Kaylie Smith writes the kind of gothic, dark fantasy romance that makes you want to light a candle, shut the curtains, sit on a cozy sofa, and ignore your responsibilities.
She’s the author of Phantasma and Enchantra, two cult-favorite entries in her Wicked Games series, known for their eerie atmosphere, sharp character work, and romance that drives the plot instead of sitting on the sidelines.
In this interview, we get into:
- Character creation
- Writing from lived experience
- Building magic systems rooted in culture
- Plotting vs pantsing
- How to make romance and fantasy work together
If you’re a fantasy, romantasy, or paranormal romance writer (and reader), this one is packed.
Interview with Kaylie Smith on writing Enchantra and Phantasma
Why Kaylie starts every book with one question
“The biggest thing to start a novel in general for me is why is this person the right person to tell this story?”
Not necessarily “who are they,” but why them.
Because for her, character, world, and plot do not show up in a neat little line. They collide at the same time.
“I think characters, world and plot all happen simultaneously in my process because the world informs the character. We are a product of the place we were raised and how we were raised.”
That’s the anchor.
If the voice is wrong, the plot will fight you. If the stakes do not belong to this character, the story starts to feel like it could have happened to literally anyone.
Why “tiny” character details are never actually random
Kaylie builds detailed character sheets too. The kind filled with information that might never appear on the page.
But the point of all that work isn’t to collect fun facts just for the sake of it. It’s so that the characters feel internally consistent.
For Kaylie, even the smallest character preferences are shaped by culture, era, and environment. Nothing exists in isolation.
“All the way down to Blackwell’s favorite book being Frankenstein,” Kaylie explained about one of the main characters in Phantasma.
That specific detail is there because it fits the world Blackwell comes from.
His tastes, references, and inner life are a product of the culture he lives in and the stories that exist in that world.
Sometimes writers give their characters likes, dislikes, and habits, but those traits aren’t anchored to anything. They could belong to anyone. In any world. In any century.
Kaylie’s approach flips that.
Character details aren’t fluff. They’re evidence. They're proof that this person could only exist in this world, at this point in time.
If you want characters who feel grounded instead of generic, that’s the level those “unseen” details should be working at.
Writing OCD on the page without softening it for comfort
This part matters, especially for writers who want to write mental health themes.
Kaylie wrote Ophelia’s OCD into Phantasma because the story itself had a psychological horror edge. The line between reality and fear gets blurry. The “voice in your head” becomes a survival problem.
And that made Ophelia the right narrator for the story.
“When I realized that the story I was telling had this psychological horror aspect to it… I realized that it was the perfect opportunity to have a character like Ophelia tell that story.”
Kaylie also talked about something I think writers need to hear more often: writing from experience doesn't always mean writing from pain.
“I was not writing Ophelia’s story from an open wound. I was writing it from the scar.”
And when people tell her it felt like “too much,” she does not apologize for it.
“That’s the experience. That’s it. Every single day. And if you feel that exasperation [while reading], it means I did my job.”
If you are a writer trying to portray something honestly, that is the lesson: your job is not to make it tidy. Your job is to make it true.
When characters bulldoze your outline
I asked Kaylie if her characters ever surprise her mid-draft and force the story to change.
“I don’t think Genevieve [from Enchantra] listened to one thing on the outline the entire time I was writing that book. I ended up doing a major rewrite because Genevieve was being so stubborn about her character arc.”
Kaylie explained she doesn’t actually converse with her characters. But when something is wrong in the story, the character reactions stop making sense. They start acting out of character because the plot is forcing them.
“I feel like the deeper you get into something that maybe isn’t right in a book, the way the characters are responding becomes out of character.”
That is often the real signal that something structural needs to change.
How Kaylie builds magic systems with rules, loopholes, and careful wording
If you love hard magic systems with loopholes, this section is your candy store.
“I’m an outliner and I like to really plan… I like to create magic systems that have hard rules with loopholes.”
And because Phantasma is rooted in New Orleans, she wanted necromancy to feel cultural.
“I grew up around New Orleans, and the magic there is so deeply rooted in our culture. I’m Cajun, my whole family’s Cajun. I speak Cajun French, I've learned all about voodoo and hoodoo…”
Then she dropped a detail that reframed a scene a lot of readers might remember.
“The bit with Ophelia sewing her mother’s eyes shut—that wasn’t just for creepy effect, but a genuine practice.”
That is the sweet spot: when the details are rooted in belief, history, and worldview.
Plotting vs. pantsing
Kaylie starts with a Save the Cat! beat sheet, then outlines HEAVILY.
“I use Save the Cat to start,” she explained. “And then I like to have all of my chapters outlined. Chapter ten, a bullet with a paragraph of what I have to accomplish. Fully write it, check it off, move on to chapter eleven and just keep going.”
