The Day Before Thanksgiving by Fiona Lowe

It's the day before Thanksgiving and I wonder how many of you are reading this? It's always a busy day. Some of you are travelling across the country to visit with family. I remember a road trip we took one year from Wisconsin to Virginia to visit dear friends, our previous neighbours, who'd moved to Virginia. Originally from Texas, Libbey couldn't stand the Wisconsin weather so she found her husband a job in a place she was prepared to live and they moved. I missed her desperately but the flip side was, I got to visit Virginia.
We drove through Indiana, Ohio, then Louisville and blue grass country, over the Appalachians in West Virginia to Richmond.  Fortunately, we had an enjoyable trip and it wasn't anything like the movie, Trains, Planes and Automobiles!

Is it cooked?

Some of you are working and planning to hit the grocery store on the way home. Yikes! It's always frantic. I hope you have your Zen on to survive the parking lot and the long lines. I talk to people in the lines and ask them what they've planning to serve. It passes the time and breaks the tension.

Some of you are hosting your very first Thanksgiving and stressing about cooking 'the bird'.  That pop-up thingie doesn't always work! I find everything goes a lot more smoothly if I have a glass of wine whilst cooking ;-)

Some of you are looking forward to spending the day with extended family and others of you are not. My Thanksgivings were always spent with friends because we didn't have family within 10,000 miles. Living in a university town meant there were lots of 'strays' and some of our best parties were Thanksgiving and Christmas with friends.

Some of you are spending the day planning with military precision how you are going to hit the mall on Black Friday and pick up the bargains of the year. Good luck to you! I envy you because the idea of shopping on Black Friday has me curling up in fetal position.

So however you are planning on spending your Thanksgiving weekend, I wish you a happy time and hope somewhere in those four days you can find some time to read!

My novel, Boomerang Bride starts at Thanksgiving and ends at
Christmas so it's perfect holiday reading. You can grab it at a book store in mass market paperback or buy it online at all eBook retailers

My next release is Runaway Groom, book 3 in the Wedding Fever trilogy, following Saved by the Bride and Picture Perfect Wedding. If you're planning your Christmas shopping, you can pre-order it now at Amazon, Nook, and all other eBook retailers. All links are HERE.

I'd love to hear what you're doing for Thanksgiving this year!  Wishing you and yours a very happy Thanksgiving weekend!

Fiona xx

Finding your Tribe or your Mob

Ever heard a group of writers get together? It's loud and the talk is all about writing and the business of writing. It's not much different from a group of doctors gathering together, lawyers, IT specialists, police officers ...the list of careers goes on. Put a group of people together who work in the same field and they can find a lot to talk about because of shared understanding and often shared experiences.

As an author, there are not as many chances in a year to gather with fellow writers face-to-face so I was really excited the other day when Melanie Milburne was within 80 miles of me! I caught the train to the city of Melbourne to meet her. We often brain-storm stories on the phone but we don't get to sit down together very often. Last week we had four hours together!

We caught up at the Block Arcade, which was built during the 1880s when money flowed in Melbourne as a result of the gold rush. No expense was spared from its mosaic floor to the intricately carved stone and domed glass ceiling, it is a step-back in time. It also has the loveliest tea rooms and chocolate shop! We had pots of tea, ribbon sandwiches and shared a decadent piece of lemon-meringue pie.   


As you can see, the choice of cakes was ENORMOUS! You can also see I am holding a shopping bag. Melanie is THE BEST person to go shopping with! She finds you clothes that suit you perfectly. If she wasn't such a great writer, she'd make an excellent personal shopper.  I now have two summer blouses and a jacket!

Of course, the next day, I was back home in my baggy T-shirt and yoga pants but for a day there, I was out in the world, talking writing and have a wonderful time.

Do you find that meeting with someone who works in your area to be invigorating?

