​Thank you for the opportunity to share a little bit about myself.
I live in Adelaide with my husband Paul of 35 years and my two grown children and their appendages. I recently became a full-time manager of an Autograph store, and now I struggle to juggle my two careers. I find my creativity is at its peak very early in the morning when I am fresh and uninterrupted. I’ve just invested in a laptop and am doing more work in the outdoors or at work in my back room.
Three years ago, I spat out 9 long (approx. 120k each) contemporary novels and have spent pretty much the last few years working on editing them. I managed to release two last year and one this year. My love for Italy is the reason I like to focus my stories there. I have a lot of fond memories of Palermo in Sicily where I was born, and my colourfuI relatives still live in Villa Nave, the hotspot for my series.  Bella Notte is the second in the series, following The Sicilian List which was a finalist in this years’ RuBY.  It’s steamy, and fast paced and packed with food, dancing and amore! It also lets you enjoy the original character’s continuing love story, while introducing you to a new one. Of course, there’s a little mayhem, mystery and murderous intentions just to keep you on your toes.
I have had some success with eBooks, through Amazon, but my fanbase are all about the hard copy novels. I run a cottage industry from home each time I have a new release, and it’s a fun way to catch up with people. Their enthusiasm and praise keep me going when I lose heart or feel insignificant in a giant pond of talent. It’s hard to spend time selling myself in such a way that I am recognised by the masses. It’s a fulltime job in itself, which is why I don’t feel I have really given it the time and effort required. Different people have told me varying outcomes of their journey from pure luck to emails, bookbubs and blogs. It’s like everything else, there are many talented people out there that are being overlooked, but it takes opportunity knocking, and a little luck as well as sweat and tears to have a measure of success.
I look at it this way. There are people out there who are reading my stories, and then passing those books on to others. It’s what I’ve always wanted. It doesn’t matter if it’s 50 books or 50,000, I loved writing every word and hope that those who discover them will enjoy reading them too. So that’s a big tick for me, and as my BFF reminds me when I’m feeling down, I’m doing what I always dreamt of doing. That’s success to me.
 

​Tell us a bit about yourself 
I love romance novels, horse racing, and I'm turning into a cricket tragic. I love summer, long days in the park under a gum tree with a book while the kids play cricket. I'm also the Secretary of Romance Writers Australia, because I want to volunteer and give back to the organisation which has given me so many opportunities with my writing. 
 
My official bio:
Renée Dahlia is an unabashed romance reader who loves feisty women and strong, clever men. Her books reflect this, with a side-note of dark humour. Renée has a science degree in physics. When not distracted by the characters fighting for attention in her brain, she works in the horse racing industry doing data analysis. She writes for two racing publications, churning out feature articles, interviews and advertorials. When she isn’t reading or writing, Renée wrangles a husband, four children, and volunteers on the local cricket club committee.
 
Social Media
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/reneedahliawriter/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/dekabat
Website: www.reneedahlia.com
 
How do you find time to write? 
I'm lucky enough to write full time (while the kids are at school). I try to spend my mornings writing novels, and my afternoons writing horse racing magazine articles and doing all the other stuff that comes with running a freelance business, such as sending out invoices. 
What’s your publishing tips? 
Read. Write. More specifically for romance, read a lot of books by the publisher or category line you are targeting. If you want to indie publish, the advice is the same. Understand your market by reading the popular books in the sub-genre you are aiming at. There is a lot of waiting in traditional publishing, and I'd advice writers to use that waiting time by doing more writing. It's all great practice. I was fortunate enough to get my first series picked up by Escape (Harlequin Australia), however, it's no guarantee of success. They have recently contracted another series with me, a contemporary rural romance called Merindah Park. These books are the 8th, 9th, and 10th books I've written. My first rejection came last month with my seventh book rejected, while my fourth, fifth, and sixth books are still on submission. Publishing is a fascinating business, and there are many reasons why a publisher will reject a book (and most of those reasons have nothing to do with the author). I'm going to do some edits on the traditionally rejected seventh book and indie publish it next year, because I believe hybrid publishing is the best long term career plan for an author in today's market. 
 
Any promotional and marketing tips? 
Network on social media, join chats like #RWChat on Twitter to talk to other authors, follow as many book bloggers on social media as you can find, and be as genuinely you as possible. Whatever you love, whatever your beliefs are will come through in your books, so the easiest way to let people know what to expect from your books is to be truthful. You don't have to share everything, of course, but don't fake your posts just because you think it will help. In the long run, readers will connect to you if you are real. Cross promote other writers, and make sure you claim your author pages on sites like Amazon, Goodreads, and Bookbub. 
 
