Ask the Author: Scott Reintgen
Answered Questions (60)
Scott Reintgen
In my mind, they were just a perfect fit for each other. Isadora is somewhat of a diva--but maybe not in the traditional sense. She grew up in a version of Brazil that is hyper commercialized. She's told to have all of these things--and given almost no path for actually being those things. It creates this serious disconnect that makes her desperate to find pathways toward material possessions. Enter Roathy... a relatively insecure and angry kid, who finds a comfort in being with Isadora. So he's loyal to her. She wants and enjoys a person who is more servile. It took me like... 30 seconds to figure out the two of them would be together for life. It wasn't just a quick bond to serve a certain purpose. To me, it was very much a connection that would last forever.
Not sure who there favorite artist would be. Maybe Basquiat.
Not sure who there favorite artist would be. Maybe Basquiat.
Scott Reintgen
I'd love that, of course. We've had several close calls with making Nyxia into something for TV or movie--and it just never came to fruition. I mostly focus on what I can control: which is writing great books. Maybe one day!
Scott Reintgen
I'd love that, of course. We've had several close calls with making Nyxia into something for TV or movie--and it just never came to fruition. I mostly focus on what I can control: which is writing great books. Maybe one day!
Scott Reintgen
Hi Rafa! There are two other books in the Nyxia series! Not sure if they are out where you live, but I have written and completed the entire trilogy.
Scott Reintgen
I find this question interesting. You are not the first to mention this, or to take issue with the actions of my fictional characters. Respectfully, I always find this hang-up to be rather telling. You are referring to the moment where Emmett makes out with a character in the first book. What's curious about your comment is the assumption of immorality. That scene is a fade to black. All that's on the page is Emmett and that character making out. No actual sex is written into that scene--and yet your mind is the one that took it to that end point. Do you find that curious? That your assumption was sex? Most of the students I've talked to don't read that into that particular scene. It is adults, who tend to hyper-fixate on sexuality as 'immoral' who are the ones who jump to that as the 'truth' of the scene.
I also find it interesting that the common bone that adults have to pick with this story... are the 1-2 scenes with sexuality. It results in about 90% of the complaints I've heard about this series... but no one messages me about the attempted murder in this book. I don't get upsetting emails about the portrayal of corporate greed, or the lies told in the story. No one complains about the brutality. Isn't that also... immoral? By the standard you're using? And if it is, how many books have you read with those same 'immoral' events and do you also complain to the authors about those stories? If not... doesn't it feel like a strange double-standard? To only complain about stories with sexuality in them? Perhaps you're focusing too much on one facet of a story and it's not the story that's lessening in quality, but rather the reading you're bringing to it?
All in all, my goal is to write a realistic and interesting story. If you were to put 10 teenagers on a ship for a year-long journey... I suspect there would be crushes. There would be making out. More than likely, there would also be sex. I don't think that the sex would be rampant--because if my experience as a high school student is a worthwhile anecdote, there was a wide range of students. Some who had sex all the time. Some who did, but only with someone they'd dated for many years. And then some who didn't at all. That's realistic. That's the world we live in. I could have written a sterile story where the characters do not engage sexually in any way... but would that be real? Or would it be untruthful?
It isn't my job to tell young readers how to feel about the topic of sex. I will likely get to talk to my own children about the subject. I take that role very seriously and can't wait to speak with them about that topic, if they would like to talk about it. But my only duty in writing Nyxia (and other stories) is to write a realistic and interesting book. Considering this story has sold nearly 500,000 copies around the world, been translated into 7 languages, and sold in 20 countries... I'd say... it's doing its job. I am sorry you think less of it because there are a grand total of 1,500 words dedicated to the physical interactions of the characters.... but there are about 175,000 words dedicated to a story about ten teenagers who find strength in one another. Who connect in ways they never expected, and stand shoulder to shoulder to face an oppressive company that is abusing its power. That's the real story of Nyxia. If you arrived at some other communicated truth, I suspect it's what you were already bringing to the story. I wish you well. Enjoy the rest of the series. Or enjoy another book. I hope you find happiness in whatever you read next.
I also find it interesting that the common bone that adults have to pick with this story... are the 1-2 scenes with sexuality. It results in about 90% of the complaints I've heard about this series... but no one messages me about the attempted murder in this book. I don't get upsetting emails about the portrayal of corporate greed, or the lies told in the story. No one complains about the brutality. Isn't that also... immoral? By the standard you're using? And if it is, how many books have you read with those same 'immoral' events and do you also complain to the authors about those stories? If not... doesn't it feel like a strange double-standard? To only complain about stories with sexuality in them? Perhaps you're focusing too much on one facet of a story and it's not the story that's lessening in quality, but rather the reading you're bringing to it?
All in all, my goal is to write a realistic and interesting story. If you were to put 10 teenagers on a ship for a year-long journey... I suspect there would be crushes. There would be making out. More than likely, there would also be sex. I don't think that the sex would be rampant--because if my experience as a high school student is a worthwhile anecdote, there was a wide range of students. Some who had sex all the time. Some who did, but only with someone they'd dated for many years. And then some who didn't at all. That's realistic. That's the world we live in. I could have written a sterile story where the characters do not engage sexually in any way... but would that be real? Or would it be untruthful?
