Every manuscript we proofread, every eBook we design, and every paperback we publish, is the result of our amazing team all working together to make one another’s ideas stronger. At Rowanvale, this is possible because every one of us strives towards a common goal — creating the best experience for those embarking on their self-publishing journey.
Find out more about the amazing people behind Rowanvale below.

Cat Charlton

Managing Director

Cat is Rowanvale’s Managing Director. A force to be reckoned with, she is the driving force behind sales, marketing and strategy. Cat founded Rowanvale Books in 2012, after her father had a poor experience with a big-name self-publishing company. Having studied Psychology at Exeter University, she has since completed further studies in Leadership and Management. In her spare time, Cat can be found raising her two sons in the Welsh countryside and going on various road-trips around the UK.

​Aleksandra Lakus

BAB Service Co-Ordinator

​While studying English Language and German at Cardiff University, Aleks found a burning passion for the publishing industry, which stemmed from her love of literature and languages. Exploration of different cultures through books is one of her favourite hobbies - she's particularly fond of romance novels with an intercultural twist (currently she's obsessed with Elif Shafak's works!) but also enjoys good old classics such as 'Pride and Prejudice' and 'East of Eden' . She loves all things nature and when not reading, you can probably find her backpacking around Europe, going on multiple photography trips and drinking a lot of coffee!

Mingyu Wang

Scheduling Assistant

Mingyu is currently studying Accounting & Finance as a postgraduate student at Cardiff Business School. His experience at an American advertisement agency provided him with sound financial analyst skills and business ethics. After finishing his undergraduate degree, he decided to stay in Cardiff and experience more of the life and culture of Wales. He has a passion for music and enjoys OST and classical genres the most. He is a member of the Quaynotes Choir, based in Cardiff Bay. ​

Pippa Seager

HR & Recruitment Administrator

Pippa is a third year English Literature student at Cardiff University with a keen interest in all things books. In her free time, Pippa enjoys reading, writing and going on walks in nature. She especially enjoys fantasy and utopian fiction but loves any book with a gripping plot and strong character arcs.

Lydia Bond

HR & Recruitment Administrator

​Lydia is a graduate from Cardiff University, achieving a BA (Hons) English Literature 2:1 degree. She has a passion for the world of Book Publishing due to her love for reading and literature. She is excited to be gaining invaluable experience from the Rowanvale team. In her spare time Lydia enjoys reading with her cat, Boots, curled up next to her.

Alice Hunt

Olivia Harris

Paige Thomas

​​​​In-House Designer (Formatting)​

Marketing Advisor

Financial Administrator

Having loved books for as long as she can remember, Alice knew she wanted to have a career in publishing. She graduates with a first class degree in Graphic Design, helping her to live out her dream of designing books for a living. In her spare time, Alice loves to explore nature, learn new crafts such as knitting, and of course, read. Her favourite genres include fantasy, thrillers and recently discovered, non-fiction.

When she's not diving into a good novel or dabbling in writing her own book, you’ll find Olivia cycling along the canal taking in the sights. Recently, she's also picked up knitting and is eagerly trying to master the art—though her cat, Beans, is often a little too intrigued!

Paige has always been a bookworm and loves living in her little seaside town. After graduating with an English Language degree from Cardiff University, she decided that she wanted her career to revolve around books and publishing. She loves to read magical realism and gothic fantasy novels and hopes one day to write one of her own.

Cat M'Crystal- Fletcher

Project Account Manager

Cat is a lover and a do-er of all things beautiful and creative whilst living in a windmill in the glorious Vendeé countryside. Due to her childhood living in a country of censorship, she holds communication as an entity to be protected; the written word as precious and books sacred. On her checklist of life is a bullet, ‘author’; until her manuscripts are ready, she is passionate about supporting those brave enough to become one.  
​

Yolanda Martinez

Project Account Manager

From a young age Yolanda has had a fascination with reading and learning. After completing her BA in English Literature at Nottingham Trent University, she went on to complete an MA in International Relations. This love of books has brought her into the publishing world and she is excited to be a part of Rowanvale.
In her time off, Yolanda loves travelling and has an extensive list of possible destinations (all recommendations welcome). She also enjoys the gym, going on long walks and getting lost in a good book!

Mya Jones

Publishing Advisor

Mya recently graduated, gaining a degree in English literature and drama/theatre studies. She has always loved reading, writing and researching. It has always been her dream to work within the publishing industry. 

