This month I’ve chosen to highlight fellow Aussie authors
from my home town area. These are just some of the authors who make up the
group ‘AWSOM’ (Authors South and West of Melbourne). Their sub-genres and writing styles may vary, but they're all dedicated, talented, passionate authors who write damn good books!
Lisa Ireland
Lisa Ireland lives on the Victorian coast with her husband
and three sons. After working for many years as a primary school teacher, Lisa
is a now a full-time writer.
Her novel, Feels Like Home, is an Australian
Bestseller. In 2015 Lisa was one of the Top Ten Debut Fiction Authors in
Australia. Her fourth novel,
THE SHAPE OF US, was released in April 2017.
Lisa is passionate about art and travel and has a strong
interest in human rights: she is an active supporter of several human rights
organisations including the Combined Refugee Action Group, which provides
assistance for refugees in her local region. When she’s not writing she can be
found drinking coffee with friends or wandering along the beach with her
extremely disobedient but totally loveable dogs, Millie and Lulu.
Feels Like Home
When celebrity novelist Johanna Morgan surprises everyone by
arriving back in Linden Gully three weeks early for her best friend’s wedding,
she’s shocked to find her ex-boyfriend Ryan Galloway is back too and well-integrated
in the community as the local vet.
Jo’s maid-of-honour duties are not the only thing that’s
brought her home. The family homestead of Yarrapinga is now her responsibility,
and Jo needs to decide whether to keep it – and replace old memories with new
ones – or sell it and cut off all ties to her childhood and her home.
Ryan has brought his young daughter home to Linden Gully to
provide stability after the death of her mother. The last thing he needs is
Jo’s return, and all of the emotional turmoil that she brings with her.
Thrown together as attendants at their best friends’
wedding, Jo and Ryan have no choice but to grin and bear all the tension. But
it’s not only resentment lingering between them. The attraction is still there,
and the heat and the memories.
They say you can’t come home again, but maybe, for Jo and
Ryan, home is not just a place, but a state of the heart.
For links to purchase Feels Like Home or any of Lisa's other books click here.
Alli Sinclair
Alli Sinclair is a multi award-winning author who spent
her early adult years travelling the globe, intent on becoming an Indiana Jones
in heels. She scaled mountains in Nepal, Argentina, and Peru, rafted the
Ganges, and rode a camel in the Sahara. Argentina and Peru became her home for
a few years and when she wasn’t working as a mountain or tour guide, Alli could
be found in the dance halls dancing the tango, salsa, merengue, and samba.
All of these adventures made for fun storytelling and this
is when she discovered her love of writing. Alli’s stories capture the romance
and thrill of exploring new destinations and cultures that also take readers on
a journey of discovery.
Alli was voted as Favourite New
Romance Author 2014 by the Australian Romance Readers
Association and Luna Tango was
voted 2014
Book of the Year by Ausrom Today Readers Choice Awards. in 2016 Alli
was voted Best
Established Author in the Ausrom Today Readers Choice Awards.
Under The Spanish Stars
Amid the vivid beauty of Granada, a woman entrusted with
unraveling a family secret will discover the truth about her heritage—and the
alluring promise of love…
When her beloved grandmother falls ill, Charlotte Kavanagh
will do whatever she asks of her—even if it means traveling to a country that
broke her abuela’s heart. Can an unsigned painting of a flamenco dancer unlock
the secrets of her grandmother’s youth in Spain? To find the answers she needs,
Charlotte must convince the charismatic and gifted musician, Mateo Vives to
introduce her to a secluded gypsy clan.
The enigmatic Mateo speaks the true language of flamenco, a
culture Charlotte must learn to appreciate if she wants to understand her
grandmother’s past—and the flamenco legend that has moved souls to beauty, and
bodies to the heights of passion. As Mateo leads her into the captivating world
of the music and the dance, Charlotte embraces her own long-denied creative
gift and the possibility of a future rich with joy…
For links to purchase Under The Spanish Stars click here.
Fiona Lowe
Fiona Lowe has been a midwife, a sexual health counsellor
and a family support worker; an ideal career for an author who writes novels
about family and relationships. She spent her early years in Papua New Guinea,
where without television, reading was the entertainment and it set up a lifelong
love of books. One of her first teenage rebellions was refusing to go on a hike
with her parents because she was half way through GONE WITH THE WIND. As an
adult, Fiona read her way around the world always trying to read a book that
related to where she was at the time; the Brontes in Yorkshire, Jane Austen in
Bath, The Godfather in Italy, Michener in Hawaii...and so the list goes on.
