← Living The Next Chapter: Candid Conversations with Authors and Writers for Readers Searching for a New Read
Living The Next Chapter: Candid Conversations with Authors and Writers for Readers Searching for a New Read
E685 - Scott Hatfield - The Shadow of Cáelunárra, Semi-Clean and NO SPICE - Epic Dark Immersive Fantasy
01:13:43
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- [00:01]
A
Yeah.
- [00:01]
B
So I've created. So this one, Lutheilin was my. My initial language, and when I got to visit Iceland for a little bit, I really loved the Old Norse language that they have because it's, you know, it's one of. One of their own. Their own languages. But also, having traveled a lot to Canada and in the US I've met a lot of Inuits or. Or like first nations, and even for the US and so I kind of took their language and Icelandic and smushed it together, and that's what luthen is. It's an amalgamation of those two.
- [00:43]
A
Everybody, welcome back to Living the Next Chapter, the author podcast. We get to talk to amazing authors from around the world. And what I love about our guests today, Scott, is he's served his country. He's. He's got some great stories to tell, and he's now writing as an author, and he's busy, busy writing and writing and writing. He's got a lot of great stuff coming up for you. What I love is bringing on an author that's so prolific and just. There doesn't seem like the tap. The tap's broken. It won't shut off. He just keeps writing, which is great. So there's a lot coming in the future for you as a reader as well. I'm excited to have Scott here on the show. Scott, welcome to Living the Next Chapter.
- [01:21]
B
Well, thanks for having me. I'm glad to be here.
- [01:23]
A
Excellent. First of all, we're getting close. November's Veterans Day here in Canada, we call Remembrance Day. Thank you for your service. Thank you for all that you've done in the past. We'll get touch a little bit on that today, but I just want to acknowledge that and thank you for all that you've done. This is your time of the year, and it's really important to us.
- [01:43]
B
Well, thank you. Thank you. Yeah, I appreciate, you know, everybody, buddy, from the people I serve with, and even abroad, I've served alongside Canadians, the Dutch, German, English. So appreciate everybody.
- [01:54]
A
Are the Canadian soldiers rowdy? Like, are they kind of subdued? Are they. Do they say sorry all the time? Like, oh, yeah.
- [02:01]
B
Oh, yeah. But. But no, they're. They're pretty good guys. I. I enjoyed working with them. They would, you know, bring in stuff. It was mainly the Air Force that we. We worked with, and then they'd bring in supplies to us, and we would, you know, escort it to wherever they needed it.
- [02:18]
A
Excellent. Talk a little bit about how what you did in the service. It's pretty interesting. I Think people love to know. Tell us a little bit about your background in the service as well.
- [02:26]
B
Yeah, so I come from a family of military individuals. It skipped a generation, but then I decided to join back up and continue it. I joined the Navy, but first I tried the Marine Corps. Ended up in a car accident, broke my collarbone, could no longer do pull ups, so I went to the Navy and I still ended up with the Marine Corps as a United States Navy Corpsman. For anybody who doesn't know what that is, it is a, basically a combat medic or what they called as a field medical technician in the Navy. And basically my, my expertise was in combat trauma T, triple C, so tactical critical care under combat operations. And so I got to see all the not so fun stuff. And then towards the end of my, my time in the service, I sat at a naval hospital at the Marine Corps base and basically served a women's clinic, a children's clinic, and then just like a general clinic, I was over. It was what you call a lead petty officer over those three clinics. And so I got to see that side of healthcare in my last year of service.
- [03:52]
A
Well, and you've been around the world too then, right?
- [03:54]
B
Yeah. So I served two deployments. My first one was to Jordan, in Iraq, and then my second was back to Iraq and then Yemen. So before, before the embassy shut down, we were, we were there.
- [04:10]
A
So for somebody thinking about serving and they could have a few minutes with you, Scott, what's, what's one thing that really had a big impact on you, changed you, made you a different person. What part of serving really, really had an impact on you?
- [04:27]
B
Just a bunch of, like, I don't like to talk about people this way, but like a bunch of misfits with, with different backgrounds. You had your, you had your rich kids, you had your, you know, kids that lived underneath the poverty line. It didn't matter what color you were, didn't matter what religion you were, you kind of all come together for the sole purpose of protecting your country and you know, serving, basically signing on that dotted line that if it were to happen, you would give your life to defend everybody on in the hump front. And that kind of just washes away all the nasty issues that we have in the world today. And you know, it just, it gave me a greater sense of service and understanding that everything will be okay no matter what, whatever the outcome.
- [05:24]
A
I think your world view would be a lot different than most people. If we've grown up in the US We've grown up in the Same state, the same city, the same neighborhood. And we've never seen the world the way that you've seen the world. And you've seen some pretty upsetting things, but you've also traveled and seen different cultures and languages and food and everything. Right. So does you think that that kind of bigger worldview helps you now as an author, as you write? Does it give you different perspectives you might not have had had you not served in the like you had in the past?
- [05:59]
B
Yeah, I think so. Because as someone who grew up underneath the poverty line and you know, like in a single mother household, we basically scraped by most, most of the time, you know, and then being able to be kind of like thrust into the military and being able to travel and, you know, meet Muslims and Jews and, you know, you know, fellow servicemen and women and from Canada and the Dutch and in all these other countries, you know, you find out that even though we have borders and there's seas cross, you know, you. You separating us, that we're all humankind. And, you know, the bigger picture is it kind of just puts it in perspective because you get to see those cultures and how they live. And while some of them are the same, with just a little bit, you know, a little bit tweaks to them, it was definitely mind opening to see that, you know, even though technically I grew up under the poverty line here in the US I technically was middle class in the Middle east. And it gave me a, you know, a more respect for my family and for those people and what they have to deal with. And as far as it ties into me writing, that's kind of like why I have this big world. You know, while there are, you know, same races, they are different people with different cultures, different languages and, and as. As we'll get in, like Kyle Nora is its own kind of like continent that has all of the cultures together and they are trying to figure out how to coexist, um, because they have like one common enemy, but at the same time they have deep rooted problems like we do, as is human history.
- [07:53]
A
Yeah, I can, I can already pick up on this just by how you're explaining your military service background and what you've seen. And it seems like you're echoing a little bit of that in the story. I like that for the authors listening, Scott, they're here. They're looking for inspiration from somebody like you who's done what they're dreaming of doing. Like, they're at the early beginning stages they of writing. And I'm just curious what would have been helpful for you when you first started writing? If you had heard a podcast or a conversation around writing, what kind of things could have maybe made things easier or could have been helpful for you when you first started writing? That maybe we can share with somebody who's starting today, what would be helpful?
