[0:00] Music.

[0:07] Hello and welcome to the book cave today I’m delighted to be interviewing award winning Australian author Fiona Lowe Fiona welcome to the book cave thank you Jennifer
wonderful to have you here now Fiona you are a and award-winning author and the author of different sorts of books,
I’m fascinated by this now you started out writing genre fiction it’s that right that’s right category romance medical with the medical genre medical romance so tell us a bit about it well.

[0:39] what does genre fiction mean? genre fiction,
awesome two different things genre fiction can be topic-specific so we can have sci-fi romance paranormal all sorts of different things and under the romance umbrella.

[0:55] There are lots of different types of genres so their there can be that feature romance so there’s my favourite just the medical Romance
there’s the historical Romance
Thriller intrigue, the murder mystery romance, cowboy is huge at the moment and that
romance banner wow there’s a.
Writing friend says romance is a bit like a box of Roses Chocolates there’s a different flavour for,
any taste ok and so obviously some people have their favorites and you have specialised your area tends to be medical romance yeah that’s right I didn’t know that medical romances existed and
way way back in the day when I was a student nurse have fond memories of being in there
nurses home at the Alfred Hospital and we all gather round and watch The Flying Doctors and anyone in in the medical field love watching that medical TV shows House or ER or whatever and part of the challenge is to try and work out.
What the.

[2:01] Condition is before the end of the show I really assume that the police and lawyers and stuff like to watch to work out the tenants about with assets I remember as a kid watching country practice and that was the other you know you try and work out
what the condition was there,
so I always enjoy those television shows and when I turned 30 a friend of mine is a joke cuz every time he called me I was in the bath and he gave me this,
basket of body shop bubble bath and things a bottle champagne in the middle and little pink.

[2:40] Milton romance which was back this that and it was called a medical romance and I was like ok and then I enjoyed it and thought.
I could write one of those which is the deluded thought of anyone has written a well written book and enjoyed it and think they’ll have a shot I bet I didn’t actually do anything about it for another three years when I was at home with a baby.
Ok and so having had this apparently deleted thought you could write a romance what what would the reality so you obviously thought it was going to be something quite easy oh yes I heard on the radio turn on the radio and.

[3:18] I was at home with her with a 6 month old baby and end.
Popping up what I was going to do was I going back to work full-time part-time what was I going to do and they were.
ABC radio interview with someone from Mills and Boon London and they were talking about the books and they said we are always seeking new office.
We welcome any scripts so I turn the radio off and was picking out a load of nappies and came up with a bit of a book idea and you nothing
when in turn on the brand spanking new computer I think this was our second computer so we graduated from the the door system which was black and orange too,
I think it was the first word and it so black with the green colour.

[4:10] What was word perfect so I pound it out,
3 chapters and all they see you could right away and get a cassette and
this is how I think what what happened was when when Mills and Boon and Harlequin started writing romance it because there’s so many different types and their wanting the back of their way back,
in them in the nineteen twenties the medical romance as were actually the first the first romance at they start a function that called doctor nurse stories and they’ve course totally graduated or I haven’t written a doctor in a nursing
category romance four years most of might have been doctor doctor right so anyway if you could.
I started so long ago it was
some information about cat
characterization and dialogue and had four topics I can to an it’s like I can’t remember the other sort of
you hear this work formula a lot in relation to so what happened was the first
publishing house that ever gave out writing guidelines because category romance is very very defined.

[5:25] Obviously if you want to write for the medical line you have to have some kind wedding in Millie and you have to if you want to write the historical line so.
A lot of good writers so all I couldn’t ever get a contract with them because they’re writing across the genres all the going outside the guidelines so this is where the
perscribed comes in which is nonsense because it’s just guidelines for each
category be caused when a person picks up a harlequin book there picking up a promise
I promise of a happy ending but they’re also if they picking up the pink book
YT all the colours of just all changes been completely rebranded as of 2018 I’m not up to speed with all my different colours but if you picking up a medical romance you going to get.
Medical themes if you’re picking up a historical same thing at Thriller whatever so that’s where that came from listen to that.
And cut that there’s three chapters and didn’t read the find print very clearly I had no idea how to format I think I sent three chapters of single spacing which I don’t do it cause it is go cross-eyed and I posted it to Sydney.

