriving in five minutes for a visit. What do you do?
a) Relax on the couch until they arrive.
b) Put the kettle on; place some (probably homemade) snacks onto a tray; set the table; put flowers into a vase; and light a candle (and maybe even make some place cards with your super calligraphy skills).
Seriously? A person can do all that in five minutes? 😉
c) Put the kettle on; tip out a few cookies onto a plate; check your reflection in the mirror, and wait.
d) Freak out; shove excess household clutter under beds, in cupboards, drawers, and the garage; trip over something in the process; hold an ice pack to your bruised forehead while swearing profusely; check the mirror to see if you’re still in pyjamas; frantically change into suitable clothing whilst simultaneously holding ice pack to your head; fall over again; alternate ice pack between head and location of new injury; then shove ice pack under bed and greet visitors with the fakest smile of pure calm you can muster.
‘C’ sounds like me. Everyone is welcome but they need to take me as they find me which is usually in trackies or shorts depending on the season, and a white T-shirt; my writing uniform.
>> Even though Fiona would probably love you to pay a visit, why not visit her online right now?
Website : Blog : Facebook : Twitter : Goodreads : Pinterest
>> And help her pay for that in-house chef (or housekeeper) by buying a copy of her book here:
Amazon Kindle, Barnes and Noble, Carina Press, Kobo, iBooks, Booktopia
Runaway Groom. Book three of Wedding Fever trilogy
Amy Sagar’s life is in ruins. Fired from her fast-track job and dumped by her double-crossing boyfriend, she retreats to Whitetail, Wisconsin, to lick her wounds and regroup. Meeting an impossible, sexy Australian isn’t part of her strategy for getting back on track.
Aussie, Ben Armytage is running away. After being left at the altar and publicly humiliated, he’s taking his vintage motorcycle on an extended road trip from Argentina to Alaska. Having his journey interrupted by a breakdown and sharing a house with a curvy, redheaded lawyer in a town obsessed with weddings was never on his itinerary.
Though being stuck in a luxury log cabin isn’t really a hardship, living together with their broken hearts isn’t easy. When the attraction between Amy and Ben proves unstoppable, they’ll both begin rethinking their plans…
For more weddings in Whitetail, check out Saved by the Bride and Picture Perfect Wedding, available now!
>> WIN! Fiona would love to give away an ecopy of Runaway Groom. To be in with a chance, please tell me which cover out of the Wedding Fever trilogy (below) you like best and why. Open worldwide. Winner will be drawn 22nd Jan so get in quick!
My Goals for 2014 (and what happened in 2013)
I always like to take a look back at the past year and see how far I’ve come, and plan for the year ahead to give myself something to aim for. Though I think it’s important to be flexible and allow for plans to change as life unfolds, it’s good to have a basic guide to propel you forward.
So first of all, let’s look back on 2013, a huge year for me as it was my first year as a published author…
There were many firsts: seeing my first cover (I can’t tell you how exciting and surreal that was!), taking part in my first book club as author guest, seeing my book advertised on websites and in catalogues, getting reviews for my book, getting my First Sale ribbon at the RWA conference (and dancing like a lunatic at the awards dinner). Overall it was a great year, though there were some challenges and sadness too: my amazing Nanna passed away at age 94, and we lost our old home that my son grew up in, in the Blue Mountains bushfires (my parents had only just sold the place and moved out). Life is a rollercoaster, as they say.
Here are my writing and publishing achievements for last year:
2013
WRITING:
Overall I wrote 3 complete manuscripts, did 1 intensive revision, wrote 2 partials, and 4 outlines.
