Inara Scott

You have 4 books coming out in the next 6 months.  How does that happen and how do you find the time to release the books as well as write new ones?  That sounds very intimidating, doesn't it? LOL! Here's the crazy thing--I'm also a full time law professor, so I teach and write academic papers during the school year and generally write my fiction over the summer. This year is a bit of an anomoly, because some deadlines got moved around and I wrote a lot over the past eight months. But for me, writing is like TV, or candy, or movies...it's my downtime and the thing I most love to do. I will admit that I write in spurts. For example, this summer I wrote two books because I wasn't teaching or publishing. But I can't write like that all year long. I need breaks in between books to regain my energy and creativity. I think the most I could write would be 3 books a year. I am in awe of people who crank out 6 or more books a year.

Please tell us a bit about your YA October release, A SLEEP SO DARK.  Where did you get the inspiration for it?  This book is so much fun--I can't wait to share it with everyone! A Sleep So Dark is a romantic thriller with a paranormal twist, but like most of my books it started with a character. At the time I was writing it, my daughter was doing gymnastics at a gym pretty far from our house, so I'd just stay and write while she had her practices. Well, you can't put me in a setting like that, surrounded by these crazy gymnastics moms shouting at their 5 year-old daughters without inspiring a book! So my inspiration was Tandy, the main character, who has been pushed all her life by her mother to be an Olympic gymnast, and is now struggling to rebuild her life after her mother's death. From there, I ended up with cowboys (because they're sexy) and snowstorms (because they're scary) and hot football players (because, well, they're hot!). And dreams, because who hasn't had a terrifying nightmare and wondered what it would be like if dreams could come true?

What can discuss about your other upcoming releases?  My November release is called Falling for Mr. Wrong, and it's an adult contemporary romance in my Bencher Family series from Entangled Publishing. It's about a mountain-climbing woman who finds herself babysitting for the guy she had a crazy one-night stand with years before. They are totally wrong for each other--of course! But romance ensues... The January release is called Reforming the Playboy, and it's part of a three book contemporary romance continuity from Entangled set in the fictional town of Passion Creek, Colorado. In Reforming the Playboy, Kira Butler has to confront her college boyfriend--who happens to be an international art star--to keep some very sexy drawings he made of her from ending up on the Internet.

And last, but definitely not least, I will be releasing the third (and final) book in my Delcroix Academy series in late winter. For those who have followed the series, I promise I will wrap up all of your questions. Like, Is Jack really dead? Is Cam as cute and sweet as he seems? And most importantly, what's REALLY going on behind Grandma's foggy glasses? :-)

You've written so many genres.  Do you have a favorite?  Why or why not?  Well, I've written YA and adult, historical, paranormal, fantasy, contemporary (long and short), and now, thriller...so I must plead guilty to the charge of having a short attention span. But do I have a favorite? My favorite things are happy endings, true love, and swoon-worthy romance. I don't really care what package you put them in. When I'm super busy, I tend to write shorter, more straightforward books like my contemporary romances. When I have more time, I like to delve into deeper, more complex plots, like my young adult books. I suspect in the future I'll bounce back to historicals, just because I've always wanted to publish a pirate romance. My fervent hope is that my readers will hold my hand and come along with me, even though I rarely take them back to the same place twice.  

What's the publishing process been like?  Hmm...how much time do you have for me to answer that? LOL! The short answer is that it's a rollercoaster, and if you want to write and publish, you've got to sign on for the ride. I'm not big on looking back, so I'll just say that I feel incredibly lucky to be where I am right (write?) now. I publish what I want, have worked with wonderful people in many countries, have a great relationship with Entangled Publishing, and feel supported by my fans and my editors. I couldn't ask for more.

How do you advertise your work?  When I have a new release you'll see me doing the blog tour thing, and of course I'm pretty active on Facebook (www.facebook.com/inarawrites) Twitter (@inarascott) and Tumblr (inarascott.tumblr.com). I've been lucky to be a part of some wonderful teen book festivals and have had great school visits as well. Really, any way I can talk to readers, I am all over.

Any advice for aspiring writers?  See response above about publishing! Be in it for the long haul. Don't hit send too quickly. Revise revise revise. Find editors, critique partners, and writing groups so you stay connected, supported, and challenged. Know that not everyone will love your books. That's okay. Love what YOU do and take pride in what makes your writing special.