Sunday, October 19, 2008

Medical Author Fiona Lowe in the Lair!

by Anna Campbell

I'd like to offer a big Aussie welcome to my friend Fiona Lowe who writes wonderful emotional Medical romance for Harlequin Mills & Boon. I met Fiona at the Australian romance writers conference just before I (and she) sold so it's always felt like a fated partnership somehow! Her new book THE PLAYBOY DOCTOR'S WEDDING PROPOSAL is just out in the UK and Australia and she's here to celebrate in the lair! If you'd like more information on Fiona and her fantastic Medicals, visit her website.

If you'd like to order any of Fiona's books, a great place to buy them is the Book Depository in the UK. They will post any book anywhere in the world, post free. Well worth checking out!

Congratulations on the UK and Australian release of your latest Harlequin Mills & Boon Medical, THE PLAYBOY DOCTOR’S WEDDING PROPOSAL. Can you tell us about this story?

Thanks so much for having me! And a BIG WAVE to everyone. This story is the second in the Outback Warragurra Duo and my working title was ‘The Reluctant Groom’. I guess it is a story of opposites attract and it tells Emily and Linton’s story. Take one country nurse with bright pink hair, raised with five brothers and who can shoot pool and hotwire cars. Put her on the same page as one urbane citified doctor, raised as an only child and who has never got his Italian leather shoes muddy, and watch the sparks fly.

Both this book and your last, A WEDDING IN WARRAGURRA, which as you know I thought was fantastic, are set in the fictional outback town of Warragurra. Can you tell us a bit about this community?

Warragurra is your quintessential outback town. Set on the banks of the Darling River in outback New South Wales, it sits in a land of heat and dust and the buildings tell the story of bygone boom days when silver lined the streets and Merino wool was gold. Today life is tougher with drought and younger people moving to the city but the resilience of country people shines through.

I’d also love your ideas on using setting as a character in a story because I think you do. One of the things I love is that reading a Fiona Lowe takes me into a whole community.

Oh, thank you, I am so glad you think my towns become a character. I love creating settings and in both Warragurra books the heroes are outsiders and the town wraps its arms around them and holds them close as much as the heroine.

Have you ever lived in the outback?

I haven’t lived in the outback but I have visited often on holidays.

Do you use real places as the inspiration for your settings?

I create fictional towns based on real towns and Warragurra was based on Bourke and Broken Hill with a bit of Menindee thrown in and almost every country town in the Mallee area of Victoria where the wheat is grown and sheep and beef are raised. I have also lived in small town USA and I have to say there is a definite connection between small town life in both places…where everyone knows you and probably knows you too well.

What’s coming up next for you?

I’ve hopefully got three books coming out in 2009…books nine and ten are certain and I’m waiting to hear on 11 as I type. My next story THE DOCTOR CLAIMS HIS BRIDE is set on an island off the northern coast of Australia - outback with a sea twist! THE SURGEON'S SPECIAL DELIVERY is back in the red dust of the outback but it also goes coastal for a bit with a sea-change of sparkling turquoise water.

Ooh, I look forward to both of those! In the lair, we LOVE call stories. Will you share yours with us?

Oh, wow, what a treat to revisit this. It’s been just over three years since I got ‘the call.’ I had got very close the year before but the book had been rejected after a revision request on something never mentioned in the request. My hero wasn’t quite there. It was my first ‘no tears’ rejection. Instead I got steely determined and hunted down what was ‘hot in Medical Romance.’ Instead of one theme, I gave them three! My pregnant doctor, in the outback and working for the Flying Doctor’s story got a revision request by phone. I was getting closer. One month later I was reading my son a goodnight story and the phone rang and I let it go as it was bound to be telemarketers at that time of night, right? Wrong. It was my editor. I rang her straight back but she had left her desk for a moment. She finally rang back ten minutes later. She talked about the weather, the RWA conference and I steeled myself for ‘You did those revisions OK but…’ Instead she said, ‘We’d really like to buy your book,’ and I said, ‘That would be lovely.’ The squeals didn’t come for another day and a half as it finally sank in that I was a Harlequin Mills and Boon Author. That book was published as PREGNANT ON ARRIVAL in 2006.

Great story, Fiona. And I'm not surprised that book sold. It was full of conflict and emotion! What do you think is the enduring appeal of medical romance?

