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In Conversation with Lindsey Olsson!<\/h3>\n\n![\"In](\"https:\/\/heyitscarlyrae.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/inconversation-with-1024x576.png\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nI am so excited to welcome debut YA romantasy author of To Drown a Witch<\/em>, Lindsey Olsson. Her upcoming release is the first in the duology series and is filled with amazing worldbuilding and characters you\u2019ll become immersed in. <\/p>\nLindsey, congrats on To Drown a Witch! <\/em>Tell us more about it (minus spoilers) \ud83d\ude0a<\/h3>\nI started To Drown a Witch <\/em>at the beginning of my second semester of grad school. At the time, I was writing a YA contemporary novel and had committed to continue writing that novel through to the end of my second semester. However, a short prompt session and one prologue later, I knew I had to write this new YA fantasy. With the blessing of my advisor, I abandoned the YA contemporary and dove headfirst into To Drown a Witch. That initial draft looked very different from the final: Nes was called Nesla, and she was very whiny and unsympathetic. I knew just from the way Nes\u2019s character came out on the page that I needed to scrap the first draft and start over. However, even in those early stages, To Drown a Witch<\/em> was still a story about a world that feared the Witch and how their fear overrode all reason, leading them to kill the innocent.<\/p>\nWhat inspired you to craft a romantasy novel? Was it something you always wanted to do?<\/h3>\n
I would definitely say I\u2019ve always wanted to write a romantasy novel. For years, it was the genre I gravitated towards when both reading and writing, even when the genre didn\u2019t have a name. There are so many different ways one can write a romance plot line, and then to add the endless possibilities of fantasy on top of it? I can\u2019t think of a better, blanker canvas (so to speak). Plus, it is definitely a personal preference of mine. I love the excitement of a new romance and the constant thread of the unknown in fantasy\u2014put the two together and you have me hooked!<\/p>\n
Do you have an all-time favorite chapter?<\/h3>\n
An all-time favorite? Nope, but only because I can\u2019t choose. I adore the prologue because it is the scene that started the whole story, but I also love the epilogue for the possibilities it sets up in the sequel. Chapters 9 and 10 are close to my heart because they were such fun to write. And then\u2014no spoilers and readers better not jump ahead to sneak a peek at these chapters\u2014I love 33 and 40. Chapter 33 is one of those chapters that didn\u2019t change much from the first time I wrote it, and I think that is because it signals an emotional turning point. Finally, there is a line in chapter 40 (again, no spoilers) that every time I read it, I feel my heart wrench.<\/p>\n
The cover is amazing! Were you involved in the design process?<\/h3>\n
I am so happy with how the cover turned out! I was lucky enough to be involved with the cover nearly every step of the way. Throughout the process, I was able to discuss options with my editor. Together, we worked to provide feedback on initial concept designs, early sketches, and all the way through to the final result. And then when my publisher decided to add sprayed edges, I was over the moon. I am so very grateful to To Drown a Witch\u2019s<\/em> designer, Theresa Evangelista, and cover artist, Colin Verdi, for their incredible work.<\/p>\nWhat is it you hope readers take away from To Drown a Witch<\/em>?<\/h3>\nOh gosh, I feel like this question shouldn\u2019t be as hard as it is. There are so many things I hope readers get out of To Drown a Witch. <\/em>First and foremost, I simply hope they get a good story. I love when I get so immersed in a world and its story that I\u2019m sad to leave when it ends. Those are the best kinds of novels. I hope there are some readers who feel that way after reading To Drown a Witch. <\/em>But I also hope there are some readers who look at the choices Nes and Toran make and reflect on the choices in their own lives. There are always consequences to the choices we make, even if that choice is to stay true to oneself, and I think it is important to reflect on them.<\/p>\nHow did you go about crafting your characters? Do you write out character sheets? Create a playlist? How do you \u2018get to know\u2019 who your characters are?<\/h3>\n