- [08:38]
B
I think. Well, the first thing I would tell any author or, you know, a person who wants. Wants to do it, is just do it. You're gonna suck at first. Like anybody. You're gonna. You're gonna get those words out onto the paper, and then you're going to. Or your computer, and when you go back and reread it, you're gonna be like, what was I thinking? But that, that is the whole point of, you know, drafts. And that's something that I kind of wish I would have learned in college. I is don't submit your first draft. I had tons of people tell me to not do that, but I always did it and I always did well. But I learned real quick with a book, you can't submit your first draft or else it's horrible. So, yeah, just. Just work on that, get it out. And then from there, utilize online resources. We live in the digital age, right. It's really easy to find things, but also watch out for the scammers if the scammers are horrible. Even. Even so. So as far as even publishing my book already, like, man, they come hot and heavy. Just. Just breathe, enjoy the process. Reach out to authors. And like, if anybody want, if anybody needs anything, they can reach out to me. I'm always an open book. There's not a lot I can say right now without going on the huge deep dive. That'll take forever, but just get it done. Find good tools that are online. I don't know if I'm allowed to say them for copyright reasons, but, yeah, like, you utilize the ones that you have to pay for. Unfortunately, writing a book takes money.
- [10:34]
A
Yeah.
- [10:34]
B
Make sure that you have it. And these people who say, oh, I spent 50 to $100 on a cover, Sorry, you're probably not getting good work. It may be good, but at the same time, you're not paying for a quality cover like I did and connecting with people across the world like I did to get mine. And you're. You're not, you're not gonna, you're gonna get more bang for your buck if you spend more. And that's something that I learned especially close to six grand in now on my first book. Right. Yeah. So it. And that's just from programs to editors to book cover artists paying someone to help me format the inside of the book. And they're. I'll just say it. Reed's ears are very, very good tool. They are expensive, but they. They connect you to everybody. And that's editors, book cover artists, you know, fan art, ghost writing. They have classes. They help you put out your first couple chapters and all of that. And then another thing to do is to utilize beta and arc readers. Beta readers are for, like, when you're really in your early stages of your first, second, third draft and you want to know if your story is viable, that's when you're going to get the most constructive criticism or even just playing out criticism. And this sucks. So put on that armor and be prepared to get, you know, stabbed through it, because it's going to come and it's going to make you feel little, but it's all part of the process. And then your arc reader is there whenever you. You've done your 20th draft of your book, if you get that far, and you're like, this is. This is ready to be published. We're almost there. And unfortunately, that's going to come at a cost to you. And I would. I would be who to. If you're from the US or any country, just focus in on your country. I went big picture because I'm very fortunate that I have, you know, the funds to be able to do that. So I was able to tap markets in Australia, New Zealand, in Canada, Brazil, uk, Netherlands. Like, I was able to send onesie twosies out to those countries and. But utilize your arc readers. Do a giveaway for it, right? Like, make it fun. Do like a package, like gift, a little bit of fan art and sign the book and thank them for their time. And then also be, you know, ready for people to say it. It sucks as well. And some people sign up for books and don't realize, you know, that they're in. They want a romance novel and they signed up for a fantasy novel. And there are people who are like, they want nothing but spice in their book where they, you know, they like that versus they don't like the full trudge of a world build like. Like you would get in CS Lewis or Tolkien or Sanderson, like any one of the greats, right? You want to be as transparent with them as possible. So that way, whenever you're tapping into those markets, you're getting the most bang for your buck because you're fronting that money and also just makes. Also know that you're probably only getting about 10 to 15% of those to actually respond after you've done it. So it's very much just like, you know, scientific, scientific testing. You're probably going to spend 3, $400 on printing, shipping and all that. And maybe you're going to get. For me, I sent out 100 books, I got 13, I got 13 back. So that's, that's barely 10, that's a little over 10%. Right? So that's, that's what you're dealing with. And I, I just encourage them to not be discouraged and to know it's all part of the process. You're, you're basically against the man who has billions of dollars, right? And your, your ads that you're putting out, unless you have hundreds of dollars, don't do it. It's a waste. You're never going to get clicks for, because they guarantee you to, that you'll get one to two clicks for every 10 cents that you do. But when, when say you put $10, you're maybe gonna have one or two people click and that's not gonna get anything to come back. Whereas your, your big time authors, they're paying thousands of dollars per clicks, so they're going to generate more than you. So the best thing to do is to get on podcasts, find a good PR person, find, you know, groups, network online. You're going to have, have to give out a lot of free books. And I've probably given out 100 free books. And those go so much further than someone buying it because you're, you're basically offering up your baby to the sacrificial table. Just saying, I, I believe in this book. It's good. These are what some people have told me. And you know, I hope you enjoy it. And here, here you go. Like, take it. And I remember I was like just a few weeks ago, I was like in Seattle in the airport and this lady was just, saw me just scribbling away in book two and she's like, what do you, what book are you working on? Why are you, why are you like tearing up that book? And I was like, oh, I'm an author. And she's like, oh, okay, like I'm gonna get onto Amazon and buy your book. And I was like, I could do you one better. And I get into, go into my backpack and I hand her her one and she's just like, wait, what? Really? And I was like, yeah, of course. Like, if you like it, tell people about it. If not, donate it. Like, it's no harm, no foul. And she came back and she bought me lunch. And like, it goes. It goes a long way. It goes a long way. If giving away free books, they see people as. That you're not in it for the money and that you're in it for the craft.
- [17:01]
A
I can. I can hear it in your voice, Scott. I can tell that this is a really big passion project for you. And have you always been a writer? Like, is this something you've loved doing since you were a kid?
- [17:11]
B
Yes. So I started writing from a pretty young age, and it all. It all stemmed from Harry Potter and J.K. rowling. I remember jumping into my first book, the, you know, Sorcerers or Philosopher's Stone. I remember having to get the Philosophers, because that's all that was available at the time, before it came to the US and just absolutely falling in love with it. And there was a hit show on at the time. I can't remember it, but these guys basically end up on an island full of dinosaurs and whatnot. And it's kind of like fantasy mixed with New Agey kind of thing. And I fell in love with all of that. And then as I got older, I got into Tolkien and C.S. lewis, and I really, absolutely love, loved those. So I started writing from there, and then it kind of faded away because high school and, you know, woe is me is high school.
- [18:20]
A
Yeah.
- [18:21]
B
But, you know, I started writing music and touring with my band, or a band. It wasn't mine, it was ours. And that was a whole nother fun experience in. In itself. And then as I got older and moved away, I stopped playing music, I stopped writing. And this is more. Turned into an outlet from years in the military, years in law enforcement, and, you know, just. Just life. And. And so I use it more as an outlet to help myself. And I get to be creative and my daughter gets to see me being creative and that it's okay to be creative and it's okay to, you know, have fantasies and things that other people don't quite understand why you do it. And it's okay to be excited about it.