And talking writing, Boomerang Bride has just been released in mass-market paperback and is available at Sam's Club, Target and book stores all over the USA and Canada.If you like romance novels about brides, then check out my Wedding  Fever trilogy from Carina Press. The first two books , Saved By The Bride and Picture Perfect Wedding are out as eBooks everywhere

I'm excited about my first Indie-published, short story , On The Road Again. I wrote this after doing a really long bike-ride! So what's it about? Well, Dr. Felicity Hamilton-Smith desperately needs a change of scene so she signs up for a ten-day bike ride. The last thing she expects is to run slap-bang into her former fiancé. For her, the past is over and best left behind, or so she thinks. 
The last time Dr. Drew Baxter saw Felicity was when he broke her heart. Now, seeing her again is breaking his. 

It's 12,500 words and a steal at 99 cents so grab it at Smashwords and Kindle and soon at Apple, Barnes and Noble and all other eBook retailers.

My 15 year-old son designed the cover. What do you think? 





Fiona Lowe is a RITA^® and R*BY 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 with wine. You can find her at her website, facebook, Twitter and Goodreads.

The Unexpected Can Be Good by Fiona Lowe

Life can change in a heartbeat and so it happened in my family last Tuesday at 5pm when my eldest son, who was enrolled and ready to start at university today, got an unexpected offer from another university, in  another state; Tasmania. For those of you who don't know, Tasmania is Australia's island state and the only way to get there is to fly or go by boat.  The other big thing in the email was, "if you accept this offer, lectures start in six days."

His initial reaction was, "No", because his brain was in gear for the university two hours away by train and bus. He could come home every couple of weekends, easy peasy.  But this offer of a double degree in Medicine and research was really was too good an opportunity to pass up so by Wednesday at noon we were suddenly gearing up to not only change universities but to move him "out of state."

It is AMAZING how much you can achieve in 48 hours if you give up the day job of trying to write a book. I tried to set aside my panic about my deadline and set about organising to put the car on the Spirit of Tasmania, booking flights for my husband and son and organising accommodation for him while he un-enrolled in the university he thought he was going to be attending.

I headed off with a fully loaded car including a full size electric piano...The Lad can't study without a piano...a  roof rack filled with bedding and books, and at the back of the vehicle, his push bike. Everything a boy needs for his first year at university or what my US mates call, "college."

Lucky for me, the writing community is global and my dear friend, Melanie Milburne, lives in Hobart, Tasmania. She was such a fabulous resource.

The Lad is living in a residential college and he has a million dollar view! I think I would like to live there. He is going to keep really fit because the road up to the residences is very, very steep!

So a week today I didn't know he was even going to be attending the University of Tasmania ..it's been a huge six days but he is installed, settling in and has attended his first lectures. I have just got home and am feeling a bit wobbly after I find my land legs after nine hours at sea.



After a good sleep or two, life needs to return to normal as I have to get back to writing 'Runaway Groom' the third book in my Wedding Fever trilogy.  Have you ever had to drop everything and make something good happen in a really short space of time? I'd love to hear about it.

Saved by the Bride, the first book in the trilogy is available for pre-order now at the discounted price of $2.99 at Nook & Kindle

I am thrilled with the cover. What do you think?

Fiona Lowe is a RITA^® and R*BY 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 with wine. You can find her at her website, facebook, Twitter and Goodreads.

Australia Day by Fiona Lowe

Yesterday, January 26th was Australia Day, our national day. Unlike the USA, where the national day is held on a day when independence was granted, Australia Day is celebrated on the day the first fleet from Britain landed filled to the brim with convicts, making us a penal 

colony ;-) 

As an aside, it turns out that really the Brits were after Norfolk Island not Australia. They used the penal colony as a decoy so the French didn't realise what they were up too. You see, they needed a new supply of masts and flax to make sails for their navy and they thought Norfolk Island was the key. Sadly, they were disappointed as Norfolk Island pines are very weak wood and the flax didn't make good sails either. So they were stuck with a penal colony and all the on-costs of that. Ah, irony!

