Author Interview: Butterfly Games by Kelly Scarborough

Historical fiction has a way of breathing life into the margins of history, especially when it dares to imagine the inner worlds of women whose stories were flattened into scandal, rumor, or footnotes.

In Butterfly Games, Kelly Scarborough brings readers into the glittering and perilous world of early 19th-century Sweden, where royal duty collides with first love, and where even the most delicate choices can carry devastating consequences. Inspired by real historical figures and anchored in meticulous research, the novel reimagines the life of Jacquette Gyldenstolpe, a young woman navigating desire, power, and survival in a court where nothing is ever merely personal.

We spoke with Kelly about portraying Jacquette’s emotional truth, the dangerous social choreography of royal life, and the silences in history that invite imagination. Check out our interview below and pick up Butterfly Games, out now!

Butterfly Games

by Kelly Scarborough
Published by: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
on January 20, 2026
Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult
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For fans of Philippa Gregory and Allison Pataki, a debut biographical historical novel about a young Swedish countess whose youthful love affair with the heir to her country’s throne has profound personal and political repercussions.

In some games, winning means losing everything that matters.

In the opulent world of the Swedish royal court, Jacquette Gyldenstolpe walks a dangerous tightrope between romance and political intrigue. Neglected by her parents and ostracized by the people around her, the young countess falls in love with Prince Oscar, heir to the Swedish throne—but their passionate affair has far-reaching consequences for the new Bernadotte dynasty, which is already challenged by threats from inside Sweden and beyond.

By the time Jacquette learns that the Butterfly Game is not for the faint-hearted, it is too late. For she has a secret—one as precious to her as it is potentially devastating to the crown—and she will stop at nothing to protect it.

Based on a true story and set in stormy early-1800s Europe, Butterfly Games is a sweeping historical tale of forbidden love, fierce duty, and the cost of ambition. From the lavish ballrooms of Stockholm to the elegant manor houses of the Swedish countryside, Jacquette’s story will transport readers to a world where every whisper could lead to triumph or ruin.

Interview with Kelly Scarborough

Jacquette Gyldenstolpe’s story balances the weight of royal duty with the vulnerability of first love. How did you navigate portraying her as both a historical figure bound by her era and a young woman whose emotions still feel timeless to readers today?

What drew me to Jacquette was that contrast — she lived in a world of rigid expectations, yet her choices were driven by the same emotions we all recognize: love, courage, fear, and the longing to break free of the identity society assigns to us.

I spent a lot of time imagining how a rebellious and unconventional girl like Jacquette would face life-defining choices for the first time — how she’d weigh the cost of her decisions, whether she would regret them. Her inner life is universal: that first, impossible love that alters everything.

The title evokes both delicacy and danger. Without giving too much away, how does The Butterfly Game reflect the broader power dynamics at play (between individuals, families, and nations) in early 19th-century Sweden?

The “Butterfly Game” is my shorthand for the unspoken rules of survival at the royal court — where one careless move could cost you everything. In Jacquette’s world, love affairs weren’t nearly as casual as they appeared. Alliances, gossip, and access were political currency, and women used sex and information the way men used armies. People kept receipts.

The book’s title comes from the Swedish word fjärilsleken, which I first noticed in Queen Hedvig Elisabeth Charlotta’s biography in the Swedish National Archives. The moment I saw it, I knew it belonged at the heart of the novel.

Historical fiction often shines a light on people who’ve been footnotes in traditional records. What drew you to Jacquette’s story in particular, and what gaps or silences in the historical record did you most enjoy filling with imagination?

What drew me to Jacquette was the sense that history had remembered her only as a scandal — a girl who fell in love with the heir to the throne, a man she could not have. But when I began researching her life, I realized how much had been flattened or left unsaid. She appears in letters, brief mentions, and court gossip, yet her emotions, her motivations, and the true nature of her relationship with Oscar were never recorded.

That silence pulled me in. I knew there was more to tell about these two star-crossed lovers living lives according to rules set by others.

And the truth is, no one knows what really happened between Jacquette and Oscar. To me, that mystery was irresistible. Reimagining the moments the archives couldn’t provide — the charged conversations, the risks they took, the choices that changed both their lives — was the part I loved most. There’s one scene in particular I loved creating: a ride in a royal gondola across a dark lake to a place called Bellevue. It’s pure fiction, but it doesn’t just rewrite history. It gives voice to one unforgettable woman history nearly lost.