What do you get when a lover of romantic stories, art history, and myth sits down to write a book? Why, a bestselling dark academia romantasy, of course (at least when Megan Scott is writing it)! We are SO excited that debut author Megan Scott took the time for a Q&A with us. Read on for a peek into the life of one of the UK's rising star authors!
The Temptation of Magic, the newly released, internationally bestselling, mesmerizing debut by Megan Scott is one of the choices in our August 2024 To Bee Read Book Box. Sink into a journey through a British coastal college town, navigating forbidden romance and unraveling dangerous, supernatural secrets. This upper YA book is the first in Megan Scott's Empyreal Trilogy, and the LitJoy Special Edition is truly stunning!
Want your own copy of this stunning edition of Megan Scott's The Temptation of Magic, or to see all the other amazing options in our quarterly book box? Learn more about our To Bee Read Book Box Subscription here!
Q&A with Author Megan Scott
What do you think makes a good story?
This is SUCH a great question, and honestly, I don’t think there’s a true answer because reading is so deeply personal. Sometimes you just want escapism and steamy scenes, sometimes you want something with incredibly detailed world building. It really does depend on who you are, what you love, and what you want as a reader. Which can also change at different points in your life! I’ve tried to read a few books and disliked them, only to pick them up again years later and they become new favourites. It’s not that the book wasn’t good, I just wasn’t either in love with that genre at the time, or it wasn’t the right time for me to read it, personally.
As a writer, there are more quantifiable ways to tell if a story is good, but these should usually be looked at in the realm of the book’s genre! I don’t ever think it’s really fair to judge a book by different standards. For example, to say a book is bad for having no romance, if it’s a gritty sci-fi thriller, doesn’t make sense. Or a women’s fiction novel if there’s no happy-ever-after because that’s a requirement of the romance genre, not women’s fiction! In terms of general fiction and writing craft, there is, of course, the main categories to build a book: plot, pace, character arcs, world building, etc., and these can often be looked at in most genres.
For me, I veer towards romance books, so I love to have well-developed characters (so I understand why they do what they do), a clear aesthetic, steamy scenes, and bonus points if the writing has some lyricism or lovely lines.
But in the end, it’s all about how you feel reading the story, and what you enjoy!
What is your writing process like?
I always have to have a very clear aesthetic before I work on something. If I can’t see something in a cinematic, clear way, I can’t usually start it. So I start by writing down my initial ideas which usually come in snippets of dialogue, visuals or plot elements. I then put them into certain lists: a 'love list' (what I love about the book already), a ‘core ideas’ list (which reminds me what I want to do with this story), and a ‘character’ list (explaining who the character is and what they want).
I then brainstorm based on my ideas, which is my favourite part of the process and is where I build up a Pinterest board and playlists. In this process, I write a loose blurb so I know the gist of the story and get excited about imagining it on the back of a book, and I expand each piece of character info or vibe into plot, until I feel like I’ve got something like lily pads in a pond and the core scenes I want in the book.
I never used to outline, but the more I’ve written and done edits and learned about craft, the more I’ve started to outline in detail to stop heavy edits afterwards! A fantastic book for this is Romancing the Beat by Gwen Hayes. A lot of outlining or plotting books can be dense and hard to understand, or just plain overwhelming, but Gwen’s book is so simple, funny, and direct. It is based on rom-com structure, but it really helped me wrap my head around character arcs, as they’re the core for most books.
I tend to write out of order depending on what scene feels formed or I want to work on, so I write those (adding to the lily pads) and then connect it together as I flesh out of more of the book! Then I set a loose word count goal and try to get the rest of the story out, before doing an edit round or two and sending to my family to read, and then my agent!
What are 3 books on your TBR?
- Sing Me to Sleep by Gabi Burton
- The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
- The Gentleman's Gambit by Evie Dunmore
I hope I get to them soon, but I’m ten books behind on my Goodreads challenge so pray for me.
What was the first book that made you cry? Laugh? Get angry?
Cry: New Moon! Twilight really was my book awakening. I was the perfect age and it became my favourite thing. I sobbed when I read New Moon. I also threw the book across the room when Edward left Bella, which was outrageous—I would never want to damage a book!!
Laugh: I think this was Gideon the Ninth! That book is not only exquisitely written in terms of language and fascinating characters, but it is so funny I always laugh when I re-read it, too, which is saying something. But I also love Tessa Bailey, she has some very funny moments in her books.
Get Angry: I’m cheating on this one because it’s an adaptation, but Outlander! There was a lot in that show that really made me furious. The worst things happen to the characters and it’s extremely intense at times. I desperately wanted to climb into the book and help them, but I couldn’t!! I fell in love with the first episode, but definitely check the trigger warnings for that series!
But I also don’t really have the emotional ability to read books that make me too upset haha, I’m a sensitive bean, give me my HEA and a hot water bottle and I’m good.
Give us a snapshot of an ordinary moment in your life that brings you great (Lit)Joy?
I’m a big believer in finding something positive in every day, and I learned that after hard times in my life, when I needed something that was okay. It’s led to me loving very normal ‘small’ moments, and doing a daily gratitude list. So here are my favourites:
- Falling in love with a new book (which is honestly rare! So this is a treasured one.)
- Having a hot shower (I love being warm, which is why I usually have a hot water bottle with me. I just don’t like weather that’s too hot!)
- Fresh bedsheets
- My daily coffee (decaf with frothy coconut milk)
- Pinterest! Honestly, I’m obsessed.
- Hugs (I’m a big hugger, if you hug me, I might not let go and have to fight the urge to snuggle you and fall asleep)
About the Author
Megan Scott is a romance and fantasy writer from the North West of England. The Temptation of Magic first published with HarperCollins imprints in the UK and US in early 2024, and is full of romance, mythology, and the supernatural. She studied Art History and Classical Civilisation and earned a distinction on her Masters of Research expanding on depictions of myth in nineteenth century art. Both of which still inspire her novels. She is currently working on her next books. When she’s not writing or on Pinterest, she’s listening to or singing Jazz, trying to read as much as her nana, or paint something she doesn’t want to ceremoniously burn in the garden.
We're so grateful to Megan Scott for allowing us to pick her brain on reading and writing, and giving us insight into the life of a successful debut author! We've absolutely loved working with Megan to bring our TBR Special Edition of The Temptation of Magic to all of our TBR readers, and eagerly await adding whatever she writes next to our own to be read lists!