I think it’s health professionals who put the health and wellbeing of others ahead of themselves, whose professionalism drives them no matter what the circumstances, no matter the cost to their own lives. And hey, who can resist an incredibly handsome doctor who is in complete control of his professional domain but the love of a good woman can bring him to his knees?

How much research do you do for your stories? Has a stray piece of research ever sparked an entire story for you? It sure has for me!

I do quite a bit of research because I like my medical scenes to be not only interesting but to drive the emotional journey of the hero or heroine. In A WEDDING IN WARRAGURRA, the opening medical scene came from a tiny ‘news in brief’ in the paper about a little girl who had been attacked by a rooster.

Can you give us a glimpse of a typical day for Fiona Lowe?

The alarm goes off at 5.30am and DH jumps out of bed for a bike ride and I fall out of bed and stumble up the spiral stairs to the office, cup of tea in hand. I spend an hour doing my other job as an online counsellor for teenager girls. Then I go into ‘mother mode’, make lunches for my two sons, supervise piano practice and do the school run. (This involves running to and from the school so I can get exercise in, except on Tuesdays when I play tennis in the morning.) Then it's back home where I march through the shambles of a kitchen, ignoring the mess and I finish off the non-writing job. Then I make a pot of tea and start writing. I write until 3.15pm and then it’s back to mother-mode and the afterschool activities and the breakfast dishes get cleaned up around then. I usually write for an hour on Saturday and Sunday as well which I would prefer not to but I basically have less than 6 hours a day to do 8 hours work. I am hopeless at night so this is the pattern I’ve developed. I try and walk along the river with a friend once a fortnight and I’m on school council as well so I don’t become a hermit but just recently I have decided I need to get out more, sit in cafes, and listen to the world as that is an important part of prompting my muse.

Man you're a busy woman! Fiona, do you have a question to get the party started?

I had a lot of fun writing THE PLAYBOY DOCTOR’S WEDDING PROPOSAL and Emily who had grown up with five brothers and called a spade a spade was completely opposite from the type of woman Linton usually dated. What do you think it is about opposites that attract?

Fiona has very generously offered one lucky commenter today a copy of her latest Mills & Boon Medical Romance, THE PLAYBOY DOCTOR'S WEDDING PROPOSAL, and a fridge magnet. So get commenting, people!

66 comments:

Joan said...

Sorry, gotta keep the GR a bit longer. My player has a File System Err message now. I suspect it came from the straw

Keira Soleore said...

Bok bok bok

Keira Soleore said...

NNNNNNNNNNNNNnnnnnnnnnnnnnooooooooo!!!! As I stay awake for Saturday Night Live to start, I thought I'd for sure catch Mr. Chook. But looks like he's having to much fun with JoanieT and Napster.

Joan said...

the opening medical scene came from a tiny ‘news in brief’ in the paper about a little girl who had been attacked by a rooster.

The GR is appalled!

Welcome to the Lair Fiona.

It came as quite a surprise to me to find out several years ago that there was a category line specifically geared toward the medical world.

I live in that world and rarely see what I'd call true romance going on. Though I smiled at the title Playboy Doctor's Wedding Proposal. We HAD one of those....a Greek plastic surgeon who shared WAY too much with the nursing staff about his um, decision to marry.

The setting in the outback rachets up the excitement. The only image I have of that are Crocodile Dundee movies and the steak house
:-)

I'll be adding another fabulous book to my TBR!

Anna Campbell said...

Hey, Joan, he must enjoy playing with napster! Keira, nice try, but no banana - or chook!

Fiona, welcome to the lair!

Joan, I love Fiona's books. They've got this wonderful texture of real life about them that really gives the romance such emotional punch. The Medicals are enormously popular all round the world - I'm not sure why they're not released in the US. You'd think with shows like ER and House and Grey's Anatomy that they'd be a shoo-in on a bookstore shelf! But I know a lot of American readers order them over the internet so they're not exactly a secret in America!

Fedora said...

Hi, Fiona! Great interview--I do enjoy reading the medical romances (that tiny part of me that thought I'd go into medicine still enjoys it from afar and through the softening lens of books or TV ;)) Cool call story! As for opposites attracting, I think it's much more likely for sparks to fly in such a case and especially in a story, a little conflict makes a happy ending all the sweeter. If the couple were too much alike, it just wouldn't be a very exciting story ;p

Congrats on the GR, Joan--keep that bird hard at work! And so sorry, Keira! :( Maybe after he's done downloading the soundtrack from Chicken Run...

