Willow Aster

Hey there! I'm Willow Aster, and I write the kind of romance that probably shouldn't exist but absolutely needs to – you know, the stories where enemies realize that maybe hatred isn't the only thing burning between them. (Spoiler alert: it never is.)

I've always been fascinated by the thin line between love and hate, especially when it comes to royal politics and family legacies. Growing up, I devoured every book I could find about forbidden romance and complex family dynamics. Little did I know I'd end up writing stories where kingdoms clash and hearts wage their own private wars.

My journey into writing wasn't exactly a fairy tale. I started scribbling stories in notebooks during college lectures (sorry, professors!) and eventually realized that these characters in my head wouldn't shut up until I gave them their own books. Now I spend my days creating worlds where pride and passion collide, and enemies find themselves tangled in webs they never saw coming.

If you've read "Pride" (and if you haven't, we need to talk), you know I don't write your typical sunshine-and-rainbows romance. My characters are stubborn, complicated, and usually convinced they're right – until they're not. Jadon and my other characters tend to storm into my head fully formed, usually with a chip on their shoulder and a crown they're either wearing or trying to steal.

What can you expect from my books? Royal drama that'll make your favorite reality TV show look tame. Sexual tension thick enough to cut with a sword (and yes, there are actual swords). Family betrayals that'll make you gasp. And love stories that prove sometimes the person you're supposed to hate is exactly who you're meant to be with.

I write about enemies becoming lovers because I believe the best relationships are the ones that challenge us, that make us question everything we thought we knew. My characters don't just fall in love – they crash into it, fighting every step of the way until resistance becomes pointless. (Kind of like me trying to resist that last cookie in the jar while writing intense scenes... it's a losing battle.)

When I'm not writing about warring kingdoms and forbidden romance, you'll find me binge-watching historical dramas for "research" (that's my story and I'm sticking to it), attempting to train my cat to stop walking across my keyboard (an ongoing battle I'm definitely losing), and drinking way too much coffee while plotting new ways to torture – I mean, challenge – my characters.

To my readers: thank you for joining me in these worlds where enemies kiss and kingdoms fall. Your messages about staying up all night to finish my books make my day (though maybe we should talk about your sleep schedule?). I love hearing your theories about what's coming next and who should end up with whom – even when you're completely wrong. (Don't worry, I still love you.)

Fair warning: if you're looking for sweet, simple romance, you might want to look elsewhere. But if you want stories about proud royals learning that love doesn't care about kingdom boundaries, about characters who fight their feelings until they can't anymore, and about the kind of passion that can either save or destroy everything... well, pull up a throne. You're in the right place.

I'm currently working on new stories that'll probably make you yell at me through your Kindle (I take that as a compliment), and I can't wait to share them with you. Until then, remember: sometimes the best love stories start with "I hate you."

P.S. If you see me posting on social media at 3 AM about my characters not behaving, just know they're probably staging a coup in my plot outline. Again.