About The Author

Payton Rose writes dark romantasy for readers who like their love stories messy, their gods morally questionable, and their happy endings hard-won.

A Canadian author with a lifelong obsession with mythology, Gothic romance, and beautifully tragic stories, Payton began writing at fifteen and never really stopped.

Her Passions of Olympus series blends Greek mythology with forbidden love, prophecy, betrayal, and characters who have an unfortunate habit of making their emotional problems everyone else’s problem.

When she isn’t writing, Payton can usually be found reading something supernatural, obsessing over vampires, designing book graphics, or convincing herself that one more devastating plot twist is probably fine.

Fun Facts:

Favorite Greek Myth:

My heart has always belonged to the story of Hades and Persephone. I’ve always viewed Hades not as a villain, but as a guardian—a guide and judge who cares for the souls in his charge. He isn’t the cause of death; he is the one who meets you at the end of the journey.

I’ve brought that perspective into Lia’s world, reflecting my own belief that even the God of the Underworld deserves true love. Maybe that’s the hopeless romantic in me, but I’ll always have a soft spot for versions of their story where they stand as partners in love and power.

What first made you fall in love with gothic and supernatural stories?

My love for the gothic and supernatural started early with classics like Edward Scissor Hands and Corpse Bride, but Sweeney Todd is what truly sealed my fate. It remains my favorite musical to this day. I’ve always been drawn to the "broken man" trope—the monster who isn't evil for the sake of it, but because his soul was shattered by loss.

That same fascination drew me to the 1992 Bram Stoker’s Dracula. The tragic, reincarnated love story between Dracula and Mina spoke to me on a soul level. That theme—finding beauty within horror and loving the monster despite the darkness—is the heartbeat of everything I write.

What was the very first image or idea that sparked the world of A Realm of Masks and Sorrow?

People often ask where the spark for the Passions of Olympus saga came from, and the answer is surprisingly musical. When I was sixteen, on a family vacation in Nakusp, BC, I was listening to the song "Hospital for Souls" by Bring Me the Horizon. I became obsessed with that title and began imagining a girl in a Greek asylum who meets the son of Hades.

For a long time, that was actually the working title of my debut! 

Over the last ten years, somehow this planned trilogy became five novels and a novella.

Do you meticulously plan every plot twist, or do you let the characters lead the way?

I’m a bit of a hybrid when it comes to my process. I usually start as a "pantser"—meaning I get a sudden idea and just start writing to see where the characters take me. As the story unfolds, new ideas start flying at me, and that’s when my administrative side kicks in. I jot everything down, organize the chaos, and slowly it transforms into a solid plot. By now, the entire Passions of Olympus journey is mapped out and ready to be told.

But don't let my plotting fool you. The characters still have a mind of their own, and that is how we went from three books to six.

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