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Friday, August 19, 2011

Fiona Lowe: Life imitating Art ? or Are you Serious?


On my honor and cross my heart, this story really did happen!

I was on a plane recently ...in fact a week before my book Boomerang Bride was released, and an American woman in her early 30s, with carry-on luggage (one tiny suitcase), sat down next to me. She'd flown into Sydney and was on her way to a town not too far from where I live. Now, we don't get many overseas visitors where I live because we're not a tropical climate and we're not a capital city, so the fact she was visiting intrigued me. Her reason? She was coming to marry her Australian fiance. (Blogger won't let me use accents!)

As a romance author I LOVE hearing about how people meet so I asked that very question. Turns out she'd met him on on-line. 'Really?' says I as I think about Matilda, my heroine from Boomerang Bride. 'Yes', she says. 'We met and I came out last year for a while and now we're getting married.'

I thought about the carry-on luggage. 'You've come with one suitcase?'
She had. Everything else had been packed in a container and was being shipped out. Her clothes, her furniture, her money; everything. Just like Matilda, she was crossing the world to marry the man she'd fallen in love with and starting a new life in a new country, a very long way from home.

I swallowed at this point because my Matilda arrives from Australia into the USA and finds her fiance has vanished. I wasn't going to mention that! I mean, there's nothing worse than raining on someone's parade, right, and my book was fiction. So I warmly congratulated her and mentioned I'd written a book about an Australian marrying an American after meeting him in a chat room.

We disembarked and walked across the tarmac into the wind and the rain. I was keen to get a look at this man she was leaving her country for, but just like when Matilda arrived in the USA, her fiance wasn't waiting at the airport. However, this women didn't seem to be expecting him as she walked confidently toward the local taxi and disappeared.


Her story was so spookily similar to the start of Boomerang Bride that it blew me away. I only hope she ends up as happy in her life as my fictitious Matilda, that her finace is not a "Barry-the-Bastard" and was in fact meeting her in the next town with the marching band, flowers and a hug that says, 'I am so glad you're here with me.'



Fiona Lowe is an award-winning, multi-published author with Harlequin and Carina Press. Whether her books are set in outback Australia or in the mid-west of the USA, they feature small towns with big hearts, and warm, likeable characters that make you fall in love. When she's not writing stories, she's a weekend wife, mother of two 'ginger' teenage boys, guardian of 80 rose bushes and often found collapsed on the couch. A previous finalist in the Romantic Book of the Year award, she's writing her 19th novel. She loves to hear from readers and you can find her at her website, facebook, Twitter and Goodreads.


Boomerang Bride is availabe now from Carina Press, Amazon Kindle, Nook and all other online book stores.

15 comments:

Nas said...

Hi Fiona,

I also heard of similar stories. But your Mathilda was so inspirational, she did great after being scammed out of money and left standing in the wedding dress!

Wish you loads of sales success for the Boomerang Bride!

ev said...

I'm not sure I'd be as brave as my fellow American!!!

Scarlet Wilson said...

Fab story fiona - just shows you, life is stranger than fiction!

Rachael Johns said...

How freaky - I bet you had to bite your tongue on telling her about your story :)

Michele L. said...

Wow, what an eery coincidence she sat next to you on the plane with a story so similar to your book! Gives me the shivers! Congats on your book! I read the excerpt on your website and it sounds so intriguing!

Sonali said...

Awww thats so cute, that something like that can happen in real life. Fiona, wishing you all the best for 'Boomerang Bride'

Fiona Lowe said...

It's morning here and obviously my brain hasn't kicked in as I've written a few comments which have vanished and now I realise it's because I wasn't logged in! DUH!

Nas, Matilda did have strength and recognised her mistakes. I never wanted her to come over asTSTL because we all risk our hearts at some point in our lives and sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't.

Fiona Lowe said...

Ev, it is a brave move. My grandmother left England in 1923 to marry my grandfather and she didn't get to go 'home' for a visit for 30 years! Today with skype, phones and planes it isn't quite as isolating as it once was, but yes, she will still have all the adjustments of living in a new country.

Fiona Lowe said...

Thanks, Scarlett. It was pretty 'twilight zone' at the time:-)

Fiona Lowe said...

Rach, I did, I really did. I gave her a business card though ;-)

Fiona Lowe said...

Michelle, life is so funny sometimes. I'm so glad you enjoyed the excerpt. Thanks for taking the time to read it.

Fiona Lowe said...

Sonali, she was really excited about starting her new life. Thanks for the best wishe.

Mary Preston said...

I read an excerpt of BOOMERANG BRIDE a short while ago, so it is already on my list.

I wish you & the passenger all the best.

Serena said...

I don't suppose she had a wedding dress and wedding cake in her luggage...?

Boomerang Bride is a wonderful book. I loved every word!
Hugs

cdarcas said...

Hey Fiona,
Moving countries for love -- very relevant and becoming moreso. This looks like a terrific book!