- [19:19]
A
I've had many veterans on the show, and I find that to be probably some of the most engaging conversations to have people like you on the show. And one thing that seems to be one of the common things that I hear from people who have served is coming back home and trying to find your place back home again in this kind of re. Re creating yourself and finding your purpose. And there's a family element when you're traveling and you're being. Serving with your, the men and women you serve with, you come home, and that part's not the same. And I find a lot of veterans coming back trying to find their purpose again. So for you, writing is one of those things for you that you really lean into kind of for your, for your, your mental health, your physical health and creativity. This is really something that fuels you, then.
- [20:13]
B
Yes, it does. Yeah, it definitely does. So I, I, it's kind of consuming me now, kind of like the military did, but in a good way.
- [20:24]
A
There's a, There's a, It's a positive thing, right?
- [20:26]
B
You're.
- [20:27]
A
You're finding your, you're finding your purpose again, which I love as an author. Then is there anything you're doing differently for book two that you are changing from your approach to book one or some lessons you've learned that you're gonna kind of tweak for the next one you're working on?
- [20:42]
B
Yeah. Yeah. So for me, it's not rushing the art.
- [20:48]
A
Okay.
- [20:49]
B
The art of writing. I, When I first initially did book one, I wrote like, 1500 pages. And then I, my, my, my initial editor was just like that. This, this is not good. But you got something you need. You need to split. You need to split this into three books, you know, and, wow. Um, he's like, maybe keep it two to 300 pages. But you know me, I don't listen because I am stubborn. And so I took. And I partially listened, and I split up the three books. I mean, the book into three. And then I've been filling in the gaps, slowing down the story, and that's kind of what I did from my first initial draft. And then in book two, just kind of for, like, background, book one kind of follows my main characters from the time things happen, or I will just say they crash land into my world, and they're kind of swept away into this new universe that they're in. And this book, book one, follows them from the time that they leave, where they're at, they crash land, and kind of getting into this, like, the lore and the background and why they're here, what is happening. But I also write it in a way that it's very vague, so it's gonna upset the reader, but also it's, it's upsetting the reader because they feel like they're one of the five. Like, okay, why are we getting half answers and half truths and all these different things? And, and, and then I introduce you to all, like, the secondary and tertiary characters in book towards the end of book one. And Then in book two, I've introduced those characters. So in book one we follow the Five. It's kind of from their entire point of view. And in book two, kind of while it is still in that third person omniscient and it's kind of like a narrator telling you the story. You're following the Five as well as like our character Saa and El Fuene and Tallor and Alara. And you know, you're going to have elements of the Five with Andronius and all these other different people that are kind of mixed in. And then I pull in people that are like pseudo important to the story. But it, I try to focus on the people who have the greatest. Oh, what's the word? The greatest impact on the on story in there. And they're like basically just kind of compare it to like Lord of the Rings. You have like your Marys and Pippins, they're off doing their thing with Eisenguard and the ends. And then you have Salmon Frodo doing their thing. And then you know, Aragorn and Gandalf and Gimli and Legolas, they're doing their own thing. And so I've kind of taken my world and broken it up so you can follow everything. So that way it's just not so monotonous. You, you'll get, you'll get bits and pieces where it's like you're following them and then something happens and now we're going to follow these other characters. So you don't know how long it's going to be until you get back to them. Sometimes it's one chapter, sometimes it's five chapters. And so I've kind of just gone back and forth. And the other thing that I've done is in book one it's kind of happy. Go lucky. There's a lot of, you know, oh, this is great. It's a new world, you know. Sure. There is this dark Lord. He hasn't really done anything. We've had some interactions with some of his shade walkers. But then towards the end of book one, it kind of flips the script and then you're like, oh, this is real. This isn't going to be happy. And then in book two, it's where I mean you jump off, you jump off the diving board, the 50 foot high rise and you sink to the very bottom. And it's all done in a way to kind of push the reader away from a happy fantasy. Because like I said, a lot of this stuff that I've been writing about is kind of things that I've seen or done or felt in my own personal life and twisted it into a fantasy realm. That way it's more palatable in a sense.
- [25:17]
A
So for the readers then, who are some of the main characters that were introduced early in your first book? Give us kind of an overview of who they are, kind of their character, what makes them who they are. Okay, who do we meet first?
- [25:33]
B
So you're first going to meet Ethan. Ethan. Ethan Johnson. He is kind of like your, your typical high school student who's graduating. He's got his entire world in front of him. He's attractive, everybody likes him, he does really well in school and he's just kind of like the all around guy, kind of like the leader and had everything handed to him. He's the rich kid, I mean it is his dad who flies them to Fiji where they're supposed to be going on their, their, their graduation trip. And then you have Hannah. She is kind of like the love interest for Ethan and she is kind of like your goody two shoes church girl from Utah. Does everything right. She's the, you know, the daughter of a bishop and so she's just kind of, she's always happy and again every that everybody likes. Everybody, you know, likes to be around. And she's your staple Utah girl. Then you have Emily who is interested in Ethan, but she feels overwhelmed by Hannah. But they are good friends and she comes kind of from like a single family home. She's had to work for everything in her life. She kind of is kind of your short, quirky, smart book girl. And she's about to go to medical school across the country and kind of dive into her own world. You have Jake, who is Ethan's best friend. He's kind of like the really tall, bulky farmer guy. Because my story initially takes place in rural Utah city and it's known for farming and basically a flyover. And so he grew up on a farm going up into the Uenas, which is a local mountain range here, you know, herding sheep and, and cattle and just kind of living that kind of life. And he's kind of going to be the guy who, he's going to try to be the Samwise to, to, to Ethan. And then you have Ryan. Ryan is your baseball player. He's an athlete. You know, he's coming off the high of winning state championship for the first time in over 30 years for their team, especially since this little town is nothing and they're going against a huge city in the Salt Lake Metro area and then they win. You know, he's kind of the quiet one, but all kind of quiet, reserved. It's kind of just like your background character. But yeah, he, he, he's. Those are the main five or the chosen or the champions of Kyle Nara. And then you have Andronius who is the seer of enigmas. And he's kind of like the. He's been appointed by the Grand Mage who basically follows and how do I say this? He. He follows people of interest in other worlds. He helps build prophecy. He helps, you know, weave intricate lines of. Of. Of fate in a sense through what he sees through an Acephaly stone which is basically connected to the All Father and it. And one of the other, like the Godhead. The two of the Godhead. And. And then you have on. On the other side you have the Dark Lord who is Mur, and he is kind of the creator of the darkness. And he portrays himself as the light to his brother Athulian, who is the light, who he sees as the dark. They kind of both seem that way. And he's kind of perverted. The creatures that Ethelian created and created, like the orcs and the goblins, the Gorlocks. I mean you have the Goraks, the Broxago, the Vroxadrums. You have all these different creatures that are based off of real creatures that Ithulian created. And so there is this big like power push between the two and some of like the tertiary care or the secondary carries that are. That are important are like Sa. He is Grand Marshal He. Then you have Talor, who is the Grand General Alara, who is Talors sister. And then you have Eo Fuena, who is somebody who started in the dark, then came to the light. So he's kind of one of those defectors that made it away. Yeah, so those are some of my characters that we have.
