Rowen Burrows

“Welcome, everyone! Today I’m joined by the brilliantly chaotic and wonderfully creative Rowen Burrows—paranormal romance author, museum professional, and cheese biscuit connoisseur! Rowen, so good to have you  back.”

Thanks so much for having me, Ajay! I’m excited—and slightly terrified—but mostly excited!

“Don’t worry, not much has changed since our last interview. Let’s kick off with something fun. Can you name any Australian animals besides kangaroos and koalas?"

Wombats and Cassowary.

“Ooh, cassowaries are like dinosaur chickens and who doesn't like dinosaurs or chickens. Dangerous but fabulous. Speaking of fabulous—who’s your favorite Australian celeb?”

Hugh Jackman. (Love him as Wolverine!)

“I mean, who doesn’t? And in Deadpool. Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackmam are friendship goals. Okay, movie biopic time. Who’s playing Rowen on the big screen?”

Keira Knightley would be cool!

“Total class. Now, let’s get into the writing stuff. How do you know when a story is truly finished?”

When the characters stop screaming at me to make changes.

“That’s… honestly a little haunting but also very relatable. Has a reader ever interpreted your work in a way that surprised you?”

Yes. They spotted patterns I didn’t see myself, and now I try my best to include them.

“That’s amazing—it’s like your subconscious was planting Easter eggs! What about your writing habits? Daily routine, or wait for the lightning bolt?”

I try to do something daily, even if it is just editing a chapter when I don’t feel like it. The more I do, the less I have to do another day when the list gets bigger. When writing a new WIP, I try to write a new chapter a day.

“Consistency queen! How would you describe your voice or style as an author?”

Chaotic. I have multiple characters shouting for attention all the time, and I try to get all the ideas down, which means I am working on multiple WIPs at the same time. Once I start editing a first draft, those characters calm down a bit, but I still have to make sure each character is different, sounds different, etc. Plus, they have to deal with a range of issues, so I have to try and make it as interesting and as varied as possible.

“Honestly, I love that. Chaos breeds creativity! Now, tell me your most irrational fear. Go.”

Chimpanzees. They are a big NOPE for me.

😳 “Fair. Moving swiftly on—do you prefer writing series or standalones?”

I do both. I prefer series, because I can create a longer storyline, a range of characters, and a range of issues. I can break characters, fix characters, and add themes that take a long time to resolve. But sometimes, it becomes too much to work on and remember, so a standalone is the perfect project to work on and finish, get my thoughts together, then try again with the series.

“That’s such a healthy balance. Okay, let’s talk about comfort food. What’s your go-to?”

Cheese biscuits. Cheeselets in particular, but cheese twists and Ritz can work if needed.

“I feel like I need to try Cheeselets now. Not going to lie I had to google what they were. What’s your favorite part of the writing process?”

Creating the characters. I love making character profiles. What do they look like? Sound like? Smell like? What will their personality be? Will they have a book in the series, or remain a side character? Most of my characters have powers, so I have a lot of fun picking them, too.

“Smell like?! I thought I was the only one. I love that level of detail. I also collect each character's scent. Now, the weirdest fact you’ve found while researching?”

I wouldn’t say weird, but it was something I never really thought about, even though I have visited twice, until I researched the Greek island called Symi for my short story in Just One . . . Symi has just over 2600 inhabitants.

“That’s charmingly tiny. Okay—what’s a trope you secretly love?”

Tropes linked to family/friends e.g. Best Friend’s Brother, Brother’s Best Friend, Sister’s Colleague. Always adds to the drama!

“And we live for the drama. How about publishing? Favorite part?”

The cover! Sending my ideas to the cover designer and they bring the story and characters to life. It finally feels real that that story is happening when I see it and it makes me so happy that I cry.

“Aww! So wholesome. Now, when you’re writing, do you need silence or can you have background noise?”

I need absolute silence. I get distracted by EVERYTHING! Music – I start thinking of scenes that would link well to that music, most of the time it is not the book I am working on. Hear something tapping? Let’s go check it out! The dogs are barking, why are they barking?

I need silence in order to focus.