Here is the breakdown:
- Wrote I Dream of Johnny – 15k words
- Wrote The Delta Girls book #1: SIGHT – 52k words
- Wrote February or Forever (Tarrin’s Bay book #2) – 84k words
- Wrote partial (3 chapters & synopsis) of secret NA/YA project set in Salem
- Wrote partial (3 chapters & synopsis) of You Know You Want To
- Revised existing outline for The Bucket List Club
- Wrote brief outline for Christmas novella
- Wrote brief outline for Lovestruck in London
- Wrote brief outline for a New Adult dance-themed novella
- Revised The Life Makeover Club intensively (twice).
PUBLISHING:
- The January Wish was contracted (didn’t release till recently, 1st Jan 2014)
- Debut novel Fast Forward was released in Feb.
- I Dream of Johnny was contracted and released in Sept.
- Starstruck in Seattle was contracted and released in Oct.
- February or Forever was contracted.
- Signing with a literary agent after querying The Life Makeover Club to 70 agents.
2013 BLOG HIGHLIGHTS:
- Views: 13,000 views in 2013 (over 5000 more than last year!)
- Top 3 posts for 2013:
1. How To Choose A Pen Name (same top post as last year)
2. Editing Tip: 10 Words To Search For In Your Manuscript
3. I Dream of Johnny, & Johnny, & Johnny (3 Wishes Blog Blitz)
- Top / interesting / funny search terms:
1. Most popular search term that brought people to my blog: ‘How to come up with a pen name”
2. Other popular search terms were: romantic comedies 2013, contemporary women’s fiction, pen name generator, setting the scene in a story.
3. The interesting, funny, and bizarre: Cooking novels, Johnny Castle, tango, covered in spit (I actually did have a blog post with a similar title so I’m not that surprised, but why would someone search for it?), Mexican table decorations, me affair with Trisha, birthday cake too many candles, spiritual experience post 9/11, great halls in medieval castles, Help I‘m haunted, Miss chatterbox, raunchy birthday for woman, the neverending sentence, Eat Pray Love dinner party (that’s actually a cool idea!), Juliet is spit on by stranger full length (???), hopjulikit (????),what happened at the end of the fast forward by juliet madison (um, read it & find out!), please don’t disturb.
- Top 3 commentors:
2. Iris B
3. Mary Preston
- Top visitors from:
1. Australia
2. United States
3. United Kingdom
- Top referrers to my blog:
1. Search engines
2. Facebook
3. Twitter
So yes, it was a big year! What’s in store for 2014? Hopefully more contracts and books out!
Here are my goals for this year:
2014
Overall I aim to write 4 complete manuscripts, of varying lengths:
- Write Haunted Housewives, a romagic comedy novel.
- Write a romagic novella, haven’t decided which one yet out of a choice of three.
- Write Miracle in March, the third book in my Tarrin’s Bay series.
- Write The Delta Girls book #2: SOUND, the next in my YA supernatural series.
- Write a partial of The Bucket List Club (and as much more of it as possible!).
- Read more books! (See my TBR list here). I won’t try to read a certain amount as I want reading to be relaxing and fun, not another deadline. But I will aim to make reading more of a priority and read at other times during the week, not just at bedtime.
What are your goals for the year ahead?
I read an interesting article recently that said goals can simply be things like: write for one hour a day, five days a week, rather than: I’ll complete a book by June. Sometimes people do better when their goal is more of a system to follow than a defined outcome. In my case though, I know I need to have certain books finished by certain times, so personally I need the specific outcome as a goal. Then I break it down to figure out how much time I need to devote to achieving it.
Hope you have a happy and successful 2014 everyone! 🙂
My To-Be-Read Pile – so many books, so little time
Years ago I would buy a book (or receive one as a gift), read it, then buy another one. Now, I buy (or receive) many in advance. I love having books around me, there is something magical about the beautiful covers, fancy fonts, and promise of secrets within (wow, that was deep, eh?). And because I’m now a writer I’ve become aware of many new authors and books I want to read, so my pile has grown, both physically (on my bookcases) and virtually (on my Kindle).
Today I’m not going to list ALL the books in my pile, just a selection of ones that I’m particularly keen to read soon.
