Author Bio:
I was born and raised in the suburban outskirts of London where I was lucky enough to experience the vibrant art and culture of the city, and spent my student years in the eclectic seaside town of Brighton. I’ve always been creative at heart, and have worked as a collage-artist, sculptor, prop-maker and garden designer over the years. But I am an introvert and writing has always been my first love.
In March 2015, to my delight, Accent Press published my debut romance novel, Kindred Hearts. Spurred on by this success and a lifelong passion for reading, I continue to pour my creativity into writing novels, surrounded by my amazing, inspiring and supportive family.
What inspires you to write?
I love a good story. I’ve always enjoyed escaping into books and I used to write poems and short stories as a child, but it was years before I summoned up enough courage to attempt my own novel. I finally sat down and wrote the outline for Kindred Hearts one New Year’s Day, because I had 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 now I can’t stop writing!
Tell us about your writing process.
I’m a plotter and 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, and allow my characters to lead the way, introducing twists and turns that I could never have dreamt up alone. 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 that they’re not real.
Who are your favorite authors?
Ah, I have so many favourites: Jon McGregor – If Nobody Speaks Of Remarkable Things, Sarah Waters – Fingersmith, Iain Banks – The Wasp Factory, Audrey Niffenegger – The Time Traveler’s Wife, David Mitchell – Ghostwritten, Kate Atkinson – Not the End of the World, F. Scott Fitzgerald – Tender Is the Night and Ian McEwan – Atonement, to name just a few.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
I was lucky enough to be introduced to my publisher by my great friend and fellow author, Alice Raine. If Accent Press 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 name for themselves and a solid 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?
Contemporary Romance, Erotic Romance
What formats are your books in?
eBook
Website(s)
Grace Lowrie Home Page Link
Link To Grace Lowrie Page On Amazon
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