It took until January 1st 1901 until Australia became a united Federation and the Queen of England a figurehead only. Today there is still a push toward becoming a republic but every time there is a Royal tour that idea seems to fade somewhat. 

On Australia Day we come together as a nation to celebrate what's great about Australia and being Australian. It's the day to reflect on what we have achieved and what we can be proud of in our great nation. It's the day for us to re-commit to making Australia an even better place for the future.

There are also those in the wider community who share these mixed emotions about our national day, and they appreciate the efforts of event organisers to acknowledge that Australia Day evokes a variety of emotions. For the First Australians. the indigenous Australians, 26 January is an occasion to reflect on past loss and suffering.

There are Australia Day awards recognising service in all shapes and forms and it is also a day many migrants decide to adopt Australia as their country and they take up citizenship. They are given a certificate and a small native plant to mark this significant occasion.

For about 150 years, many Australians were embarrassed to say they were descended from convicts but in 1988, our 200th birthday, all that changed. People were out and proud about their heritage. Sadly, my family history is pretty boring...I am descended from Cornish miners who came to Australia for a new life.  Probably to compensate for my lack of interesting heritage, I gave Matilda in Boomerang Bride some convict relatives who came out in 1788! 

Boomerang Bride is now in print on the shelf in books shops all over the USA! To read more about the story head to my website.

Yesterday,  my family attended a family day by the sea where there was  a parade, free rides, fire works and community groups spruiking their activities. The smell of onions, sausages, falafels, souvlaki and ice cream filled the air....a true representation of our multicultural society.

I'd love to hear what you do in your neighbourhood on your national day! 

Fiona Lowe is a RITA^® and R*BY 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 with wine. You can find her at her website, facebook, Twitter and Goodreads.

Scorching Heat; it must be Christmas! by Fiona Lowe

I am just back from my first foray to the shops for Christmas. Usually, I start in November but this year I was on a nine day bike ride (300+ miles!!/591km) and I have come back to discover I usually do a LOT of preparation during that last week of November.

My key to Christmas shopping is two-fold. 1. On-line shop as much as you can. 2.If I need to go to the mall I go early ; in by 9AM and out by 11AM. As The Lad (18 year old son) and I walked out of the mall today, we walked into a wall of heat. Ah, it must be Christmas.

My husband and Boy Wonder (14) made an early trip and bought the Christmas tree because tomorrow they will all be wilted after today's scorcher of 102F. The house smells of pine and again, I know it must be getting close to Christmas.

I've shared three phone calls and five text messages with my sister so far today...again, another sign Christmas is coming!

I also have a Christmas novel out! Newborn Baby For Christmas which is a modern take on the original Christmas story. It's lots of fun...there is a family reunion (census), no room at the inn, three wise men and a virgin birth ;-) It's got it all and it's set in Australia so a heap of Aussie Christmas traditions are thrown in there as well. Please do check out the link because 'Down Under' our Christmas is a little different from friends who live in the northern hemisphere and I've described them along with some recipes!

Of course, I PINE for my northern hemisphere Christmases where all the traditions made made sense. I wrote about them in my Rita winning novel, Boomerang Bride, which is coming out in trade paperback in the USA on December 18th! just in time for Christmas :-) It's on sale right now at Amazon.

Also, talking recipes, the wonderful folk at Carina Press  who published Boomerang Bride have put together a holiday recipe book and it's free HERE as a pdf so Merry Christmas!

Wishing you all a happy and healthy festive season and I hope you get to spend time with the people you wish to spend time with!

Please take care, travel safely, hug the ones you love, spare a thought for those less fortunate and I hope your stockings are overflowing with great books!
Fiona xxx

A Modern Christmas Tale

Down here, in Australia, November means the shops deck their halls and the junk mail/mail box flyers quadruple in volume. Christmas is truly on the agenda. Magazines are filled with home-made gift ideas and despite part of me thinking, 'Noooooo, it's too early to think about Christmas' I know that really it's not.