- [30:52]
A
Okay. You filled an arena with the amount of people in this book. Okay, as a non author, this is my non author question. Where do all these people come from for you? Like, I know it's probably a process. It doesn't all come at once, but. And then how are you? Like I have three kids, so I've named three humans. That's all I can do. So I, and I did, I guess did pretty well because they're fine. But you've named all these people and you've given them identity and backstory and character traits. Like you're talking about these people like you know them intimately. How do you, how do you do all that I don't. As a non author, I have no idea what you're. How you do this. So can you kind of give me some back behind the scenes of how you build all this intricate detail around all these people?
- [31:49]
B
So I have a very large. I will say it's very hard to keep con. Like, con my train of thought. Correct. When I'm trying to do all these things. So I have a very nice, detailed Excel spreadsheet.
- [32:04]
A
Okay.
- [32:04]
B
Right. So that I have with them. So I know. I kind of know where their arc's going, and then I fill in backstory as I go, and then it all kind of stems from the 10,000 years previous of the world that is in another time sheet, like another spreadsheet that is the history of the world from the time, you know, the All Father snapped his fingers and poof, the world was there. And. And so it kind of goes from the time he created it all the way to where we are now. And so I just. I wanted to create people in a world that felt like our own. So when people read it, it's an epic. It's like a song saga. You. You could connect, maybe not with Ethan, but you could connect with Hannah. Or you could connect with Andronius, but maybe not Ela. And these. These. These characters are loosely based on people that I know.
- [33:06]
A
Okay.
- [33:07]
B
Kind of character traits, maybe not necessarily their names, but for instance, Andronius is very much like my grandfather and how he was wise, but also very temperamental. But also, he wasn't gonna give you your answer on a silver platter.
- [33:30]
A
Okay.
- [33:31]
B
You had you. He's like, how do I clean a gun? He's like, well, okay, we'll take it apart and put it back together. But what if I have a piece wrong? Well, then take it apart and put it back together until you get it right. Right. So that. That's basically how Andronius is. And then all the five are kind of bits and pieces of myself. So that's just kind of like. Like how I feel it. Because, you know, like, Ryan, I was an athlete. I was on a star baseball team for our Town. We went to cif. We didn't win, but we lost. You know, I am like Hannah. I'm very entrenched in my faith, but at the same time, I am kind of like Emily, where I'm not sure about the faith. I've always. You know, I kind of. It's kind of blind faith. I'm doing it, but I'm also very sure of it. And then, like Jake, like, I grew up, like, on a farm, not with that many cattle or sheep. We had horses and chickens and rabbits and stuff like that. And then, you know, like, Ethan, I am very temperamental. I feel like I'm owed certain things. Just kind of like I was as a youth, I felt like I was owed it and that I didn't have to work for it and I could just have everything handed to me. And so those are kind of loosely based off of myself and how. How their character arcs are going to be very much like. Like myself, how I've learned certain things, or if that part of me dies off, that part of them is going to die off.
- [35:07]
A
Right.
- [35:07]
B
And so that's how they come of age. And then. Yeah, so that's just kind of how it's going. And that's how I've built my characters, is they're loosely based off of people or I'm trying to think of, like, for instance, there's. In my third to my second book. Yeah, it's my second book, there's a. There's a girl who I just poofed into the story, and she's a barmaid, and she ends up following one of the other characters, but she really has no rhyme or reason, but she is there because she is going to do something to help said character later on. Right. She. She may or may not have a purpose, but she does have a purpose. And so there are those, like. We'll just call them, like, ordinary characters that are there that I've created. But. But they're. They're not as intimately known.
- [36:03]
A
Out of the. Out of the five. We'll narrow it down to the five. They're all, like, little elements of you. Which of the five would be one of the characters that you personally feel the most connection with? Like, you could hang out with, and you would be like, a good friend with. Like, which one do you feel drawn to in particular?
- [36:24]
B
So I would say each Ethan, because, you know, I am. I am Hot head. I. As. As I've gotten older, it's kind of gone away, but I. I'm kind of riding it. So in a sense that it's me talking to my younger self, in a sense. And so Ethan. Ethan is somebody that I can connect with and kind of like, I don't know, think of it as, like, I'm the teacher and he is the apprentice, in a sense. And I'm trying to craft him into being whatever he wants to be, but he has to tap into his unknown intelligence and his potential and just learn to breathe In a sense. And so that's kind. Kind of more or less who I would want to be with, because I. I want to be able to help him achieve greatness.
- [37:28]
A
Okay.
- [37:28]
B
And not go. Not go through the slog of life.
- [37:32]
A
Right.
- [37:32]
B
Feeling like everything is owed to him.
- [37:34]
A
Okay. And then let's flip it on the other way. Oil and water. One of the five that you just. You don't see yourself in the same room with this person. They walk in, you walk out. Like, you're just. There's just something there that you just can't connect with this character. Which one of the five is the one that makes you feel the most uneasy?