Keira Soleore said...

H'llo Fiona. Welcome to The Lair, an congratulations on your latest release.

I spend so much money on books at Borders and Amazon, that I truly did not want to know about BookDepository. My pocketbook's going to cry.

I have to admit, I have never read a medical romance. I have read most medical mysteries from authors, such as Robin Cook and Michael Palmer, but I haven't read any medical romances.

How would you say a medical romance dynamic differs from a CEO romance dynamic?

Do you have a medical background that makes research easy for you?

I really, really loved what you said here: I think it’s health professionals who put the health and wellbeing of others ahead of themselves, whose professionalism drives them no matter what the circumstances, no matter the cost to their own lives. WOW!

I think of Bandita Suz who's delivered babies on freeway ramps, and my admiration for her knows no bounds.

Fiona, your schedule is completely awe-inspiring. Two jobs, motherhood, house, extra-curricular, chores, exercise...You are a Superwoman. What is the secret source of your Kryptonite?

As a reader it is always fun to see how despite their numerous differences, the author convinces me that together they have something precious, rare.

Fiona Lowe said...

Hello,
Thanks for the lovely welcome and my profuse apologies to the Golden Rooster who obviously was NOT related to the bird in one of my books.

Joan wrote : "I live in that world and rarely see what I'd call true romance going on."

You're not the first person to say this to me ...perhaps I see the world through rose-coloured glasses but I have about nine friends who all married someone they met working in a hospital Perhaps it was the crazy hours and the shift work;-)

Helen said...

Well done again Joan I thought he might be a bit offish over that comment in the paper?

Fiona your books sound wonderful I have read a few of the Mills & Boon medical stories and have really enjoyed them and one set in the Australian outback is defantly going on my must get list.

I agree Doctors and Nurses are such wonderful people who go out of their way to look after people they are so caring and it must be really emotional for them.

Love the call story and the sound of the books congrats Fiona.

Have Fun
Helen

Fiona Lowe said...

Karen, Thanks so much for inviting me and for your kind words about my stories. I am really thrilled that you feel they have a 'real life' feel because I do aim for that.

Fiona Lowe said...

Flchen,
I'm so glad you enjoy reading the Medical Romance Line. I have always loved the TV shows too...Doctor in the House, The Flying Doctors, ER, Chicago Hope, Grey's Anatomy..the list goes on.

In fact most romance writers love them and we have a Yummy Doctors Slide show on our blog :-) (www.medicalromance.blogspot.com) We love adding to it so if you think of any other doctor hunks let us know:-)

Fiona Lowe said...

Keira,
You asked about how the dynamics differed from the CEO-Sec...my H&H are always thrown together by their job so that is similar but then later in the book the town often conspires to throw them together as well.

My background is nursing and I have a lot of doctor and nurse friends who I call on sometimes but the internet is really great for information. As for my timetable...I am not superwoman...I fall over often! Life is always a juggle and I frequently drop the balls.

Fiona Lowe said...

Helen, Thanks for calling by and thanks for planning to chase up my book :-)

Jane said...

Hi Fiona,
I've never read any medical romances before. I look forward to reading your books. I was a fan of "ER" and loved the story lines involving the romantic lives of the staff.

Natalie Hatch said...

I think we're attracted to our opposites because they offer something enticing, something we've not had before. We like that which is familiar, but we secretly long for that which we have never tasted before. The apple pie which we've always had is nice, but the dark dark devils chocolate cake has layers begging us to savour. Deliciously tempting.

Minna said...

Congrats Joan on the GR!

What do you think it is about opposites that attract?
They have something we don't have.

Minna said...

I just have to share this piece of news I heard yesterday: Robin Hood is alive and well in Greece:
http://www.livenews.com.au/articles/2008/09/05/Greek_Robin_Hood_hands_out_food_after_supermarket_raid

Annie West said...

Hi Fiona,

How lovely to see you catching up with the Banditas. Has it really been 3 whole years since we met at that conference? What a busy time you've had!

Can I just say to anyone wondering whether to pick up a medical romance, I didn't read them till I met Fiona and now I wouldn't miss one of hers. I love the warm community feel in them as well as the story of two fascinating characters.

As for opposites attracting, I think it works, at least it does in fiction, but then they'd have to have something in common, surely!