This year, things are busier than normal because between now and Christmas I have a son writing his final Year 12 exams (all 13 of them) and an insane bike ride to complete, so I am starting to feel the pressure to ‘get organised.’  

The first week of November means I have to soak the dried fruit for my Christmas cake in whiskey, rum, brandy, vanilla and lemon essence. It soaks for a month and I bake it at the start of December. This cake featured in my RITA award-winning novel, Boomerang Bride.  It also means that any gifts I want to order from the USA, like Lego...it is HEAPS cheaper on your side of the world...then I have to do it know so it arrives by December 25th.  November also means its time to plant the tomato seedlings and the basil...yes, it's spring 'Down Under.'

This year, November also means Newborn Baby for Christmas is out in the UK and the USA. I love Christmas and I loved writing this book. The idea came from the original Christmas story, starting with the virgin birth. Almost all the elements of the original Christmas story are in my very modern, 2012, Christmas tale, although no camels. ;-)

Reviews for this story have been very positive, "Mrs Lowe is on top form in this captivating story of long term friends progressing into lovers. The characters are normal everyday people whom you can easily identify with. " "There is only one word to describe this story;fantastic!" So what's it about? Hamish and Georgie have been friends for 14 years and now, both in their thirties, one of them is very keen to settle down although not with the other. Like many modern women, Georgie's biological clock is ticking and in 2012, women are not dependent on having a man in their life to have a child. When Georgie asks Hamish one of the biggest favours a friend can ever ask, he reluctantly agrees. He has one caveat- his family can never know. Both Georgie and Hamish have totally different plans for Christmas but the universe has another idea. Hamish finds himself living his worst nightmare. He's in the heart of his extended family at Christmas, and Georgie and their secret is there too. I hope you enjoy spending Christmas at Weeroona with the Pettigrew family and if you want to drink the wine they drink in the book, then check out Leura Park Estate whose motto, Life is short, celebrate well, is one we should take on board! I set this book very close to where I live, which is a beautiful coastal part of the world and it's full of Australian Christmas traditions. What is your favourite part in the run-up to Christmas? Leave a comment to do into a draw for an eBOOK editions of Newborn Baby For Christmas

I hope you enjoy reading Newborn Baby For Christmas as much as I enjoyed writing it. Fiona x Newborn Baby for Christmas is out now and available  as a physical book or an eBook. It's available Amazon UK & USA and from Harlequin.  Fiona Lowe is a RITA® and R*BY 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 with wine. You can find her at her website, facebook, Twitter and Goodreads.

Does Downton Abbey have a Ghost? By Alison Stuart

I’m thrilled to introduce author, Alison Stuart. Lawyer by day, writer by night, a fantastic volunteer at all other times, and a woman with a penchant for men in uniform, she loves losing herself in the world of historical romance.  She’s here today to talk about her latest novel, Gather the Bones which is a fantastic story about a house, a ghost and two people trying to rebuild their lives.

  

Hello! A huge thank you to Lee and the girls of Tote Bags n Blogs for inviting me to blog this Sunday.

I’m not Fiona Lowe (for those that were expecting her) but she is a very dear friend of mine and I had all the excitement of being her ‘date’ at the RITAs in Anaheim. The mad Australian screaming like a teenager at a Bieber concert when Fiona’s name was announced...yes, that was me (the photo is of Fiona Lowe (left)  and myself at the RITAs). If you haven’t read BOOMERANG BRIDE yet, do yourself a favour. It’s a lovely read. 

I was recently tidying my bookshelves (actually it is still a major work in progress) and as I started to sort my books into categories, I noticed that the “ghosts” pile was looking alarmingly high. I had no idea I had accumulated so many “real life” ghost stories. From York in England to New Orleans, I have tramped the dark streets of many an old town behind someone in costume carrying a lantern and while I haven’t, to my knowledge, ever encountered a ghost face to face (as it were), I have been in places where I have felt extremely uncomfortable. Nothing, but nothing, will induce me back into the dungeons of Warwick Castle and the arches in Edinburgh was a dark, evil place.