- [37:56]
B
Also Ethan. It's very weird. Yeah. I would say also Ethan, But I don't want to pick him for specific reasons because I don't want to go into it. But I would say Emily or Ryan. When I created them, they're kind of more like fringe things that I. That I wanted. Wanted to do. When I got out of the military, I wanted to go to medical school, right? That was my big dream because I had to serve in the military. Corpsman. It's all I knew, you know? And I absolutely loved it. And I was like, man, I have the potential to do this, right? I did it for five years, and I did really well at it. I'm like, never thought I would do this. And so I was like, okay, you know, I'm gonna do it. But then I got told no to every medical school or PA school or MP school, even though I had all the credentials to do it. And so that is, like, a part of me that I don't want anymore because it's kind of a touchy subject because it's something that I love, but I also hated. And so it's kind of almost like a jealousy thing. I would say that, you know, she got. She. She got it right? And it's a part of it and part of me that I never got to do. And then as far as Ryan, it's also kind of the same thing. I. That's when I. It was a CIF game in the state. It was the last game of the season. We were this little, no, no good dirt, like, dirty city in the middle of California desert and, you know, a little Catholic school. We should have. By all means. We shouldn't have been there. We shouldn't have taken out teams from West Hollywood and Brentford and Sacramento and San Francisco. But we were a dream team, and we just kept on plowing through everybody, and we got to the final game, and we were playing this little, this other West Hollywood team. And all I remember is, I know that we lost, but I remember it was the first inning, first ring of the bat, and then I woke up in the hospital and we lost the game, surprisingly. 18, I think it was. I think it was 18 to 10. So we put up a good fight. Right? But I, But I was their star first baseman. I had, I had ucla, University of Minnesota, when they still had a baseball team. I had the Cleveland Indians and. Or now the Guardians, and I had the Chicago Cubs because I had. I had a friend who made it pro and was playing for the Nationals, but he came up through the Indians farm. And then my cousin, he played a season for the Cubs, so I was the next one coming up. They're like, hey, this little town is producing baseball players. And so they were really recruiting heavily out of it. And I was, I was set to go. And then it all ended when I got my first TBI from that and couldn't play baseball anymore because that's now why I have to wear glasses, because it screwed up my vision and like, it derailed everything my, my entire golden platter had handed to me. Right. So it's kind of jealousy. So, like, those two, I would just be like, I, I. It's not a part of me that I want to go back to, you know?
- [41:17]
A
So a car crash changed your path.
- [41:19]
B
Yeah.
- [41:20]
A
A TBI changes your path again.
- [41:23]
B
Yeah.
- [41:23]
A
Don't go outside, Scott. Stay home. We need, we need you just keep going on this path you're on because you're really happy right now. Yeah, I would just be careful. There's something, there's something around you. I don't know what this is.
- [41:37]
B
Yeah. You know, and it was actually an injury being outside that led me to writing books. So, you know.
- [41:43]
A
Right. Okay. All right. For the reader, Scott, they're gonna buy a copy of your book. They're gonna be first time readers. They got a copy in their hands. They're gonna open it for the first time. If you could kind of burst into the room and go, wait a minute, before you read this, you gotta know this. What is it that we need to know? What's your love letter to me as a reader before I read one single word of this book? What do I need to know before I start this, this journey with you?
- [42:14]
B
Be ready for take. Okay. Take it slow and steady because that is how this book is. It is definitely not a book that at. We'll just say like was so for, like, the George R.R. martin fans and The Sanderson fans. This isn't gonna go jumping right into things. This isn't me talking. I don't want to say that I'm like one of the greats, but. But a lot of people have already said that I have a writing style where C.S. lewis meets talking. So it's very slow. It's very in depth. There's a lot of lore. There's a lot of. I use a lot of more astute language in it. Just know that it is like a tough piece of jerky. You're going to be gnawing on it, but trust. Trust it and get through it, because the. The end game is. Is great and it's. It's gonna twist you. It's gonna twist you very hard. But just like any great epic, you gonna have to get through it. You're gonna have to trudge through it with them.
- [43:30]
A
All right, well, that's going to set up this part here, Scott, because I. I asked you, and you graciously agreed to read to us a little bit from the book. Can you kind of give us a little bit of insight on what we're going to be stepping into as far as the storyline and kind of set it up a little bit for us? And then I'm just going to go sit with the audience and enjoy. I love when an author reads to me from their own book, because those are your words. So hearing them from you, I think is something. I enjoy that even more than a professional, you know, audiobook person. I love hearing the author. So can you set it up a little bit for us so we know what we're going to get into?
- [44:12]
B
Yeah. So our five, they're putting. Wow. Our five, they're being put through a thing called the tests, or it's a trial. And this is towards the end of the test where Hannah and been spending the greater part of four or five days trying to piece together the language that is Lusin. It's the language of the elves. And she at this point hasn't known if her. Her four other friends had passed their test. But she's assuming that they. They have because she is there in the coliseum in front of everybody, and they've had four days of celebrations and. And fighting and all these other things, like you would see like in Rome in the coliseum. Right, okay. But they. They throw this big majestic thing whenever the five come from our world to their world and hope to. You know, it's a hope that the dark. With these five, the dark lord will finally be put to rest and gone for Good. Um, and so she's there in the Coliseum and some things have already happened in the backstory. There's been a change in power and this is again towards the end of the book, but I feel like this kind of shows off the political prowess, the world building, the language building and kind of where this you're you're about to hit the water. Like I said, off the high dive. You're hitting that water and you're sinking. This is where it begins. So we are going to It's a brand new book because I finally got hard hardbacks. So we're in chapter 37. It's called Hannah's Test. She is the last one. There we go. As they approach the Coliseum, look. Lutes strummed and singers melodious voices filled the air celebrating the final day of the test. Stalls lined the streets with their owners selling a variety of wares. Dancers twirled gracefully in the open squares, their colorful garments billowing around them like flower petals in the breeze. Children ran through the crowds, their laughter mingling with the jubilant chatter of the townsfolk. They neared the grand gates of the Coliseum, which stood wide open and welcoming the throngs of people who had come to witness the last test. Before they stepped inside, Andronius gently placed a hand on Hannah's shoulder, causing her to pause. There's something you must know about Ethan, he said, his tone serious, her heart skipping a beat. Hannah's mind raced with worry. Did he die? She asked, her voice trembling, fearing the worst. Dronius chuckled softly, shaking his head. No, dear Hannah, he is very much alive. Would I be escorting you to the Coliseum if he had failed or perished anyway? He took quite the knock on the head last night after he delivered the killing blow to the beast. It dropped its club right on his head and knocked him out cold. He has quite the case of amnesia now, poor lad. That's a shame. He will hate not remembering what he completed, Hannah stated. I know he hasn't let me forget, andronius replied. Lied who? Small chuckled. But it's important that we must that we keep telling him he fulfilled his test. I looked into his mind. There's nothing sense. Well, that part does not matter. But since he has no memory of it, he might need to be reminded he succeeded. Hannah nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation. Well, you can count on me to support him. Andronius smiled warmly at her. I know you will. No, let us make our way to the podium and bring these tests to the their conclusion. I've had about