Annie

Fiona Lowe said...

Minna, I think that when we are too similar we end up not getting along as well as perhaps we should. eg too control freaks together not a good thing...one laid back and one control freak..occassionally fireworks but often they rub along OK.

Annie, my husband and I are definitely opposites and we've rubbed along for 25 years :-)

Natalie, perhaps there is something to your theory of having what we don't have...like the missing piece of a jigsaw!

Anonymous said...

Hi Fiona, (and Anna), I’ve learnt something. I didn’t know our American Cousins aren’t provided with Medical romance novels. No wonder they speak funny. I can’t image a world without Fiona (and friends). ---- Goodness fancy needing to visit an old people asking how they’re feeling just to hear some medical stories, and where’s the romance. No I’m glad I can run down the street and fill my pockets with Fiona’s creations. ---- Fiona didn’t even tell us about her recent secret visit Malaysia/Brunei visiting orphaned Orang-utans. I’m sure there’s a novel cooking on the strength of her trip. I’m waiting to read the result. ---- Thank you Fiona for the realism of your fictional imagination. (And, thank you Anna for your list of interesting friends). ---- Eric

ArkieRN said...

Hi Fiona! Great article. I'm a nurse myself and I really enjoy medical based books. I also grew up in a small town and I totally agree with you about them. Congratulations on your latest release.

CC Coburn said...

Hi Fiona!
I'm taking a break from revisions to say hello (and pick you brains about how you mange them without going bonkers?) Oh, yeah, that's right - you run on Kryptonite (loved that, Keira!) Actually, Fiona is EXTREMELY organised and that's how she fits all that into her day.
Now, I wanna know, F, have you been peeking over my shoulder cos Colorado Christmas is an opposites attract story - plus the town is conspiring to get the H&H together! (big grin)
I LOVE opposites attract stories and believe it ups the conflict when two people who are so different are thrown together, and in spite of their best intentions can't resist each other. Perhaps its the unpredictability, the maddening little differences in the way they see their worlds - or is it just the irresistible pull of trying to figure out and "fix" that other person, mould them to someone more like you and failing miserably at it?
Oky, have pontificated enough. btw the DH and I met in a hospital - sort of - I used to look after all the Med students who came to the mater and his sister was one of them. She took me back to their place for lunch one day and I went swimming. He bomb dived me and I was impressed. Not!
ps. we won't talk about what REALLY led to you getting The Call (grin)
Catherine aka CC

Serena said...

Hi Fiona,
Like I've said elsewhere - geez you do get around :)

I know many cases where opposites attract, but in romantic fiction it's a must - otherwise hero and heroine meet, fall in love and there's the happy ever after. Not much of a storyline.

One thing about Fiona's books is that she has a flair for sucking you in with memorable characters in everyday situations and wonderful outback settings. And just when you think things can't get any worse between the h/H, she throws another spanner into the provrbial works and I swear I never see it coming! Fiona is a master storyteller and she writes fabulous emotional stories, guaranteed page-turners. And I'm not saying that because she is my friend but because it's TRUE!

Hugs to you all,
Serena (who already owns all of Fiona's books (actually twice over) - so no need to put me in the draw :) )
xx

Fiona Lowe said...

Eric and Serena, you're making me blush! But thanks, I'm so glad you enjoy my stories.

But just for clarification, four out of six Medical Romances per month are available on eharlequin. All six are available at the Book Depository, Amazon.Ca, Mills and Boon UK and Harlequin Australia :-)We're working on them going on shelf in the US so keep your eyes peeled :-)

Fiona Lowe said...

Arkiern, Thanks for stopping by. Yes, there is something about a small town...everyone knows everyone, everyone has an opinion but in times of crisis they all pull together. I just love that aspect of community life.

Fiona Lowe said...

CC!! Great to see you here. Ah, revisions...the bane of all writer's lives. BUT usually as much as we grumble we have to concede that 99% of the time the editor's suggestions actually strengthen the story. Can't wait to read your Christmas story in 2009!

Fiona Lowe said...

Oh, Oh! I have news as well! My 11th book has just sold. Title and release date TBA :-)
Fiona happy dancing!

Unknown said...

Hi Fiona and Anna!

Congratulations on your 11th book, Fiona! How fantastic! No wonder you're happy dancing - I'm doing some fancy footwork for you!

