Meet C.W. Rose

Author of Oceansong

Lydia: Hi. Thanks so much for joining us at Introverted Indies. We are so pleased to have you here and to get to know you and your books. First things first, can you tell me a bit about yourself?

C.W. Rose: Hi Lydia, such a pleasure to chat with you today! I’m C.W. Rose, a fantasy and romance author by night and healthcare professional by day, and I write about ordinary Asian women who find themselves in extraordinary circumstances, and find themselves and sometimes (ok, usually) love on the way, and the cinnamon roll men who adore them. I’m also an avid reader across genres, a karaoke enthusiast, ocean child, certified scuba diver and lifeguard, and frequent jetsetter whenever the travel bug bites.

Oh wow, I'd love to have a go at scuba diving. My whole family love the beach and the sea and I'd love to travel more.  Can you tell us about your books? I'm keen to hear more!

I love that you have a sea-loving family and I hope you get the chance to travel more often :) And I'd love to share! Oceansong is my debut novel, and published with Hey Hey Books on August 27, 2024. It's an adult contemporary romantasy, and it's what would happen if Romeo & Juliet met The Little Mermaid, and they had an Asian love child in the grittiness of the real world. Tropes include enemies to lovers, forbidden romance, grumpy (female) x sunshine (male), and fairytale and mythology retelling. 

Oceansong sounds brilliant. Fairytale retellings seem to be very popular currently. And I love how so many creative twists are put on them. What was your inspiration behind Oceansong?

Thank you so much for the compliment! I also love a good fairytale retelling and am always in awe of how creative authors are with classic tales. Oceansong was inspired by my love for the sea and all her creatures. Inspiration hit when I was on a cruise vacation with my family. I was standing at the balcony of a common area, staring out into the sea, watching the rolling and crashing waves. Then I started thinking, if I were to go diving right now, what would I find? I began to wonder, what if there were merfolk under the sea? What if they were real and just have been hiding from us this whole time? From there, the initial ideas for Oceansong were born.

Inspiration always seems to come when our minds are free, I find. What does a normal writing session look like for you? Is there a particular day or time of day you find best?

Oh, I agree 100%. It’s amazing how much our creativity stretches when it’s not bogged down by work and everyday life. I typically get most of my brainstorming done during the day (ironically, during slow periods of work or when I’m at the gym, or commuting), and writing done at night. I normally only have an hour or two to sit down and relax at the end of the day, and I just write whatever my brain will allow me to. I don’t give myself daily word count goals or anything like that. If I just write one sentence, that’s progress! 

I definitely find it's at the washing up bowl or just as I'm trying to get to sleep, that is when the ideas come! Speaking of ideas, do you have any other books in the pipeline? 

Yes for sure! ‘Shower Thoughts’ are definitely a thing for a reason. I’ve definitely been stuck on a plot hole or how to word something for over an hour, and the moment I step away or try to go to bed, my brain decides to solve the plot hole. As far as future projects, OCEANSONG’s sequel is done and I’m waiting for news from my publisher about that. I may or may not pursue a third book in the same universe, but it would be an interconnected standalone and focused on a different couple. On the side, I’m also working on a second-chance contemporary romance, and another Romantasy series based around Chinese mythology. 

Is Chinese mythology something you have an interest in? Or something you've researched?

Absolutely. I grew up in Southeast Asia, and since I was a kid, my family would tell me stories of Chinese legends and myths. They've always fascinated me, but when I moved back to the USA to attend college, I lost interest in them and began taking an interest in Western mythology instead. With the rise of Asian fantasy books in the past few years, it's definitely re-ignited my interest in Chinese myths (and my parents are happy when I ask them questions and to tell me those stories again!), and I started doing a deep-dive into them. It's been a joy learning new myths and re-learning the ones I already knew about.

There is something so wonderful about hearing stories from our parents or grandparents. It's definitely something we should do more often. Do you have a favourite character from your books? Hard to pick just one I know!

Oh I agree completely. I do feel like our elders have so much to share, in terms of culture and tradition and their own personal stories. Details of my other WIPs are secret for now, but I can definitely talk about my favourite character from Oceansong! It is so hard to just pick one...but I'll have to go with Mia, Angie's big sister. She has a self-discovery journey that (unintentionally) mirrored my own. At the start of the story, she's married to a man who gradually becomes someone she doesn't recognize, but she makes excuses for him, sticks by him anyway. She finally finds her confidence at the end to make the right choice for herself and her young daughter, and grows into her confidence. I suffered with codependency and self-esteem issues for a long time, and it was so therapeutic to write her character arc. 

I think we often unintentionally bring in parts of ourselves into our characters. I guess, in a way, they can be an extension of ourselves. On the flip side, sometimes I write characters that are the polar opposite of myself, doing things and saying things I never would.
I'm pleased you found therapy in your writing. It such a great craft for so many reasons. So, apart from writing do you have other hobbies or things you like to do?

Yes, I definitely think we do too, whether it's purposefully or accidentally. I'm the same in that I also write characters who are my polar opposite, like Angie, my protagonist! She's my opposite in the best ways, though. Outside of writing, I love to read. I read across the majority of genres. If the blurb hooks me, I'm in, no matter what genre it is. I also enjoy karaoke, dancing (though sadly I don't get to do much of it these days), scuba diving and snorkeling, weightlifting, yoga and meditation, and of course, traveling! I love seeing new places and visiting friends and family, and starting next year, I'll be traveling to author signing events, which I'm super excited for! 

It sounds like you're living your best life! Finding author events is one thing I struggle with and the few I've been to have been a flop. Now might be a good moment to tell us about where we can get your books and get them signed? Also, do you have a newsletter or a website that readers can keep up to date with all your bookish news?

Yes! I felt like I spent so much of my life trying to live how someone else thought I should, and it wasn't until a few years ago that I finally started learning what I enjoyed. And now, I've never been happier. As for author events, I honestly didn't even know where to start for awhile! But it helped to follow authors who write in my genre, and see what conventions/signing events they were doing, and I would apply to those that seemed to be a good fit for me and my book. So Oceansong is available now wherever books are sold. If it's not available at your local library or bookstore, I always appreciate you asking for it to be ordered for you, or stocked there!

As far as events, I'm confirmed to be at four next year: 

Readers of the Valley in Glendale, Arizona in January 2025

Loremaker Events: Siren Song Ball and Signing in Lake Charles, Louisiana in February 2025

Romance in CNY in Utica, NY in April 2025

Villains and Vixens in Dallas, TX in September 2025

I hope to see some of you at one of those events! 

And absolutely, you can keep up with me at my Linktree: https://www.linktree.com/cwrose.

It has all my social and buy links on there, as well as my website and newsletter signups. I always love hearing from readers!  

Amazing. Let's hope some of our USA readers can come and find you at those events. That feels like a good place to wrap up, thank you so much for chatting with us here at Introverted Indies. It's be great to hear about Oceansong and your writing journey. And I hope all of your book signing and future projects go swimmingly!

Thank you so much for the well wishes, and I also hope for much success with the Introverted Indies blog and YouTube channel! You are Lucy are truly gems in the writing and author community. I had a great time answering the questions and I really enjoyed this interview format.