How I Started Writing: From Lockdown to Lesbian Love Stories

From Holiday Mode to Full-On Lockdown

We got back from our holiday in Vietnam on 22nd March 2020—blissfully unaware that the world was about to change. Within a day, the UK was in full lockdown. But I did manage to sneak in a cheeky emergency wedding on the 23rd.

It was such a surreal time: empty streets, cancelled plans, and an eerie sense that life as we knew it had paused indefinitely. Like most people, I had no idea how long this was going to last.

When Weddings Stopped, Words Started

At the time, I was working as a humanist celebrant. Overnight, every wedding I had booked was cancelled. No venues. No ceremonies. No income. With bills still arriving and nothing but time on my hands, I sat down and thought, “Right… I’ve got to do something.”

My head has always been full of stories—snippets of dialogue, scenes, characters, moments of connection that play out like little films in my mind. So I did the one thing that seemed to make sense: I started writing.

I didn’t overthink it. I just let the words pour out.

Where It All Began: My Very First Love Story

My first book was First Comes Love —set in Scotland, naturally. It’s where I live and what I know. I wanted to write something gentle and uplifting during a time when everything felt uncertain. It’s about a school head teacher and a minister—two women with emotional baggage who slowly, cautiously fall for each other. I was writing about second chances and quiet bravery, and maybe trying to remind myself that love still mattered, even when everything else was falling apart. I published it under the pen name Frankie Duncan—and people loved it. I was floored!

That gave me the nudge to keep going, so I wrote Love in Action. That one’s got more of a romcom vibe—again set in Scotland (I mean, have you seen my country?)—but with a bit more chaos. It follows a café owner who accidentally falls for a Hollywood actress filming in the village. Honestly, it was a bit of fun and escapism, and I wrote it during a time when I think we all needed a laugh. But even with the laughs, it still had heart.

Turns Out, You Lot Like a Bit of Spice… 🔥

When the world went sideways and everything slowed to a hush, I found myself doing something unexpectedly beautiful—officiating tiny weddings on windswept beaches, in fairy-lit forests, and the odd back garden with a very enthusiastic spaniel as ring bearer. Five guests max. No fuss. Just raw, honest love. It was intimate. Emotional. A little bit magical.

During the week? I was back in my wee office, tapping away at stories that wouldn’t leave me alone. I’d started out writing sweet romances—gentle, heartwarming love stories. But something became clear very quickly: you lot like spice. Not just a dash. You wanted the tension, the slow-burn, the toe-curling heat that simmers until it boils over.

So, I didn’t just turn up the heat—I lit the bloody match. I dove headfirst into the yearning, the tension, the slow burns that catch fire when you least expect. And from the smoke and sparks, City General came roaring to life.

Hearts Collide at City General

It was during this time I published City General: Medic 1 series—because honestly, who doesn’t love a steamy hospital romance full of heart-pounding drama and off-the-charts chemistry? I’ve always been obsessed with medical dramas, but I wanted to centre them around us—lesbian love stories with grit, heat, and heart.

This series dives into the chaos and passion of life on the frontlines. You’ll meet doctors, nurses, paramedics, and even a helicopter pilot, all navigating split-second decisions and slow-burn seductions. I leaned into my favourite tropes—enemies-to-lovers in Hot Response, emotional second chances in Diagnosis Love, and sizzling age-gaps in Love Trauma and Healing of the Heart.

Every book is a standalone, so you can dive in anywhere—but fair warning: once you meet the women of City General, you won’t want to leave. They’re strong, sexy, and smart—and their chemistry? Off. The. Charts.

More Than Muscle: The Heart of the Stronger You Series

Next came the Stronger You series—born from my love of writing about women who’ve been through hell and still choose to rise. These stories are set in a gritty, no-frills gym where fists fly, hearts race, and vulnerability hits harder than any punch.

