Scarlet Ibis James Books W/ Author Scarlet Ibis James

In this episode of the Sunbeam Chats Podcast, I’m so excited to welcome Scarlet Ibis James, a vibrant contemporary author, storyteller, and cultural voice. 

Born in Trinidad and Tobago, with roots that stretch through St. Croix and now firmly planted in New York City. Scarlet is the author of the acclaimed short story collection Scarlet Yearnings: Stories of Love and Desire and the powerful novella Scarlet Birthright: What They Left Behind. She’s also a 2025 Finalist for the American Legacy Book Awards in Multicultural Fiction.

In today’s conversation, we spoke about her journey from the Caribbean to the U.S., her career, how she started writing, what inspires her stories, love, relationships, "daddy issues" and her experience as an author navigating marketing her books, book tours and beyond.

Scarlet started writing in 2022 and shares about her process for writing, her first fiction where she started writing on her website and on Medium. We  discussed prompts and how this resource helped her writing and ignited her imagination to write the stories, in the first instance in Scarlet Yearnings.  

We discussed yearnings and how do we unearth our deep desires, the power of hugs and touch; how it soothes the soul and is an act of love. Scarlet said that unearthing your desires comes from self-awareness, being tuned in with who you are, meditation, reflection, finding the time to step out of the grind, guided practice, or even seeking therapy and counsel. 

We chat about the book Scarlet Birthright and what inspired this book, which went deeper into some of the hurt she held, reflections, meeting of self in some ways, reclaiming what may be lost, releasing hurt and the reality that art and writing can be therapy.   

She also discussed what she is  currently working on and her many awards,  and how she feels about her journey as an Author. Scarlet said she loves it more than the awards, when people positively receive and can relate to her books.

Scarlet spoke about self-publishing, connecting with other authors, the community and navigating her way in the publishing ecosystem to pitch and promote her books. She said as an Author you have to advocate for yourself and put yourself and books out there.  

Scarlet in the City - She shared a bit about her life in the US, meeting her husband the "meet cute" which was full of "drama", but love found its way to her. She spoke fondly about what she likes about city life, love and her peaceful life of joy in NYC. 

Scarlet talks about her coming home to the land of her birth Trinidad & Tobago, her book tour and what persons can experience at each location. 

She ends by sharing, if you feel inspired to write - do it, but get it edited. She said put it out there it does not have to be perfect, but be generous and get your story out.