Are any of these on your list too? Or have you read any of these and think there’s one I should read immediately?!
I’m currently reading The Returned by Jason Mott… what will I read next?
- Blood Secret by Jaye Ford
- Banish by Nicola Marsh
- Outback Dreams by Rachael Johns
- The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion.
- Love Anthony by Lisa Genova
- Chasing Perfect by Susan Mallery
- Three Sisters by Susan Mallery
- The Apple Orchard by Susan Wiggs
- Wedding Night by Sophie Kinsella
- Last Night at Chateau Marmont by Lauren Weisberger
- Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah
- The Secret Ingredient by Dianne Blacklock
- Beautiful Illusion by Jacquie Underdown
- The One That I Want by Allison Winn Scotch
At Home With Lee Christine…
To celebrate the release of THE JANUARY WISH, the first book in my small coastal town series set in Tarrin’s Bay; The Town of New Beginnings, I’m hosting a new interview segment called ‘At Home With…’
Today, we’re paying a visit to romantic suspense author, Lee Christine, whose new release IN SAFE ARMS has just been released too, in follow up to her first release, IN SAFE HANDS.
1. Hi Lee, where are you from and how long have you lived there?
Hi Juliet. Thanks for having me on your blog today. I live in Newcastle, New South Wales, and have lived here all my life, except for a stint in Sydney years ago.
2. What do you love about the place you call home?
I love the natural beauty of our beaches and Lake Macquarie. I also love our working harbour. Someone once said ‘there’s something honest about a working harbour’. I agree with that.
3. Do you have a favourite local cafe, restaurant, bar, club, business, or store? Give them a plug here!
My favourite store is Scentsation at The Junction. It’s owned by my friend Michelle Rainey, and she has the most exquisite taste in clothes, jewellery, handbags and perfume. If I’m trying to save money I don’t go in for a while because there’s always something to tempt me.
[Juliet ~ Sounds scentsational! I’ll pay a visit if I’m ever in Newcastle 🙂 ]
4. Do you have any pets? If so, what are their names? (Feel free to share a photo)
I don’t have a pet at the moment 😦 . My last dog was a mini Schnauzer called ‘Shaq’. My daughter was into the NBA at the time and named him after Shaq O’Neill. We had him for eleven years and he was such a wonderful dog, I’m afraid if I get another one, I’ll be disappointed. He’s spoiled me for all others I’m afraid.
5. What is your favourite room in the house and why?
I love our family room at the back of the house. It’s where we live, where we’ve had many great days and nights laughing and eating and being together.
6. If you had to evacuate your house, what three items (apart from people and pets!) would you take?
Old photograph albums. Hanging frames with family photographs in them, and the computers, again because of the photographs. You can’t replace those memories.
7. If you had a magic wand, what’s one thing you would change about your home or your town?
I really need to demolish the bathroom and update it, but with my two children studying overseas, buying airline tickets takes priority over a new bathroom at the moment.
8. It’s movie night at your place, the popcorn’s out, and everyone’s nabbed their favourite couch corner or armchair… what movie/s will we watch?
If the boys are with us, we’d be watching something funny like Death at a Funeral or Ted. If it’s just my daughter and myself, then it’s definitely Emma.
9. Imagine you have the luxury of a chef for a night and you’ve invited people over for a dinner party, what would you have the chef cook?
Singapore Chilli Crabs followed by a variety of dessert tasting plates.
[Juliet ~ A bit of everything for dessert, sounds good to me!]
10. Name three books on your To Be Read bookshelf or e-reader:
Watching You by Michael Robotham
The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman
Man Drought by Rachael Johns
11. Name something unique or uncommon that you have in your pantry or fridge:
Cocoa with Mickey Mouse on the front from Disneyland.
12. If you could live anywhere for one year, where would you go?
Balestrand in Norway. I’ve been there once. A whole host of famous people have stayed there over the years like Eric Clapton and Yoko Ono. It’s so quiet and peaceful right there on the Fiord. I think I could write a great book there. Well…maybe!
