Q&A With Scarlett Scott 

Scarlett Scott is the USA Today Bestselling author of historical romance and contemporary romance. Several of these books are part of a series with one standalone novel Lord Of Pirates. Scarlett’s contemporary romance series is Coastal Heat & Loves Second Chance Series. Scarlett’s historical romance series is The Wicked Winters, Notorious Ladies Of London, Sins & Scoundrels, League Of Dukes, Wicked Husbands, Hearts Temptations, The Sinful Suttons, Rogues Guild The Sinful Suttons Spin-off & her latest release in the Royals & Renegades-The Rogues Guild Spin-off, How To Love A Dangerous Rogue. 

Q: Scarlett, would you like to tell the readers of the blog and I about your new release How To Love A Dangerous Rogue & how you came up with the concept for the story?

A: I’d love to! How To Love A Dangerous Rogue is the first book in my new Royals and Renegades series, and it’s an age gap/forbidden romance between a cold-hearted king and the lady-in-waiting of the princess he’s engaged to marry. The hero and heroine originally appeared in my Rogue’s Guild series, where I first introduced my fictional royal families. I came up with the concept while I was writing Her Wicked Rogue (Rogue’s Guild Book 3) and I realized that some secondary characters in the book truly needed their own story told.

Q: Do you prefer writing historical romance more or contemporary romance? What do you enjoy about writing in both genres?

A: I enjoy writing both historical and contemporary, but over the last few years, I have been focusing primarily on historical. I do intend to get back to contemporary romance, because I miss writing it so much! With historical romance, I enjoy the history and the research that goes along with it, the fashion, and the high stakes involved. With contemporary romance, I enjoy being able to use modern vocabulary and technology and to not have my hands tied by propriety and always trying to find creative ways of getting the hero and heroine alone.

Q: What is the research process like for researching, plotting, writing and editing historical romance? What advice would you give for anyone wanting to write historical romance? 

A: When I get started with a book, I always do the major necessary research first. For example, when I wrote a heroine who was a housekeeper or a Victorian boxing hero, those characters involved a lot of reading primary sources so that I could be as accurate as possible and make the characters feel authentic. I read memoirs of famous Victorian boxers and memoirs of housekeepers for both of those characters. But research will happen as I write as well, whether it’s a word or phrase, fashion, furniture, manor houses, the length of time it would take for a carriage to reach somewhere or a boat or a train, etc.

As for plotting, I’m an organic writer. I start a book with a general concept of what will happen, but then it evolves as I write. So I don’t plot beforehand—to me, part of the great enjoyment in my writing is discovery. I don’t like having a set guideline to follow. I prefer to allow the characters and story to take shape on their own. My editing process involves two passes by two different editors, a final read by me, and two proofreads.

My advice for anyone wanting to write historical romance is to make certain to do the research. While some historical romance readers don’t mind historical inaccuracies, most readers come to historical romance looking for an authentic experience that immerses them in the fictional past. As a reader, there’s nothing that takes me out of a book faster than modern words and phrases or research that doesn’t measure up.

Q: If Hollywood were to get the rights to your books, (if they haven’t already) who would be your ideal cast to play the characters you created?

A: Alas, Hollywood hasn’t come calling just yet. I think it would depend on the series and characters. For Clay in Nobody’s Duke, I used Jason Momoa as inspiration, so that would be a fabulous fit. Sophie Turner would make an excellent Pamela in Her Dangerous Beast.

Q: Are you writing a sequel to How To Love A Dangerous Rogue?

A: Yes, there will be a second and third book in the series as planned at the moment. I may add more, depending on how books two and three shape up.

Q: If you were to write in another genre that wasn’t historical or contemporary romance, which genres would you explore and why?

A: I would explore fantasy romance. I’ve had an idea for a fantasy romance bubbling in my mind for about ten years now, and I keep telling myself that I’ll get to it one day.

Q: Who were/are your biggest supporters of your writing goals and talent? 

A: I’ve been writing since I was a child, and I finished my first complete novel when I was 12, so in my early days, it was my mother championing me and some excellent teachers along the way. My mom is still one of my biggest supporters, but now my husband and daughters are on board and my extended family is very supportive as well. I’m fortunate to have had so much encouragement and love from my family. I couldn’t do it without them.