enough of spectacles for one life. They walked through the grand entrance of the Coliseum, the noise of the crowd growing louder as they neared the stairs leading up to the seating area. The atmosphere was energetic. The crowd was reveling in anticip anticipation that this was the day they would start the next chapter of their of their world and hopefully usher in peace by removing the Dark Lord from Kylora. As they approached the podium, Hannah's eyes scanned the faces of the crowds, searching for her friends. She spotted them in the distance, each dressed in fine garments befitting the occasion. Even Ethan, despite the bandage around his head and a slight power to his skin, looks strong and resolute. Jake, Ryan and Emily were there too, their expressions a mixture of a mixture of emotions as they saw Hannah approaching. Hannah kept silent, her heart aching, aching to run to them, to embrace them after so many days apart. Instead, she maintained her composure, her face a mask of calm as she took her place next to Isolde, who was seated among the dignitaries. Isold gave her a reassuring smile, squeezing her hand and gently as she sat down. Hannah's heart was pounding with with the anticipation of this moment. The Coliseum held a held a packed crowd to the brim. The torches that lined the walls flickered about in the breeze as Hannah settled into her seat. She took a deep breath, feeling the enormity of the El language, the history and the legacy she was about to carry forward. The final test awaited her as Kylo watched from their prepared stage. Andronius made his way to the podium below which the finishing acts of the Brorian comedic act were underway. The performers, dressed in loose fitting clothes of flashing colors, executed the final dent steps with a force before bowing deeply to the cheering crowd. Their faces beamed with satisfaction as applause echoed through the grand Coliseum. Andronius joined in, clapping in munition with the masses that filled the arena. He then stepped forward, his presence commanding attention, and spoke, his voice carrying across the vast space. Thank you, thank you performers. Your retelling of the battle of the bouncing beards is always a pleasure. He said with a warm smile, bowing in gratitude to the departing performers. He paused momentarily, allowing the echoes of the crowds cheers and clapping to fade as the performers elegantly exited the Coliseum floor. Raising his hands, he addressed the audience once more. Tis a beautiful morning here in Valoria. The calm after the storm. Though the air remains foggy as the darkness retreats from our land, it leaves behind the promise of new growth and prosperity. With every inch the fog retreats, it brings forth new opportunities for life to flourish. He paused Again, his gaze sweeping over the sea of faces before him. Like today. He exclaimed, his voice filled with conviction. Over the past five days, four of our champions have proved themselves in various tasks set forth by me and the High Mage Council. And now our last test remains. Hanno will complete our trials, setting loose the prophecy that has long been foretold, that five would be delivered from another world and deliver us from evil. This marks the beginning of our hopeful last stand against the Dark World Mur. Our chance to sever the head of the beast that is Cars and of. And to bring a new light to the land of Kylora, ringing in a lasting peace for all. Andronius paused, his thoughts briefly returning to his conversation with Hannah that morning. The weight of the responsibility she carried was not lost on him. He scanned the crowd, lowering his hands to his side, his gaze intense and thoughtful as he scratched his scruffy beard. Pondering his next words, he raised his arm and pointed toward the people gathered before him. Five thousand years, he began, his voice resonating with a deep, solemn tone. For 5,000 years, our people have endured the shadow, shadow of Myriad's tyranny. We have seen our lands ravaged, our loved ones taken, and our spirits tested. But we have also seen the resilience of our people, the unbreakable will to. To survive, to fight, and to reclaim what is ours. Today, as we stand on the precipice of a new era, we must remember that war, the never desirable, has its place in the great wheel of peace. It is the crucible through which our freedom must be forged. The crowd listened intently, the gravity of his words sinking. War is a terrible price to pay, and it leaves scars that last lifetimes. But there are times when it is the only path to liberation, the only way to rid our world of the darkness that seeks to consume it. Myriethiel's reign of terror must end, and it falls to us, to our champions, to ensure that his evil is vanquished. Once in trawl, Andronius let his words hang in the air for only a moment. This is our time, he continued, his voice growing stronger, more impassioned. Our time to rise, to take back what has been stolen from us, to light the way for future generations who will know peace of the sacrifices we make today. Let it be known that we did not seek this war, but we will see it through to its end. And when the dust settles, when the lives of the slain have been numbered, when their loved ones have laid them to rest and they're grieved, their loss and when the cities have been rebuilt from the rubble of this great terror, we will stand together, united in victory, as the dawn of a new age rises over Kylo. The crowd erupted into cheers, their voices a powerful chorus of hope. Andronius stood tall at the podium, his heart filled with the with both the burden of of leadership and the fierce pride of a people ready to reclaim their lands. Andronius then gestured for Hannah to approach. She rose gracefully, pacing her way toward the stand where she where she would share the stage with him, if only for a moment. As she stood beside him, the contrast between them was striking. Andronius, a towering figure of power and authority, and Hannah a beacon of grace and hope. He wrapped an arm around her in a warm embrace, kissing the top of her head, and then raised his arm to speak again. Hannah, he began, his voice resonating with pride. The very picture of beauty and elegance, she stands as a beacon that bridges the gap between Elves and the other races of Kylonara. Over the past few days she has lived among them in the ever beautiful Elven embassy. She has painstakingly studied, word upon word, their language. And now she will recite it and close these ceremonies, mending the tears of her societal differences, showing that we can unite once more. The crowd erupted once more in applause and cheers. Andronius leaned down to whisper in Hannah's ear. I believe in you, Hannah. This is your time to shine. He patted her on the back before stepping away, receding to the crowd to take his seat next to Isold. Hannah took a deep breath and shuffled fully behind the podium. The crowd fell silent, eager to hear her speak. Her mind flashed back to the first book she had opened, the one that introduced her to Luthalin with Isolde's help, and then to the morning's feast prepared in her honor by the elves. She pulled a small piece of parchment from her pocket, its surface inscribed with the delicate script of Luthalin. Placing it on the podium, she began first in a common tongue, Great people of Kylanara, I come to fulfill my promise to you by speaking the language of the elves. First I want to thank Isolde and my teachers at the at the Terethrion of Andre for they for the many painstaking hours they spent with me as I fumbled, eviscerated, and made a mockery of their language. I'm no showman like Andronius or the others who have taken this stage, but I wanted to thank you for all for being here and now believing in my friends and me as we strive to better your world. Now let me begin with what you all have been waiting for. She paused, looking down at her parchment, then recited in elvish Erythria, Eldoria, Aldamir, Ghraldor, Vallourev, velrillin, verethryon, eoth, etherion, Kylnara, Ilar eth valthar varith aranine, Nith, Muriathiel, Ethanchali, ilar varenneth d'. Thrion. From beyond the Coliseum, a sudden clamor of terrified screams could be heard. The once unified crowd quickly became a sea of worry, heads turning toward the source of commotion. The tension was unequivocal and an easy murmur spreading through the stands. Andronius rushed to the podium, his voice booming as he called for silence. But as the crowd calmed, his eyes widened in horror. Rising in the sky were fireballs arching ominously toward the city. Trebuchet. Andronius shouted, the words hanging in the air like a death knell. He paused, catching his breath before yelling, man the battle stations to the grand barracks. Every man, woman and child able to fight, head to the barracks to take up arms. All those who cannot fight, take shelter where you can. Horns