[6:33] Because Milson bennion Australia’s in Sydney and they very kindly sent it back to me and said no no it’s got to go to London
wow sorry I said it to London because these days all the guidelines and all the information everything is on the internet but but when I started I was all by mail
it was all done by my nail nail was and then you taking a while to and it cost a lot I’m going down to the post office script
and I’m chatting to the perfect the post office he wished you well and then he kissed it before you posted it you know you sent off these three chapter three chapters and
literally the day I sent it off or the day after I sent it off my husband said it’s really good job in America and 3 Weeks Later we’re in the states,
wow so about 3 months later I got a letter from my mother saying all this letter came from London and it said you know.
Dear Fiona we really enjoyed the first three chapters in would like to see the rest of,
well I didn’t have a typewriter did have a computer had nothing so it took me and a year to finish that book,
flounder I sent it off and it was rejected.

[7:53] On a page and a half letter when I didn’t understand the significance of the.
So I like a long letter in a fat envelope that’s right apparently they can just say this is my friend and I never got one of those and then I joined.
Romance writers of America I was living in medicine and I had lot of time cos I
was at work I was a nonresident Alien without any rights to work so I looked after the baby and I have time to read the paper and in about the July that 3 months after we got there there was a little community at the romance writers
American medicine chapter was having a poplar,
and I said to my phone only really brave and I’m going to go to this and it worry brave the best thing I did because it just open me up to this world of,
people who wrote it was like finding you or try and and it was terrific and over the two and a half years I lived there I went to quite a few Writing workshops and conferences and and I learnt a lot
but that said I also had too much influence on my writing right.
So that kind of like the needs to be a balance but you don’t have.
And anyway I wrote a book while I was there which I thought was better than my first one.

[9:17] And it was rejected and that was a writing group and the teacher and said when I’ve come up with my idea no no no don’t do that do this instead
I did her idea instead and I got rejected and go got rejected mortal even the first one I anyway.
Just another baby I didn’t write for.
Quite a few years probably and then when my youngest was 3 and we were living in Geelong there was an article in The Advertiser about a writing workshop in Queenscliff,
I said to my husband I think you can have the kids for the day.
And I met the very well known and talented Marion Lennox who has now written well over 100.
Ok Graham answers medical and straight romance anyway did her workshop and.
She asked a question at anyone had a rejection Ora and I said yes and told her about them and she pulled me over at the end and she said.
Are you writing I said I don’t know I haven’t written anything for 3 1/2 years and she said you have to go back to it because those.
Rejection letters are actually encouraging you to care to write because there was a page in half with each one so I had another go and that got rejected and then the fourth one.

[10:44] I got a letter back saying they would telephone me.
And I thought you no they didn’t she said it needs enough to this
I’ll never forget this not at our high standards.
Big light bulb moment for that was she sent there at times you your voice seems to disappear your writing voice as they disappear.

[11:15] And I was working very closely with a friend of mine in the states who was my critique partner and sadly for her at that time.
Her husband was very ill and she didn’t have time to help me
but it was the best thing on the other phone for me was because it was just all me and she been,
have voice been impression on my voice and that so I
I rewrote it and sent that off a month later and then they bought my first book so it was for books over a period of 10 years from that moment of hearing.

[11:53] We’re rejected so for books rejected and then,
last books of the moment
for now these category romances are limited number of worth $50 and they’re very small and.
Because of that you are very to give the high-octane emotional punch that the Mills and Boon Rita wants because they want they want to walk that journey with the couple so this
no extraneous characters that rides Berry for more than the focus on the parrot here on heroin that’s right you obviously have patience with particular
medical interns get propel the story forward but they are walk on walk off rolls
ok that’s fantastic now you’ve written what 30 of these no nearly went to.
I just 23 wow that’s pretty amazing 23 books bars what I’m fascinated by is this one now this book.

[13:02] Boomerang bride which is just delightful thank you and set in America in small town with concen but with an Australian hair heroine.
And there she is now this book has had a fascinating journey hasn’t it it has I got two I’ve written 67 I wrote.

[13:24] 8 medical romances and I was starting to feel a bit constrained by just the two just the couple yeah and I wanted.
When I when I first told and someone said to me all you ever going to write a bigger book I couldn’t even conceive writing a second,
medical Mount Vernon Lane but I guess after 8 booked for I developed.
And toned up my writing muscles and I had new ones flexing and wanting to.

