Welcome M.J.!
How did you come to write paranormal / fantasy romance? What attracted you to the genre?
My parents both liked fantasy books so I grew up reading fantasy and romance. And I've always loved fantasy creatures and the magic and adventure of those books. A lot of the fantasy back in the day didn't really have much romance but by the time I started writing urban fantasy and paranormal romance were becoming popular. I started trying to write contemporary romance but started having fantasy ideas, so I gave it a shot!
Do you have advice for emerging writers?
Everyone writes differently. What works for one person isn't right for everyone. It's great to try different ways of plotting or outlining or writing as you work out what your way is but if that technique is a struggle or makes you feel stuck or bored or your gut says 'no', stop and go back to what did work. And be very wary of anyone promoting writing advice, marketing advice etc who phrases it as "this is the only way" to do something.
Are you a plotter? Panster? Or somewhere in-between?
I'm a fair way along the pantsing spectrum of things. I will start a book with just a first sentence or very vague idea of a character and work it out as I go along. At certain points during a book, I will do braindumps or mind maps to figure out what happens next if I need to but mostly I muddle along until I'm a few chapters from the end and then my brain will cough up everything that happens until the end and I can write that fast. If I'm writing a series then for books after the first book, I do think about what might happen and threads that I've started etc and what that might mean for the other books and might have an ultimate end point in mind but I don't plot the books out in any detailed way.
Do you have a favourite of your characters?
It's hard to pick favourites but I still have a very soft spot for the heroine of Shadow Kin.
Tell us about your latest release?
My last new release was
Wicked Ways, book five of my
TechWitch series which is steamy urban fantasy with witches and demons and more. But I've also been re-releasing my older romances and fantasy books that I got rights back on this year, the last one of those was
Blood Kin, book 2 of the
Half-Light City books, which are secondary world fantasy with human mages, vampires, werewolves, Fae and plenty of action.
What are you currently working on?
The first book in a new fantasy series. It's called Of Flame and Forge.
What can we expect from you in the future?
More romantasy and urban fantasy for sure. Probably some more contemporary romance but I have to figure out the schedule!
What are you currently reading/watching?
I read all over the place genre wise, though still mostly fantasy and romance. But right now I'm reading The Hunter by Tana French, who writes great mystery/suspense books set in Ireland. Next up will probably be Long Live Evil by Sarah Rees Brennan. I've been watching The Rookie and Unsolved Mysteries and the last movie I went to the movies for was Twisters which was lots of fun (I love the original, so was happy that the newer version wasn't terrible!).
Blood Kin
Book 2, The Half-Light City
Dive into this darkly intense and steamy romantasy series from RITA® Award nominated author M.J. Scott…
In a city where clashing magic and turbulent alliances strain a tenuous peace, life has always been treacherous. But for someone like me, a half-Fae disowned by her father, living a secret life as a thief and a spy to survive, it’s become more dangerous than ever.
My father’s only gift to me was magic, a knack for charms and glamours that make me one of the best at stealing the secrets the city wants to keep hidden. But as the Blood Lords and Beast Kind of the Night World begin to seethe with hints of rebellion, they guard those secrets more closely than ever, pushing my skills to the limit and sending me tumbling into the path of Guy DuCaine—literal white knight—a Templar warrior whose honor is his life.
The sparks of suspicion between us ignite into something far more dangerous when we are forced to work together to uncover the key to a conspiracy that could bring down the city. It’s an unlikely alliance and only a fool would let herself believe that it could last.
I know a holy knight could never love a spy who dances with darkness and that he will always choose his duty over someone like me. But to save a city, I might just have to sacrifice my heart…
M.J. Scott
M.J. Scott is an unrepentant bookworm. Luckily she grew up in a family that fed her a properly varied diet of books and these days is surrounded by people who are understanding of her story addiction. When not wrestling one of her own stories to the ground, she can generally be found reading someone else’s. Her other distractions include yarn, cat butlering, dark chocolate and watercolor. She lives in Melbourne, Australia. She also writes contemporary romance as Melanie Scott (and previously as Emma Douglas).
Her website is mjscott.net.