[Juliet ~ Sounds perfect for a writer’s escape!]
13. You’ve just received a phone call from a friend or relative, and they’ll be arriving in five minutes for a visit. What do you do?
a) Relax on the couch until they arrive.
b) Put the kettle on; place some (probably homemade) snacks onto a tray; set the table; put flowers into a vase; and light a candle (and maybe even make some place cards with your super calligraphy skills).
c) Put the kettle on; tip out a few cookies onto a plate; check your reflection in the mirror, and wait.
d) Freak out; shove excess household clutter under beds, in cupboards, drawers, and the garage; trip over something in the process; hold an ice pack to your bruised forehead while swearing profusely; check the mirror to see if you’re still in pyjamas; frantically change into suitable clothing whilst simultaneously holding ice pack to your head; fall over again; alternate ice pack between head and location of new injury; then shove ice pack under bed and greet visitors with the fakest smile of pure calm you can muster.
Definitely (d). I’m not a fan of impromptu visits. Well, give me at least twenty minutes notice.
[Juliet ~ I’m a (d) too, Lee!]
> Even though Lee would probably love you to pay a visit, why not visit her online right now?
Website : Facebook : Twitter : Goodreads
> And help her pay for that in-house chef (or housekeeper) by buying a copy of her books here:
In Safe Hands:
Amazon, or other retailers via links at Escape Publishing.
Threatened with the publication of naked photographs taken in her law student days, defence attorney Allegra Greenwood enlists the help of former SAS Commander Luke Neilson, unaware of his involvement in her brother’s death in Afghanistan.
In a race to stop the photographs appearing on the Internet, Luke battles a hidden enemy, his growing feelings for Allegra, and his conscience, which demands he protect a fallen comrade’s sister. As the stakes increase and more sinister motives unfold, Luke not only has to fight to save her career, he has to fight to save her life.
In Safe Arms:
Amazon, or other retailers via links at Escape Publishing.
Legal secretary Josephine Valenti has no idea why a notorious bikie president would be contacting her, but when he is murdered in front of her eyes, she knows that she is in very deep trouble. Fleeing to her home, she’s intercepted by Nate Hunter, a man she used to know and lust after…a man she used to care about. However, Nate has changed. His leathers and his bike tell of a lifestyle that Josie can’t begin to accept or understand. His is a life of drugs, money laundering and prostitution. Though, all is not what it seems, and Josie must fight harder than she ever has before — for the truth, for what’s right, and, ultimately for the man who still has a hold of her heart.
A Monday Morning Surprise – I’m a Finalist!
I’m excited to announce that I’m a finalist in the Australian Romance Reader Association (ARRA) Awards for the Best New Romance Author category!! What a way to start the week. Thanks ARRA, and thanks to those who nominated me. 🙂
You can see the official list of finalists in all categories HERE.
As someone who’s been published for less than a year, this a great honour and reward for me. I’d like to thank those who’ve supported me in my first year as an author ((hugs)).
Winners will be announced at the ARRA Awards dinner on March 22nd in Sydney, and I’ll be there for the night!
To vote (voting closes March 5th), you need to be an Australian ARRA member. If you’re not already a member, you can join HERE. It’s only $20 a year and for that you get a fabulous monthly newsletter with book reviews, interviews, special deals, industry news, articles, giveaways and more, plus access to a private email group to interact with authors and readers. Author members get promotional opportunities and a chance to advertise in the newsletter. You also get discounts to special events and can hear about various author signings and events, and of course, can vote for your favourite authors in the annual awards! 😉
And if you haven’t yet checked out my books, here is a list of all my books at Goodreads.
Yay!
THE WISHING FESTIVAL is on right now!
Over the 4th and 5th January I’m hosting a fun Facebook event, The Wishing Festival, to coincide with the release of my new book THE JANUARY WISH.