My interest in ghosts probably stems from one of my mother’s stories. As a young woman she toured the Youth Hostels of Wales by bicyle. In one old castle she was woken in the night by the sensation of someone brushing her cheek. She opened her eyes in time to see, quite clearly, a woman vanish through the wall next to her bed. Now my mother is not a superstitious woman (as long as you don’t have peacock feathers in the house, spill salt on the table or wear an opal), at least certainly not given to flights of fancy.

I have worked in two very well documented haunted buildings.  Both buildings had originally been fine 19^th century homes but had been occupied by the Australian Army for many, many years. “Esmerelda” the ghost of Grosvenor, reputedly the ghost of an unhappy servant girl murdered by the butler, wafted around the corridors of Brigade Headquarters. Her nightly prowling had reduced the Brigade Regimental Sergeant Major (a grizzled British Army veteran who had seen active service in Northern Ireland) to the point where nothing would induce him to spend a night in the building. She satisfied herself by keeping my little office permanently cold and switching my computer on and off.  My offsider (a man of no imagination who certainly was not acquainted with her story)  is the only person who actually saw Esmerelda-- to the fury of the regular staff who had been secretly hanging out for a sighting.

My own little town is one of the oldest settled sites in Victoria and in its day was a rough port area. Convicts were housed in rotting hulks off the point and laboured in the blue stone quarry. The ghost of the cruel overseer murdered by the convicts is often sensed by visitors on our own Lantern Ghost Tours (which I have yet to go on!).  Every pub (and in its heyday there were hundreds of them) has its own ghost story and, according to my friend who runs the Lantern Tours, not all of them are Casper the friendly ghost.  I often think it is quite a good thing that I’ve never actually seen a ghost!

I have also lived in Singapore and in the Chinese tradition August is Hungry Ghost Month. During this month, it is believed the king of hell opens the gates of hell to allow ghosts to visit the living world. It is the only time of year that ghosts are released to freely roam the Earth. They have to pacified with offerings and during that month, the scent of burning incense papers hangs over the island like a pall. Not surprisingly, even for a tiny island, Singapore has enough ghost stories to fill several books with a few local vampires (the bomoh) thrown in for good measure!

There is something about the story surrounding the unrequited spirit that cannot find rest that really appeals to the writer in me. I have published a couple of short stories but never tried a full length novel and the first seed of Gather the Bones was sown. I already had the setting, a wonderful old medieval moated manor house called Baddesley Clinton  (in Warwickshire) and I invested it with its spectral inhabitants (although I’m sure it has plenty of its own). 

The terrible impact of the Great War gave me the time period and although my story was written long before Downton Abbey hit the screens, there are resonances of the fading glory of the British Empire. I deliberately set it in 1923, just on the cusp of change when the “bright young things” (of which my grandmother was one) changed English society forever. 

So  we have GATHER THE BONES - a “Downtonesque” novel with ghosts, romance and a mystery to be solved... 

I have a giveaway of one of my earlier books, the award winning BY THE SWORD . To be in with a chance to win, tell me about a  ghostly experience or, if you prefer, talk about your favourite fictional ghosts.

To read one of my short stories THE PROMISE (and it is only short) click HERE. 

Alison Stuart is an award winning Australian writer of historicals with heart.  Whether duelling with dashing cavaliers or wayward ghosts, her books provide a reader with a meaty plot and characters who strive against adversity to find their happy-ever-after. 

Alison is a lapsed lawyer who has worked in the military and fire service, which may explain a predisposition to soldier heroes.  She lives with her own personal hero and two needy cats and likes nothing more than a stiff gin and tonic and a walk along the sea front of her home town.  She loves to hear from her readers and can be found at her website, facebook, twitter and Goodreads.  Gather The Bones (Lyrical Press) is available now at Amazon, Nook and all other eBook retailers. 