[13:52] So be tried so I decided I was going to write what’s called a single title romance so it’s not a category romance the single title the bigger the hundred that 90 to 100000 words do whatever you want to in story have meaning.
Characters if you want but I respect living in Australia then I was trying to break into the American market and they were so right what you know and I had started writing medicals cuz that was what I knew and I’ve lived there,
and I had all the Lingo but I also wanted to have one character that I could relax with and so Matilda was was Australian and tsar.
I got this idea most books come from a variety of sources but the First.
Seed of this book and I had no idea if never happened since I wish it would I was sitting on a ski lift to Mt Hotham and the Heavenly Valley lift and I’m surrounded by Snow and I’m gazing out and lift stop for a minute and something I had this image in my head
of a bride standing on a street holding a wedding cake and staring into a shop window.

[15:00] IPad is it wouldn’t leave popping into my mind and then a few weeks later I was driving from Melbourne to Geelong been in town and The Waifs we’re playing on the.
Radio and waubra bridal train Kmart and The Waifs grandmother married in American
soldier and the American government paid for all the war brides to have a one-way ticket on a boat today so,
Western Australia they got the train from Fremantle to Sydney I think or Perth Melbourne whatever and then they got on the boat and they sailed and so I decided that
her grandmother story and she been raised with the big,
adventure and Grandma believe that she was going to get married in a baked cheesecake and then she died.
So anyway she arrived in small town Wisconsin to marry the guy that she thinks is the love of her life that she’s met online and.

[16:05] Sadly,
lots and lots of people are scammed by meeting and he still tentative 2012 and every year and Australian dollar worth even last year was an article in the paper,
about women being scammed online and Australian hundreds of thousands of dollars every year sorry yes those only get letters from readers.

[16:30] No I have no no no no no this is just every year there’s a there’s a weirdo.
And there’s none of this book has an extraordinary history because in fact this is an award winning book but not just any award.
This is the book that won you a Rita award that’s right now this is a reason why this is the.
Oscar of the romance writers world and it’s very very prestigious,
as I understand a very beautiful too so how did we get an Australian author with an Australian heroine a book call Boomerang ride has won the romance writers of America.
Rita award,
so I wrote Boomerang bride and with grand plans that it would be a print book and it would be insured that would sell into America and you know I get my Big Break
and what happened was I had just finished writing it and the global financial crisis hit and publishing went to the wall.

[17:30] States and no one was buying anything and so I sent it out it took me 32 agent,
queries before I got an Asian she sent it out to 12 print publishing houses and every single one of them rejected it.
And then Harlequin started there.
Digital first line and have to understand this was back in 2011 when he books were very new and I said to my husband I’m going to submit it because it’s backed by having over big publishing houses doing this ebook first.
And I really don’t want this to be an e-book so they’ll buy it and that’s exactly what happened six weeks later they bought it.

[18:15] And so there’s no advance and I sold it to the minute came out in.
The following August of 2011 and.
The best thing that ever happened was Carina press said if you want to enter the Rita competition we will print you that 10 books require editor so they did that and all I had to do with Javier.

[18:43] Entrance fee I have to ship to the post office and pay a fortune books and ship them to American interior that anyway I forgot about it really I just entered it won’t well that’ll be that.
And then one morning.

[18:57] My iPad started going thinking thinking while it may be all that.
Anyway all over Twitter apparently I’d final.
Non a telephone you and you know like 12 hours before the world knows well that forgotten to ring me or they couldn’t work out for a long time different times if it’s whatever so I didn’t really believe it but I had final so that was to me that was the prize I’d final dende
and I am.
Organise a family and to look after themselves and did something I’ve never done since they were all I had arrived and I went to America cuz I said I’m not going to win but
best parties and I’m just going to go for that Glory because I have to say I have I’ve been to two Reef reward ceremonies and they are actually.

[19:44] Just like the Oscars everyone’s in ball gowns and there are nomination categories with four or five nominees there are you know superstar authors like Nora Roberts presenting the awards
and so you were actually sitting there in 2 1/2 thousand people yeah,
so I went I went very went better and went back to wisconsin’ and I researched for
Pitch Perfect Wedding on dairy farms in Wisconsin so I visited friends and I did that and then we went to the conference and I ran around and I let them take me out
do all this thing and I had my flag that said I was a finalist at the signing and must be getting all that of that with you I know my husband and said to me you better have a speech so about a month before we left.