I wanted to explore what real strength looks like—not just in the ring, but emotionally. These women have scars, secrets, and complicated pasts. In Inside Fighter, Dani is a survivor just trying to stay upright—until Logan, her quiet, steady trainer, throws her completely off balance. Seconds Out brings you an age-gap slow burn between Abs, a no-nonsense coach, and Hayley, a single mum who’s done trying to play it safe. And in On The Ropes, gym owner Sapphy has to choose between ambition and the yoga instructor who makes her knees weak.

If you love your romance with grit, growth, and women who fight like hell—for themselves and for each other—this series is for you.

Turbulence, Snowstorms, and Slow-Burn Love

Then there’s Rescuing Hearts —and oh, how I love this one. I wanted to write about a woman who runs. From commitment, from herself, from anything too serious. That’s Kristi. And then I gave her Fenna, a pediatric surgeon who sees straight through her walls. It’s emotional, tender, and yes, a little spicy—but at its heart, it’s about someone learning that maybe staying is worth the risk.

Evergreen came next, which I like to call my snowed-in, slow-burn age-gap book. Two women—one an architect, the other her potential boss—get stranded in Sweden after an avalanche. It started off as a professional arrangement, but well… snowstorms have a funny way of accelerating feelings. I wrote it because I was craving that kind of emotional build-up and mutual pining—and honestly, I still re-read certain scenes just for the vibes.

Sapphic Suspense with a Supernatural Edge

Then I dipped my toes—well, actually, as my wife would say—I dove headfirst—into something a bit different: supernatural thrillers.

The Stranger Within Me was my first venture into that world. It’s about a detective caught in a case that defies logic, a woman who shouldn’t exist, and a truth so tangled it makes you question everything—justice, memory, even your own instincts. It’s eerie, sexy, and had me staying up far too late figuring out how far I could push it. Spoiler: pretty far.

And then came Strangely Familiar, the captivating follow-up. This one cranks up the tension with a supernatural lesbian romance that plays with identity, desire, and the lies we tell to survive. It’s twisty, atmospheric, and emotionally intense—with just enough heat to leave you breathless. I wanted to explore what happens when appearances can be fatally deceiving, and I had so much fun letting the story unravel.

These books reminded me how much I love pushing genre boundaries—and writing stories that are a little bit strange, a little bit sexy, and totally unforgettable.

Five years ago, I was just trying to survive lockdown. Now I’m writing full-time, with books I’m so proud of and a growing community of readers who have embraced every twist, turn, and steamy chapter.

Desire Unleashed—and You Lot Loved It

And yes—the spice and steam? It’s risen. You all have been very clear about what you like, and so the Awakening of Desire series was born. From the very start with May I Call you Mistress? , it was hot and somehow it kept getting hotter!

These books are dripping with tension, passion, and powerful women who know exactly what they want—or are about to find out. I poured everything into them: the yearning, the vulnerability, the boldness, the heat—and it turns out, you lot were absolutely here for it.

It’s become my bestselling series to date—and honestly, that still blows me away. There’s no better feeling than waking up to messages from readers saying they devoured a book in one sitting, that it made them blush, cry, laugh, or stay up way too late. That connection, that shared intimacy through story, that’s the real reward.

And the characters? They’ve taken on lives of their own. The power dynamics, the emotional push and pull, the moments of surrender... they’re messy, complex, and so very human. They’re not just about sex (though yes, they’re very steamy). They’re about trust, growth, fear, bravery, and letting someone really see you.

In fact, you’ve loved the series so much, you practically demanded (in the best, most passionate way possible) that I tell Suzette’s story from Desire’s Truth. And let’s be honest—Suzette is pure fire. Fierce, elegant, and absolutely not here to play nice. Her story is already simmering in the background, full of tension, temptation, and the kind of heat that makes you hold your breath. When Suzette falls? Oh, it’s going to burn. 🔥

So, from scribbling out stories during lockdown to building an entire world of unforgettable women, passionate romances, and supernatural twists—I’m still here, still writing, and still loving every second of it.

And the best part?

I’m just getting started.

With love (and plenty of spice),

Ruby 

xxx

Every book has its own heartbeat. If this one found yours, the rest are waiting—no fuss, no rush—at rubyscott.shop.