Rising Stars: Meet Scarlett Brade of Other

Today we’d like to introduce you to Scarlett Brade.

Hi Scarlett, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My love of books started very young. One of my clearest memories is being six years old and travelling to Canada with my mum. She bought me my first Harry Potter book for the journey, and I read it almost non-stop for the entire plane ride. I was completely hooked. My mum was surprised that I could sit and read a chapter book at that age, but for me it felt completely natural. I loved the feeling of disappearing into another world.

Looking back, I think the connection between travelling and storytelling began there. Travel has always been a huge part of my life, and so has writing. I love discovering new places, different cultures and different ways of living, and I think that naturally feeds into the way I imagine characters, settings and stories.

I didn’t start writing seriously until my 21st birthday. I remember deciding that day that I was going to write a novel. I had no idea whether anything would ever come from it, but I knew that I wanted to try.

By 25, I had written and self-published my first novel. That experience was incredibly important because it taught me what it meant to take an idea all the way from a blank page to an actual book. It also made me realise that writing wasn’t something I wanted to treat as a hobby. I wanted to make a career out of it.

For years, I wrote around a full-time job. I would write before work, during my lunch breaks, after work and anywhere else I could find the time. Eventually, that persistence paid off. I signed with a literary agent, secured a traditional publishing deal and my thriller The Hive was published by Zaffre, part of Bonnier Books UK, in 2022.

That opened up a completely new chapter for me. I had opportunities to speak about my work in the media, including on Sky News, attend literary festivals and events such as Capital Crime and Iceland Noir, meet readers and experience parts of the publishing world that I had once only imagined being part of.

Since then, I’ve continued to grow both creatively and personally. My latest thriller, The Carnival, takes readers to Jamaica and explores the darker side of paradise, family, community and secrets. Travel remains a huge source of inspiration for me, so it feels very natural that the two things I have always loved most, travelling and writing, continue to overlap in my work.

I also think it’s important to be honest about what being a writer actually looks like. I still work a full-time job while writing thriller novels behind the scenes. There can be a perception that once you’re published, you automatically get to become a full-time author, but for many writers that simply isn’t the reality. Publishing income alone isn’t always enough to make writing your sole career, so a lot of us are building our creative lives alongside full-time work, and, in my case, perhaps a secret business venture quietly taking shape in the background too.

In some ways, that makes me even prouder of what I’ve achieved. I’ve written around work for years, before work, on lunch breaks, after work and wherever I could find the time, and I’m still doing that now. I think there’s value in being transparent about that, because success doesn’t always mean your life suddenly becomes easy or that you stop having to juggle responsibilities. Sometimes success is continuing to make room for the thing you love, even when your life is already full.

When I look back, there is something quite full-circle about it all: from being six years old on a plane to Canada, completely absorbed in a book full of magic, to starting my first novel at 21, self-publishing at 25, writing around a full-time job, getting an agent, securing a traditional book deal and becoming a published author.

Where I am today still feels like the beginning of a much bigger chapter. I’m still working, still writing and still building. If my journey has taught me anything, it is that creative careers rarely happen overnight. A lot of it comes down to continuing to show up, continuing to create and finding the time to keep going even when you cannot yet see where the work will eventually lead.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It definitely hasn’t been a completely smooth road. One of the biggest challenges has been learning how much work goes into getting a book seen once it actually exists.

Marketing is incredibly important because, ultimately, nobody can buy a book if they don’t know it’s there. I think a lot of authors discover during the publishing process that you’re not only the writer, you also have to become your own marketer, publicist and biggest advocate.

There can be real challenges around getting books onto shelves, creating visibility and reaching readers, and that means doing everything you can to support the book yourself, whether that’s through social media, events, press, word of mouth or simply finding creative ways to keep putting it in front of people.

I think that side of publishing can be surprising because you imagine that once the book is written and published, the hardest part is over. In reality, getting the book into the world is only one part of the journey, making sure people actually discover it is another challenge entirely.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
At the heart of everything I do, I’m a wordsmith. Words are really my first love. I’m known primarily for writing, especially thrillers, but over the years my creative identity has grown to include fashion, travel and lifestyle as well.

Travel in particular has become a big part of how people know me online. I’m constantly getting messages on Instagram and Snapchat asking where I’ve stayed, where I’m travelling to next, what hotels I recommend or where certain photos were taken. I love that because travel genuinely inspires me creatively, so it feels very natural that it has become part of the world I share alongside my books.

What I’m most proud of, though, is simply setting myself a goal and actually achieving it. On my 21st birthday, I decided that I wanted to become a published author, and I started writing that very day. I’m 34 now and turning 35 in December, so reaching this stage of my life and being able to look back at that younger version of myself and say, “You actually did it,” means a lot to me.

Since then, I’ve had experiences I could only have imagined at 21. I’ve appeared on Sky News, spoken at literary festivals, signed books, attended incredible events and met authors whose work I had been reading and admiring for years. Some of those people have even become friends, which still feels quite surreal.

I think what sets me apart is that I don’t see creativity as something that has to fit into one box. Writing will always be at the centre of what I do, but I’m also inspired by travel, fashion, culture and the way people live. All of those things feed into my storytelling and into the person I am outside of the books. I think my work and my platform reflect that mix, I’m a writer first, but I’m also someone who is constantly observing, exploring and finding stories in everything around me.

Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
I’ve been incredibly lucky to have a strong support system around me. First and foremost, I’m grateful to God, and to my mum, dad, siblings and friends, who have always encouraged me and believed in what I’m trying to build.

My sister, Jasmine Richards, was especially instrumental in pushing me to submit my work to agents, and Nadine Matheson has been an incredible mentor, friend and confidante throughout my writing journey.

I also have to mention my girls and, more broadly, the sisterhood of women. Women are such a huge inspiration to me. I write for women, I want women to feel seen, strong and empowered, and female relationships are at the heart of so much of my work. I always joke that my books seem to involve a lot of men meeting unfortunate ends, but underneath that humour is a real love for writing bold, complicated women and celebrating their strength.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scarlettgbrade/