[20:40] I jotted down dot points on the back of a business card,
and you know when your women’s evening bag so let me look it so I threw the evening bag into the suitcase literally 4 weeks before I left the country in and forgotten about it so when
and I read all the books that I was up against so I really didn’t think that I was
had a chance at all but it is a really good book and when they called it out I don’t know who was shot to me or my edited because we had it one with this
virtually unknown Australian author it was the first digital first book to ever win a Rita wow so at one point.

[21:23] The publishing house for celebrating so much I feel like say excuse me I am
for being the best digital fit and then of course because it won the Rita they.
Print published it and gave it a beautiful new car in fact Australia have already committed Australia Harlequin Australia had already committed before it at 1 the rate at to print publish it and that was there cover.

[21:53] Bank of America took that cover and and it got print published over there so that was.

[22:00] No groom no money no home and then of course you’ve gone on to write your yeah I had signed another contract before I won the Rita with Carina press and I did the wedding
feet is really up and then you did I still couldn’t get a print deal with them that was still,
digital first and then I saw this that’s that saved by the bride runaway groom and Pitch Perfect Wedding is a trilogy.

[22:30] And Runaway groom I had a male Australian male on that one barrel set in small town with garmson.

[22:37] And then but yeah gone and then that deal with Berkeley.
Truly Madly Montana and and Montana Ashley yeah yeah.

[22:51] Great fun now I think because you know this whole single title thing which is so interesting to me this this this lovely thought.

[23:03] Difference between obviously writing a short book 50000 words and then be able to kind of expand which means I guess more characters more blocks.
A bit more depth and then last year.

[23:17] He brought out daughter of mine which is set in Australia in the Western tourist and features Geelong.
Yes but Tim and it’s a little bit it’s just a bit bigger that’s right and then these are the book I don’t think again I reached a point.
That I had more writing muscles and I didn’t want to only write romance I wanted to be able to write books they didn’t necessarily,
everyone have a happy ending and I wanted a larger cast of characters and I wanted to be able to explore some.
Different issues not explore issues in Romance you totally can but you have to give a guaranteed happy ending and I did want to be totally tied into that and this has three sisters
and who are all very different from each other I’m really compelling mother
I think cat character in Marty he’s a real matriarch but has secrets and this is a much more.
Complete shoulder with Corsica family Saga.

[24:19] You know contemporary fiction.
Yes they would however women’s fishing is a term that I don’t like her cause tell us about their women’s fiction.
Just buy the word says that it’s a Tony a book for women I have a lot of male readers and this is a book about family and.
A family is made up of men and women and I think that we don’t have men’s fiction.

[24:52] Very truly don’t do not have men’s fiction so I I’m.

[24:58] I’m low so that it’s almost as if it’s women’s fiction it’s less affection and that is that is completely inaccurate and it strikes me.
That they give that term women’s fiction especially when it’s women who buy the black women it’s women who by over 90% of the books it might even be as high as 95% most of the book blokes read have been.
Purchased or chosen from the library by their women in their life actually.
Under the publishing industry because it’s women who go to literary festivals women who attend signings women who buy the books you know women who 10 do you know.

[25:41] Read far far away the majority and yet you’re quite right I certainly men as right as and I think it’s readers are validated about women there’s no I think there’s no question I think it’s changing slowly.
But I’m certain he was Martin Amis he said he doesn’t read books written by women.
Which I find quite incredible someone insulting but absolutely no I have had letters from men,
yeah for a daughter of mine you know not to the man reading your book in anyway make it more valid it’s just inviting.
I just don’t I just believe that women’s fashion is an unnecessary term OK I won’t ask about chocolate then.
No well that’s another calling Siri tennis well yeah and as I said you know it’s a book about family and any and we are all part of a family.
Whether we know our family.
Whether we live with a family with a family we all have family and some shape or form and so people can relate.

[26:45] And people have related very well to the issues in daughter at mine I’ve had letters.
In fact I had a letter from one lady who said I almost didn’t finish it I had to put it down because it was too painful to read because so much of what it was in there she’d actually experienced Miami away because I can understand one,
a person having one of them
situations in having been through one situation to the book but not to have experienced all four
it’s like dinner is a lot of experience you know and she she typed well she printed out the letter it came via the.

