Roz Preston – Author Biography
Aberdeen born author Roz Preston is based by the sea in Portobello, Edinburgh, Scotland. Building on her various careers as dressmaker, teacher, political aide, and boatbuilder, Roz began writing seriously in 2015. Drawing on personal and professional experience, she has created a trilogy of novels that delve into the complexities of relationships formed later in life, where the characters’ pasts shape their present and future together.
Roz’s experiences as a sailor—including an Atlantic crossing in the boat she built with her late husband, John —inform the character of Cal Mathieson, the male protagonist in her novels, who is a former rock star turned boatbuilder. His band’s exploits feature significantly, inspired by Roz’s exposure to, and friendship with, some of the UK’s major stars, via her life in London with John, a senior figure in the UK record industry. A parallel from Roz’s background in the Blair Government is reflected in the character of Annie MacIntosh, a dedicated lawyer.
Each book in the trilogy addresses important societal issues such as abuse in care homes, people trafficking, and coercive control. Roz’s writing is distinguished by its blend of contemporary scenes and evocative flashbacks, guiding readers through journeys of love, loss, healing, and the courage to embrace new beginnings. True to life, the unexpected is never far away. The Scottish Highlands, Western Islands and Edinburgh feature prominently in her novels, with additional scenes set in London and the South of France, reflecting the cores of music performance, creativity, obsession, and the elemental bond between sailing and the forces of nature.
Roz describes her work as “gritty romance with hand grenades thrown in,” reflecting both the emotional depth and the dramatic twists that characterise her stories.
The trilogy launches with In Repair in 2026, awarded the Pitlochry Quaich by the Scottish Association of Writers conference in 2019. It will be followed by Under Pressure and Echoes of Love, and once these are published, Roz plans to complete her memoir about the years she and John Preston spent building Sweet Dreams (named in honour of Dave Stewart and Annie Lennox), a 44-foot ocean cruising yacht. Built over 7 years in a draughty Dorset barn, it is a story he always hoped she would tell.
Collaboration is central to Roz Preston’s creative process. She has worked with singer-songwriter Andy Murray, who has composed the original songs featured in the books, available as download and on CD. The trilogy is published by Stonebook Press, the imprint of respected Edinburgh-based book designer James Hutcheson.