She also pointed out a craft distinction that becomes hard to unsee once you notice it as a reader:
“I can almost always tell when a book is written without an outline, and that’s not a bad thing. I think some books need to be discovery-written. It works really well for the flow of the book and the voice of the story.
But for others, I can see the ideas they were trying to explore, and I think if the book had been more structured, those ideas would have landed more clearly. They just weren’t linear or organized in a way that worked for the text.”
That awareness, she explained, is why reading critically matters just as much as writing.
“That’s also to me why a good writer is a good reader.”
How Kaylie makes romance and plot work together
This was one of the most useful craft sections for romantasy writers.
Kaylie does not treat romance as “the subplot that happens in between the real plot.”
She anchors the romance as a plot engine.
“For me, it’s making the romance a plot point.”
In Phantasma, the romance cannot happen freely because the forbidden aspect forces Ophelia to break a rule that matters for her character arc.
In Enchantra, the marriage of convenience is survival, not fluff.
“She had to marry him in order to survive this game.”
The strategy for writing romantasy is that if the romance disappears, the plot should collapse.
A typical writing day for Kaylie
On normal drafting days, Kaylie aims for 2,500 words.
“I try to write 2,500 words a day. Non-negotiable.”
She writes in the morning, does life stuff, and sometimes writes out of the house with author friends.
But deadlines are a different beast.
“When I’m on deadline… it’s pretty much 5,000 to 10,000 words a day.”
She does not sugarcoat what that looks like.
“It’s me and Dr. Pepper, and my husband slides food under my prison door.”
How long it takes to write a draft
Kaylie has written books that poured out fast and books that fought her for over a year.
“Phantasma poured out of me. I think that was eight weeks maybe.”
Her upcoming book, Daemonica, has taken much longer.
“A year. A year and a half… God, Daemonica has taken me so long.”
And she gave a reality check for writers who put undue pressure on themselves.
“As creatives we’re so hard on ourselves… it’s your vision, your name’s gonna be on it. Take the time you need.”
The best writing advice Kaylie wishes she could give her younger self
This answer hit hard, in the best way.
“Other people’s opinions or how they interpret something is just not up to you. You have to let it go.”
Then she shattered a myth that haunts early writers: your first book(s) does not have to be the thing that makes you a star.
“I wish I could just go back and tell myself it is not the end of the world if your first book is not good. And not a hit.”
She also added that most authors break out later than readers realize.
“Most authors I know that make it big… it’s ten to twenty to thirty books in.”
And then she delivered the craft advice that every fantasy writer needs to hear, even if you think you already know it.
“When you are writing a book, you need to raise your main character’s personal stakes. Period.”
Not just world stakes. Not “the kingdom will fall.” Personal stakes.
“It does not matter how life or death the plot stakes are. We need to care about the character stakes first and foremost.”
That is the difference between a cool premise and a story readers cannot stop thinking about.
Key takeaways for fantasy and romantasy writers
- Start with this question: “Why is this person the right person to tell this story?”
- World, character, and plot should shape each other, not sit in separate boxes.
- If you are writing mental health themes, do not sand them down for comfort.
- Build magic systems with rules, loopholes (if any), and consequences you plant early.
- If the romance disappears and the plot still works, you might not be writing romantasy.
- Raise the personal stakes until they hurt. That is how you earn reader obsession.
Explore Kaylie Smith’s books and website
If you want gothic atmosphere, life-or-death stakes, and sizzling paranormal romance, start with Kaylie’s Wicked Games series:
You can find Kaylie Smith’s books, updates, and news on her website here.
FAQ about Kaylie Smith, Phantasma, and Enchantra
What genre are Kaylie Smith’s books?
Kaylie Smith writes gothic fantasy romance with strong paranormal and dark fantasy elements. Her Wicked Games series blends eerie atmosphere, psychological tension, and romance that directly drives the plot, placing her work in the romantasy and paranormal romance space rather than traditional epic fantasy.
Is Phantasma a standalone or part of a series?
Phantasma is part of Kaylie Smith’s Wicked Games series. Each book functions as an interconnected standalone, expanding the world and exploring different characters while contributing to a larger overarching storyline.
Do you need to read Phantasma before Enchantra?
While each book can be read on its own, reading Phantasma first provides important context for the world, magic system, and character dynamics that deepen the experience of Enchantra.
How spicy are Kaylie Smith’s books?
Kaylie Smith’s books contain open-door spice scenes, but they prioritize emotional tension, atmosphere, and character stakes over constant spice. The romance is integrated into the plot rather than existing as a separate thread, making the heat feel purposeful.
How many books will be in the Wicked Games series?
Kaylie Smith has confirmed that the Wicked Games series is planned as a minimum of four books, with the broader series arc already outlined. Future installments will continue expanding the world and deepening the overarching narrative.
Is Kaylie Smith traditionally published or indie?
Kaylie Smith is traditionally published.
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