Speechless by Fiona Lowe

Have you ever been struck speechless? It happened to me 12 days ago at the Romance Writers of America's conference in Anaheim, California. Back in April, my single title, contemporary romance, Boomerang Bride had been nominated for the prestigious Rita award and that in itself was a wonderful shock and delightful surprise.

Over the next few months, I read and enjoyed all the great books that had been nominated in the same section and I was heard to say more than once to my husband, "Oh man, this book is so good, how can anyone possibly choose who wins."

 The thought of winning had never really crossed my radar. The night of the awards, Carina Press staff took me out to dinner to a wonderful Hawaiian Fusion restaurant where I sipped Mai Tai's.  I pretty much floated into the awards ceremony and sat back to enjoy  the night.

When the point of the evening reached the single title contemporary romance category, I had a couple of books in my head that I thought might win and I was keenly listening to romance diva and legend, Linda Howard as she said, "And the winner is..." I was never more stunned when I heard "Boomerang" and then this almighty roar went up and I didn't hear anything much else after that. I think my mouth fell open Then my good friend and date for the night, Alison Stuart was hugging me and Angela James, the executive editor of Carina Press was saying, "We won," and still I don't think I'd managed to say anything at all.

Time seemed to slow down to nothing and then I remembered, as per the instructions at rehearsal earlier in the day, that I had to go up onto the stage. Shock is a funny thing and as I made my way to the stairs, all I could think about was how on earth was I going to get a 12", six pound statue back to Australia!

 "They" say always have a speech ready just in case and a month prior, when my husband had said, "you should write a speech" I had put bullet points on the back of a business card and shoved it in my evening bag. By the time Linda Howard had given me the statue and I got to the lectern I was shaking. My fingers couldn't get the card out of the little pocket so money, lipstick and tissues spilled out onto the podium. I guess I was lucky there wasn't a tampon in there as well!

 I finally pulled the sucker of a card out of the bag and when I saw the bullet points I felt a bit calmer and although I wondered if it was a coherent speech. Apart from saying my eldest son's name first instead of my husband, I think I did okay. Given that I tend to call all the men in my family by the wrong name and have been known to call them by the cat's name,I think I might be forgiven
;-) Once the speech was over I got all wobbly again and was pleased to get back to my seat although I'm not sure I actually let go of the trophy!

 Those few minutes from the announcement until just after the speech are still blurry but I remember the rest of the night...the wonderful congratulations, the photos, the champagne... all of that is totally clear.

 I did manage to get "Rita" home although airport security x-rayed her twice and dusted her for explosives. She is now on pride of place on our mantle. It was and continues to be a wonderful time in my writing career.

I'd love to hear your stories about the moments of joy where you've been struck speechless and I'll give away an eBook copy of Boomerang Bride to one lucky winner.

Fiona Lowe is a Rita 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 with wine. A RuBY nominee, you can find her at her website, facebook, Twitter and Goodreads.

Boomerang Bride is available now from Carina Press, Amazon Kindle, Nook and all other online book stores, as well as being available in print in Australia under the MIRA imprint.

 Letting Go With Dr Rodriguez is available from Harlequin.com as well as being on shelf in Australia. Her books can be purchased from  The Book Depository , iBooks and other online shops.

Still on Island Time

I'm late! So sorry about that. I'm blaming it on island time. I've spent a week in Fiji and time there is very flexible and relaxed and I didn't have to know the date or the time....just the directions to the hammock.

Spending a week out of the normal routine is so important in our busy lives. We shut out the real world- no news, no phone, no internet. It was fabulous, however re-entry to the world isn't without stress.

I was so relaxed my brain emptied. Passwords? Um, I forgot. Appointments? I forgot. As for what my characters were doing when I left them in my manuscript, well, I have totally forgotten. I'm having to re-read what I've written to get back into the story.

But time waits for no man once you've left Fiji. I have a big ten days coming up. My eldest son is turning 18...a big deal in Australia as that is the age one can legally drive, drink and vote. I am also packing for my trip to the USA. YAY!


