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What would we find under your bed?
“What wouldn’t you find under your bed?” That is probably a better question given the fact that it’s a king-sized bed and my wife does not like a cluttered bedroom. There is luggage under there, an extra comforter, a guitar, my wife’s wedding dress, wooden clothes hangers, and a plastic bag full of throw pillows. That’s just the stuff I can identify without a flashlight.
What was the scariest moment of your life?
I think the scariest moment in my life was the birth of my son. He was born premature and initially struggled with his breathing. It was terrifying for my wife and I to feel powerless to help someone you love so fundamentally. Luckily we had great doctors and he came through everything with flying colors. Hard to believe he is about to turn 9 now.
Do you listen to music while writing? If so what?
I do pop in my AirPods to help me zone out while I am writing. Most of the time it’s something mellow that serves as background noise so I don’t end up singing instead of writing. Some jazz like Janet Seidel or Melody Gardot works really well. That being said I don’t mind a little country music if I’m in the mood either. I think it must be because most country songs are little stories in themselves.
What is something you’d like to accomplish in your writing career next year?
I am planning to launch audio books next year when The Order of Time and Odin’s Door is released which I am really excited about. I initially shied away from the idea because it didn’t fit with my old school ideas of reading. While many people still gravitate towards traditional hardbacks or paperbacks, ebooks and audio books are here to stay. Audio books also make a huge amount of sense for kids while they are in the car. I would also prefer my kids to be listening to stories and stretching their imagination as opposed to watching iPads.
How long did it take you to write this book?
The first draft of The Order of Time and Odin’s Door took about eight months to write across two different blocks of time. Most of my writing happens at night after the kids are asleep which generally limits me to a maximum of two hours a night. This book started well and I knocked out the first one hundred pages pretty quickly. I hit a wall when my job responsibilities expanded and I didn’t write at all for four or five months. Once things normalized I was able to reintegrate writing into my schedule and finished the rest of the draft. Editing took another few months. End to end it was probably ten months of night time work to complete.
About the Series
Picture two twelve-year-old fraternal twins who are like night and day. She is a smart and highly organised MMA fighter. He’s not a fighter, he’s a lover of history, art and Star Wars. Despite their differences they are one formidable team. Together Anastasia and Edward Upston travel through time and navigate ancient civilisations, angry gods and mythical monsters in their quest to protect the integrity of human history.
About The Order of Time
Anastasia and Edward Upston are eleven year old twins who are different in almost every way. Despite this they are inseparable and he best of friends. They tackle the highs and lows of sixth grade together whether they are fending off bullies at the elite Blake Academy or examining rare antiquities at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. Then: life gets complicated.
They discover that their friend and mentor, Dr. Gregorian, is part of a secret society called the Order of Time. It turns out that time is not fixed, it’s a fluid continuum where changes to the past can create ripples all the way through to the present. It unwittingly falls to the twins to travel back through time to ancient Egypt where they must overcome deadly assassins, evil high priests and vengeful gods in order to prevent disaster. Together Anastasia and Edward must navigate all obstacles to preserve the past and find their way back home.
About The Order of Time and Odin’s Door
The orange light bathed the snow-covered fields as the fiery globe began to dip below the horizon. It was strange that something so beautiful could signal the arrival of something so evil. One thing twelve-year-old twins Anastasia and Edward Upston knew for sure was that when mortals were caught between two bickering gods nothing good would come of it. Surviving the Viking Age may be the hardest thing they ever do, if they can…
Enjoy an Excerpt from The Order of Time
They started to leave when the room suddenly lit up with a strange purple light coming from under a closet door.
“Why is the closet glowing?” asked Edward, his voice trailing up an octave. “Maybe we should get out of here.”
“What if Dr. G’s in there? You know he always locks his door, but it was open tonight. Maybe he’s still here. He might need our help,” Anastasia said emphatically.
The light was getting brighter by the second. Now Edward could also hear a low humming noise.
“Stop being crazy, Anastasia! This is the part in the movies where you yell at the screen for the characters not to open the door. We are not going to open that door.”
“I’m not being crazy. If Dr. G is in there and needs help, we’ll never forgive ourselves.”
Edward looked at her pleadingly, but she wasn’t giving in. His shoulders slumped in defeat. Oh god, please don’t let there be a monster or anything really scary in there. Anastasia dragged him over to the closet door. The light pouring out around the cracks was incredibly bright and the humming was getting louder. She gripped the large, brass doorknob, took a breath, and opened the door.
About the Author:
Scott is an American author and banking executive who lives in Sydney, Australia. He grew up in the suburbs of Washington D.C. and attended Georgetown University. While he loves his job as a global banker, his true passion is making up stories with his children. His debut novel, The Order of Time, reached #1 in its category on Amazon and was the 2021 Reader’s Favorite Gold Medal Winner in the Children’s – Mythology/Fairy Tale genre.
The book is on sale for $0.99 during the tour at Amazon.