Writing with Depth and Heart
Happy February Friends and Family,
I hope your February has been full of love and joy. Since it’s the month of love, I thought it would be fun to share why I write romance, and also, what’s to come! My talented and amazing author friend, Elizabeth Webster, interviewed me via email for her newsletter, and I thought I’d share! The interview highlights how I write romance with depth and heart. I hope you enjoy reading!
Elizabeth Webster (EW): I can't imagine a more perfect childhood for a romance author than growing up in a family wedding business. What was this experience like? How do these memories inform your idea of love and your passion for writing romance novels?
Erica Mae: Thank you! It was certainly an incredible upbringing for a budding romance author. Our 1881 Victorian home was the setting for thousands of majestic weddings and special events. When I was a little girl, I danced in soft tule, made colorful bouquets, and my sister and I even pretended we were the bride and groom getting married, taking turns wearing the fancy white, plastic shoes and lace-trimmed gown, of course! I looked forward to every Saturday and Sunday when our home would transform with vanloads of flowers to accentuate the lush gardens, classical musicians would set up on the back porch, playing romantic music, and glamorous brides and stylish attendants arrived. The weddings also instilled in my siblings and I a very high work ethic. From a young age, we were involved in many aspects of the wedding business including setting up tables, cleaning rooms, folding napkins, ironing linens, greeting guests, and more. I even held numerous brides’ trains—it was the 90s and 2000s! But my favorite part was the wedding—the love story—and I loved watching the magic unfold from a balcony above, witnessing each happily ever after. I was mesmerized.
Weddings also gave me hope. My parents’ rocky marriage and dad’s infidelity juxtaposed the happy couples I saw every weekend—both young and old. Although my parents didn’t have the ideal marriage and love story I sought, I found what my heart longed for in sweet elderly couples still holding hands after sixty years of marriage, young married couples with kids in their arms, and in the new love I witnessed every weekend. I craved that happily ever after. And that desire to find real, incredible examples of love and bring more love into the world became my passion for writing romance.
EW: All three novels in your "Scottish Stars" series are set in Scotland. What inspired you to choose Scotland as the backdrop for your stories?
Erica Mae: They are! Scotland is so magical! There are castles everywhere you turn, rich history, warm people with incredible accents, and beautiful lochs, mountains, highlands, and isles. And that magic inspires creativity. I also have Scottish ancestry and have always felt drawn to Scotland. But one of the biggest inspirations for my Scottish Stars series was Outlander—a time-traveling, historical romance, which is set in Scotland. In my series, I even created an Outlander-inspired television show! It adds a fun fantasy-ish as well as historical element to the book.
EW: You write beautiful depictions of the Scottish landscape, and I know you traveled to Scotland recently with your twin sister. How did that trip influence your work?
Thank you so much! I did travel to Scotland with my sister. We had the best time, and I can’t wait to go back again, soon. Going to Scotland enhanced my writing so much. I could feel what dreich weather meant as well as four seasons in a day (always carry a waterproof jacket or umbrella while in Scotland), hear the intonation in the Scottish accent when pronouncing words like scone (pronounced like gone) or lass (my favorite-swoon!), and taste the Irn-Bru and Scottish tap water.
On our trip, I couldn’t stop writing. Not only were we exploring, but I also was kid-free for the first time in years (similar to Brie in The Stars of Scotland), which gave me the space to write. I wrote scenes for book three, Beneath the Starlight, while walking through actual castles that are in the book including the majestic Eilean Donan and scribbled the ending, while sitting on the sandy banks of Loch Lomond. I also jotted down some final ideas for Where the Stars Burn as well as a few for a spin off series. In addition to visiting, I also did loads of research including watching walking travel vlogs, reading blogs, and travel guides. My hope is that readers feel like they’re truly in Scotland with my characters, experiencing each moment.
EW: In "The Stars of Scotland," the first book in your series, an aspiring memoirist Brielle Hunter falls in love with Bryce Fraser, a Scottish television star, during a visit to Scotland. What was the inspiration for this novel?
Erica Mae: The Stars of Scotland was inspired by Outlander, which I watched with my husband, Charles, who was recovering from a near-death work accident that left him weak and in pain. It was an escape from our reality, and honestly, I’d wanted to travel to Scotland for as long as I could remember, having heritage on both sides, and I loved the gorgeous setting. I wanted to stroll through fields of heather, explore historic castles, experience Scotland’s rich history, and more. I wanted to escape—to go an adventure with Charles—but it wasn’t possible with our finances and his health. One thing I knew: I could write. I could experience an adventure alongside my heroine. But I didn’t want my heroine to be rocketed back into the 18th century; I wanted her to be living in the present day. And then I thought: What if Jamie Fraser was a Scottish television star living in the twenty-first century, and he was single?
Also, during this time, my husband and I found each other again and fell in love for the second time. Our relationship inspired this second chance love story, and I wanted to allow readers to find second chance love along with Brie and I through the pages.
EW: Brielle is also the mom of two kids, healing from a divorce, and hoping to become a professional writer. What was your intention in centering this romance around a main character with such a rich backstory?
Erica Mae: I love creating characters with rich backstory. Brielle is a fully developed main character with flaws, fears, hopes, and dreams. She’s a mom of two littles (3- and 6-year olds) with real scars, who has experienced loss, but she also has incredible hope for the future. I wanted readers to see themselves in her. As moms and women, we are multi-faceted with our own dreams. I want readers to know that their dreams are possible and valid, and so I gave Brie her own dream of being a memoirist. Yes, she’s an amazing mom and friend, but she deserves to find everything she’s looking for—to find incredible, deep love with an amazing man and also achieve her dreams.
