Heartfelt Homebaked Wisdom… for authors

Heartfelt Homebaked Wisdom… for authors

May 13, 2026

Jeffreys Bookstore in Malvern, Victoria, is a local institution. And the number of attendees streaming through the doors carrying celebratory flowers for debut indie author Maree Allan Fowler’s book launch confirmed to me that so is Maree.

There’s so much I want to share about Maree, her book, and her writing journey; but one thing stands out above all: her relationship with her local bookshop and its owner, Linda. I hope this post helps you think about your own dealings with your local bookshop too.

For years, Maree held toy library, kinder, and school fundraisers at Jeffreys, as well as buying plenty of books for her own enjoyment, growth, and gifting. She’d also written 400 blogs over ten years as part of her work with nonprofit group Peace of Mind (POM), and as the idea of writing a book took hold, she discussed it with Linda, who offered warm, encouraging support and eventually suggested Maree contact the Australian Society of Authors to take things further.

The ASA matched Maree with me as a publishing consultant, and that’s when I was lucky enough to get involved. The project was a lovely mix of restructuring, editing, and publishing planning. Maree’s great friend Cindy Lee contributed enormously too, handling the interior layout, illustrations, and file preparation for print. It was a genuinely collaborative project, and very much a reflection of Maree’s spirit and the book itself.

In Heartfelt Homebaked Wisdom, Maree draws on more than 20 years of studying Spirituality, Tibetan Buddhism, and Yoga philosophy with teachers including Lama Marut. Her down-to-earth manuscript feels like a slow, warm hug, and working on it, I came away with ideas I’ve since woven into my own life. One favourite is ‘The Morning Loll’: essentially permission to loll about in bed on waking, contemplating what you’re grateful for. Funnily enough, one of the things I’m now grateful for during my morning loll is the morning loll.

A gorgeous calico cat in a basket looks at the book Homebaked Heartfelt Wisdom by Maree Allan Fowler. The book cover has a pale mauve background and a riot of tapestry-like flowers.

I was also grateful to be at the launch.

Due to treatment for cancer, Maree wasn’t at 100% sparkle on the day, though you wouldn’t have known it, given her freshly minted author glow. She delegated her speech to one of her sons, who delivered it on her behalf:

“This has been the most amazing transformational time for me. I feel like I’ve had two road trips going on this year: the ‘manuscript to book’ road trip, and, a week after receiving my edited manuscript from Anna, a thankfully treatable cancer diagnosis.

Anna’s words on hearing the news were: ‘Just as well you wrote that book, so you know how to deal with what’s going on.’

So true. I had the Heartfelt Homebaked Wisdom tools in the boot, ready for my Befriending Cancer trip.”

 

There’s nothing quite like writing a book to reinforce how to deal with things you didn’t even know were coming.

Maree also put enormous thought into her non-book materials, bookmarks featuring practical meditations, homemade cookies and handmade lavender eye pillows to use during some of the practices. The book, and how she approached every aspect of it, is an authentic example of an author leaning fully into her beliefs, her themes, and her heart. It really is exactly what the title promises: Heartfelt Homebaked Wisdom: Simple Practices for a Meaningful Life.

Jeffreys was overflowing with people celebrating Maree and her book that day, and it was wonderful to watch her dream of publishing come true, with Linda and the Jeffreys team supporting her every step of the way.

A beautiful reminder that the journey to a book launch often begins long before the writing does; sometimes over a counter in your local bookshop.

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