Snippet Bio
Bowen is an author, teacher, movie lover, and couch potato martial artist with a weakness for cheeseburgers.
Short Bio
Bowen Gillings writes to keep fiction fun. Known for his thrillers and fantasy fiction laced with snark, wit, and characters you could share a beer with, Bowen’s quirky, offbeat style “boggles the genre mind.” He loves giving back to fellow writers through media engagement and by leading workshops on the craft, business, and lifestyle of writing. He holds a Master of Education, five martial arts black belt certifications, and is an Army veteran. Travel enthusiast, lover of the outdoors, and habitual volunteer, Bowen’s secret joys include quiet moments by the fireplace and cooking big meals for family and friends.
Tediously Long Bio
Bowen’s first writing success came in high school, when a creative writing teacher singled out his short story for submission to a state competition. It didn’t win.
It would be almost twenty-five years before Bowen returned to writing fiction. During that time he earned a Bachelors and a Masters from universities in Minnesota and Alaska, served overseas in the U.S. Army, worked as a professional actor, personal trainer, financial advisor, and park guide, and busted his butt to earn five first degree black belts in various martial arts along with a DAI* stage combatant certification.
In 2015, Bowen joined a small writers group out of sheer need for a creative outlet. A chance meeting with an agent at his first writers conference lit a fire under him that still burns today (which explains why he has a hard time sitting still). His first published story appeared in Allegory in 2016. Since then, Bowen continues producing thrillers and fantasies that have readers laughing in between holding their breath.
Bowen has served on the board of directors and as president of Pikes Peak Writers, a 501c3 non-profit founded in 2001 to promote and educate writers. He teaches a wide variety of writing workshops ranging from networking to the benefits of improvisation and the influence of fantasy to his always in demand program on fight scenes. He loves to volunteer, serving in staff positions ranging from time keeper to moderator to event coordinator and emcee at multiple writers conferences around the country. He is active with Pikes Peak Writers, Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, Superstars Writing Seminars, and The Authors Guild.
An extrovert poster child, Bowen is a lover of the outdoors, backcountry camping, travel, martial arts, and a good laugh with great friends. He quests for the perfect cheeseburger, the perfect pour of whiskey, and the perfect flat white coffee. He lives in Colorado Springs with his wife, daughter, and needy dog.
*Dueling Arts International
Fun Facts
- Want to monopolize Bowen’s time? Ask him about New Zealand.
- Bowen has a twenty-five year-old pair of sandals that have trekked on three different continents.
- Bowen has never worked in a job directly connected to his university degrees.
- Want a laugh? Search Bowen on IMDB or YouTube. (Groan)
- Bowen’s retirement plan includes comic books.
- Bowen skis. His wife snowboards. They are proof mixed marriages can work.
- George Lucas attended Bowen’s wedding. Not a lie.
- Bowen prefers griffins to dragons and his favorite dinosaur is the triceratops.
- Raphael is his favorite Ninja Turtle.
- Shepherd Book is his favorite Firefly character
- Soka has the strongest character arc in Avatar: The Last Airbender the animated series.
- Want to make him cry? Play Father & Son by Cat Stevens or Sound of Silence covered by Disturbed.
Workshop Credits
- Pikes Peak Writers Non-Conference Events (3)
- Pikes Peak Writers Conference (4)
- Colorado Gold Writers Conference (2)
- Wild Deadwood Reads
Media Credits
- Writing from the Peak blog (Pikes Peak Writers)
- FOGGhorn newsletter
- Stories Live! (YouTube)
- Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing (YouTube)
- FOX21 (KXRM) TV
- Carly Stevens Books (YouTube)
- Garden of the Gods: Friends and Neighbors
- The Rocky Mountain Writer (podcast)
- A Taste of History (PBS)
Publishing Credits
- Three Ring Circus (Allegory Issue 33/60, 2018)
- Tesla’s Electric Ghost (Ghosts of Downtown, 2018)
- The Last Bend (Writing is Art, 2019)
- Dawn Trouble (Fresh Starts Anthology, 2021 then Independently Published, 2022)
- A Night to Remember (Independently Published, 2021)
- The Wedding Guest (Independently Published, 2022)
- First Family (Independently Published, 2023)
- Exceptionals (Independently Published, 2023)
- Bound Hounds (Journeys into Possibility Anthology, 2023 then Independently Published, 2024)
- Death and Deception (Sally Port Magazine, January 2025)