We chat with author Aimée Carter about Royal Scandal, which is the second book in the Royal Blood series and follows an American girl who threatens the royal family by exposing their darkest scandals—even as they get more sinister.
Hi, Aimée! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hi! I’m Aimée, and I write books for young adult and middle grade readers. I’m terrible at introducing myself, mostly because I never know what to say, but I think the thing that most of my friends would mention first is the fact that I have too many pets (currently five cats and the cutest dog on the planet, all of which I’m deeply devoted to and adore). I’m also allergic to cats and dust/cat litter, so it’s a lot of fun. I love music and play the drums, most of my reading is done via audiobooks, and I majored in screenwriting at the University of Michigan.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I started writing fan fiction when I was eleven, and it quickly snowballed out of control from there. I wrote my first “original” book when I was fourteen, and I spent my entire time at high school writing book after book, determined to be published by the time I graduated (I wasn’t).
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: A collection of fairytales with a blue cover.
- The one that made you want to become an author: It’s the books that weren’t written that made me want to become an author – the books I wanted to read, but couldn’t find on shelves because they weren’t written yet. Turns out they only existed in my head.
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: The ending of The Giver haunted me for a long time.
Royal Scandal is the second installment in your Royal Blood series and it’s out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Dramatic. Intense. Unexpected. And royally explosive.
What can readers expect from the sequel?
Plenty of twists, turns, drama, and moments that I’m hoping will surprise the reader. The royal cast from the first book is back, including Evan, Kit, Princess Maisie, King Alexander, Prince Ben, and more. While Evan may be slowly adjusting to royal life as the King of England’s illegitimate daughter, she’s still a fish out of water trying to find her footing under the hot glare of the tabloid limelight. But when that light suddenly turns deadly, she has to fight to protect her life – and the lives of those she loves most.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring further?
I love writing all of these characters. Every scene in this book has a moment that really drew me to it, that propelled me forward through the transition and the set-up, and I hope that comes across in the page. One of my very favorite scenes to write, though, was toward the end – Chapter 35.
Can you tell us about any challenges you faced when it came to plotting and how you were able to overcome them?
This series in particular has so many moving pieces and so many subplots that all tie into the main plot that it’s always a struggle to figure out exactly which scene or revelation goes where. Royal Blood is the first book where I used notecards to plot out the scenes and arrange them in order, and I don’t think I can ever go back now. It’s much easier to rearrange a few notecards than it is to rewrite whole scenes that are in the wrong place.
What’s your writing process?
I never jump directly into a story after getting the initial idea. I always write down as much as I can at the start, and then keep track of any further details that come to me in a document or a notebook over the course of a few months to several years (Royal Blood took almost ten years to fully come together). Then, once I feel like I have all of the pieces I need, I put together a detailed outline, run it past my agent, and then write in order. I edit as I go, which can sometimes draw the process out, especially if I make a mistake with my outline and end up on a route that doesn’t work. But I’m usually a fast writer, and at a steady pace, it takes me two to three months to finish a first draft, start to finish. I usually pause between acts (willingly or not) and redo the outline at those stages to make sure I’m on the right track, but all of that extra work means my first drafts are usually fairly close to the end product.
What’s next for you?
I’m working on the third book in the Royal Blood series now, and then I have a couple of middle grade books to write this year, as well as another YA book I’d love to work on.
Lastly, are there any book releases that you’re looking forward to picking up this year?
I’m really looking forward to Jennifer Lynn Barnes’s The Grandest Game, Emily Henry’s Funny Story, Ali Hazelwood’s Not In Love, and the next book in Rebecca Yarros’s Fourth Wing series.
