Scott Tracey Author Interview

Book Nerd Interview

Scott Tracey is a YA author who lived on a Greyhound for a month, wrote his illustrated autobiography at the age of six, and barely survived Catholic school (and definitely not for the reasons you might think).

He is the author of WITCH EYES, chosen as one of Amazon’s Best LGBT Books of 2011, as well as an ALA Popular Paperback in the Forbidden Romance category. The final book in the WITCH EYES trilogy, PHANTOM EYES, will be released in the fall of 2013.

He is also the author of MOONSET, a new series which will be released April 8, 2013, as well as a contributor to the SHADOWHUNTERS & DOWNWORLDERS anthology, edited by Cassandra Clare.

His career highlights include: accidentally tripping a panic alarm which led to nearly being shot by the police; attacked in a drive-thru window by a woman wielding a baked potato, and once moving cross country for a job only to quit on the second day.

His gifts can be used for good or evil, but rather than picking a side, he strives for BOTH (in alternating capacity) for his own amusement.

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Was there a defining moment during your youth when you realized you wanted to be a writer?

When I was a little kid, I didn't even realize you COULD be a writer. At least not a writer of books. I thought all the books had already been written, and that was it, everybody go home. So when I was seven or eight, and I found out you COULD write new books, I was hooked. Although my first book I wrote was my autobiography (at age 7, I can honestly tell you it was a masterpiece).

Beyond your own work (of course), what is your all-time favorite book and why? And what is your favorite book outside of your genre?

My favorite book growing up was The Secret Garden. I must have read that a few dozen times when I was in school. I always had a love for secret places, or just secrets in general. As for outside my genre, if we're still sticking to YA, I'd have to say 13 Reasons Why or Before I Fall. Both books that hit me hard in the gut. Branching out to adult stuff, Patrick Rothfuss's epic fantasy The Name of the Wind is probably my most recent favorite.

Your new book; Moonset, can you tell my Book Nerd community a little about it?

Sure. Moonset deals with a group of five teenagers, particularly the middle child, Justin. Each of these teens is the son or daughter of a powerful group of warlocks who went rogue and started attacking the rest of the magical world (and the real world, too). The coven's name was Moonset. After the members of Moonset are captured and executed, the kids are raised by the magical government, known as the Congress, and shuttled all over the country.

After they are attacked at their most recent school (which occurs in tandem with an all-school riot orchestrated by Justin's sister Jenna) by a wraith claiming to be sent by Moonset's last remaining disciple, the kids are relocated to a town they have a startling connection to. It's the place where their parents all first met, and where Moonset formed. It's also the home of a warlock who is resurrecting Moonset's dark powers, and Justin and his siblings end up caught in the middle.

What part of Jenna did you enjoy writing the most?

Jenna is the bad girl of the group, the wild one that's a little bit out of control. She's fun because I think she's one of the most honest characters. She feels held back, and she craves power and control over her own life. Jenna doesn't care what anyone else thinks about her or her family. She does what she wants, she lives with the consequences, and she doesn't back down.

For those who are unfamiliar with Justin, how would you introduce him?

I'd say that Justin is the classic middle child, but in some ways he also has to fill the role of the oldest. He feels a little trapped by his circumstances - without a stable, functional parental figure in their lives, he's the substitute. He has to jump in and fix the problems, mediate the fights, talk people down, etc. None of his siblings want the responsibility of being 'in charge' so he ends up taking that on a lot. But at the same time, he wants to do stuff that normal kids do: he wants to go to the movies, he wants to date, he wants to not think about the stress of being Justin-who-has-four-siblings for five minutes.

What are some of your current and future projects that you can share with us?

Right now, I'm working on the MOONSET sequel, which should be a lot of fun. I've had to do a lot of research about sociopathy in teenagers, and how behavioral disorders start. After that, I want to write something that's not supernatural, so I'm thinking about jumping ship and writing either a thriller or a horror novel next. :)

When asked, what’s the one question you always answer with a lie?

Have you ever killed someone? ;)

When was the last time you cried?

Edits for my last book. They were killer, man.

What decade during the last century would you have chosen to be a teenager?

I would probably pick right now, because of WiFi and iPods, honestly. I listen to my iPod all the time, it's kind of insane. And I love the fact that I can be out at a restaurant, and someone asks a question about a movie and I can look it up on my phone to find the answer.

What is the one, single food that you would never give up?

Sushi. It's my favorite. Or maybe tuna casserole, if I'm cooking.

Where can readers stalk you?

On Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/Scott_Tracey
On Tumblr: http://scottryantracey.tumblr.com
On Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/witcheyesbooks

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Moonset, a coven of such promise . . . Until they turned to the darkness.

After the terrorist witch coven known as Moonset was destroyed fifteen years ago—during a secret war against the witch Congress—five children were left behind, saddled with a legacy of darkness. Sixteen-year-old Justin Daggett, son of a powerful Moonset warlock, has been raised alongside the other orphans by the witch Congress, who fear the children will one day continue the destruction their parents started.

A deadly assault by a wraith, claiming to work for Moonset’s most dangerous disciple, Cullen Bridger, forces the five teens to be evacuated to Carrow Mill. But when dark magic wreaks havoc in their new hometown, Justin and his siblings are immediately suspected. Justin sets out to discover if someone is trying to frame the Moonset orphans . . . or if Bridger has finally come out of hiding to reclaim the legacy of Moonset. He learns there are secrets in Carrow Mill connected to Moonset’s origins, and keeping the orphans safe isn’t the only reason the Congress relocated them . . .

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