The magazine writer and stylist turned author brings her experience in the glamorous world of fashion and publishing to her high-stakes, high-heat romance series set in New York.
If you’re looking for an escape from reality, I highly recommend a trip to New York. That is, the fictional one in Rose Monroe’s spicy Kings of New York series. These high-heat Mafia romance stories are a delicious step into a glamorous world of billionaires, bad guys and beautiful people in the Big Apple.
Rose and I first met working in magazines 20 years ago, and I’m delighted to be working with her again in her new era as an author, helping to shape her stories with structural editing. Her novels Always Mine and new release Forever Yours are as vibrant and fun as she is, full of strong, sassy women, sharp banter and emotional depth. To celebrate last month’s release of Book 2, Forever Yours, I asked Rose to share how she made the transition to books, her writing routine and how she unlocked her inner spice queen…
Rose, welcome! Tell us a bit about who you are and how you got into writing fiction.
I’m a former magazine writer and fashion stylist who now works in corporate communications. I’m also a wife, mum-of-two, and still dabble in styling and fashion design. So much of my career has been spent telling stories in one medium or another. A few years ago, I picked up Punk 57 by Penelope Douglas to read over the summer. By the end of that month, I had read her entire backlist and rediscovered my love of reading, staying up all hours lost in stories. By the following December (2024), I had a story of my own bubbling away in my subconscious. One day, an email landed in my inbox for the writing program Scrivener. I just hit purchase, and within a week, I was writing my first book, which became my debut, Always Mine. That one decision to pick up a book to read over the summer was the catalyst for my own F-it moment.
What inspired your Kings of New York series?
I describe the Kings of New York series as Gossip Girl meets Suits meets The Sopranos. I wanted to create a world that explores the high society and the underworld, and what happens when these worlds collide. It combines my love of New York, style, high-stakes drama and strong connections. I’d say it’s also loosely inspired by my own life working in the ‘glamorous’ magazine industry and on gossip magazines for many of those years and growing up in a big Italian family – which is as chaotic as some of the scenes you’ll read in my books.
Can you tell us about the latest book in the series, Forever Yours?
It’s a very special story to me because I feel like writing was almost like releasing myself from the shackles of perfection. I just let the story flow out of me instead of trying to control every facet.
I love that your female characters are all really strong, independent women. What draws you to writing these kinds of characters?
I am incredibly lucky to be surrounded by strong, independent women who chase what they want, hold their own, but also support their friends so fiercely. I want anyone who might come to my books feeling low in confidence or less-than for any reason to feel inspired to be more confident and empowered afterwards. I’m a true believer that we are only as good as the circle around us, so I want to create these circles even in my fictional worlds, because I understand the life-changing impact of stories.
What are your essential ingredients for an irresistible romance hero?
Fiercely protective, down bad in his own way, acts of service as a love language, thoughtful and generous lover, knows how to take control but sees their partner as an equal and is happy to support them in all their goals and dreams.
You have a real talent for writing authentic and creative spice. What do you love about writing high-heat romance? Can you share any tips for writing exciting spice scenes?
It’s incredibly liberating, and I think that’s my biggest advice. Just let go. Let the words flow, let the ideas out without worrying about judgment. If I had to think about how I got to this point, I would say it’s been greatly influenced by a personal breakthrough I had around career and ambition a few years ago. I became interested in this idea of feminine versus masculine energy, how much time we spend operating in each and how that affects our lives. It made me realise I’d spent years in the ‘Boss Babe’ era operating in mostly masculine energy, chasing career milestones and putting ambition above all else. It’d had a knock-on effect in areas of my life that required me to soften. I made a conscious effort to flip this, and I honestly believe it created a channel for me to step into writing romance and high-heat spice because doing so requires me to write from my feminine energy, to sink into how the body and mind work in these intimate moments. I don’t overthink writing spice, I generally let my characters lead me on the how, what and when of it. If they lead me towards a position or a kink I’m not familiar with, or that needs to be described in a technically correct way, I’ll do my research. I never want the spice to feel contrived; I want it to feel like a flow-on effect from whatever was before it.
