Q&A: Sara Raasch & Beth Revis, Co-Authors of ‘The Crimson Throne’

We chat with co-authors Sara Raasch and Beth Revis about The Crimson Throne, which is an enemies-to-lovers romantasy set in the dazzling and dangerous Scottish court where a fae guardian of the realm falls in love with a charming Elizabethan spy who could also be the key to her world’s undoing.

Hi, Sara and Beth! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourselves?

Sara: Hello hello! I’m the NYT and USA Today bestselling author of multiple books for teens and adults, spanning fantasy to historical romantasy to contemporary romcoms, including The Nightmare Before Kissmas and Night of the Witch.

Beth: I live in the Appalachian Mountains with my husband and son, and I write a mix of fantasy and sci fi novels. I’m a huge nerd who loves Star Wars, history, and travel.

Your latest novel, The Crimson Throne, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?

Sara: Scotland, enemies-to-lovers (that’s totally one word, trust me), Outlander meets Reign

Beth: Scotland fae meets royal intrigue!

What can readers expect?

Sara: Samson, an Elizabethan slum orphan turned spy, is just doing his best. Alyth, a fae guardian hiding in plain sight amidst the court of Mary Queen of Scots, has no time for anyone’s nonsense. They, of course, find themselves needing to rely on one another, and oops is that a murder plot we’ve stumbled on? Oh dear.

Beth: A star-crossed romance wrapped up in the lush world of Scotland, built on the actual legends and lore and history that’s already there. This is one of my favorite time periods to research, where the royals acted in the wildest ways in real life, and we just added in some magic, some kissing, and some portals into the fae world.

Where did the inspiration for The Crimson Throne come from?

Sara: This one was all Beth! She’s a fount of knowledge re: Mary Queen of Scots and this whole era, so when she suggested this as our next historical adventure, I just kind of sat back and let her fly!

Beth: Sara and I finished doing an event to support our first duology, Night of the Witch and The Fate of Magic, and were eager to work together again, but we were going back and forth on ideas. Our first books together were set in Germany during the Trier witch trials, and we knew we wanted to blend magic and history together again. I might have strong-armed Sara into the idea of fae and Mary, Queen of Scots court by wooing her with the actual history of Lord Darnley and all the things he did during his short marriage to the queen, but Sara was the genius who figured out who the High Blade was—and once we had those pieces, we had the whole story!

Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?

Sara: Samson is my POV character, and he truly is the definition of “just doing his best.” He’s completely new to much of the world that Alyth has been dealing with her whole life, so his innocence and awe was a fun contrast to Alyth’s oftentimes jaded, tunnel-visioned focus. An unintentional grump/sunshine dynamic!

Beth: I wrote the character of Alyth, a lady-in-waiting for Mary, Queen of Scots, who has a big secret: she’s half-fae and works to maintain the barrier between the mortal world and the magical world, protecting them both from invasion of the deadly, bloody Red Cap fae. Alyth is a girl who was born to fulfill the duty, and she wraps up her worth with her work, unable to see that she does not have to fulfill responsibility in order to be loved and appreciated…at least until Samson comes along. This workaholic nature and false belief that her only value is in her tasks completed is definitely something I identify with as well…

Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?

Sara: Co-writing comes with a built in extra brain who knows the story as well as I do, so whenever either of us get stuck, it usually doesn’t take us long to unpick the knot. We do a lot of Facetime calls and collaborate over Google docs; and typically, if we hit a plot point where we have competing ideas, it just pushes us to collaborate on an entirely new idea that makes the story even better than we could’ve gotten to individually!

Beth: One of the best things about co-writing is that whenever I get stuck or panic about the story, I can call up Sara to talk me down off the ledge! I think the most difficult part for me, though, was narrowing down with areas the characters explore. Scotland is so rich in legend with so many lovely and amazing locations that I really did have to selectively limit which spots they go to. (That said, one of my favorite locations is going to be in Book 2, and I am very excited about that!)

What’s next for you both?

Sara: I’ve got the sequel to one of my adult romcoms coming in May, The Fake Divination Offense, a fantasy sports romance about a pro athlete who falls for a cheerleader; and next Fall, I’ve got the sequel to The Crimson Throne, as well as the first book in my next adult romcom series, this one about superheroes!

Beth: In February, I’ve got the omnibus edition of Chaotic Orbits releasing, and then the following year, I’m making my adult romantasy debut with a book near and dear to my heart that I am ecstatic to finally see released into the world after so many years!

And, of course, I’m working on the sequel to The Crimson Throne and the next duology with Sara!

Lastly, what 2026 books do you have your eye on?

Sara: I adored the first two books in Danielle Allen’s Curve series, so I am frothing at the mouth for Big Girl Blitz next summer. I also desperately need the sequel to I Killed the King by Rebecca Mix and Andrea Hannah! Such a cruel ending!!

Beth: Look, I have been devouring Sara’s fun and rompy romances, so my big plan is to hack into her computer and steal her next project. I’ve also been waiting on Rachel Gillig’s sequel to The Knight and the Moth (that ending!!!), Demi Winter’s conclusion to The Road of Bones books, and Tanaz Bhathena’s recently announced Witch Daughter!

Will you be picking up The Crimson Throne? Tell us in the comments below!