With regard to opposites attracting... when it happens maybe it's a case of being attracted to qualities that we'd like to have in ourselves. My dh is so much more laidback than my obsessive self... sometimes it makes me crazy but most times he's just the reality check that I need. I'm sure I'm a good influence on him, too. Well, it's a nice little fantasy, anyway! LOL

Emily and Linton's story is a great example of opposites attracting - it's a terrific read, Fiona!

:)
Sharon

Joan said...

I think there is something to the opposites attract theory. A lot of obstacles sometimes to overcome and/or learn to balance out.

This has really come to play this morning as the GR has become enamoured it seems with the little Australian terrior who lives behind me. I don't know if Boomer and GR can make it work but they do say love conquers all right?

Gannon Carr said...

Welcome, Fiona! And big congrats on the sale of your 11th book! Woohoo!!!!

Your life sounds extremely busy--and familiar--to all working moms out there. We all drop a ball when we are trying to juggle our many jobs!

Joan, are your feeding the GR some of PJ's chocolates?

Joan said...

Joan, are your feeding the GR some of PJ's chocolates?

You think there are some left, Gannon? Really?

There are only remmanets...mostly on my thighs!!!

Hmmmm...maybe I'll dress up for Halloween and go trick or treating at PJ's. MAYBE, she'll be giving away turtles!

pjpuppymom said...

Hi Fiona! Welcome to the lair and congrats on your latest release. I enjoy the fantasy of medical romance novels. The romances at my local hospital (and there are many) are usually not pretty so it's fun to escape into a story where I'm assured of a HEA. Plus, I like the tension of the life and death drama that often accompanies medical romances and gives an added emotional intensity to the stories.

I agree with Natalie. I think that in our opposite we find a person that completes us, filling in the open pieces of our personal jigsaw puzzle.

Fiona, are you planning to come to the US for RWA in Washington, DC next summer?

pjpuppymom said...

Joanie, for the first time in 32 years I won't be home on Halloween this year. I haven't broken the news to the trick-or-treaters yet. Wonder if they'll let me back into the neighborhood? :)

pjpuppymom said...

Fiona, congrats on selling #11! :)

Joan said...

Fiona,

What is it about a small town/the Outback that adds that something different to your stories?

Loucinda McGary aka Aunty Cindy said...

Welcome to the Lair, Fiona! And thanx for inviting her, Fo!

And WOW! SUPER CONGRATS on selling your 11th book! What a fantastic accomplishment! Some authors don't achieve that much in an entire career, so you should be REALLY proud.

Joanie, the GR is enamored with a TERRIER?!?! Talk about "The Odd Couple," but then love will find a way. Kinda like me and chocolate...

AC

Anna Campbell said...

Fedora, I absolutely agree with you about a romance novel needing conflict - otherwise you don't have a story. The number of people who say, "You must write my romance - we met on our first date and have been happy ever after ever since." Great for you but not so much for filling up 400 pages!

Keira, I too would like to know how Fiona manages it! She's a tireless volunteer for Romance Writers of Australia too. I have suspicions that she's worked out the secret of human cloning!

Anna Campbell said...

Helen, I think you'd enjoy Fiona's stories. I can't put them down once I start them! And, Jane, ditto for you!

Natalie, I agree with you about the attraction of opposites. It gives that zing to life and to stories! Actually Jungian psychology says that best match is two opposites coming together because each person makes up for some lack in the other. You know, the old yin and yang vibe!

Anna Campbell said...

Hey, Minna, snap! I just said what you said, but not nearly so concisely!

Annie, interesting comment on the opposites debate. And yeah, do you remember the night we all met? It was at the ROMAUS loop dinner just before that wonderful conference in Melbourne three years ago.

Eric, I HAVE got interesting friends, haven't I? And so many of them eventually turn up in the lair! Yes, Fiona, I'd love the orang-utans to appear in a book. One of my favorite books of yours is A WOMAN TO BELONG TO, the one set in Vietnam, inspired by more of your travels. The doctor hero was a half-Vietnamese war orphan and he was so compelling.

Anna Campbell said...

Arkiern, another nurse! What is it with you guys and romance? Actually I really think the Americans are missing out on something special, not having the Medical Romances readily available at their local stores!

Hi Catherine! And congratulations again on selling COLORADO CHRISTMAS to Harlequin. Catherine got the 'call' in person at the San Francisco conference. How cool is that?