One of the highlights for me working on your books is the banter between the characters. Can you share any tips for writing great banter? How do you ensure it adds to the story?
I think banter comes naturally to me because my husband and I banter constantly. So, he’ll be thrilled to hear that he’s my muse. I also have great banter with my friends. I love to laugh and make people laugh with great one-liners in real life, so I draw lots of inspiration from my own personality. When it comes to writing banter, I often say it out loud. Or think about how a person in real life would respond. Like spice, I find writing banter works best if you let it flow. Then go back and edit, but don’t try to perfect it. If it feels forced, it loses impact.
I never want the spice to feel contrived; I want it to feel like a flow-on effect from whatever was before it.
How do you fit writing into your busy schedule? Can you share a glimpse of your routine?
I don’t function without my daily exercise, so I am up at 4.20 am Monday to Friday and at the gym by 5 am. I usually get a lot of ideas and write dialogue in my mind during my workouts. My characters constantly chat to me during this time! Then once I’ve packed the kids off to school, I have my coffee, check my socials, post a reel and work towards getting some words down before I start my nine-to-five job. Then I write during my lunch break and again after dinner. If I have to do kids’ sport duties, I write in the car. Travelling to my office day in the city? I write on the train. I basically write where and when I can! I aim to get between 1000 to 2000 words down a day. For me, consistently writing every day is the best way to hit my deadlines. I set a 40-minute timer and type as many words as possible in that time. Honestly, I sleep very little, which is not a great thing! However, I do have a very active brain, so I think I’m someone who generally operates on less sleep than most. I’ve always been this way, to be fair. In the evenings, I do admin, marketing, and anything else that’s required to get my book out by its release date!
How do you approach the editing process? Are there any takeaways or lightbulb moments from the editing stage that you can share?
I’ve found that what works well for me is to have my Alpha readers read as I write and leave feedback while I am still in the thick of the first draft. This helps identify crucial plot issues early on and correct them. Once I have finished writing my draft, I go through all the feedback and make edits accordingly. Sometimes I don’t agree with feedback, and other times their feedback helps to solve a problem or gives me a pathway forward when I might have been feeling blocked. Once I get my structural edits back from you, Penny, I read all the feedback and the report you provided a few times through before I start work. I need time to process the feedback and get comfortable with the changes I might need to make. I find having editing comments in the manuscript super helpful, because I will work through the changes methodically, cross-checking with the report. I lock down and essentially only focus on edits during this time. I’ve discovered that even though my mind is always presenting me with ideas and pathways, I work best when I focus on one thing at a time. I write one book at a time, and then when I’m editing, I pause writing.
What’s the most challenging – and rewarding – aspect of being an indie author?
Most challenging is probably feeling like I’m not getting anywhere very fast and because I’m self-funding, being conscious of spending and not being able to always invest in all the things that might get me closer to financial goals. However, at the core of being an indie author is my love of words and creating stories that leave an indelible mark on people’s hearts, so as much as it’s a business, it’s not the money-making aspect at the core of why I do this!
The most rewarding thing is having people drop into my DMs and tell me how much they love my book and characters, reading the reviews and seeing my work in edits, where people talk about the impact the books have had on them. Also, finding community in the readers who love my books and now support me in any way they can.
Do you have any advice for other writers pursuing indie publishing?
Trust your gut. Don’t compare your day one to another author’s year 10. Run your own race. Invest in a good cover, a great editor, and PR to assist with finding ARC readers.
What’s next for you – what are you working on at the moment?
I’m writing Book 3 of the Kings of New York series, which is Seb and Evie’s summer fling, friends-to-lovers story, and ruminating about the plot for Book 4 and the worlds beyond the Kings of New York. I am so excited for the two series I plan to write next. If only I had more hands and more time!
Where can we buy Rose Monroe books and follow your author journey?
You can find my books – Always Mine, Forever Yours and Be Mine – on Amazon. Find and follow me on socials at authorrosemonroe.com