About Grace Lowrie:
Writing was my first love back when I composed poetry and short stories as a child. Since then I have worked a variety of jobs, run my own garden design business and travelled the world. Now I am rekindling my original passion by writing contemporary romance novels in Hertfordshire, where I also help out with the family business, explore the countryside and bake cakes.
What inspires you to write?
In a word: characters. I wrote my debut novel Kindred Hearts because I found I had fictional people, specifically the twins Sebastian and Celeste, living in my head and it was a choice between going mad or putting pen to paper. I honestly felt compelled to write their story and I revelled in the process so much that the dark winter months positively flew by. I’ve developed a real taste for it now and I’m working hard writing my next books.
Tell us about your writing process.
I usually start with the characters – I have an idea in my head of their personalities, internal struggles and desires. From there I go on to explore the relationship between those people, sketching out a rough plot with a beginning, middle and end, to tell their story. Once I have a loose outline I flesh out the middle with as much action, drama and tension as my characters will allow and then sprinkle my plan with ideas on the imagery, themes and general atmosphere. (I often use music and image searches to inspire me at this stage, but I have to be careful not to let it consume me). Plan achieved, I try to blast my way through a first draft quickly, while my character’s voices are fresh, because I know I can always go back and improve on things later. But I am only human and often get sidetracked along the way 🙂
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
I listen to my characters; I don’t talk back – that would be crazy right? – But they sometimes make me smile and their moods often affect mine. I constantly have to remind myself they’re not real.
What advice would you give other writers?
I’ve only had one book published so far, so it feels a little presumptuous to advise other writers – but I would say always have a pen and a notebook beside the bed; some of my best ideas come to me just as I’m falling asleep and if I don’t jot them down, they are lost by morning.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
I was extremely lucky in that I was introduced to my publisher, Accent Press, by a friend. If they had not offered me a contract I would have tried the self-publishing route, in the hope of finding a publisher one day.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
Generally I think having a publisher is important when you are first starting out as I am – Accent Press provides immense support whilst also lending their authors a certain amount of credibility. Self-publishing has its obvious benefits – not least financial rewards and greater control, but possibly proves more successful for those authors who have already achieved a fan base. I would like to think that paperback copies of the most popular books will always be in demand, despite the comparable ease of downloading e-books.
What genres do you write?: Romance, Contemporary Women’s Fiction, Erotic Romance
What formats are your books in?: eBook
Website(s)
Grace Lowrie Home Page Link
Link To Grace Lowrie Page On Amazon
Link to Author Page on other site
Your Social Media Links
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All information in this post is presented “as is” supplied by the author. We don’t edit, to allow you, the reader, to hear the author in their own voice.