[27:25] By my snail mail and it was.
1/2 pages and I cry after I finished training now cuz she really put a heart and soul it to me but that’s strawberry service been extremely feeling tour
spent you know Blood Sweat and Tears writing and creating this work of fiction you know obviously you know your characters incredibly well because his huge debts here
are in character and in plot
ventus when you send it out into the world it’s not really yours anymore in that way and then to get that sort of feedback with someone has read it and been obviously greatly moved,
by what they’re reading that must be very humbling,
and in it really is and you know I felt bad that she had gone through like you know scratching.
Old word but pleased that you know she’d finished it and that she taking the time to let me know very very really wonderful.
Perhaps cathartic to for you writing.

[28:29] What a good day tell us a little bit about your writing methods and technique.
Writing method I I work office hours I turn up at 9 and I finish at Papa 6
and I have lunch numerous walking down the stairs to make a cup of tea I have recently been looking at how I work and
I definitely need I definitely take a natural break fit after 50 minutes so I walk down stairs which is a great for the body 14 you find that.
At 50 minutes when you start thinking I might look at Facebook.
Occasionally if you’ve got a real run on it’ll be longer but on the average day so I don’t believe it rice block I think you have to turn up every day,
to write to to to get.
You brine to make connections and how it normally goes is I started a and I don’t really know what I’m doing and I’ll write an on nonsense and then thing,
why am I doing this it’s too hard and how stupid it might I think that I could ever write a book and I’ve got it back where is like
start again as why am I doing this because you actually put stuff down on the page the next day when you turn up you’ve got something to edit and you mind has been.

[29:58] Secretly making connections and so you edit what you wrote that day and then that she jumping off point and her and her the second day is normally better.
On the days that gifts made for me a gift is about 2 1/2 thousand words well but then the next day not much happens,
so you can have him because you move will your creativity it needs time to to use to Euston bubble and then it spits it out and then it’s a bit weary.
And you could also writing is like this is Thai writing scene and so
often when you’ve written the whole scene and you got to the end especially as you writing from four different points of view and what I found with this,
Axis when I wrote daughter of mine it was the first book I hadn’t been able to keep the whole story in my head cause it’s just yeah yeah.
So what would happen is I write in a 20 page chapter and I’m deep in.
Harriet story then the next chapter is going to be in perhaps Georgie story well.

[31:08] The last time I wrote my writing chronic chronological order so the last time I was in Georges head.
With four chapters ago and I forgot because I’m deep into what Harry it was Don’t Go so then I’ve got to go back and read.
And reintroduced what George is up to so that I can write the next term so I actually really slow down after the end of a chapter I don’t tend to finish and then go away
oh God what am I doing next what I’m doing a runner whiteboard.
Well I’ve tried this time I tried with.
The book I’m currently writing at the moment I’m trying to post it notes on a whiteboard I have a hole.
You know like a Bible 1/120 book,
oh actually the folder and it’s alright in that,
different character thing but I still can’t I wanted something this time that I could sort of see the whole thing so I did different colour post it notes and did different trajectories for each person then I got more detail notes and then.

[32:23] Each time I finish a c know right exactly what it happened so I kind of know what I’m worth a bit more efficient,
I don’t have that so and I forget so I write everything down and then I think and then I go back and really go yes I knew I was doing that but because you get so and mashed in that County Pages it’s a bit like,
Starting Over Again so is every chapter roughly 20 Pages like you sort of have a natural kind of trajectory
in fact birthright was interesting in the editing process so I think the longest.
Chapter in birthright is probably the opening chapter and I think that’s 32 Pages because we meet everybody and I think the shortest chapter in birthright is 12,
Italian on average there about 18 to 20 so this is birthright your new novel The coming out on the 19th of February this year 2018.
Anda.
This is a terrific book I think you know I mean I really enjoy daughter of mine but I actually think you’re not allowed to have favourites a I think,
I think this is going to press a lot of buttons I think it’s going to kinda a lot of people are going to identify because of this is a book about inheritance.

