Samantha Young is a New York Times-, USA Today-, Wall Street Journal-, #1 Amazon-bestselling author, and a Goodreads Choice Awards Nominee. Her newest release, Hart Street Lane, is a steamy fake engagement romance and the third installment in her Return to Dublin Street series.
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Samantha Young has written over 65 books and is published in 31 countries. She writes emotional and angsty romance, often set where she resides—in her beloved home country, Scotland. She splits her time between her family, writing, and chasing after two very mischievous cavoodles.
We talked with the author about the flexibility of indie publishing, her return to Dublin Street, and what makes a romance novel work.
As a hybrid publisher, what does your indie publishing work give you that makes it special?
Indie publishing has really given me more flexibility to write the stories I want to when I want to. If I feel like I need to pivot with a series or to a brand new series because something about its current trajectory isn’t working for my audience (it could be anything from actual story to how the series is packaged), then it’s so much easier to do that as an indie author than it is when you’re working with a traditional publisher who understandably has very set deadlines and expectations.
In a long career with multiple series in different genres, how have you seen your creative process evolve?
I’d say my process has evolved and changed several times over the course of the last 15 years. I used to fill notebooks with very detailed chapter summaries before sitting down to write. Then because it’s required in traditional publishing, I began writing full proposals and using those as a guideline instead. Now, however, I prefer using Plottr, a program that allows you to break down your characters and their story arcs in a really organized way that my brain appreciates. One part of my process that's never changed is needing a book playlist. Music is and has always been a huge part of my writing process. It really helps me sink into my characters and often inspires scenes and emotional moments in my stories.
What drew you to revisit the On Dublin Street world through a next-generation lens, and what keeps you creatively excited about writing romance within a shared universe?
Because of the sheer level of fandom the series has and love I have for those characters, I’d often thought of returning to it but also felt a huge amount of pressure to get it right. Would I be able to find that specific voice and feeling again? An author friend who is a fan of the series was really the driving force and encouragement behind the return. I was very surprised, in the best way, how easy it was to find my voice in this series again, and seeing reader excitement for the return was such a wonderful motivation. It’s been an absolute joy to return to this world.
Your new title Hart Street Lane revolves around a fake engagement. What do you love about writing this trope, and how do you pace the transition from fake relationships to genuine connection without it feeling rushed or predictable?
It’s so much fun to build tension between these two characters who have agreed to a fake relationship and are starting to catch real feelings all the while denying and pretending that they’re not. They’re forced, by their own decision to fake the relationship, into situations where they have no choice but to interact like a couple. It leads to this build in intimacy they might not otherwise share and are constantly tempted by that. Getting the tension to crackle on the page is fun and challenging. With Hart Street Lane, the main characters, Maia and Baird, are already really good friends, so they have a foundation of trust and affection I could build upon. Baird, in fact, is in love with Maia already and she doesn’t know it. I really enjoyed taking her on that journey of first realizing she has romantic feelings for him and then bringing them together over a period of a few months in a way that felt authentic.
Check out Samantha’s latest: a friends-to-lovers, fake engagement romance with a dreamy sports hero who falls first!
Any behind-the-scenes stories you can share about the process of writing Hart Street Lane?
I was in the middle of plotting the book when the song “Kids” by MGMT came on the radio. It instantly sparked this idea of that song becoming a trigger for Maia’s memories of the tumultuous life she shared with her mother. It’s a song her mother used to sing with her on her good days. I visualized that song coming on when she and Baird are together and him recognizing she’s having a panic attack and that leading to her confiding in him and building a new intimacy between them. The song is used throughout the story to not only help Maia come to terms with elements of her past, but to bring her and Baird together. I can’t explain how music and lyrics can unlock that kind of inspiration, but it’s really a magical thing for me and my process.
What makes an incredible romance novel work, and do you have a favorite?
I love an emotional romance with a real depth to the characterization, and one of my favorite novels is The Simple Wild by K.A. Tucker. I love that it’s not just an incredible and authentic romance between two people, but there’s a complex father-daughter relationship, there’s an entire journey the heroine takes that’s just for herself, there is heartbreak and healing all within one story. Moreover, it’s set in Alaska and I love when a romance novel’s setting feels like another character and transports you to that place.
What’s the biggest risk you’ve taken in your writing, and how did it pay off?
I’d built a career writing contemporary romance, but there were a few sprinkled in that had suspense in them, and I really wanted to write and market a series as small-town romantic suspense. However, I was worried about bringing my readership with me into a new subgenre. I decided really leaning into my Scottishness and setting the new series in the Scottish Highlands might encourage my On Dublin Street Series readers to take a chance on the new subgenre. Thankfully, it worked out great, and my readership has grown since adding small-town romantic suspense to my folio of genres.
How has your approach to dialogue evolved over the years, especially regarding banter and chemistry between characters?
I actually believe my style has always included a lot of banter and (hopefully) witty repertoire between my characters. I think it’s such a simple and fun way to create chemistry between them because we’ve all experienced that moment of ease and giddiness when you find someone you can banter with and who just "gets you". Even when I’m writing enemies-to-lovers that banter is so important because it betrays a level of connection between the hero and heroine, even if they’re not getting along at that point in the story.
Do you tend to read material similar to your own, or do you love reading totally different genres?
I absolutely love fantasy, dystopian, and sci-fi novels. I love the world-building and imagination, and the limitless possibilities for creativity. While I write contemporary romance, I also write paranormal and fantasy under the pen name S. Young, and it’s such a lovely way to stay inspired by being able to switch between those genres.
What’s the best writing advice you’ve received, and what advice would you give to a fellow author looking to create something special and meaningful?
I was told to write "what I know," and I fully believe in that but I’d also add: if you’re looking to build an audience and make a career out of your writing, it’s important to find a way to marry writing what you know with building a brand your readership instantly recognizes and can trust in, so they keep buying and reading your books. The latter is important for longevity, but the former is incredibly important for connecting to your readers.
My biggest selling book, On Dublin Street, was my first contemporary romance, and I leaned heavily into my own experiences to write that book. I believe that’s why so many readers connected with it.
Dive Deeper into the Return to Dublin Street Series
