Author Spotlight: Back to Birdville with Fiona McArthur
Congratulations to Doris Lankford! You are Fiona’s winner! She will be in touch!
Welcome to Fiona McArthur! Fiona has written more than fifty-five books and shares her medical knowledge and her love of working with women, families and emergency services in her stories. In her compassionate, pacy fiction, her love of the Australian landscape meshes beautifully with warm, funny, multigenerational characters as she highlights challenges for midwives and doctors, rural and remote families, and the strength shared between women. She always champions the underdog, and the wonderful, ordinary people doing extraordinary things. Then that bit of drama thrown in because who doesn’t love a few tears, a heartfelt sigh of relief and a big happy smile at the end? Make that gorgeous man earn the right to win his beautiful and strong-willed heroine’s heart because that’s something she believes in. And, absolutely, happy endings are a must.
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First of all – thanks to Nan for having me here and waving to wonderful romance readers everywhere for reading our books. Without readers our stories would be so lonely. I never forget that and never want to – which is why I send my huge gratitude.
Well…I’ve written about romance and secrets in a tiny town in the middle of Australia called Birdsville. Why Birdsville? Birdsville is the place you might have seen with a yearly horse race that runs on desert dirt and the horses appear out of the dust ball they throw up, to appear at the winning post. The weather is hot, between eighty-six and over a hundred degrees around race day, but the big white tent is cool and the beer is cold. People drive for days to camp for the races as the town has no accommodation to cater for between 6,000 and 10,000 people.
You might know I love to set my big Penguin Australia books in outback and small rural towns. I don’t think there’s anywhere more outback than Birdsville. Plus, it has the famous pub, the Birdsville Races and the Big Bash music festival – a crazy place that goes from population 110 to nearly 10,000 people at the Bash for a week. But it’s a twenty-four-hour non-stop drive from my house and around 1200 miles to get there – so I flew in the mail plane. It took six and half hours. Here’s some photos on Facebook of the land we flew over.
I flew out there for the races in 2022, (Rex Airlines fly in twice a week) and returned in 2023, because when I sat down to write this book, I didn’t know enough to do it justice. And boy did I see a different side when I spent those nights alone in the pub, walking around town when it wasn’t tourist season, waiting for the next plane.
It’s such a fab little town, with larger-than-life characters and big red sandhills. It’s fascinating and friendly, but most of all I loved talking with Susan Wilkes, the nurse who runs the Primary Health Centre, and to my mind, one of those iconic champions of the outback who thinks what she does is nothing. I am in awe of Susan! She introduced me to the RFDS (Royal Flying Doctor Service) team and mega station owners, David and Nell Brook who hold over 7 million acres of properties and run organic beef on the desert. I found the police officer, the local business owners, and the Ranger. Birdsville has so many stories to tell. Mine is fiction but if you’ve been there, you’ll feel like you’re back. With a smile.
Back to Birdsville is a coming home story, and Phoebe is determined to get in for her cousin’s wedding and out again as fast as she can. But old secrets are not what she remembered, stories and people have changed, and she certainly doesn’t want to fall for the local policeman while everyone in town is watching. It’s a fun story but also highlights human frailty and foibles. And it is steeped in the outback setting of an iconic town. You can nab the Ebook here.
My writing theme has evolved to include young mums, the younger medical professional woman and the older wise woman who are all such fun when they work together against small-town intrigue. Of course, being a retired midwife of 35 years, there’s a baby is born with loads of happy drama. Yep. All in there.
I’m excited about this book and I even flew back again for my Book launch – a one-nighter in Birdsville with my husband and we had loads of fun with the locals. A third of the town came to enjoy the night. There’s a few cute reels of the town to find on Instagram if you like outback.
I do hope you enjoy Back to Birdsville. Find my newsletter, with one of my books to give away as a try me, at www.FionaMcArthurAuthor.com.
Wishing you the best day and thanks so much, Nan. I’m waving from Oz!
Xx Fi
GIVEAWAY: Fi is giving away a signed copy of her Aussie Outback Medical Romance print books to one lucky commenter. Just tell her if ever been or dreamed of going to the Australian Outback. Check out all the Aussie Outback Medical Romances here.
Back to Birdsville
Birdsville, outback Queensland: the most remote town in the world, population 110. What the people lack in numbers they make up for in community spirit.
When midwife and emergency nurse Phoebe McFadden fled her family dramas at age sixteen, she thought she’d left Birdsville for good. But when her cousin Scarlet asks her to be bridesmaid in her wedding party, Phoebe knows it’s time to make her way home … and face the past.
