Getting to know cat slave and author, Fiona Lowe

Hello everyone, 

From time to time I want to introduce you to the author of some of the books we review here at Starts at 60.  This week meet Fiona Lowe, author of Birthright which was reviewed recently by Vivienne Beddoe. (Click here to read Vivienne’s review.)

Who is Fiona Lowe?
I’m an author, wife, mother of two young adult sons, a slave to a cat and a custodian of 80 rose bushes. I have been a midwife, community health nurse, a sexual health counsellor and a family support worker. 

What was your favourite book as a child and why?
The Anne of Green Gables series by Lucy Maude Montgomery. Why? Perhaps because I had red hair like Anne! I suppose at 12, reading about someone my age in the first book and then reading about her growing up, attending university and her adult life, it made me ponder what lay in my future.

Which book made the most lasting impression on you?
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. I read it at fifteen. To this day, I still remember my entire body tingling when Mr Darcy and Elizabeth finally got together.

Is there a book you think “I wish I had written that”?
There are far more than one! I am often in awe of other authors’ skills with words and their ability to take me far away from my real world. One book that comes to mind is Georgia Blain’s Between a Wolf and a Dog.

What are you currently reading?
The Burning Chambers by Kate Mosse

What are you writing at present?
A novel set in a small rural community two years after a devastating natural disaster. It’s about four women who under normal circumstances, would never have chosen to work together but have it thrust upon them.

Are you a planner or do your books form organically?
I am both. I start off with story strands, some vague ideas about plot and a group of characters who are partially fleshed out. I know what each character believes about themselves and what motivates them but that is about all. If I try and seriously plot at this point nothing happens. It seems my process is to write into the dark and as I get to know my characters then the plot becomes clearer. I usually hit points where I get an ‘ah-ha’ moment, which is quickly followed by being plunged back into the dark again. A lot of time it feels like I’m writing by flickering candlelight.

What was your first job?
I swept up hair in a hairdressing salon, made the tea and coffee and washed hair. I learned about the power of touch. How some people crave it and others will do almost anything to avoid it.

When I’m not writing I’m …………….?

Excuse me while I laugh. I’m on deadline at the moment so the ‘not writing’ part of my life is a vague memory. BUT I live to travel. I met my husband through amateur theatre many years ago and we still see a lot of live theatre. I love to read, I get a sense of satisfaction out of gardening although I never feel like I have quite got on top of mine. I detest the gym but I go so I can indulge my enjoyment of drinking wine.

What is the most outrageous/bravest/silliest thing you have done in your life?
You only want one silly thing? I could fill a page. Outrageous: I once dressed up as a plum pudding, which showed a full length of green leg and I appeared in a shopping centre show. Brave: I strapped a baby on my back in a foreign country where I didn’t know a soul and I set off to find us somewhere to live. Silly: during the crazy period that was deadline month for Birthright, I found myself distractedly putting on lip balm only to discover it was Vegemite.

What brings you joy?
Being in the bush. Sunrises. Sunsets. The beach….hmm, I guess nature brings me joy. Watching my sons carve out their adult lives. Meeting people whose conversation makes me think.

Is there a book you keep re-reading; something that never gets old for you or where you still find nuances?
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. I read it every year. Try reading it from Mr Darcy’s point of view; it’s quite illuminating. I also re-read Emma.

Is there a character you really identify with, either in one your books, or indeed another author’s work?
I probably identify most with Sarah in Birthright as she is part of the sandwich generation and I have been living that with ageing parents and teenage children.

Are you looking forward to ageing? Why/Why not?
I doubt anyone looks forward to creaking joints, sleeping less deeply and age-related illnesses, but I am looking forward to the things that different stages of life offer me, such as more time for me now the boys are at university. Lately, I have found myself glancing in prams, which is both surprising and a bit of a worry as neither son is remotely ready to be a father and I am not ready to be a grandmother! But it’s got me wondering. Who knew there is a biological grandmother clock?

Doesn’t she sound like a great woman? Well showing my bias, anyone who reads Pride and Prejudice yearly is going to win my vote. 

Birthright by Fiona Lowe is available in printed and digital editions from the publisher, HQ Fiction. Click here for details

Karen  xx