                    Effie Taylor

Publishing Advisor

Effie is a Creative Writing and Journalism student. Having had an affinity for reading and writing from a young age, she enjoys helping authors establish themselves in this competitive but thrilling and worthwhile industry. In her spare time, she loves reading, crafting fiction stories, and learning languages. One of her must-read books is 'The Kite Runner' by Khaled Hosseini, which she first discovered while studying A-Level Literature and has firmly encouraged everyone she meets to appreciate ever since. ​

Julia Przygocka

Publishing Advisor

Julia is our newest Publishing Advisor and, with a background in Psychology, focuses on constantly improving the way that our Publishing Advisors assist authors in their publication journey and how psychology can relate to the world of business. She enjoys travelling, especially to Poland to visit family each summer. It's important to note that she will always opt for an iced coffee no matter the season! ​

Ellie Owen

Senior Writing Advisor

Ellie joined Rowanvale in 2017 and has been Senior Writing Advisor here since 2018.  
She and works on and enjoys books from every genre and market but has a particular love for science fiction and fantasy. If she had to pick, she'd say her favourite authors are Joe Abercrombie and Tamsyn Muir. When she's not reading, writing or editing, she can be found playing Dungeons and Dragons, watching anime and getting far too emotionally invested in video games.
She is a member of the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP). As an author, she is represented by Harry Illingworth of DHH Literary.

Jaide Long

Writing Advisor

Matt Webster-Moore

Writing Advisor

For as long as she can remember, Jaide has been obsessed with the magic of words. After completing a BA in Media, Communications, Politics and International Relations, she interned at an Australian travel magazine publisher. After taking a few years off to have three children, Jaide returned to the publishing world and joined Rowanvale Books. In her spare time, Jaide watches movies of all genres (except horror!), plays boardgames with her kids and explores her local Vendée countryside. She also enjoys the odd puzzle or classic novel with a glass of red wine!

Matt would like to say he’s been obsessed with books since early childhood (like everyone else in the field, it seems). But if he did, he’d be lying. Admittedly, his foray into fiction didn’t get going until he’d picked up Philip Pullman’s Northern Lights somewhere around the age of 15. The rest, as they say…   Now you’d be hard-pressed to find him without his nose buried in a book; his favourite authors include Robin Hobb, Philip Fracassi, and Adrian Tchaikovsky (and, of course, Pullman). After a long stretch of working in retail, a plot twist saw him earning a degree in English literature and philosophy before training as a proofreader with the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP), of which he is an Intermediate Member.   He adopts a friendly, encouraging, and honest approach during every working relationship. In his spare time, you’ll probably find him building a book nook, watching TV shows, or adding EVEN more books to his TBR pile.

Alison Birch

Writing Advisor

After a long career as a clinical scientist in Europe's largest teaching hospital, in 2018 Alison had something of a midlife crisis and retrained as a copyeditor and proofreader. This turned out to be her dream job – so much so that she is now an Advanced Professional Member of the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP) and an Approved Partner Member of the Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi). 
During her career, she has edited material on subjects as diverse as nanomedicine, property developing and Swiss cheese. Although she has a particular expertise in material with a medical or life science slant, she is equally happy editing a wide variety of fiction genres, from hard-boiled police procedural to historical romance.
She aims to bring a friendly, open and collaborative approach to all of her work and prides herself on having a wide general knowledge and interest in the world. When she isn’t working, she can often be found reading literary fiction, playing GeoGuessr, or building Lego sets that she pretends are her son’s.

Lila LaBine

Writing Advisor​

Lila's lifelong love of reading and order led her to obtain a certificate in copyediting from the University of California-San Diego Extended Studies program. Now, she spends her time helping authors feel confident in their writing. While she enjoys reading most contemporary fiction, Lila especially loves stories that feature women protagonists. Most of her editing experience has been within the genres of women's fiction, romance, and psychological thrillers. When she's not reading or editing, Lila spends time outside, usually photographing flowers of all kinds.

Judith Leask

Writing Advisor​​

Judith came to freelance editing following eight years of honing her skills in creative writing. Now a passionate copyeditor and developmental editor for fiction, she has worked with Big Five publishers, smaller publishers and independent authors. She is an Intermediate Member of the CIEP and a Partner Member of the Alliance of Independent Authors.