Oftentimes, I don\u2019t know my characters when I first start writing them. I have tried many times to use character sheets\u2014because I\u2019m definitely the sort of person who loves lists and organization\u2014but they never work out for me. If I try to use character sheets, I either never fill them out completely or I never reference them while writing. Sometimes playlists help give me a feel for my characters, but most often I find songs end up serving more as reminders of who my characters are rather than giving me a sense of the character in the first place. So, how do I craft my characters? I start with three questions. 1. What does the character want? 2. What has happened in their past to shape who they are today? 3. And what do they do? The first two questions are probably self-explanatory, but I imagine the third sounds a little vague. And it is, but the explanation is simple: I find out the most about my characters by writing them into scenes. <\/p>\n
Whether these scenes make it into the book or not doesn\u2019t matter. I feel I can\u2019t truly know a character until I put them in the middle of the action or present them with a mystery and see what they do. Sometimes, I have an idea in my head of what the character will do in a specific scene, but when I sit down to write said scene, the character\u2019s reaction is completely different. I\u2019ve had characters who were supposed to dance with their love interest to the point of a first kiss, who instead end up starting a fight with that love interest in the middle of the dance floor and storming off. And I love when my characters take over the scene like that because, in pretty much every case, they\u2019re right and I\u2019m wrong.<\/p>\n
Do you go about crafting the plot similarly, meaning do you have outlines you fill out? Or do you start to write and see where the plot takes you?<\/h3>\n
I am both a pantser and a plotter. That said, I find I always need an outline at some point in the process. When I start with a brand new idea, the inspiration is overflowing. At that point, if I begin writing an outline, I usually find myself cutting it short just to get the writing started. I don\u2019t berate myself for abandoning the outline because inspiration doesn\u2019t last. I would rather write as much of the story as I can while the inspiration is strong rather than lose it before I even start drafting. Then, once the inspiration leaves me or I get stuck (this is usually around chapters 8-12 of a new novel), I return to my outline and get to work hammering out the rest of the plot. However, I\u2019ve found all of the above doesn\u2019t apply to writing sequels. With sequels, there is less freedom, and thus I need to work with an outline from start to end (especially if there is a deadline hanging over my head).<\/p>\n
![\"In](\"https:\/\/heyitscarlyrae.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/inconversation-with.png\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nI am so excited to welcome debut YA romantasy author of To Drown a Witch<\/em>, Lindsey Olsson. Her upcoming release is the first in the duology series and is filled with amazing worldbuilding and characters you\u2019ll become immersed in. <\/p>\n I started To Drown a Witch <\/em>at the beginning of my second semester of grad school. At the time, I was writing a YA contemporary novel and had committed to continue writing that novel through to the end of my second semester. However, a short prompt session and one prologue later, I knew I had to write this new YA fantasy. With the blessing of my advisor, I abandoned the YA contemporary and dove headfirst into To Drown a Witch. That initial draft looked very different from the final: Nes was called Nesla, and she was very whiny and unsympathetic. I knew just from the way Nes\u2019s character came out on the page that I needed to scrap the first draft and start over. However, even in those early stages, To Drown a Witch<\/em> was still a story about a world that feared the Witch and how their fear overrode all reason, leading them to kill the innocent.<\/p>\n I would definitely say I\u2019ve always wanted to write a romantasy novel. For years, it was the genre I gravitated towards when both reading and writing, even when the genre didn\u2019t have a name. There are so many different ways one can write a romance plot line, and then to add the endless possibilities of fantasy on top of it? I can\u2019t think of a better, blanker canvas (so to speak). Plus, it is definitely a personal preference of mine. I love the excitement of a new romance and the constant thread of the unknown in fantasy\u2014put the two together and you have me hooked!<\/p>\n An all-time favorite? Nope, but only because I can\u2019t choose. I adore the prologue because it is the scene that started the whole story, but I also love the epilogue for the possibilities it sets up in the sequel. Chapters 9 and 10 are close to my heart because they were such fun to write. And then\u2014no spoilers and readers better not jump ahead to sneak a peek at these chapters\u2014I love 33 and 40. Chapter 33 is one of those chapters that didn\u2019t change much from the first time I wrote it, and I think that is because it signals an emotional turning point. Finally, there is a line in chapter 40 (again, no spoilers) that every time I read it, I feel my heart wrench.