Renee Dahlia

​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?’
 

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