[33:52] Is that reason water Saturday blind said families 3 claims 142,
let the scheming begin and I do think that this is going to ring a few Bells with people because I think there’s a lot of
stuff that goes on in families about inheritance about and particularly about old agent
parents and families siblings rivalries all sorts of things like that when I said to people that I was writing a book about inheritance,
people said I got a story for you and I’ve been told about 25 different stories,
that people just wanted to share what it happened in other their family or
extended family or friends of and I said to my husband I didn’t go hard enough in this book some of the stuff that families do to each other is truly appalling and.

[34:50] And it doesn’t matter how old you are you’re your ordinal position in the family and you’re rivalries as children never actually leave so even though you’re 40.

[35:03] You that relationship you had with you younger brother or sister or older still comes up and and you’ll see it in a family gatherings and weed we tend to revert to.
Apposition from child so I really enjoyed this book
very much now this is set in Victoria’s high country so a little different from the Western District daughter of mine but Another Day part of Victoria Mountains on the cover play Mount Buller
a wonderful addition for that I can do all sorts of things and no one’s going to say that’s not on that corner but if you know the high country it’s a fictitious,
Mansfield Myrtleford Bryce that’s the sort of size town that I was in and and and the background is the Gourmet.
A food trail yeah which you know.
Has become a thing it has although one of the daughters and her husband have a very successful.
Cheese goat cheese business and sheep cheese so I had lots of fun with all the food stuff as well is a terrific actually found the depiction of the marriage.

[36:21] Really really good I like edgy and very very realistic but really well told and.
Just great I really enjoyed that aspect I mean I didn’t enjoy every bit of it because it’s not off enjoyable but I found it very true and actually a lot of it particularly the sort of things they say to each other.
Along the way about things that happened in the relationship in the is gone by really resonated I think it’s I think it’s a book but will resonate with a lot of reading anyone with a long.
Relationship relate to it because marriages go.
Yeah there are there are other ozurdex yeah so we’ve birthright I’ve got a family of three.

[37:06] Two sisters and a brother and their mother,
but each of the siblings has their own relationship so in a where it we’re explore I’m exploring their own relationship,
as well as the way they all intermesh in regards to family stuff and the inheritance.
Really enjoyable so coming out for 19
this is not an advertising a program by the way that’s ok and it’ll be in your local library get will be in the local library
are you doing the library talk I’m doing a library tour I’m doing Geelong Belmont library on the 1st of March and
I’m going on the road to.

[37:56] Wodonga Benalla Wangaratta right Mansfield Kinglake.

[38:04] It’s on my website Merrifield Marysville and I’m also going to Werribee 5th of April in Werribee wonderful all the dates are up on my website and on my Facebook. Lo.com,
beautiful so that means you’ve got so many books under your belt but obviously you’ve made this transition,
if it’s ok to use that word from you still writing genre fiction I wrote one last year because I had I had outstanding contract for medical romance na keen for me to do one a year but last year was a very.
Tough writing you because I was finishing birthright I had to write the 50000 went medical and I had to start.

[38:46] Home fires which I’m riding right now which will be out in March 2019 and I just about went insane so this year surprise I’m just writing big ask.
Well I’m currently writing home fires which is due out in 2019 and then I have another.
Another book contracted that will be out in 2020 that doesn’t exist yet I have no idea what it’s about but I’ll have to start it in about,
may now these is another Australian book home fires so I right in thinking set somewhere in Victoria as I’ve said this one in if it’s in the otways
all the beautiful Otway Ranges wow so out the back of the great ocean runs right between between the Colac Road and the great ocean.
Boundary and that’s not a family it’s about a community.
But community family then pretty much the same sounds fantastic so that I have to have that finished so you’re a very hard working all for obviously.

[39:52] Wake up everyday it’s an impressive resume.
Under the home 5 looking forward to that ok so just before we finished ID like to know the book that you are contracted for for 2020 publication yeah that you haven’t even started.
Yes how did you start I have a framework.
In my head for that book I don’t know what it’s about but I know exactly the framework I’m going to hang it off and so I can’t think about.
More than one book at a time so what I normally do is I have a few,
have a folder called book ideas or I read something and pull it out of the paper or and I normally consult that and see if anything Sparks and then I research to the point where.
I have to physically make myself stopped because research does become procrastination.
Anomaly are my start pill Natalie driven by the shift fear that I won’t meet my deadline but.

[41:08] And I start off with characters but you know what the first 60000 words of the book is just me getting to know my characters.

