Welcome Bernadette!
You write fantasy romance / romantasy. What attracted you to this genre?
I happened upon fantasy romance after being challenged to write a romance by my mentor back in 2011. As a long-time epic fantasy reader, I decided that if I was going to write a romance, then it must be set in a fantasy world. And the heroine turned out to be Princess Alecia Zialni. The book was titled Princess Avenger, and it was the start of a twelve book romantasy series called The Queenmakers Saga. Alecia became the central focus of six of the books.
What is it you like about writing a series?
What’s not to like about writing and/or reading a series? As a writer, you get to really know your characters as they develop over time. In Alecia and Vard’s case, it was around twelve years of having them in my life. And your world provides secondary characters that demand their own story. It’s really magical how it all fits together and that, I think, is the main attraction. It certainly fascinates me how the stories in my series interlock in a satisfying and unplanned way.
Are you a plotter? Pantser? Or somewhere in-between?
As you may have noted from the above answer, I’m a pantser. I often have a synopsis to work from, and I try to have the romance plot or a three act plot structure depending on whether we are talking romance or straight epic fantasy. However, once I get the idea for a story, I get impatient to start writing. I may have a vague idea of how the story will end but everything in between is a mystery.
What is your favourite part of the writing process?
I love the editing process much more than writing draft. It appeals to my dominant left brain. However, I do very little editing while writing the story. I wait until the end, give the manuscript a rest and then come back fresh.
But thinking about drafting the manuscript, when you get into the flow and you have some idea of where you are heading (for once), that’s pretty cool too. To realise you have spent the last hour writing and not noticing the passage of time - and you have 2000 new words – does provide a buzz!
What advice do you have for aspiring writers?
The advice I always give to aspiring writers is to get the words on the page and create a daily habit of doing so. We all know how a few hundred or a thousand words each day or even several days a week, can add up.
How do you fill the creative well?
I read a lot, every day. That’s the main way. Also, currently, I’m doing some personal development focused on creativity. How am I doing that? I have a list of audiobooks I’m going through. The first was a trilogy of small books by Austin Kelon called ‘The Steal Like an Artist Audio Trilogy’. Highly recommend. Now I am working through Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way. Through this process, I’m exploring my creativity in many ways, including creating fan art for my books. I drew a lot as a teenager and I’m loving being back creating in that space.
Another creative avenue I’m exploring is creating a Pinterest presence as my main social media. I love creating pretty pins and am having some success so far.
What is next for you?
After completing the twelve books of the Queenmakers Saga, I was a bit lost. During the writing of To Wed a Queen, which I knew would be the finale, I thought much about what I would write next. I decided to write a coming-of-age trilogy based on Alecia’s oldest daughter seventeen years later. What has evolved from that has been astonishing.
Though Iona is a multiple animal shifter like her father Vard, she has also grown into a figure of extraordinary talents. I’ve just completed the first book in the trilogy which is called Shadow Wing Quest. Just saying… Alecia’s story began as a trilogy and finished twelve books later. We shall see!
What is your latest release and your inspiration behind it?
My latest release was To Wed a Queen and was released around a year ago. I thought, after Alecia and Vard went thought such an ordeal to find each other, the least I could do was give them a wonderful celebration. Let’s just say that all did not go as planned. You’ll have to read it to find out what happened on their rocky road to the altar.
Bernadette Rowley
Bernadette Rowley is an Australian epic fantasy romance author who is also a veterinarian. After flirting with picture books, junior fiction and space opera, Bernadette was challenged to write a romance in 2011 and she hasn’t looked back.
First published by Penguin Australia and then Pan Macmillan Australia, Bernadette is now an independently published author. The Queenmakers Saga contains eleven books spanning the genres of fantasy romance and romantic fantasy.
Her favorite tropes are enemies to lovers, forced proximity and forbidden romance. Strong themes include the horse/human bond and healing.
When not at her desk, Bernadette can be found absorbed in a good romance or romantic suspense, swimming, walking or having coffee with friends.