began bellowing from the ditch. From the depths of the city, a dire warning of the attack, though its origin was still unknown. The crowd, one celebratory now, descended into chaos, a frantic scramble occurring as people tried to flee or arm themselves in defense of Valoria. Andronius rushed back to where Ethan, Emily, Jake, and Ryan sat, sheltering Hannah with his body, and shepherded them toward cover as they ran. A whooshing sound suddenly filled the air, followed by a dark cloud wrapped overtaking the sky. The fluttering mass resembled birds, but the terror in the crowd revealed the truth. A midnight volley is upon us. The screens of fear turned to cries of pain as the rain of obsidian tipped arrows and shards of wood fell, striking down many where they stood with urgency. Andronius shouted, hit the floor. Crawl. Crawl. Into the depths of the Coliseum. They dropped to the ground, crawling over the bodies of those who had fallen, the blood soaked floor floor slicked beneath them from the many people not as fortunate as they. The cries of the injured and dying mixed with the relentless thudding of the trebuchet fire pots as they pounded the city. Jake and Ryan struggled to drag Ethan, who was still dazed and weakened from the events of the previous day, barely comprehended the siege around him they were they reached a covered area below the stands of the Coliseum, safe for a moment from the volleys of arrows, the sounds of battle outside. Outside, it still reached them. The pounding of fire pots. The cling of metal as soldiers soldiers took up arms. The distant roars of the enemy. Terror. Terror paid Vasilios's face as the call as the coliseum's caretaker huddled in the nearby corner. He was a small, unassuming man dressed in quaint, worn clothing that spoke of a simple life. His eyes were wide with fear. His hands, trembling, trembled as he crouched low, a pool of urine beneath him. Catching a sight of him, Andronius yelled, get yourself together, Vesilius. We are under attack. Whimpering, Vesilius cried, I cannot fight, Andronius. I am too old for this. I have seen my fair share of war. All my sons have been lost to these battles. Andronius scoffed in frustration, but before he could respond, Mithrolon and Laurenthas tumbled downstairs, narrowly escaping another volley of arrows. In their haste, they collided with Emily, sending her sprawling. Emily cried out in pain as her face slammed into the stone floor. My apologies, my lady, mithran said. Quit quickly, helping her to her feet as blood gushed out of her nose. Lauren Thass's eyes remained fixed on them, making sure the girl was all right before he walked over to the stairs to observe and assess the situation. Fire pots continued to rain down in tandem with the midnight volleys. Andronius, his voice thick with urgency, asked, do we know who mounted the attack? The questions from the group came in rapid succession, each more frank than the last. What is going on? Ethan demanded, his confusion evident. Who would do this? Jake added, his voice tinged with disbelief. But I didn't finish, hannah said, her voice small, more concerned about her interrupted recitation than the surrounding chaos. Emily, more practical, shot back, that isn't important right now, Hannah. Andronius, what do we do? Jake remembered that Alara was caught up somewhere in all of this. I must find Alara because she needs me. I mean us. We can't leave her behind. Emily fired back at Jake, her tone sharp. She'll be fine, Jake. Right now, we are more important now. Let Andronius speak. Feeling a fire burning his heart, Jane turned his unease on Emily. No. You don't know if she'll be all right. Andronius. Can we get her? Can I get her? Need to make sure she's alive and at least protected. Echoing Jake's sentiment, Ryan said, yes, we should go find her. Silence. Andronius bellowed, his frustration bowling over. This is no time to squabble. There are more pressing issues. I'm trying to think. He looked around desperately, his mind racing, and he counted the group over and over in his mind in quick succession, before realizing that some. Someone was missing and started crying out, isolt. Isolt. Where are you, my dear? Lorn Thoth. One of the elves approached him carefully, his arms stretched outward, his hand landing on his shoulder, his voice heavy with sorrow. She did not survive, Andronius. The volley was too much. I saw it with my own eyes. The world seemed to collapse around Andronius as he processed Lauren Thassa's words. His heart felt as if it were being torn from his chest, and a well of pure agony escaped his lips, a sound so raw and powerful that it sent shivers down the spines of those around him. His grief quickly turned to rage as he fell to his knees. The ground beneath them trembled as his power surged, the air around him darkening as his anger took hold. That is enough. He roared, his voice filled with fury. We must win this battle against Myriathiel. He has already taken too much much from me. My brother and sisters, my son, my friends. And now he steals the love I will never find again. Breathing heavily, Andronius turned his gaze to Vesilius, who was still cowering on the ground. Without warning, he charged at the Caretaker, grabbing him by the hair and slamming him against the stone wall. Do the tunnels still exist? He demanded, his voice a dangerous whisper. Ow. Let me go. Vasilios whimpered, tears running down his face, but Andronius was relentless, slamming the man's head against the wall. Vasilius, do the tunnels do exist? He screamed, his face mere inches from the Caretakers. Yes. Yes, they exist. Vasilius cried out, his voice trembling with fear, and Jonius released him, casting him to the ground, where the Caretaker curled into the fetal position. Turning his burning gaze to the two elven guards, he commanded them, you will take them to the woods. Do you hear me? Mithril on stepped forward, his expression grave. That road is forbidden and for humans to use. Andronius turned to him, his eyes blazing. I know. But the tidal path is likely blocked by this unseen army. This has to be the work of Muriel and Angeli. If we go that way, our escape will certainly result in death. And who knows what lies to the south and west? The Kitspak and the Futza Mountains are too small, are too tall for us to escape to. And who knows what may be lying between them and Willowdell and Ellison? Hesitation laced his words. Lowenthos began. But if King Ethermeris finds out we are taking that forbidden path, he will surely have all of us killed. Do not fight me now on this. Andronius snapped his patience worn thin. Once he hears of the desecration of Valoria, he will have no other choice. Have him send aid to the town of Fernwick and Thaldrum, where I will send our people if Valoria falls. Now, run. Run like you've never run before. Your lives depend on it. Mithrilon and Loranthas began arming everyone from the weapons left behind in the rush to escape the coliseum walls, shoving swords and seals into the hands of all except Basilius, who remained huddled in the corner. Ethan, still trying to make sense of the chaos, called out, but what about you, Andronius? Will you not come already? Turning away and leaving, Andronius replied, I will find you at Fernwick in seven days time. If you are not there, I will come to Eldrath and petition King Ithiumeris to find you. All my place is here with the people of Valoria and those who are its guests. I am now the leader of the Republic and I must stand firm with our people in its time of trial. The prophecy has now indeed been unleashed. Lorinthos, whose voice lazed with concern, asked, and if we are to be executed? As Andronius slipped into the shadows, he answered coldly, use the girl. The old mage's last words puzzled everyone. What girl? In that confusion they all exchanged uneasy glances, examining the man still cowering and whimpering on the floor. Lorn thos kicked Vasilios, demanding, where is the tunnel, coward? Basilios, his face pale with terror, pointed weakly behind me. On the other side of the wall, find the phoenix and pull the fifth tail feather from the right. It will give way and open a passage. Hurry. Mithron shouted, grabbing a torch and leading the way around the corner, the others following closely behind. Mithilon ran his his torch along the wall, revealing the intricate golden carvings of animals, stags, bears, fish, birds and more. His his eyes locked onto the phoenix with ruby eyes, standing out against the others. Handing the torch to Ryan, who struggled to support Ethan, Mithron counted in Luthalin end ter thier far ve. He glanced at Lauren, took a deep breath and pulled on the tail feather. Gears groaned as they started turning and the wall slowly gave way, revealing a narrow passage in the floor. One by one they slipped through, descending into the dark, dank and foul smelling tunnels beneath the city.