 I'm so excited to be a RITA nominee with my contemporary romance, Boomerang Bride and to be  attending the Romance Writers of America's conference in Anaheim. I will be signing at the Literacy Book Signing on Wednesday July 25th at table 200.


If you're coming, 
please do call 
by. I will have Tim Tams (world's best chocolate biscuits) and some cute Australian give-aways (Bribe, Bribe) ;-)

I'll be signing Boomerang Bride and my recent Harlequin Medical Romance, Letting Go with Dr Rodriguez. If you love a sexy polo player than Marco is for you ;-)


While I was in Fji, I was fortunate to be able to visit the Nadi Library and talk with the staff and teachers from local schools. I did a book signing and they made me this most amazing Lei. How lucky was I?

Where have you been on vacation where you had a total relax?

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 with wine. A current RITA & RuBY nominee, you can find her at her website, facebook, Twitter and Goodreads.

Soup For All Seasons by Fiona Lowe

Down here in southern Australia, we've just had record breaking rain and flooding, and the weather has been cold and dismal. It's soup weather!  


Now I realise many of you who are reading this blog are heading into summer and the thought of hot soup is more than you can bear, so to cover all bases, I'm sharing two of my favourite recipes, one for each hemisphere!  But before I do that I want to let you into my secret of great soup when you don't have time to cook.

You take either a can of pumpkin soup or tomato soup, add a can of milk, fresh black pepper and a teaspoon of curry powder. Mix together, microwave, throw some freshly chopped herbs on top and Voila! You have soup that tastes home-made. I have had people ask me for the recipe!

Talking recipes, I'll kick off with A Summer soup.  Cold Plum Soup! This is sensational to have as an appetizer for a summer lunch. Down here, I often serve it as party of Christmas lunch...the color is perfect!  I always use fresh plums but I believe my NA friends can buy plums in a can so you're all set if you or your neighbours don't have fruit trees.

1      can    purple plums -- 1-lb. 13-oz.

1     cup        water

 2/3  cup           sugar

1                    cinnamon stick

 1/4  teaspoon      white pepper

1      pinch         salt

1      cup           sour cream

 1/2  cup           heavy cream

1/2  cup           dry red wine

1      tablespoon    cornstarch

 2      tablespoons   lemon juice

1      teaspoon      grated lemon rind

3      tablespoons   brandy

 Pit and chop plums, combine with syrup in a saucepan.  Add water, sugar,

 cinnamon, salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, simmer 5 minutes

 stirring occasionally.  Mix wine and heavy cream with cornstarch, add to

 mixture and cook until thickened.  Stir in lemon juice, rind and wine, remove

 from heat.  Place 1/2 cup soup in small bowl, whisk in sour cream.  Add

 brandy and stir mix back into the soup pan until smooth.  Chill at least 4

 hours.  Serve in cups, garnish with dollops of sour cream and sprinkle with

 cinnamon. 

All I can say is YUMMO!

Now for a Winter soup, Pea & Ham soup  which I have cooking in my slow cooker as I type!

A 500gm or 1lb bag of yellow split peas soaked over night or boiled for 40 minutes.

Rinse and dump into the crock pot. Throw in an onion, carrot, 2 bay leaves,  peppercorns, potato, and the Christmas Ham bone or ham hocks from the market. Cover in water. Put on low for 12-24 hours. Remove the bones which are now clean of meat and the bay leaves. Whiz until smooth.

Serve with crusty bread. It is the complete food for lunch after Saturday sport when everyone is cold and hungry!

I hope you enjoy these recipes!




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 with wine. 


A current RITA & RuBY nominee, you can find her at her website, facebook, Twitter and Goodreads.

Boomerang Bride is available now from Carina Press, Amazon Kindle, Nook and all other online book stores. It will be on shelf in Australia on July 1^st 2012

Letting Go With Dr Rodriguez is available now from Mills and Boon UK and will be out at Harlequin.com on July 1^st. Tom’s Redemption is out in Australia. All her books can be purchased from  The Book Depository and iBooks,