It isn't my job to tell young readers how to feel about the topic of sex. I will likely get to talk to my own children about the subject. I take that role very seriously and can't wait to speak with them about that topic, if they would like to talk about it. But my only duty in writing Nyxia (and other stories) is to write a realistic and interesting book. Considering this story has sold nearly 500,000 copies around the world, been translated into 7 languages, and sold in 20 countries... I'd say... it's doing its job. I am sorry you think less of it because there are a grand total of 1,500 words dedicated to the physical interactions of the characters.... but there are about 175,000 words dedicated to a story about ten teenagers who find strength in one another. Who connect in ways they never expected, and stand shoulder to shoulder to face an oppressive company that is abusing its power. That's the real story of Nyxia. If you arrived at some other communicated truth, I suspect it's what you were already bringing to the story. I wish you well. Enjoy the rest of the series. Or enjoy another book. I hope you find happiness in whatever you read next.
Scott Reintgen
Hey Trenten! Right now, no plans to revisit the Nyxia world. However, I think a book of mine that will feel the most similar to that one comes out next year... it is called The Last Dragon of Mars. It's set in an alternative version of our solar system where every moon, every planet has a dragon that represents it. So dragons... but in space. It has very similar vibes/writing style to Nyxia. So I think you'll like it a lot. It comes out October 2024
Scott Reintgen
I really want to do something with the fae. I've had an idea in my mind forever about that particular concept, though with my own unique world-building twist to it... I'd love to ghosts/demons/vampires or anything in that realm too. I just haven't had that perfect idea that keeps knocking at my door. My next MG series is dragons in space. My next two YA books are following A Door in the Dark. So for now, that's the direction. But I'm open to writing anything that comes!
Scott Reintgen
The biggest way is that I do have students in my mind when I write. So I'm not ever just writing a story at random. I'm almost always weighing which of my students would like that story, and whether or not I'm writing in a way that's engaging enough for them.
Scott Reintgen
Answered this in another one! Basically: I didn't want to! But when I got to that scene, I realized what was the realistic end point. It was so sad for me to write it!
Scott Reintgen
Haha! Very cool. I chose that name because it made sense for Babel to view this new planet as their own 'Eden' which is particularly ironic, because there are already people there and the planet technically has another name!
Scott Reintgen
Hey Sage! Thanks for your question. Honestly, I am not the type of author to set out to 'kill off characters.' It's not how I approach things. I do, however, believe in the idea that if characters do things they shouldn't, there's clear danger--and that I have to accept what happens in the story when they go to those places. I got to that scene with Kaya... and yeah. I immediately knew what was about to go down and I was so sad. But I felt like if I pulled my punch there, you'd think that everyone in the story had plot armor from then on out. It's a moment that rocks the reader back on their heels and now, for the rest of the series, I've got you guessing and worried about who will make it. So as much as I wish it hadn't happened (trust me, I cried in a coffee shop when I wrote the scene) it's still something that made sense.
Scott Reintgen
Ah! No, she won't. One important thing I wanted to do in my stories was to stick to realistic cause and effect. You do the wrong thing, bad things happen. You go in the wrong room, there could be consequences, etc. And that's even more amplified in space, with a corrupt corporation, and a species you've never encountered. I felt the pain of that scene too, but it felt like it had to be done.
Scott Reintgen
Glad you enjoyed that! It's one of my favorite albums for sure. As for the music, yes, mostly my tastes! That's actually one fairly bad habit authors have! We love and know our music, so we often force our narrators to have those same loves!
Scott Reintgen
Unfortunately, I have no more plans for that series to expand. I just have so many other projects I'm focused on. You never know, but for now, the answer is no.
Scott Reintgen
Hey Micah! Right now, I have no plans to continue the Nyxia series. I'd never say never, but my sights are mostly set on other stories!
Scott Reintgen
Great question! My plans for Jaime were very much to have him play a totally different role in book two, but that got edited out--so some of the groundwork I set down in that first book had to be pulled into a different "reasoning" so to speak. I will say, though, that he's also Swiss, and there's a very nonchalant/reserved personality often at play with Swiss people that I feel like Jaime exhibits there.
And no! Not a CoVid reference lol. Had no idea that was coming, or else I'd have warned folks!
And no! Not a CoVid reference lol. Had no idea that was coming, or else I'd have warned folks!
Scott Reintgen
Always! Very loose, distant connections. I certainly draw inspiration from everything around me. But there's not much that's actually happened to me in here. I think I'm looking for inspiration, and then building off of what I've experienced to make everything feel real.
Scott Reintgen
I had a lot of students experiencing similar things. Ways in which the world really wronged them, and not always having a great way to wrestle with that... I thought the filing system was just a good example of how we can wrestle with our anger--even when it's justified--and try to use it positively. I'm not sure how I initially came up with it, but I do know I wanted to show my students positive ways to wrestle with intense emotions.
Scott Reintgen
We sold the TV rights briefly, but now have them back. The answer is always "we hope so, but it's out of our hands." So much has to happen to eventually turn a book into a movie. I think it would be amazing. As for Emmett and Morning... yeah, I don't know. I think my preference would be to have brand new actors walk onto the scene. I first started writing this book a WHILE ago, and my brain-thought was Michael B. Jordan. He's obviously a bit too old for that role now.
Scott Reintgen
I think it would be so cool! But it's hard to make that happen. Most graphic novel companies want a brand new series, or a series that has sold millions and millions of copies. It's probably unlikely, but I do think this would look SUPER cool in that format.
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