Scarlett St. Clair writes the kind of stories that readers can't put down. Blending mythology, fantasy, and unforgettable romance, her bestselling books have captivated millions of readers around the world. We sat down with Scarlett to talk about her writing process, the characters who stay with her, what's next, and more in this exclusive Q&A. Her beloved Hades x Persephone Saga is available now as a hand-numbered Juniper Books limited edition, featuring exclusive dust jacket artwork with silver foil accents and a personally signed copy of A Touch of Darkness.
Who are your favorite authors?
J.R.R. Tolkien is at the top because The Lord of the Rings is what inspired me to become a writer. I also love fantasy writers Maria V. Snyder and Leigh Bardugo. I love regency romance and some of my favorite authors in that category are Tessa Dare, Sarah MacLean, Amalie Howard, and Stacy Reid.
You worked as a librarian before becoming a full-time author. Do any of your librarian habits carry over into the way you collect or organize books at home? What role do physical books play in your life now, and is there a particular shelf or part of your collection that means the most to you? (We'd love to see a picture if you can share!)
HAHA not with organizing books, though I have found myself thinking about how to avoid light damage. I have always had physical books, but now I find myself buying all my friends' books and their special editions. These are authors I admired and loved as a librarian, so it is a surreal experience to now call them friends.
Honestly, the shelves I sit in front of while I work mean the most to me. They are full of special editions and foreign editions of my books and it just reminds me of how much I have accomplished and how many readers are out there with the same books.
Many of your books are inspired by mythology or fairy tales… Do you have a favorite book of mythology that you used for research?
There is a special place in my heart for my copy of The Aeneid (translated by Robert Fagles) from college. I actually returned to it to do footnotes for my Hades and Persephone series and discovered I’d annotated it. It’s also the book that inspired my interest in Greek Mythology in a very specific way because I was so irritated when Dido fell on her sword after Aeneas left Carthage.
If you had to choose one ancient myth (Greek or otherwise) to read adaptations/retellings of for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Right now I’d go with Poetic Edda because I’d want to learn a new mythology.
Where’s your favorite place to write?
I enjoy my office but I also like to find beautiful places that make me feel isolated from the world. I’ve found a few places across Oklahoma that are all woodland and when I go there, I feel like I don’t have responsibilities and I can just focus.
You began your career as an author by self-publishing… What's a unique lesson/insight you gained from self-publishing that you don’t think you could’ve learned had you started on a more traditional publishing pathway?
I learned that the status quo doesn’t have to be your story. A lot of people in the industry are restrained by trends, not only in relation to books, but in relation to how much authors make and the processes around publishing. That isn’t their fault. They have different goals, but what is typical for everyone doesn’t have to be typical for me (or you).
Through Hades x Persephone, you’ve created a fantastical universe that means so much to romantasy readers all over the world. What are your favorite stories or memories of interacting with fans? What does it mean to you?
Oh my gosh. I have had so many emotional moments with readers. We share our grief when we are together. I had one reader tell me how her books saved her after she and her boyfriend were in a major car accident. Her boyfriend didn’t survive and Hades and Persephone carried her through. I have had other readers tell me these books literally saved their lives when their thoughts got so dark. I have had another tell me these books saved her marriage and helped her reconnect with her husband. I think books give us time to sit with ourselves and examine parts of us we might not have had the chance to look at and it’s in that space that we decide who we want to be. I think the greatest gift my readers have given me, is when they say these books got them back into reading. What a feat.
Coiled at the Roots, the second installment in the Blood of Lilith series, comes out this fall. How are you feeling about the upcoming release? Can you tease anything about the book?
We actually moved this book to Spring because I had so many shifts in professional and personal life, I couldn’t meet my original deadline. It is also just a very complicated book and I needed more time to get it right. I’m very excited about it. I love this world and the direction it has gone, there is a very cosmic adventure edge to it that I just adore and a few new characters you will hate and love.
Do you have any new projects in the works right now? Or anything you want to write in the future?
I mentioned the Poetic Edda earlier, my brain has definitely been pulling me in the direction of a Thor x Sif retelling. There isn’t a lot of lore on Sif, so I’m going to have to read between the lines when it comes to hair and agriculture.
If you could have any of your books/series made into a movie or TV show, which one would it be?
This is such a hard question because I’d love to see all of them adapted into some form of visual entertainment, even the Fairy Tales would be hilarious but I have to go with my Hades and Persephone series for the readers.