Although she often re-wrote the endings of books in her
head, it was the birth of her first child that prompted her to write her first
novel. A recipient of the prestigious USA RITA® award and the
Australian RuBY award, Fiona's books are set in small country towns and feature
real people facing tough choices and explore how family ties impact on their
decisions.
When she's not writing stories, she's a distracted wife,
mother of two 'ginger' sons, a volunteer in her community, guardian of 80 rose
bushes, slave to a cat and is often found collapsed on the couch with wine. You
can find her at Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Goodreads or
you can email her at fiona@fionalowe.com
Boomerang Bride
Matilda Geoffrey had risked it all for love.
She'd left Australia to be with Barry -- the man who had
swept her off her virtual feet. Now, wearing a wedding dress, she's alone on
Main Street in small-town Wisconsin, and things aren't working out exactly as
planned….
In town for his annual family visit, Marc Olsen had never
seen a bride quite like Matilda -- staring into a storefront window, holding a
tottering wedding cake and looking desperately in need of a groom. He doesn't
have many warm feelings for his hometown, but meeting Matilda just as she
discovers she's been scammed by her online "fiancé" stirs something
in him.
Matilda is not the kind of woman Marc imagined himself with,
and Marc is anything but the romantic hero that Matilda has always dreamed of.
But as unlikely circumstances throw them together, can they let go of their
misconceptions and risk their hearts for love?
For links to purchase Boomerang Bride or any of Fiona's other books click here.
DJ Michaels
Like most authors, DJ can’t remember a time when she didn’t
have a book in her hand. The stories she read fired her imagination, and gave
her a legitimate excuse to disappear for hours at a time into the endless realm
of her imagination. As she grew older, she was drawn to fantasy and paranormal
stories, and those elements feature heavily in the stories she writes.
DJ’s latest series is set in New York, but she’s an Aussie
Girl. She lives on the beautiful south east coast of Australia, not too far
from the Great Ocean Road. When she’s not spending time with her family and
friends, she’s happily clacking away on her computer, stirring up trouble and
ruling her imaginary world like a benevolent Queen.
Well…perhaps not always benevolent – because that would be
boring.
Tempting Flame
Jasmine Teale will do anything for the sick kids she works
for, including handcuffing herself to the security desk at Hope Towers –
headquarters of the newly-arrived aliens. When a Jendari warrior decides to
handle her demonstration personally, Jasmine realizes she’s in way over her
head.
Tallis Ba’reah has no interest in the humans whose planet
his people now share, and he’s done with the endless anti-alien protests. Until
he confronts a soft, sexy, protest-of-one and he becomes far more interested
than he should be.
Interspecies relationships are forbidden, and Tallis does
his best to avoid temptation. But when Jasmine is put at risk because of her
ties to him, he’s forced to admit his heart is in charge – not his head.
Tallis may not be able to claim her for his own, but he’ll
do whatever it takes keep her safe.
Buy links:
I'm so pleased to share these fabulous authors with you. I know you'll love their stories as much as I do.
Lauren James is a country girl at heart. Raised on a small
property surrounded by animals, it's no surprise she writes small town romance
with lots of love for creatures great and small.
Having failed fabulously at painting, sewing and playing
guitar, she finally found her creative outlet in writing strong, quirky
heroines, and tough, handsome heroes with gooey animal-loving centers.
Lauren lives on the outskirts of Melbourne, Australia, with
her beloved rescue greyhound, Daisy.
8 comments:
Wow!!! Lauren you've certainly introduced me to amazing or AWSOM authors!!! Judith
Love your writing group's acronym! Thank you for telling me about all these wonderful authors, Lauren! My TBR pile is growing by leaps and bounds this month!!!
Judith and Sarah, their acronym is wonderful isnt' it? They're a clever and creative bunch!
My TBR pile was already unmanageable but after this month it's out of control! I probably need to retire now to have time to read everything!
Thanks for spotlighting a talented group of authors, including yourself. Looking forward to seeing a book from you soon.
Thanks, Dora. I'm so glad you enjoyed reading about these fabulous authors.
Thanks for introducing us to these lovely ladies! I can't wait to try their books, which sound great!
Hi Lauren
Some of my favorite authors are in this group.
I love that Australia is home of some absolutely amazing authors.
Thanks for sharing them with us all.
Michelle xx
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