[41:16] And so the second half of the book is easier to write and the first iOS.
People ask me out so we’ll the first half of the book is a bit like climbing up a sheer rock face and
no one hand held at the time with your nose pressed right up against the wall and you can’t see anything anything why am I doing this and then as you get to a point where U Haul yourself up on the bill
over onto the top and suddenly you’re on the Ridge
and you looking down onto the plans in front of you that’s not to say that the last half is an easier right but you’ve done all that you’ve set up everything yeah and so you can hang the rest of the book off
ok so the second half is normally are faster rush because you set everything up
the first half is just really hard and I normally say.
Why am I doing this and your books a very strong a character driven which they are very strong character so what would you be your best piece of advice about it as aspiring all through a beginning author.
About writing Rocco currently selling to beat the who done it.

[42:32] So in terms of a character driven story.
What do you say about you have to know you have to know what your character believes about them self because no because.
What we believe about ourselves whether that’s erroneous.
Whether it’s correct drives everything we say and do and how we react to other people so if you got someone with low self-esteem.

[43:00] That is going to drive their behaviour in everything they do and they won’t believe you when you say.

[43:07] You got low self-esteem know when you play got you took.
You look amazing today you don’t need you make that I made the dress that is amazing like I don’t know it’s nothing like themselves down they will underplay everything and they have no confidence so so that will drive everything and it.

[43:27] That how they respond to people all the decisions that they make they walk away from opportunities cos it’s too scary
that’s what I think and if you know what your character believes about themselves then really you can just write off into the end the plot will start to come ok,
the plotting birthright is that.
Is the Inheritance there is a lot of money and so that that is the centre and everything goes around that so that was the plot in daughter of mine it’s a secret.

[43:57] That has been 50 years in the making and starts to rumble to the surface is one of the thing is 5 bombs,
in daughter of mine and there’s about 4 or 5 bonds in birthright and by bomb you mean at something explosive that comes out and it changes there for that.
Oh I remember going to am writing course with a screenwriter.

[44:22] And he talked about slam so you any slam slam into a wall you bounce back off it but she bounce back off it into a different direction and so you need you need.

[44:36] Plants in your book because you need to characters to come head to head with big confronting situations so that they send some spiral not going to another directions fantastic and you need to dangle you characters over.

[44:52] Shark pit Peter Vipers of crocodile.
Force them to do things they don’t want to do.
Ok all that they would never do all that they would never do that they would never never do that sort of one of the best examples probably film romancing The Stone oh yes
you know she’s this JJ
you know emotionally or physic.

[45:32] Great books or films that’s precisely what happens Casablanca so good example you know Rick.
Safe in Casablanca and he comes face to face with everything you left behind by Paris gare so torchia characters to get a good story heat misery on your Herald too many cups of tea.
Fantastic wall Fiona Lowe it’s been just delightful having you in the book cave but of course in the tradition of the book cave before you go we would like you to tell us the three books that you would like to contribute to our virtual.
Book be now virtual Time Capsule the three books that you would like
the world to read 1000 years from now ok well Pride prejudice by Jane Austen because when I was 15
my mother gave me a copy and suggested that I read it and I was very low to read it and I whinge Timon and and that horrible before they are fearful and I can still remember all those years later of these years later the
these the wonderful feeling when I finish that book and that’s why,
I started writing romance because I love to happy ending I was addicted to that so proud of precious love it.

[46:50] Bridges out of poverty is there is a book that had a big impact on me I worked in.
Community health for years and I worked with a lot of people who live in poverty and it opened my eyes 222 value and.
Generally what happens is middle class people who are working.
In the help helping capacity having absolutely no understanding of of generational poverty and.

[47:25] Anyone working in the industry needs to read that book and everyone who isn’t working either just everyone needs to read this book really do understanding people.
And.
Another book that really stuck with me I can’t exactly where I was I was in The Langham hotel in Melbourne when I read it was year of wonders why are Geraldine Brooks and I love that book and I love that portray off
a bit of a town and I mean I could.
Taste and feel the healing herbs in the flowers on and I’m so.
And she wrote scrapbook Peter would be very fun there’s lots of other but I had to only get three I’m afraid in the book been getting quite quite.
Extraordinary interesting and eclectic titles in the.

[48:21] Thank you so much for your owner wonderful to thank you and thank you for bringing in your Rita looking forward to birthright.

[48:30] Music.