You've Been Marked...
...and it was lovely to meet you!
Dear reader,
If you are here right now, it is because you received a bookmark from an author who wanted to find you. My name is Casselise Rowe (that’s Cass-Elise if you’re looking for the correct pronunciation), and I write under the pen name C.L. Rowe.
I am always on the lookout for readers in their natural environment, and by this I mean a human being who is holding a book, or an e-reader, instead of a phone. As you can probably imagine, this is relatively rare now. You, are rare. A true gem in a landscape of chaos, noise, and distraction. When I see this, I can’t help but gravitate toward it. It’s like spotting a lyrebird in the bracken. Keep still. It might move.
After our brief interaction, I can’t help but wonder if we are meant to find each other. A writer who loves to write, and a reader who loves to read. I am told there are algorithms for this online, but I repel technology. For me, it’s a connector more than a recruiter, and when it comes to finding readers, it can be a bit ‘hit and miss’ - probably because you’re actually reading books, and not social media feeds. Gotta love that!
A little about me…
I am a frustrated, stubborn, sardonically humoured individual, who hates attention, finds networking tedious, and has trouble showing up for my own book signings due to social anxiety (autism is fun). I also have a double degree in Literature and Philosophy, and am currently completing a Masters in Psychology. I write character-driven contemporary narratives, with rich plots, and big moral questions. They are hard to genre, but my readers tell me that they can change lives.
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I have never queried a publisher, because years of experience have taught me not to bother, and my extensively experienced editor, who once worked for the Queen, insisted that a traditional publishing pathway would beat the shit out of my voice. Oh yeah, I swear a fair bit too. If you can’t hack that, we probably aren’t a literary love match. As such, I’m all good if you just throw the bookmark away, and pretend you never met me.
As I am independently published, you will rarely see my work in brick and mortar bookshops (although some niche independent retailers do stock it). It can however be found online (paperback and e-book), and it’s usually cheaper that way. I also sell signed copies from my website. If you track my socials, you might even meet me again at a future book launch, which are always fun, and often end at the pub, where I can tipper the overwhelm with a few shots of scotch, or a lot. Many a reader has wound up a friend. I don’t like the pretentious separation between us and them. The word is segregated enough.
So dear reader, if you’d like to unearth a gem, I’d love to have you onboard for my writing journey. I promise to thank you with high quality prose, and well crafted (and edited) stories that will stay with you long after the final page. Samples are free. You have nothing to lose, and don’t worry, you’re not making me rich. I don’t write for a living. It’s just an addiction.
Feel free to keep in touch via my social media. I’m not great at it, but anything relevant will wind up there. I’m most active on facebook, because I am 40 (and that is apparently old). I don’t 'get' Instagram, or Tik Tok, but I do have them. I also write a blog when I can be bothered, which isn’t often, because I am a disorganised mess who is always dropping her various balls.
Have a great day, and remember: some of the best stories that you will ever find, are ones which find you, and they are almost always penned by twisted minds with crippling anxiety issues and/or drinking problems.
XO
C.L. Rowe
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