Capturing all the colour and heart of the famous Birdsville races, this uniquely Australian romance celebrates women who are always there for each other, the caring side of men, and the challenges and optimism of remote families.
18 Comments
Fiona McArthur
Thanks so much to dear Nan for having me here for a visit, and introducing me to you all. Happy reading and thanks for commenting on my post
warmest wishes for a wonderful week of reading xx Fi
And Congratulations to our randomly selected winner, Doris Lankford. There’s a post pack with signed book coming your way, Doris, as soon as I contact you xx
FI
Kimberly Field
I would have loved to go there, but now my health prevents me from doing travel.
Fiona McArthur
Waving to Kimberley
I’m sorry to hear you’re not in the best health, Kimberley. There’s some places I wouldn’t tackle now. My husband sometimes finds it even more of a struggle so I do understand. That’s why books are so fabulous. And we don’t have to carry luggage. 🙂 Wishing you lots of new and wonderful travels in your books xx Fi
Cherie J
If time and money weren’t an issue I would love to go.
Fiona McArthur
Travel is the best, isn’t it Cherie, I just love new places. Or reading about them in a book. Lol. But people are the real treasures and I bet you have amazing people all around you. Wishing you wonderful books to travel in xx Fi
Latesha B.
I think it would be an adventure to visit the Australian Outback.
Fiona McArthur
Waving to Latesha
Thanks for leaving a comment, and good luck in the draw. Going outback is an adventure, you’re right, and fun, and sometimes a little overwhelming that it’s all so huge and the distance between towns so many hours of driving away. But the people are laid back, and friendly, and so resourceful it’s inspiring, which is why I love to write about them. I hope you get a chance to read the book xx Fi
Cathy Poyser
Would have loved to travel to Australia when I was younger—and a bit more nimble! Thanks for the chance to win.
Fiona McArthur
Hi there Cathy
thanks for commenting – I hear you, and that’s what I love about books. They transport you to places without the airline delays or the heavy suitcase. 🙂 I love a book that can make me smell the eucalyptus leaves and feel the soft breeze on my face. Or the hot sun on my head. I hope you find lots and lots of those books. Warmest wishes and good luck in the draw xx FI
Fiona McArthur
Hi Liz, thanks for visiting and glad you found it interesting. I have such a fun time researching but I do wax a little lyrical over the places. But really, like a lot of small towns, it’s the people who make it special. I write a lot of stories set in the outback, and love the trips out there to find a place so different from where I live on a small farm on the coast. Somewhere like Lightning Ridge, which is an opal town at the edge of New South Wales, and crazy quirky. If that sounds interesting, try The Opal Miner’s Daughter, about a fertility expert who goes bush for a month. 🙂 Happy reading and good luck in the draw. xx FI
Roseann McGrath Brooks
I definitely want to visit, but just getting to coast of Australia is such a long flight from the East Coast of the United States. I think it will have to be a postretirement trip!
Fiona McArthur
Hi Roseann, thanks so much for leaving a comment. I think post-retirement is amazing, that’s me, I loved my job but being retired is the best for travel. I hope you do get to Oz when the time is right and there’s so much to see. Birdsville might be too far but check out Uluru if you can (read my Desert Midwife book) and do the Sounds of Silence dinner under the stars. Good luck in the draw. xx Fi
bn100
yes
Fiona McArthur
Glad you agree, BN100, loving your Avatar 🙂 xx Fi
Doris Lankford
I have never thought about going to the Australian Outback. Your books sound very interesting.
Fiona McArthur
Dear Doris, thank you for your comment and dropping by today. I’d love to see more of the States as well. Birdsville is a big trek in a four-wheel drive vehicle because the last of the road is dust and dirt. When it rains they can be cut off for weeks but flying over the barren land is amazing – I think the earth looks like the First Nation paintings. For your first outback adventure, I’d head for Uluru, daily flights in larger planes are cheaper, and it has great accommodation options, always book a ‘rock-view’ room at Desert Sands Hotel. Waking to the morning sunrise with the stone changing colour in the distance is wonderful. Maybe try my Desert Midwife book for the feel of the place. Walking around the rock is a wonderful experience but then, I haven’t been to Grand Canyon, even though I made it to Vegas. Good luck in the draw xxFi
Liz Flaherty
Interesting post!
Fiona McArthur
Sorry Liz, you’ll find your reply went to the top, my mistake, lol xx Fi