At the event you can make a wish for 2014 in the virtual Wishing Fountain, share a wish for your friends, and answer fun questions to go in the draw for prizes! Lots of opportunities to win, and we are having a ball! I’ll be popping in and out throughout the whole weekend, posting questions and pics and giveaways periodically. You can drop in anytime and scroll through the list of posts that have already been made and enter as many of the prize draws as you like. Just remember to confirm your attendance to the event by clicking ‘join’.
Here’s the link to the event and further details, I hope to see you there! https://www.facebook.com/events/180315825501113/
Australia’s Favourite Novelist – nominate now
Booktopia is running a contest to find Australia’s Favourite Novelist for 2014 (and the Top 50), and YOU can have your say!
From now until the 5th January you can submit your nominations (as many as you like) via email, facebook, or twitter. Simply list one or more Australian authors you believe deserve the recognition, and send through to Booktopia.
Full details can be found here on Booktopia’s blog, or if you’re ready to nominate your fave authors (hint, hint! 😉 ) you can do so via any of the following:
- Email your list to: faveoznovelist@booktopia.com.au
- Tweet the authors’ names to @Booktopia
- Post or comment on their facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Booktopia/91043653859
Between 6-12th Jan, check the Booktopia blog each day for the heats where you can vote on the list of authors compiled from the nominations pool.
Between 13-19th Jan you can vote on the list of finalists in the poll, and from 20th Jan Booktopia will unveil the Top 50, with 10 authors being revealed each day until the overall winner will be announced on Friday 24th January.
I’ve sent in my nominations, have you? 🙂
A New Year, A New Book! THE JANUARY WISH is here… [Plus Giveaway]
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Well, 2014, here we are! And what better way to kickstart the new year than by relaxing with a good book? Don’t know what to read? Problem solved: my new novel releases today, 1st Jan, THE JANUARY WISH. 🙂
Here’s what the book is about:
From Escape’s queen of ro-magic comedy comes a sweet, emotional contemporary romance about the pleasures of making a wish and seeing it come true.
When Dr Sylvia Greene makes an impromptu wish at the Tarrin’s Bay Wishing Festival, it’s the most out of character action she can think of. Hers is not a life of wishes. Hers is a controlled life of order, plans and preparation…of science and research and diagnosis and treatment. But her past has been weighing on her mind, and decisions made long ago have far-reaching consequences.
A week later, the daughter she secretly gave up for adoption at sixteen arrives in Sylvia’s small coastal town with secrets that can’t be shared. Between feelings of guilt, gossip, and a growing attraction to an emotionally unavailable colleague, Sylvia’s well-ordered life is soon thrown into chaos. She is no longer alone, and for the first time she feels as if her world is open to possibilities.
They say be careful what you wish for, but, for Sylvia, the unexpected consequences may be just what the doctor ordered.
THE JANUARY WISH is perfect for fans of Susan Wiggs and Sherryl Woods, and those who like small town books like Susan Mallery’s ‘Fools Gold‘ series. The (then unpublished) manuscript of The January Wish was also a finalist in the Choc Lit Search for an Australian Star contest in 2012. It is the first in the Tarrin’s Bay series, and the second book FEBRUARY OR FOREVER is releasing soon, on 1st Feb 2014.
>>Buy THE JANUARY WISH from all good ebook retailers:
Amazon – Amazon UK – Amazon Aus – iTunes/iBookstore – Kobo – B&N/Nook – GooglePlay – BigW ebooks – Booktopia – JB HiFi – ebooks.com – All Romance ebooks
WIN STUFF! I’m running a giveaway for the whole month of January. You could win:
1. A $25 Amazon Gift Card to spend on anything at Amazon (you can get quite a few ebooks for that!)
2. A beautiful coastal photographic print of the setting of the novel (South Coast of NSW Australia). The print is unframed so you can put it in a frame of your choice, and measures approximately 30 x 21cm (12 x 8 inches). I’ll also throw in some autographed book cover cards for you too. I will send this anywhere in the world.
