Rowena on Isle of Man
Rowena Millar

I am an experienced wildlife writer and editor, with a training in scientific publishing and a background working for wildlife organisations and specialist publishers. My motivation is a love of both words and wildlife, and my vocation is to share knowledge and appreciation of the wonders of the natural world.

Career

With a degree in modern languages and a postgraduate diploma in Publishing & Book Production, my career began at Blackwell Scientific Publications (later Wiley-Blackwell), following my lifelong interest in wildlife by specialising in ecology books, including the Symposia of the British Ecological Society and Brian Moss’s Ecology of Fresh Waters: Man and Medium.

I joined the world of nature conservation as Publicity Officer at the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust, responsible for publications, press, broadcast media and events. During this time, I wrote wildlife articles for local and national magazines including The Lady, The Countryman and Natural World magazine.

Invited to join NatureBureau in Berkshire (imprint Pisces Publications) as Publications Manager, I worked on titles including The Wiltshire Flora, Parks Journal, the Joint Nature Conservation Committee’s Directory of the North Sea Coastal Margin and the RSPB’s A practical guide to the restoration and management of Lowland Heathland, as well as a personal memoir, Reminiscences of Indian Wildlife. In addition, I was sub-editor of In Practice for the IEEM (Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management).

As my freelance career began, I was awarded ‘runner-up’ in the BBC Wildlife Magazine Awards for Nature Writing and was commissioned by Natural England to write and oversee design and production of Hidden Beneath the Tides – UK Marine Special Areas of Conservation, a lyrical book extolling the wonders of Britain’s coastal habitats for the UK Marine Special Areas of Conservation Project.

I edited 50 editions of Wild Cornwall magazine for Cornwall Wildlife Trust from 2003 to 2019, as well as several editions of The Valley newsletter for the Tamar Valley AONB.

From 2003 to 2017 I wrote 45 editions of Pawprint magazine for the younger members of Cornwall Wildlife Trust, which led to the publication of a book, The Wildlife Adventures of Super Fox, illustrated by Sarah McCartney – a compilation of wildlife cartoons, activities, crafts, puzzles and facts for children to enjoy.

During this time, I contributed to Wildlife in Trust: a hundred years of nature conservation, published by The Wildlife Trusts, and was part of the editorial team for the UK National Ecosystem Assessment for UNEP-WCMC (The UN Environment World Conservation Monitoring Centre) and copy edited the IUCN SSC Shark Specialist Group Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan: Sharks, rays and chimaeras: the status of the chondrichthyan fishes.

Now, based in the scenic Tamar Valley on the Cornwall-Devon border and surrounded by plants and animals, I enjoy writing and editorial work. Recent books copy edited/proofread include: Exploring Britain’s Hidden World: a natural history of seabed habitats, The Essential Guide to Rockpooling, A Sea Monster’s Tale: in search of the basking shark, and RHS Spectacular Plants & how to grow them (all published by Wild Nature Press). I also edit publications by organisations such as The Marine Biological Association and am commissioned as a professional editor by international clients via the Reedsy website.

As a writer and en editor, I have an eye and ear for rhythm, flow and good sentence structure. My aim is to communicate clearly with readers, inspiring a love and understanding of the natural world.