Notes from the Shelf

Today’s Featured Author: Stephanie J. Scott

Today’s featured author is Stephanie J. Scott (also known as Stephanie Jayne). This written Q&A was completed in August 2025, ahead of her latest release, A Bowl Lot of Love.

Meet Stephanie

Stephanie J. Scott writes light-hearted, quirky romance and young adult. She enjoys dance fitness, everything cats, and has a slight obsession with Instagram. A Midwest girl at heart, she resides outside of Chicago with her tech-of-all-trades husband and fuzzy furbabies. She also writes angstier romantic comedy under Stephanie Jayne.

Q&A

What inspired you to start writing in general?

I wrote stories as a kid – whole books with illustrations, and later as a tween, stories about group of friends which was essentially fanfic based on whatever teen paperbacks I was reading from the library. As an adult, I would tell people sometimes I wanted to write a book. One day, the light bulb moment happened: books don’t write themselves. But how to get started?! Several friends who did their own creative writing encouraged me to start. A group I was in at my church at the time was exploring personal dreams and passions. The pastors led the group and asked us to write down our dream and said, “and don’t just make it something churchy.” I wrote that I wanted to write a book, and my friend wrote she wanted to be a fitness instructor. Years later, both of us are doing what we love!

What inspires you to continue writing?

I set personal goals each year that are usually inspired by what I see authors I admire or know doing, but it always goes back to my core goal to write and publish books I’m proud of. I’ve found authors have wildly different goals that aren’t all “make the NYT list.” I’m continually inspired by my friends and other authors Doing the Thing.

When did you know you wanted to publish a book?

It’s always sort of been there, but once I started actually writing as an adult, I became more serious about publishing once I found writing communities. Sometimes you don’t know what’s possible, not to mention how to make it happen, until you meet people who have done it.

How did you first get published?

I signed with a literary agent with a project we pitched to publishers. That book never made it to publication, but the next book we pitched did. This was with a traditional publisher in 2016. Independent/self-publishing was gaining momentum, but still a new concept for me that I was not ready for at the time. There are so many options for writers now, it can be a bit overwhelming knowing how and where to start.

What is your writing routine?

I’d love to say I write every day, but I don’t. It’s just not me. I write the most on weekends, but when I’m really cooking with a story, I write throughout the week around my full-time job and other obligations.

How do you develop an idea from initial spark to finished manuscript?

I usually start with at least one character and an initial premise. Sometimes an idea seems good but doesn’t mean it can sustain a whole book. I write romance, so I look at familiar tropes and what would complement the idea or make it more fun. I’m building a plot now based on an initial meet-cute scene. I brainstorm in a Notes app or sometimes a Word doc, jotting down ideas and sometimes strings of dialogue. I work on title ideas early as the title can shape the plot! I build a character sheet of sorts based on Goal/Motivation/Conflict (a book by Debra Dixon explains this) and basically make messy notes that serve as an outline. I get too excited to start writing to finish detailed chapter outlines. Who has time for that? Over the years I’ve tried lots of different methods. Cathy Yardley’s Rock Your Plot is a great tool that blends many plotting methods. I do a lot of what she does, but ditch the chapter by chapter detailed outline, going for higher level plot points. Story tropes and the character’s goals, their motivations, and the internal and external conflicts guide me in writing.

Have you dealt with writer’s block and how do you handle it?

It’s not always easy to expend creative energy when the world is burning around you. Sometimes, I just let myself do other things and push the “I’m not writing” guilt aside; reading a ton, playing video games, being active outdoors. I came across the phrase “writer’s resistance” that clicked for me. It goes into mindset, fears, self-doubt, imposter syndrome. This is a work in progress, but I think I’m better equipped to recognize when I need a break and when I’m resisting; getting to why the resistance is happening is crucial. Usually, it’s mid-book, when writing feels harder because you’re beyond Shiny New Idea and not close enough to wrapping up the book. There are lots of resources out there if that sounds like it rings a bell! 

What’s the best writing advice you’ve ever received?

Write the story only you can tell. Even if you and I have the same story idea, the way we write it would be completely different.

Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?

Find your people! This can take some time. I started out at a writing group in a public library. I knew nothing! They were very kind. I then joined a group of children’s and YA authors, since that was what I wrote at the time, though I never really connected there. I had online writer friends, but kept trying locally too. I’m a joiner and just kept on joining things. I went to a romance writer conference where I knew nobody, but I met people who invited me to a local group. Many of my longtime writer friends have come from this group. We actually outlasted the group!

Which books or authors have most influenced your writing?

I’m inspired and influenced by so many authors, from big names to writers I know personally. Currently, I’m in adoration of Abby Jimenez and how her books throw you immediately into the world with characters who feel like your friends or people you want to be friends with. That is a real skill. S.A. Cosby’s gritty crime dramas have fantastic character descriptions that are so simple yet unique and tap into common culture while not resorting to stereotypes. His writing is a delight to read (though be warned, he tackles tough subjects and violence).

What book(s) are you currently reading?

Current read: Mia Manansala’s cozy mystery Homicide and Halo-Halo. I’m about to read Sarah MacLean’s These Summer Storms on audio to discuss with an online book club.

What’s something readers might be surprised to learn about you?

My husband says I hide my weirdness well. Two of my favorite movies are Hot Rod and Barb and Star Go to Vista del Mar, both underperforming comedies that I think are freaking hilarious. They are not for everybody, and that’s ok! This probably also applies to fans of I Think You Should Leave on Netflix, which is so intensely weird and funny I can only handle one episode at a time.

What book(s) have you published and where can people find them?

I have sweet and flirty romantic comedies and young adult as Stephanie J. Scott and a little angstier romantic comedy as Stephanie Jayne. All books can be found at http://www.stephaniejscott.com

What are you currently writing? Anything coming out soon?

A Bowl Lot of Love released on August 26 about a woman who inherits a bowling alley and reconnects with her childhood frenemy (not actually a spoiler because it’s a romance: they fall for each other). Beauty and the Grease is out now as part of a multi-author series of small-town romantic comedy novellas. She’s a tow truck driver as her second phase career and answers a roadside call to find her ex in the ditch. Available on Kindle Unlimited.

Connect with Stephanie

You can connect with Stephanie J. Scott and find all her available books on her website or find her on Instagram as well as Facebook.

Wrapping Up

I loved getting to know more about Stephanie’s writing journey and the stories behind her books. Her blend of humor, heart, and honesty shines through both in her fiction and her answers here. If you enjoy light-hearted, character-driven romance, her books are well worth adding to your shelf.

You can find Stephanie’s books through Bookshop.org. Every purchase supports independent bookstores and helps sustain Notes from the Shelf. (Affiliate link; I may earn a small commission.)

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