>>Enter via rafflecopter here: a Rafflecopter giveaway
There are several ways to enter and if you like you can tweet about the giveaway each day and get extra entries, just visit any of the posts during my tour schedule and click the rafflecopter link to ‘tweet about the giveaway’ on as many days in January as you choose. All other entry options in the rafflecopter form are once only. The winner will be drawn on 1st Feb and will be notified via email.
THE JANUARY WISH BLOG TOUR SCHEDULE
Read more about The January Wish, myself, and my writing life during my blog tour. Here are the blogs and dates in January I’ll be visiting:
1st: ARRA blog.
2nd: Jenn J McLeod’s blog – interview.
3rd: Jennie Jones’ blog – interview.
4th: Special Event: THE WISHING FESTIVAL day 1 – on Facebook. Join now!
5th: Special Event: THE WISHING FESTIVAL day 2 – on Facebook. Join now!
6th: Rachael Johns’ blog – guest post.
8th: The Australian Bookshelf – Author Q&A.
10th: Whitney K-E’s blog – guest post.
11th:
12th:
13th: Juanita Kees’ blog – guest post.
14th: Eva Scott’s blog – interview.
15th: RWA (Romance Writers of Australia) – Author Spotlight.
16th: a) Tea Cooper’s blog – guest post.
b) Aussie Owned & Read – guest post.
17th:
18th: Fiction Dreams – interview.
19th:
20th: Darlene Fredette’s blog – Book spotlight & excerpt.
21st:
22nd: Katherine Givens’ blog – interview.
23rd: Jenny Schwartz’s blog – guest post.
Escape Publishing blog – guest post.
24th:
25th:
26th:
27th: The Neverending Bookshelf – interview.
28th:
29th:
30th: Chick Lit Central – interview.
31st:
>> Join the Tarrin’s Bay Series Readers Group on Facebook here, for fun, discussions, competitions, sneak peeks, photos, and more.
My 2013 Blog Report
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2013 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
The concert hall at the Sydney Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 13,000 times in 2013. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 5 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.
Click here to see the complete report. Did you make the list of top 5 blog commenters?
1 Week To Go! …Sneak Peek of The January Wish (and oh yeah, Merry Christmas!)
MERRY CHRISTMAS! Wishing you a wonderful holiday season and hope all your wishes come true 🙂
It’s officially one week until the release of my new novel, THE JANUARY WISH, and if you follow my blog you may have noticed I’ve been sharing an excerpt from the book each week until release day. When I realised the ‘1 week to go’ milestone would be on Christmas day I wondered whether to still include an excerpt, but because ‘8 1/2 Days To Go!’ doesn’t sound as exciting and because the main character in the novel is a control freak and likes things to be accurate and ordered, I thought it would be best to stick with the plan! 😉
So here is the final excerpt and photo of the setting before release day… I hope you enjoy it and I hope you get to read some great books over the holidays! (hint, hint) 😉
Excerpt from Chapter 2:
The herd of people filtering in from the plane dissolved gradually into the crowd, some walking quickly, others stopping to yawn and stretch. Sylvia wondered what each was doing in Sydney. She amused herself by trying to guess who might be arriving home and who was simply visiting. Perhaps some had bought a one-way ticket and were staying.
Then her heart skipped a beat.
A young woman entered the airport, placing iPod earphones into her ears, the thin white cords trailing down to her pocket. She smiled at the flight attendant as she walked past, and stopped to glance around, as if wondering which direction to go. The woman had a youthful radiance about her, a sense of excitement, like she was stepping into the world for the first time. She resumed walking, her head bobbing rhythmically to whatever music she was listening to, curly tendrils of hair bouncing happily about her face. Red curls, not orangey-red, but warm russet-like red curls…
Just like hers.
