PHOTO: Mississippi-born author Kait Nolan brings Southern soul and psychological insight to her compelling, character-driven romantic fiction.
Small Town Stories Rooted In Strength And Soul
Kait Nolan reveals the inspiration behind her emotionally rich romances, her Southern heritage, and her commitment to writing characters who triumph over trauma, loss, and love with unwavering authenticity.
Kait Nolan writes with a voice steeped in the warmth, wit, and grit of the American South. Born and raised in Mississippi, she brings a fierce pride and tender affection to her home state, peeling back layers of stereotype to reveal something deeper—stories full of resilience, compassion, and unexpected beauty. Her fictional towns hum with life, and her characters speak in cadences that feel both deeply rooted and wonderfully fresh.
There’s a clear sense of purpose behind Nolan’s storytelling. Whether exploring emotional scars or crafting characters who shield others with quiet strength, she understands the pull of vulnerability and the healing promise of love. Her background in psychology adds a layer of nuance to her work, grounding her romances in emotional truth without ever losing the charm that defines the genre.
Scotland, too, has its place in her heart—and her fiction. With its wild beauty and storied history, it becomes a fitting counterpoint to her Southern settings, each landscape offering a backdrop for connection, growth, and courage. Nolan’s stories invite readers not only to escape but to reflect, and always, to hope.
Whether she’s spinning tales from the streets of Wishful or the windswept Highlands, Kait Nolan writes for anyone who’s ever longed for belonging, for redemption, for the steady hand of someone who stays.
What inspired you to write romance stories set in small towns like Wishful, Mississippi?
I started in Mississippi because it’s where I’m from. I’ve spent my whole life seeing people’s prejudice against my state. The only thing people seem to ever associate with us are historic racism and poverty. They never talk about the kindness. Or how Mississippi has the highest rate of giving per capita. How open heart surgery was pioneered here. Or how we have a rich literary tradition. News coverage only ever seeks to perpetuate the worst possible stereotypes, ignoring the progress we’ve made as a people. So, I wanted to write about the good parts.
Beyond all that, I adore small town romance for the fact that it’s a giant found family. That is my absolute catnip in fiction.
How do you approach writing emotionally complex characters who are dealing with trauma or loss?
I’m trained as a clinical psychologist, so that definitely informs my perspective. People come to romance for comfort. To see people like them overcome hard things and come out the other side with love. I love a good fluffy romance romp as much as the next gal, but I think it’s equally important to show real world challenges being met head-on and survived.
Many of your books include a strong protective theme—what draws you to that dynamic in romantic storytelling?
Romance is fantasy. There are so many scenarios where women have no one to protect or stand up for them, and I want to give them a hero who will be the guy who stands up for her, stands beside her, and keeps the world at bay so she can finally breathe and rest. Because the reality is, some women won’t find that any other way.
Your Southern roots clearly influence your writing style and dialogue—how intentional is that, and how do you balance authenticity with accessibility?
Absolutely intentional. During my time in academia, I was forced to squash that part of myself, so when I moved into this sphere, I deliberately let that side come out loud and proud. I am Southern to the core, and it’s almost impossible to eliminate that from my worldview, so it made total sense to write characters who were like me in that sense. I don’t see accessibility as a problem because, contrary to how Southerners are often portrayed in the media, we are not a bunch of thick-accented hicks.
Can you tell us about your writing routine? Any rituals or must-haves when you’re working on a book?
Tea. The answer is always tea. I’m a hard-core plotter, so I have an extremely detailed scene by scene outline before I ever begin, and I seldom deviate from it. Beyond that, there’s not too much in terms of ritual. Just ye classic butt in chair, hands on keyboard on the daily, so that I can keep my head in the story.
“Grump in a Kilt” and “Before Highland Sunset” both feature Scottish settings or characters—what appeals to you about Scotland as a backdrop for romance?
I studied abroad in Scotland back in college and absolutely fell in love with the country and its people. It’s positively GORGEOUS, with a view around every other corner, and I always wanted to go back. Plus, I’ve never met a romance reader who didn’t love a guy in a kilt! 😉
Do you find it challenging to weave suspense or danger into romantic narratives without losing the heart of the love story?
Not especially. If done well, each thread enhances and drives the other, so the plot should come together like a very neat braid. If that’s NOT the case, then I’d be rethinking the stakes of whatever the danger/suspense element is.
What advice would you give to emerging romance authors looking to write compelling, emotionally resonant stories?
Don’t shy away from the hard stuff. Even in rom com, there’s room for characters to deal with tough stuff, and that’s part of what makes readers connect. Think about what your protagonist’s big inner wound is (the Emotional Wound Thesaurus is helpful for this), what their worst nightmare is… and then make it happen. Fiction is a safe space to make people battle those demons and prove that they can be beaten. Make them fight for their happily ever after. The payoff at the end is so much sweeter that way.