Tell us about your recent book. 
When an uncommon lawyer meets an unusual doctor, their story must be extraordinary...
Buy Links
https://www.harpercollins.com.au/9781489264626/
https://books2read.com/u/3yD16v
Review Contact Details
Netgallery
Blurb
September 1888: Dr Claire Carlingford owns the bluestocking label. Her tycoon father encouraged her to study, and with the support of her two best friends, she took it further than anyone could imagine, graduating as a doctor and running her own medical practice. But it's not enough for her father. He wants her to take over the business, so he can retire. Then his sudden arrest throws the family into chaos and his business into peril.
Mr James Ravi Howick, second son of Lord Dalhinge, wants to use his position as a lawyer to improve conditions for his mother's family in India. When an opportunity arises to work for Carlingford Enterprises, one of the richest companies in the world, Ravi leaps at the chance to open his own legal practise. But his employment becomes personal as he spends more time with Claire and she learns the secret that could destroy his family.
Both Ravi and Claire are used to being outsiders and alone. But as they work together to save their respective families from disaster, it becomes clear that these two misfits might just fit together perfectly.
Excerpt
‘Dr Carlingford,’ she said. She slid the book back on the shelf, concentrating on that task so she couldn’t see the clerk’s reaction. With a nod to Higgins to remain in the foyer, she followed the clerk, who led her through an oak door and along a corridor. With each step, she hoped that she was getting closer to the biggest office. Woodleyville certainly had the seniority to deal with her father’s problem. She grinned to herself. It wasn’t every day that a tycoon was arrested. Hopefully, she could present the case as a puzzle to appeal to the elderly lawyer, enough to overcome his snobbery. The clerk opened a door and gestured for her to enter. She nodded her thanks and walked inside.
Behind a large desk with neat piles of paperwork stood a tall man of Indian descent. His dark brown eyes were framed by thick-rimmed glasses. The summer sunshine streamed in a large window and bounced off the glass on his face. Claire blinked. The room smelled of furniture polish, with a heady hint of hops about to be harvested.
‘Welcome,’ he said. His voice rumbled through the space between them, sending a shock wave inside her. She swallowed.
‘I was expecting Woodleyville Senior,’ she said. This man had to be around her age, and wasn’t at all like the senior partner she had expected to see. A tiny flutter began in her stomach and she pressed her hands softly against it.
‘Perhaps you could outline the issue to me,’ he said, calmly.
There was such music in his voice, a masculine music causing the small flutter to grow. Josephine’s note crinkled in her palm as she clasped her hands together, dragging her attention back to her task.
‘And you are?’
 

Tell us a bit about yourself 
I grew up on a dairy farm in south eastern Queensland until my family moved to Melbourne when I was fifteen. I spent many years in the corporate world before I accidently discovered writing.
After my father passed away, I found a bunch of letters he’d written as a young man to my grandmother when he went to work on a phosphate island in the middle of the Pacific in 1948.  I thought how wonderful it was to get to know my dad as a teenager and began typing the letters, so that it could be preserved for the rest of my family. But as I typed, a story began to emerge of a tumultuous life culminating in the double murder of two Australians on the island. You could imagine how it piqued my interest.
After many months of research in 2014, I wrote my historical fiction novel, called Climbing the Coconut Tree, inspired by the events on the island. The novel was published in 2016 and I knew then, that I’d found a passion for writing.
It was a tough journey along the way. I knew I needed help. After all, I’d never written before. I joined a couple of writing groups, did a short course and sought feedback along the way. After I’d written Climbing the Coconut Tree, I set about learning to write short stories and poetry to help improve my writing. I was pleasantly surprised when one of my short stories was shortlisted and subsequently published in the Lane Cove Literary Awards Anthology in 2016. I then released Out of Nowhere: a collection of short stories in 2017. I’m also an avid reader and like to blog about the books I read.
How do you find time to write? 
When I’m inspired to write, I somehow make the time and it becomes the most important thing to do. Like many, I certainly have my moments of procrastination but I know that if I make the time, I will write. I know some writers prescribe to a writing limit per day but I don’t find that works for me. I’ll write as much or as little as I feel is warranted. A large part of a writer’s life is to ponder and deep thinking is a must. The other thing I like to do is read as widely as possible. It all adds to the richness of what ends up on the page.
What’s your publishing tips? 
Writing is one thing but publishing is another. It is after all a business and should be treated as such particularly if you intend to write and publish more books. The world of publishing can be quite daunting but there is a wealth of information and people only too happy to provide guidance. I like the freedom of being in control of the entire process rather than place my books into someone else’s hands. My advice is as follows-:

• Invest in a good editor so that your manuscript is as good as it can be.
• Get BETA readers to give you honest constructive feedback and more importantly, listen carefully to advice and think about it.
• If you’re going to do it yourself, invest time into learning all about publishing e.g. join organisations such as Small Publishing Network, Australian Society of Authors etc. and don’t be afraid to seek help.  Writing conferences are also a valuable source of information and cross pollination of ideas.

 
When you get it right, it’s enormously gratifying to know you did it.
Any promotional and marketing tips? 
I find the promotional and marketing part of the process to be the most difficult and time consuming. But as I said if you’ve produced a book for an audience then you must do what you can to reach your audience. Getting to know who that is, is a starting point and getting to know your genre will help guide you e.g. if you write historical fiction try to find your historical reader on Amazon or Goodreads. Next is to make sure you have a platform so that readers can connect, so a webpage and social media sites help readers find and engage with you. Lastly, it takes hard work. One blog is not enough. It is a daily or weekly connection writing posts and building up your audience.  Remember, it takes a lot of time and for most will never happen overnight.
Tell us about your recent book.
My latest book is called A Perfect Stone and has a dual time line of 1948 and present day. Yes, I have a thing about that year. 
The story is told by eighty-year-old Jim Philips who opens a box belonging to his late wife and finds something which triggers the memories of a childhood he’s hidden not just from his middle-aged daughter, Helen, but from himself.  When he has a stroke and begins speaking another language, Helen is shocked to find that her father is not who she thought he was.
Jim’s suppressed memories surface in the most unimaginable way when he confronts what happened when as a ten- year- old, he was forced at gunpoint to leave his family and trek barefoot across the mountains of Northern Greece to escape the Greek Civil War.
A Perfect Stone is a sweeping tale of survival and loss and is also a tale of love.
I was inspired to write this story when I stumbled on some research about the forced evacuation of 38000 children from Northern Greece during what was essentially, the beginning of the Cold War. Many children were wrenched from their parents and forced to walk across the mountains in the most horrendous conditions. Some never made it, others never saw their parents again and history continues to repeat itself with child refugees still suffering from separation not just from their parents but from their homelands.  I just knew it was a story which needed to be told and I hope readers will be touched by it.
A Perfect Stone by S. C. Karakaltsas will be available for sale 10 October, 2018. Click on the cover for the buy link