It was as though Sylvia was looking into a mirror, a younger image of herself reflected back. Like seeing her own ghost.
As if connected by the similarities in their appearance, Sylvia stood and followed the young woman. She walked behind her in the crowd, until the woman stopped to admire a dress in a shop window; a long, floaty summer dress, with large pink and purple flowers printed on it. Not Sylvia’s style at all, but the woman seemed inspired by it. She took out her phone and snapped a picture of it.
Strange.
A smile growing on her face, the woman entered the shop, walking out a few minutes later with a large plastic bag in her hand. Sylvia couldn’t remember the last time she’d bought an outfit on a whim like that. Her purchases were always planned with purpose; crisp plain shirts, sensible heels, black, navy, or cream tailored pants for work, and casual jeans, t-shirts, and knit tops for weekends.
She continued following the woman and waited again while she stopped to sample hand cream at a beauty shop.
Should she approach her?
But what would she say?
Sylvia now felt incredibly silly, following a complete stranger. It was just her mind playing tricks. They weren’t really that similar. Their hair was practically identical, but the woman lacked Sylvia’s height, although her build was the same: small-chested and big-hipped.
‘Final boarding call for Dr Sylvia Greene. Dr Sylvia Greene to gate eighteen please.’ The voice beamed through the airport speaker system and Sylvia’s eyes jumped wide open.
Oh God, my flight!
How could she not have heard the first boarding call? She spun around and headed in the direction of gate eighteen, then turned back around.
The woman was gone.
Part of her wanted to continue through to the baggage terminal but that would be crazy. She had to go. Shaking the moment of insanity from her head, Sylvia ran in as dignified a way as possible to the boarding gate where an attendant was just about to block off the entrance with rope.
A minute later she sat puffing in her seat on the plane.
‘Hi there, I’m Wayne,’ the elderly man next to her said as he held out his hand. ‘What do you do for a living, love?’
‘I’m a doctor,’ Sylvia replied.
‘Oh, really?’ The man twisted in his seat, sidling up close to her. ‘I might have to pick your brain then, you see, I’ve got this problem with…’
Sylvia released a gentle sigh as Wayne told her his medical history and current symptoms. He was probably a relative of Mr Benson’s.
This was going to be a dreadfully long ninety minutes.
When the man seated on the other side of Wayne got involved in the conversation after mentioning that he too had suffered with unrelenting tinea for years, Wayne twisted to face him and they proceeded to discuss the fungal infection in detail. Sylvia took the golden opportunity to close her eyes and pretend to be asleep. She’d flip through the MasterChef magazine on the flight home next week instead.
Her mind drifted back to that woman’s face, and the way her hair stood out from the crowd like a sunset on the horizon. Then she saw herself back at the Wishing Festival, tossing a coin into the fountain.
Making a wish one day, stalking a stranger the next — what had gotten into her? Maybe she was working too hard. Maybe the ten days she took off over Christmas weren’t enough. Or maybe a hidden part of her was surfacing, trying to come to terms with what she did all those years ago.
~*~
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When Dr Sylvia Greene makes an impromptu wish at the Tarrin’s Bay Wishing Festival, it’s the most out of character action she can think of. Hers is not a life of wishes. Hers is a controlled life of order, plans and preparation…of science and research and diagnosis and treatment. But her past has been weighing on her mind, and decisions made long ago have far-reaching consequences.
A week later, the daughter she secretly gave up for adoption at sixteen arrives in Sylvia’s small coastal town with secrets that can’t be shared. Between feelings of guilt, gossip, and a growing attraction to an emotionally unavailable colleague, Sylvia’s well-ordered life is soon thrown into chaos. She is no longer alone, and for the first time she feels as if her world is open to possibilities.
They say be careful what you wish for, but, for Sylvia, the unexpected consequences may be just what the doctor ordered.
JULIET MADISON 