Each year we have an author visiting our school who give an oral presentation on their books up for sale for middle schoolers. This year, the author was Scott Reintgen, the bestselling author of the Nyxia trilogy. Here we have a little bit about the trilogy for anyone interested in reading it:
Nyxia is a sci-fi thriller where Emmett Atwater is departing for space. The company Babel who has recruited him to travel on the Genesis XI for unknown reasons, offers him $1,000,000 for his family so that he can live happily with his parents who are in poverty and are forced to take overtime shifts in both their jobs. These $1,000,000 can ensure wonders for Emmett and his family. That’s why Emmett has boarded the ship. However, there is a twist… Emmett isn’t alone. He’s with other teenagers and even they badly need a million dollars like he does. What happens next? You’ll have to read the series to find out.
So Nyxia is basically in the vein of dystopian sci-fi series like The Hunger Games, Maze Runner, Divergent. Nyxia is basically where danger is at every single corner
Here now, we have a few questions asked by participants and answered by the author:
What is Nyxia?
Nyxia is a small black living substance from an alien planet wanted by Babel. Nyxia can be manipulated into anything you want. It can make anything your imagine says you want it to. However nyxia can only transform into objects that you know what they are. For example if you did not what a molecule was, nyxia cannot transform into a molecule for you. It can also not become food or drinks.
What about the Genesis XI?
According to Scott Reintgen, he has received several emails from conspiracy theorists who think Genesis I – X were destroyed. Because according to the Book of Genesis in the Bible, the Tower of Babel is when several languages were scattered and the company that shares their name with the tower itself is kind of undoing the tower.
What are they competing for?
The million dollars – obviously, and a skill set they will need for when they go to the planet. The aliens dislike Babel so the people, Emmett included are being used to get their and try to mine for more Nyxia. The top 10 people in the end, will go down and try to mine for Nyxia and bring it back for Babel.
Who is your [Scott Reintgen’s] favorite character?
Emmett, it’s hard not to like the main protagonist since he, naturally is the main protagonist. Kaya is also a very popular character. There are a lot of kids who say they like Bilal (I think that’s the spelling), he’s the nice kid who breaks his door down so anyone at anytime can hang out with him. There are other cool characters like Longway (again I’m not sure so I apologize for any spelling errors) who is intense but he has a very interesting side.
Now we have our own interview with Scott Reintgen:
So when did you feel like you were talented enough to write a book that sells like it does now?
Yeah, um I do think that comes with time and practice. Um, there’s a familiar theory that says you have to practice something for 10,000 hours to be a master of it. When I first tried to get published, I had only been writing for 5-600 hours or something which seems like a lot but it wasn’t and it didn’t get published. But then on Nyxia I’d spent 5,000-6,000 hours writing or something so I think practice sort of makes perfect. I will push back though too. Some people you’re only an author if you get published. I think as soon you start writing stories, you’re an author.
So what was the main inspiration for the Nyxia series?
Uh, I would say my students. I taught at Jordan High School in North Carolina and i wanted my students to envision themselves on the page, in the characters, having great, fun adventures. So that is how my school became my first writing series.
Our last question, which our writers and readers of the Jagazine would love to know this, what advice do you have for aspiring authors?
Yeah, um so I have two pieces of advice. Number one, just write. It’s more about spending time to get better at writing. The things you love the things you get better at you spend a lot time at so just spend a lot of time writing. The other piece of advice is to start reading like a writer. So now must younger readers just do for fun and that’s great you should do that. But every now and again let’s say (picks up a book) like The Silver Mask that you decided this was a great book I really really loved this here. So instead of reading it like a reader go back through and read it like a writer. What were some of the tools the writer used to make sure that plot twist was really great? How did they make you fall in love with a certain character? And usually if you read like a writer you can come up with a few tools for for kinda your own writing style and then going back to your own writing and sort of using that stuff. So that’s my suggestion.
Grover Middle School's Jagazine 