EW: In "Where the Stars Burn," Brielle's best friend, Andrea Accardi, joins her in Scotland following a job loss. Almost immediately, sparks fly between Andrea and a Scottish swordsmith, Rory Cameron. What was it like to return to this location and this cast of characters in your sequel?
Erica Mae: Returning to Scotland with these amazing cast of characters was so much fun! Many readers told me that Andrea was their favorite supporting character from the first book, and I loved giving her a story of her own. She’s feisty and not looking for love (I flipped the script and made her the one who’s only looking for a fling!), but Rory is patient and generous, and he wins her over. Rory is the ultimate male hero—he even makes steel swords with his bare hands.
This book was inspired by Andrea and Rory’s first meeting in The Stars of Scotland on the set of the fictional show, Swords of Scotland. I wanted to see how that spark would fire and also imagine fun scenes on set (spicy and swoony!). But more than anything, I wanted to create a love story that’s not perfect from the start. Not every love story is seamless. Some take time, especially when healing from past wounds. I love how this slow burn catches fire and the opposites attract (fiery/quiet) trope. And I love the vulnerability of the two main characters when they finally let down their guards and realize that loving one another is one of the bravest things they could do—and it’s worth fighting for.
EW: What role does Brielle and Andrea's friendship play in tying these stories together?
Erica Mae: Friendship is such an intrinsic part of a woman’s life. I am blessed with wonderful female friends, and I wanted to illustrate how supportive, loving, and beneficial female friendships can be with Brielle and Andrea. Andrea faces real challenges in today’s world—losing her job, having unsupportive parental influences, and dating model-obsessed LA men, and as a result, she’s a mess at 30. Brielle, meanwhile, had a cheating ex and grew up without a father (passed away before she was born). When she meets Andrea, she and Andrea find connection and become best friends—sisters—who support and take care of one another. Andrea even becomes Auntie A, a title she never dreamed of, but loves so much. I love that we can have chosen family, and Brie and Andrea have chosen one another. They uplift, support, and even call the other one out when needed. Yes, my books are swoony and romantic, centering on the love story between the main characters, but I also include and celebrate the importance of love between friends because there’s no one better to cheer you on and push you to take that step to find love than your best friend.
EW: I love your work, and I'm so excited for your upcoming novel, "Beneath the Starlight." What can you tell us about your final book in this series? How does it feel for this series to come to a close?
Erica Mae: Aw thank you so much! I’m so grateful you love my work! I’ve loved writing this series and Beneath the Starlight has been my favorite book to write yet. It’s an opposites-attract, enemies to lovers romance between a Sassenach actress, a Scottish rogue, and a decision that changes everything. There’s travel and road trip fun, self-discovery and personal growth, historic castles and beautiful isles, workplace romance, found family, a secret past, spice, and of course, happily ever after. I can’t wait to share more soon!
Regarding the series coming to a close, I am excited for this last book to be out in the world and in readers’ hands. Fifteen years ago, I wrote my first novel and now, I’ve written over a half dozen and published three. It’s incredibly humbling and reminds me that I’m getting closer to my dream of becoming a career romance author. When the Beneath the Starlight is published (later this year), I’ll be crying happy tears.
EW: Do you have any writing projects in the works after the completion of your "Scottish Stars" series?
Erica Mae: Yes! I have a 4-book spinoff series that I’ve started working on...series name and the first title to come next year. The first book is a Practice Makes Perfect, Safe Haven meets It Ends With Us romance with Outlander vibes. That’s a mouthful, right? It centers around a young actress with a secret past (hint she’s related to someone in Beneath the Starlight!) and a body guard. I absolutely love bodyguard tropes and can’t wait to share more.
I’m also finishing my first non-fiction piece, a personal memoir, entitled The Words Between Us. Life as my husband and I knew it changed when he endured a life-altering accident in 108 degree Las Vegas heat. It changed us from lovers to patients and caregiver, and raging Hulk and family peacekeeper, nearly severing our marriage and tearing apart our small family. For fans of The Vow, Love Warrior, You Could Make This Place Beautiful, and Everything I Have Is Yours, The Words Between Us is a vulnerable and beautiful memoir about love, faith, and second chances, revealing that even with loss, you can find love again and beauty in the unexpected.
Lastly, I shelved the first book and beginning of a wedding series I worked on a few years ago, and I might just pick that up sometime next year. It deserves to be finished and read!
EW: What do you want readers to take away from your books?
Erica Mae: My greatest hope is that readers feel love through my books. They are worthy of incredible love, and I hope they never give up until they find real, meaningful love! I also want readers to be able to escape into my pages and dream of sweet possibilities, including their own dreams and achievements, too.
EW: Thank you so much for your time today! How can readers connect with you?
Erica Mae: Thank you so much, Elizabeth! It was so nice chatting with you and sharing my books with you and your readers. Thank you, readers, for reading and checking out my books. I can’t wait to meet you!
You can connect with me on Instagram, Tiktok, Facebook, and Threads @EricaMaeBooks. I also have a monthly newsletter that you can signup for on my website at www.ericamae.net. I share book news there first including title and cover reveals, early ARCs, street team signups, and also share a bit about my author journey and my life as a mom author and caregiver to my husband.
Sending you all lots of love today and every day.