- [66:17]
A
Scott, I love it. There's so much there. I feel like I was like right in step with your characters. I feel like I'm in the story and you have. There's. Okay, what kind of languages is this? Like there's so many interesting words I've created.
- [66:34]
B
So this one, Luthalin was my, my initial language. And when I got to visit Iceland for a little bit, I really loved the Old Norse language that they have because it's, you know, it's one of, one of their own, their own languages. But also having traveled a lot to Canada and in the US I've met a lot of Inuits or like first nations, and, and even for the U.S. and so I, I kind of took their language and Icelandic and smushed it together. And that's what Luthan is, it's an amalgamation of those two.
- [67:13]
A
We have listeners in Iceland that are going to be listening to this going, that sounds familiar, familiar to me. Like there's something about this book.
- [67:20]
B
So, yeah, I've created Nunti Claren, which is a, it's a sub language of, of Luthalin. So there's different groups of elves and the only one other one that will really meet in my books is the more the Mor elves. And so their language is loosely based off of Gaelic and Luthalin. So you kind of get that flow flare. And then I have Freyrish, which is the language of the fairies, which comes into book three. And then you'll, you'll get introduced in book two to Katzogul, which is the language of Karzanov, which is more kind of just something that in the process of all this, I've just created, created it. It's a more guttural, you're going to kind of more feel like a Russian or an Eastern European language.
- [68:15]
A
Yeah, it's amazing, Scott. Like, I'm really excited for you to get these books out there and the fact that you got two more different stages right now coming. Do you, do you see how many books total are going to be in this series?
- [68:29]
B
You have an idea between six and eight. Yeah. So I, Wow.
- [68:36]
A
Okay.
- [68:36]
B
I know eventually I'm going to have to let the baby go, let it off into the world. But there are a lot of character art arcs that I need to close, a lot of plot holes that I need to close. And the amount of battles that are going to happen in each one of these subsequent books are going to take a lot. Like in book, in book two, I have like a 40 page battle scene. Like it's, wow, they're, they're pretty hefty chapters when it comes to battle because I, I, I write it say from like the ass, like the, the, the someone is looking over it with a drone and following all the pieces. So.
- [69:25]
A
Right.
- [69:26]
B
I, I'm guessing it's going to probably push six to eight books. There's, there's a whole lot of things that need to happen. A lot of death, unfortunately, and a lot of life lesson lessons that need to be, to be learned by everybody. And all of that.
- [69:46]
A
It's amazing. Okay, Scott, so for people who want to come follow your journey, get more information about the books and just keep in touch with you as you continue to.
- [69:57]
B
I've been growing pretty, pretty fast on Facebook. We're nearing a thousand followers over there. So it's, it's, it's kind of taken off like a wildfire. So go, if you go to Facebook and just look up Scott Hatfield, the author, you'll find, you know, the book cover with me and basically in the same, at the same get up. So just find that. And it's going to have everything. It's going to have war drops from throughout the store free. It's going to have character art. It's going to have bits and pieces from the Eurovanion. It's that big document for 10,000 years. You're going to kind of see more behind the scenes. We just did, did a giveaway for my 500 followers and if we, if we can get up to a thousand, I'm going to be doing another giveaway if we can get to a thousand before December, end of December. So Facebook is definitely where it is. I would go there. I'm very engaging. I'm engaging over there. I ask a lot of questions for people. Not just book content, but it's just me trying to engage with the community and show that, you know, I'm more than just this, this person behind a screen and a set of words. But I do have, you know, I do have TikTok, I do have Instagram. I do have basically everything, everything is the same. It's Scott Hatfield, the author, but definitely go over to Facebook and join that community.
- [71:28]
A
So there's many opportunities to have you back in the future as you continue to write, which I'm excited about because I love to have you back. And again, as we go into November and Veterans Day and Remembrance Day, again, just. Thank you, Scott. It's one thing to go out and serve your country and to put your life on the line. It's another thing to care for the people who do that. So there's, there's something special about you and, and I'm just, I'm very grateful that I have time with you to have you on the show.
- [71:58]
B
So awesome. And thank you for having me. And anytime, just message me And I'll come back.
- [72:03]
A
Excellent, everyone. All information, as always, in the show notes for Scott. We'll give you the link to Facebook and everything go and. And definitely check it out and be part of the community. Let's. That's. Let's surpass that thousand for the Facebook group, like in weeks. Come on, everyone. You can do this. Scott, thank you so much for being on the show.
- [72:20]
B
Thank you. Thank you. Have a great one.
- [72:25]
A
Hey, thank you so much again for pressing play. As you've heard, great guests on the show, and one thing you didn't hear in this conversation is what? What did you not hear? Think about it for a second.
- [72:36]
B
Did you not?
- [72:37]
A
That's right. Not a single solitary commercial for a mattress or a supplement or whatever you call it. No. Why? Because we don't want to break up the conversation with commercials. So the fact that you're still here means that you are a fan of the show, I'm assuming. So if you want to help to keep the podcast going and to make me feel really happy, all I really care about is coffee. Okay. I just got to be honest. I love coffee. I'm drinking one right now. Starting to get cold. I need. I need to warm it up. Helping us with our Buy me a coffee link over at Living the next chapter.com and also in the show notes helps kind of keep the lights on around here. Remember, I'm doing this for free. I. I'm paying for everything, so I would love to have a little coffee donation. You know, even five bucks kind of fills up my cup. And I would love to enjoy a coffee from you. So if you're interested, again, thank you for listening, but you can use our buy me a coffee link and fill up the cup. Thanks for being here.