<\/p>\n I am so happy with how the cover turned out! I was lucky enough to be involved with the cover nearly every step of the way. Throughout the process, I was able to discuss options with my editor. Together, we worked to provide feedback on initial concept designs, early sketches, and all the way through to the final result. And then when my publisher decided to add sprayed edges, I was over the moon. I am so very grateful to To Drown a Witch\u2019s<\/em> designer, Theresa Evangelista, and cover artist, Colin Verdi, for their incredible work.<\/p>\n Oh gosh, I feel like this question shouldn\u2019t be as hard as it is. There are so many things I hope readers get out of To Drown a Witch. <\/em>First and foremost, I simply hope they get a good story. I love when I get so immersed in a world and its story that I\u2019m sad to leave when it ends. Those are the best kinds of novels. I hope there are some readers who feel that way after reading To Drown a Witch. <\/em>But I also hope there are some readers who look at the choices Nes and Toran make and reflect on the choices in their own lives. There are always consequences to the choices we make, even if that choice is to stay true to oneself, and I think it is important to reflect on them.<\/p>\n Oftentimes, I don\u2019t know my characters when I first start writing them. I have tried many times to use character sheets\u2014because I\u2019m definitely the sort of person who loves lists and organization\u2014but they never work out for me. If I try to use character sheets, I either never fill them out completely or I never reference them while writing. Sometimes playlists help give me a feel for my characters, but most often I find songs end up serving more as reminders of who my characters are rather than giving me a sense of the character in the first place. So, how do I craft my characters? I start with three questions. 1. What does the character want? 2. What has happened in their past to shape who they are today? 3. And what do they do? The first two questions are probably self-explanatory, but I imagine the third sounds a little vague. And it is, but the explanation is simple: I find out the most about my characters by writing them into scenes. <\/p>\n Whether these scenes make it into the book or not doesn\u2019t matter. I feel I can\u2019t truly know a character until I put them in the middle of the action or present them with a mystery and see what they do. Sometimes, I have an idea in my head of what the character will do in a specific scene, but when I sit down to write said scene, the character\u2019s reaction is completely different. I\u2019ve had characters who were supposed to dance with their love interest to the point of a first kiss, who instead end up starting a fight with that love interest in the middle of the dance floor and storming off. And I love when my characters take over the scene like that because, in pretty much every case, they\u2019re right and I\u2019m wrong.<\/p>\n I am both a pantser and a plotter. That said, I find I always need an outline at some point in the process. When I start with a brand new idea, the inspiration is overflowing. At that point, if I begin writing an outline, I usually find myself cutting it short just to get the writing started. I don\u2019t berate myself for abandoning the outline because inspiration doesn\u2019t last. I would rather write as much of the story as I can while the inspiration is strong rather than lose it before I even start drafting. Then, once the inspiration leaves me or I get stuck (this is usually around chapters 8-12 of a new novel), I return to my outline and get to work hammering out the rest of the plot. However, I\u2019ve found all of the above doesn\u2019t apply to writing sequels. With sequels, there is less freedom, and thus I need to work with an outline from start to end (especially if there is a deadline hanging over my head).<\/p>\nLindsey, congrats on To Drown a Witch! <\/em>Tell us more about it (minus spoilers) \ud83d\ude0a<\/h3>\n
What inspired you to craft a romantasy novel? Was it something you always wanted to do?<\/h3>\n
Do you have an all-time favorite chapter?<\/h3>\n
The cover is amazing! Were you involved in the design process?<\/h3>\n
What is it you hope readers take away from To Drown a Witch<\/em>?<\/h3>\n
How did you go about crafting your characters? Do you write out character sheets? Create a playlist? How do you \u2018get to know\u2019 who your characters are?<\/h3>\n
Do you go about crafting the plot similarly, meaning do you have outlines you fill out? Or do you start to write and see where the plot takes you?<\/h3>\n