“Your brain is a wild, wonderful place. Have any personal experiences shaped your stories?”

Yes. I am not going to say which specific ones, as that is no one’s business but my own. Most of my books are just things I made up because they interest me. But some tropes, scenarios or character personalities I use because I have been affected by them. Some of them good, some of them bad. Writing about the bad makes me feel less alone, because others would have dealt with it, too. And the good I share because it brings a smile to my face, and I hope it makes others smile, too.

“That’s beautiful. So, have you tried Vegemite?”

We have something quite similar called Marmite, and I LOVE IT. So yeah, I would try Vegemite.

“Brave soul! Okay, back to the process—how do you celebrate finishing a manuscript?”

Have a short break! I give myself a day to chill out, watch films, read, etc. When a book is published, I go get pudding with the Hubby.

“Pudding sounds like the perfect reward. Are you a plotter or a pantser?”

Er. Sort of both, depending on the characters involved. I know vaguely where I want to go with most stories, and I have scenes in my head, but I don’t always know the bits in between or even the start sometimes, so I see where the story takes me. Some characters I have more ideas for, while others are very quiet and I need more prompts to get more ideas to come out.
I do have a vague plan of the whole series, e.g. villains, book order, etc. But that can also change if another idea reaches me.

“Flexibility is key! What do you think the weather's like in Australia year-round?”

Not really something I think about. I am assuming different areas have different climates, just like anywhere else.

“Fair point! Do you believe in writer's rituals?”

I do believe in them. If it helps someone concentrate, come up with ideas, boost morale and positivity, I am all for it. I have a routine which is: write a new WIP one month, next month I spend editing all my current WIPs. Then repeat. Breaks things up for me and keeps my interest.

“Genius system! What’s one Australian thing you’d love to bring to the UK?”

A summer Christmas! I have friends in Australia that have a BBQ on Christmas Day and that sounds fabulous to me. Instead, we have grey skies and drizzle.

“I'd love a winter Christmas. So, what’s next for you?”

Well, I just decided to add to my workload and have plans for three Hockey Romances that I want to release next year. I have plans for 8 books next year in total now including Book Seven of The Legends Series, Book Five and Six for The Wing Mate Series, A Legends Series Character Profile Project and a Sweet Christmas Standalone. Whoops!

“Whoops, it sounds like a lot of amazing books! Is there a book you wish you had written?”

I would love to write a thriller/mystery. They are my absolute favourite to read, but my mind just does not work like that. I would have to solve it myself and put out all the clues.

“Haha, that would definitely complicate things! Do you have a bucket list? What’s at the top?”

I love travelling, and I have one last place on my list before I want to start a family. I would love to visit Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria.

“Sounds stunning. How do you name your characters?”

Most of them are names I like. Christopher, Logan, Honour being examples. Some already come pre-named such as Jack Frost, Eros and St. Nicholas. Some names do have a deeper meaning, because they got to choose them and picked a name to link with who they are. One day, my readers will meet Fallon which means ‘Leader’ and Paxton meaning ‘Peace Town’.

“That’s fascinating! If you weren’t writing, what would you be doing?”

Sleeping. Once I have an idea, the writing takes priority. Job wise, I would probably look for more hours in my profession which is Museums. I cut my hours so I could write more.

“Priorities! Now, do you talk to your pets like they understand you?”

Yes I do. And they do understand most of it, like ‘Dinner’ or ‘Get Him’ (when their dad comes home I shout that and they race to the door).

Then there are the times they pretend I don’t exist. Like ‘No’ and ‘Don’t eat that, you doughnut.’

“Laughs I love it. Final question—what’s a weird talent you have?”

I used to go Irish dancing and still remember some of the dances. I can also read upside down and back to front.

“Okay, that’s genuinely impressive and slightly wizard-like. Rowen, this has been such a blast—thank you for joining me!”

Thanks so much, Ajay. I had so much fun!

“To the readers:

Be sure to follow Rowen on social media, links are down below. Show your support by grabbing a copy of their books, diving into those fantasy worlds, and most importantly, leave a review. We live for that feedback, and it helps more than you know.

Until next time!”