Anna Campbell said...

Serena, that's so true about Fiona's books, isn't it? I'm not surprised she runs extremely popular workshops about conflict! Thanks for popping by - it's always lovely to see you!

Anna Campbell said...

Fiona, HUGE CONGRATULATIONS on the 11th book getting the nod! And I'm happy dancing too as it means another FL in the pipeline for me! Huzzah! Can you tell us anything about it?

Anna Campbell said...

Hello, Sharon! Lovely to have you here too! And another fan of Fiona's great medicals! Excellent stuff! Actually watching you and your dh interact is really interesting - you really ARE opposites in so many ways! Yet it works a treat.

The rooster and a terrier? Now, that I have to see, JT!

Anna Campbell said...

Hey, Gannon, if there's any PJ chocs doing the rounds, I WANT SOME!!! Every time I hear about those turtles, I start slavering like Pavlov's Australian terrier!

PJ, perhaps if you hold out the promise of a turtle or two for Fiona (and her friends, especially for her friends!), you may coax her to Washington. Actually Fiona lived in Wisconsin for quite a while. Fiona, do you want to talk about how mucy you enjoyed living in America? I know you did!

pjpuppymom said...

Her friends(Fo)are already on my turtle list! :) Definitely, Fiona. My turtles and I would love to meet you in DC!

Anna Campbell said...

Cindy, I look forward to someone writing our rooster and his terrier as an opposites attract story! Fiona, are you looking for a story for your 12th?

Anna Campbell said...

Oh, PJ, when you speak I hear beautiful music! Well, at least when you offer me turtles! ;-)

Fiona Lowe said...

Hello again,
It's very early in the morning here and I guess late at night your side of the world. Thanks PJ for the welcome. No, I'm afraid I won't be coming to Washington RWA next year :-( Enjoy Halloween...when I lived in Wisconsin, autumn...sorry 'fall' was my favourite time of year. The crisp mornings, the gorgous colours, the pumpkins on the porch, I just loved it as it was SO VERY different from home.

Fiona Lowe said...

What is it about a small town/the Outback that adds that something different to your stories?

Joan, I think it is the isolation and the physical harshness of the environment. Life isn't as straightforward. Australia is a vast and mostly empty land. When you fly across the US at night it is pretty much a continuous line of lights with a few exceptions...death valley,montana, wyoming. BUt in Australia we are all clinging to the east coast and then there is nothing for 1000s of kilometres...a lot of dark desert and when you see it from the air you realise how remote the outback really is

Fiona Lowe said...

Anna, you beat me up:-)
My 12th ...I'm mulling at the moment. A few people have commented on my workload and right now I am taking a bit of a breather, some space and letting the muse roam. Hard, very hard but necessary sometimes to step off the treadmill.

Anna I ask EVERYONE I meet how they met and yep, frequently not a story for a book as it was instant, mutual attraction. But still I ask as you never ever know!

Fiona Lowe said...

Loucinda, thank you so much for the congratulations. I'm surrounded by prolific writers where I trail way behind so thank you for that reminder that 11 for this little duck* is pretty darn good.

How does GR feel about ducks?

Fiona Lowe said...

My dh is so much more laidback than my obsessive self... sometimes it makes me crazy but most times he's just the reality check that I need.

Sharon, I think we chose similar men for similar resons LOL!

Pat Cochran said...

Hello, Fiona and Anna,

My feeling is that the attraction starts with curiosity, wanting to find out what makes the opposition
tick! Getting to know more about
that person eventually leads to a closer connection.

Pat Cochran

Anna Campbell said...

Pat, what a lovely description! Actually one of the things I love about opposites attract is that it really does broaden a person's horizons, makes them question long-held opinions, introduces new ideas, etc.

Fiona Lowe said...

My feeling is that the attraction starts with curiosity, wanting to find out what makes the opposition tick

Pat that is fantastic! Your words have hit the nail on the head, especially in Linton's case. He's the playboy doctor, dates gorgeous women and here he is with this nurse who he's worked with on and off a few times and considers a 'mate'. So here he is, in the middle of an emergency, in the lift (elevator) on the way to theatre with Emily, two med students, a really sick patient and A stab of something indefinable caught Linton in the solar plexus. He shifted his weight and breathed in deeply. Emily Tippett with hair that changed colour weekly, her button nose with its smattering of freckles that some might describe as cute, her baggy clothing he assumed hid a non-descript figure and her diminutive height was so far removed from his image of an ideal woman that it would be laughable to find her attractive. He exhaled the unwelcome feeling.
But she’s a damn good nurse. The doctor in him could only applaud that attribute.

