All three books were published by Makar Press, a poetry collective she helped to set up. See more about them on their website: http://www.makarpress.co.uk

The page also gives a flavour of what people think of her work so far.

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The Chameleon of Happiness

by Rowena M Love

64 pp, paperback book, perfect bound, price £7.99

ISBN 0-9547084-0-7

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This is Rowena's first formal collection and the title "The Chameleon of Happiness" comes from a line in one of her poems (A Forest of Feelings).

The collection has 58 pages of poems and includes many of her previously published and award-wining poems as well as some new work.

You can order "The Chameleon of Happiness" in good bookshops or buy it online from Amazon, where it will cost £7.99 plus postage and packaging.

However, if you buy direct from Rowena, you can get it right to your door for the same price, taking advantage of the free postage and packing (within the UK) that she is offering.

Sending books abroad is not a problem, either, but there will be a small charge for the extra postage involved.

Payment should be by cheque in pounds sterling but, if you prefer, you can also pay for the book by credit or debit card using the Pay Pal system.

Use the direct email link from her home page to find out how or email makarpress@rowenamlove.co.uk.

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Running Threads

by Jim Hughes, Rowena M Love, Michael Malone and Sheila Templeton (the Makar Press poets)

116 pp, paperback book, perfect bound, price £10.00

ISBN 0-9547084-4-X

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Rowena's work makes up a quarter of the new book “Running Threads” brought out by the Makar Press in February 2006. It is being promoted at a number of events all round Scotland - details on the Makar Press website mentioned above. You can buy the book direct from Rowena (again, post free). Email her for details.

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800 Words

by Ayr Writers’ Club, edited by Ann Burnett and Rowena M Love

96 pp, paperback book, perfect bound, price £5.99

ISBN 0-9547084-5-8

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The third book with Rowena's name on it is “800 Words”, the new anthology by Ayr Writers' Club. The book features the winning entries from the short story and poetry competitions that the Club ran last year as part of the Ayr 800 celebrations.

It also includes successful pieces from some AWC members, and work by others associated with the Ayr 800 projects e.g. Des Dillon (who was one of the Speakers at the one day conference AWC organised in October) and the Makar Press poets (who judged the Poetry Competition and who are the book's publishers).

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Here are some comments from people about Rowena's poetry generally....

"You have a way of putting images, words, word-play, concepts all together which is amazing."
(Sheila Templeton, a fellow poet of the Makar Press)

"you definitely have a way of evoking pictures and people."
(Catherine Lang)

[of The Forgotten Ribbon] "a lovely wee poem… a wee simple poem but oh so graphic in detail of the first day’s school memories."
(Robbie Shepherd, when he read it on his show 'The Reel Blend',
BBC Scotland on 28/3/04)

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Here are some reviews and comments on the Chameleon of Happiness as a whole...

"extremely well-crafted, thought-provoking and atmospheric poems"
(Dr Chris Robinson, Outreach Officer, Scottish Language Dictionaries)

"I very much enjoyed the content of 'The Chameleon of Happiness' which is so wide-ranging. Apart from considerations of personal relationships, there is nature poetry as well as travel pieces which vividly transport the reader across Scotland. The extended metaphor is in safe hands as it is frequently and skilfully employed to carry the content of the poem's graphic details. Humour is included in poems such as 'The Feartie Cat' and the use of Scots ranges confidently across dialects; beautiful Shetlandic images set aside the questioning Ayrshire voice of 'The Falcon'."
(Liz Niven, poet and writer)

"I'm overwhelmed by the variety of the subjects that you have written about and the wealth of expression and language used. I used to tell my class (p4) that not many books can be called a treasure and sometimes you come across one which really stands out and you know that you have found gold when you find it. I think that you have succeeded in producing poetry which will be read again and again. I really like the intertwining of Scottish and English poems in one volume. It lends itself to the personal identity of the poet and I think that your next book will be awaited with anticipation."
(Sarah Reid)

"Overall it is an attractive ramble of place and personal incident, laced with references to the life and features of nature. The poetry is far from vague reference, however, and is quite sharp.... I am 'nae guid' for any technical comment on the Scots poems, but they can be read with fascination with the aid of the footnotes, and hopefully most readers will also be 'hooked' on this pleasant, versatile collection."
(Eric Ratcliffe, reviewer on New Hope International Review On-line)
See the full review at: http://www.nhi.clara.net/bs0346.htm

"The poems speak of many people and places, and are mostly in English and Scots, with one in Shetland dialect. In all of these tongues she is clear, confident, and very readable. She has a gift for the unusual adjective ("a penitent sea") and metaphor, and her powers of description are strong and evocative. The collection displays a fine talent, in control of her medium, and with a range which is matched by her depth of feeling and thought. Most enjoyable."
(Colin Will, poet, in his review for Poetry Scotland)
See the review of the book and of the launch at: http://www.poetryscotland.co.uk

"Rowena M Love's first collection of poetry speaks out with a confident voice, holding the reader's attention with a set of finely crafted visual poems of place and memory. Her imagery brings the poetry to life with clarity and flair, and she has a knack of sustaining an image for just the right length, so that it is explored in full but never allowed to pall. Keen observation is laced with delightful touches of humour or wry comments to engage the reader. Poems in Scots are provided with helpful footnotes, and although these are not the easiest pieces for the non-Scot to read, persevering with them will bring rewards. This is a book to relish. Dip into it, read it from cover to cover, then read it again to draw further resonances from the poems. Above all, enjoy it for both its poetic quality and its vitality"
(Alison Chisholm, poet, author of "The Craft of Writing Poetry")

"Rowena M Love, a widely published, award-winning poet is a contemporary writer whose poetry is firmly rooted in the finer semantics of a continuing Romantic tradition. 'The Chameleon of Happiness', surprisingly her very first collection, recreates in a series of vivid seascapes, childhood recollections and selective hinterland images, portrayal of her immediate world; it is the world she loves, keened by the tireless breeze of circumstance, to effectively present a kaleidoscopic vista of interchanging seasonal enchantment. Here indeed is a compelling vision of Scotland’s scenic beauty faithfully recalled.

Equally impressive are those finely crafted poems brimming with sea imagery; some recalling a past redolent with life under sail. Other poems variously interweave cherished vignettes of childhood’s make-believe, hints of former Jacobite intrigue, the aftermath of a close personal relationship and the sadness of a family death. But perhaps the most endearing aspect of this poet’s work is to be discovered in a delightful sprinkling of poems, meticulously phrased in appropriate settings of Scottish dialect, each of which, for good measure, is thoughtfully complemented with a brief glossary of some of the vocabulary and figures of speech so ably employed.

This lovely 64-page collection has indeed resulted in my rummaging through many back issues of REACH magazine in order to read once more those further examples of this poet’s fine work. One of the most appealing collections that I have had the honour to review in recent years, and truly deserving of a wider readership."
(Bernard M Jackson, in his review of The Chameleon of Happiness published in the June 04 edition of Reach Poetry Magazine)

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