Jules Watson

My parents moved from England to Australia, where I was born! I grew up surrounded by beaches, desert, and flies - but dreamed of misty Celtic lands, mountains, snow, and blackberries. Always writing stories, I gained degrees in archaeology and public relations. I worked as a cocktail waitress, personal assistant, mine worker, archaeologist, PR consultant, and business writer. Most bizarre job: driving 50-ton tip trucks through a gold mine on the edge of the desert - very hot. Best job (before author): digging up a Roman army fort in Germany - very cold.

I fell in love with the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon, inspired by the mix of epic romance, the landscape of the Scottish highlands, and heart-stopping adventures. I was also inspired in the 90s by the Mists of Avalon, a book steeped in ancient Celtic spirituality, sword-fighting and of course, romance. I waited for someone to write more books with that mix...but no one did, so I wrote my own, set among the Celts in 1st century Scotland, blending myth and history and romance.

The story - epic historical romance with fantasy elements drawn from Celtic spirituality - tells the tale of a Scottish priestess and Irish prince fighting the invading Romans. It grew into The White Mare and The Dawn Stag; and a third book The Boar Stone joined it to make The Dalriada Trilogy. The trilogy has enjoyed great success all over the world, and been translated into French, Spanish, Dutch, German, Portugese, and Turkish.

I then wrote a duology, The Swan Maiden and The Raven Queen. The Swan Maiden is an epic historical fantasy retelling of the famous ancient Irish myth of Deirdre of the Sorrows. The Raven Queen retells the myths of the intoxicating Queen Maeve and the famous Cuchulain and the Cattle Raid of Cooley.

After bouncing between Australia, the UK and the US, I've settled down in northern England near the Scottish border.