Rowan grew up on the northern California coast, in a world of giant, ancient trees and swirling mists, which may have subtly altered her brain to gravitate toward tales of mystery and adventure. In college, she majored in psychology to learn more about how people work—and then double-majored in literature, because there are truths about the human psyche that can only be found in stories.

Rowan has worked and lived in beautiful places in the midwest and southeast, but she’s in her happy place in the forests and the fog, writing stories about strong, smart, flawed heroines who believe the world can be a better place if they just make it so.

She and her daughter share their home with a dog and a cat with massive amounts of personality who may or may not have provided inspiration for a certain cheeky little dragon.

Rowan is the author of The Twelve Dancing Princesses series, including The Blacksmith Princess.

You can find her on Instagram.