FIONA HARGRAVES
Author
Writing emotionally rich fiction set in vivid worlds of beauty, longing, and change. PhD in behavioural psychology. Writing immersive stories about desire, connection, and what drives us.
Current projects
Built to Last (complete at 73,000 words)
Scandal brought her home. Passion might convince her to stay
Contemporary romance with a strong women's fiction crossover, set against the breathtaking backdrop of the NSW Southern Highlands, Australia, famous for autumn colour, spring bulbs, European-inspired gardens, and heritage estates contrasted by farmlands and native flora and fauna. Add in rustic wineries, charming villages, rural slow-burning romance, sizzling chemistry, a dash of scandal and secrets behind every stone wall.... for the ultimate sensual escape. First in a planned interconnected series, complete at 73,000 words.
After walking away from her engagement and the $12 million merger tied to her ex, Sydney PR executive Lia Walsh returns home in scandal with only six weeks to renovate the gardens at her family’s rural lavender estate and salvage the prestigious Gilded Gardens Society gala that could rescue her reputation. Forced to work with River Maddox, the infuriatingly handsome local landscaper hired to restore the grounds rather than simply make them look good, Lia has no room for complications. As deadlines tighten and the heat between them becomes harder to contain, she is pulled into a sensual relationship that leaves her torn between the polished career she once fought for and the slower, riskier future taking shape in the Highlands.
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The Widow of Château du Bonheur
(in progress)
Upmarket commercial women’s fiction with romance, food, wine, renovation and destination-fiction appeal set between Paris and the Loire Valley.
An Australian widow inherits her late husband’s crumbling Loire Valley château and discovers that restoring it may be the first truly self-directed act of her life.
A storyteller inspired by passion and beauty.
Fiona Hargraves studied journalism and science before completing a PhD in behavioural psychology, publishing research, articles and books across health and lifestyle medicine. (https://www.drfionahargraves.com/).
With a background in journalism, science, and behavioural psychology, Fiona writes fiction shaped by a deep interest in what drives people: motivation, longing, reinvention, self-deception, attachment, and the choices that alter a life.
Based on a horse and cattle property in Australia's first Book Town, the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Fiona draws inspiration from the landscapes, seasons, and communities around her, as well as time spent living in the US and France. Her work is set in richly detailed, immersive worlds of beauty, place, and possibility.