Later on he decides to find out why her hair colour changes every week :-)

Anna Campbell said...

Actually, Fiona, something that I think is enormously important for opposites to attract is absolutely clear in that excerpt. He obviously really respects Emily, for all that she's so different from him. I think mutual respect takes people a long way!

Joan said...

The rooster and a terrier? Now, that I have to see, JT!

Wellllll, it's interesting to say the least.

He crows, she barks but love conquers all they say.

Joan said...

How does GR feel about ducks?

Oh, the poor boy is not up for anything. I have to report that the romance finished before it started.

GR was struting up and down the yard fence and when Boomer demanded he play "fetch"...well, his pride just wouldn't allow it.

Last I saw him he was drowning his sorrow in my Baileys.....

My Baileys!!!!!

Be right back........

Helen said...

Congrats Fiona on the sale.

Yes and I agree that opposites often attract because then tend to support and feed of each other not sure if that sounds right but they compelment one another.
Have Fun
Helen

Keira Soleore said...

Fo wrote, "something that I think is enormously important for opposites to attract is absolutely clear in that excerpt. He obviously really respects Emily,"

Fo, yes!! In fact, I will say that without mutual respect, it does not matter how compatible you are or even clones of each other, long term relationships are impossible. If in your day-to-day disagreements or mundane chores, you cannot remember that the most important thing is that you respect them and care for them, then there's no hope for the future.

Catherine, you got your call at SF? How very cool. Thanks for your remark about the Kryptonite. I'm still amazed at how she manages it all. Reminds me of Brenda Novak.

Fiona, congratulations on the sale of the 11th. And Wisconsin? I'm from there. Milwaukee, in fact, and the capital for a few years. And you?

Fiona Lowe said...

Anna and Pat, I love you both! I get a great deal of joy when people can put so succinctly what I feel in my gut. THANKYOU

Fiona Lowe said...

Keira, I lived in Madison, Wisconsin for just over two years, '95-'mid '97. That is pretty much where I started writing and I joined the Madison chapter of RWA and met some great women...Judith Lyons, Ann Voss Peterson, Carol Voss...they were my crit partners then:-)
Before I went to live there the only time I had heard of Milwaukee was from the TV show Happy Days, LOL. Now I think of the Lake, Summerfest, brats and beer :-)

Louisa Cornell said...

Crawling out of the writing cave for a quick hello!

Joan, keep the GR in line and keep him away from the electronics, the food and the liquor!

Hello, Fiona! Your medicals in the Outback sound fabulous!

My late DH and I were definitely complete opposites. In fact my BIL frequently said it was like the Professor marrying Ginger on Gilligan's Island!

My DH was a country raised serious scholar - quiet, studious and laid back.
I was a temperamental, flamboyant aspiring opera singer with a love of books and studies that I kept tucked away.

I think he did want to figure out what made me tick ! I don't know if he ever did, but he certainly knew how to handle me. I would go off like Vesuvius and he would wait patiently and finally say "Are you finished? Good. Now what is it you want to say?" Being married to a psychiatrist could be very frustrating at times! He was always so calm and analytical.

Still we were good for each other. He kept me grounded and I taught him how to have fun.

The funny thing is I am organized to the point of obsession and he was like a walking talking tornado when it came to organization. He was a real genius and every day things just bored him. Guess that's why he married me. LOL I miss him a lot.

Anna Campbell said...

Louisa, I always love hearing about your late husband. He sounds like such a marvelous man! Sounds like you were definitely a case of opposites attract!

Anna Campbell said...

Fiona, thanks for being our guest on the Bandits today. You've been fantastic! And I'm sure you've got another hit on your hands with THE PLAYBOY DOCTOR'S WEDDING PROPOSAL.

Everybody, don't forget to check back in the next few days to see if you've won Fiona's prize!

Keira Soleore said...

Yes! Summerfest. YES!!! Oktoberfest.

Fiona, I was in Madison '92 fall through '95 summer, right before you left. I was at the U and in the Union South side of the campus, as far away from liberal arts then. :)