It’s Tiki Time With Author SCOTT BURY + FREE BOOK GIVEAWAY!!
Aloha Gang, the amazing Scott Bury has a new book out on November 24 – available now for preorder on Amazon – but did I ask him some intelligent questions about it? Heck, no. I asked him Five Stupid Questions and he was silly enough, er, I mean, kind enough to answer them!
His new book, Echoes: A Hawaiian Storm Mystery, is wonderful! It is FBI Special Agent Vanessa Storm’s last case and I am giving away a free copy to one lucky winner so please comment on this post to enter the draw for the giveaway.
Purchase Link: https://tinyurl.com/2nvutvew
In the meantime, ponder some of his thoughtful answers here!
- Hi Scott! What’s your favourite cocktail? I’ll have the cabana boys whip one up for you while I ask you some stupid, I mean important questions. First of all, though, I’d like to ask how you are doing. As the guys whip up a drink for you could you please tell us what’s been going on?
Gin and tonic. Good gin. With ice. Stir it, shake it, I don’t care.
So, what’s going on? Well, I just had a hernia repair operation. It went well, but everything is still tender, so experimenting with any of the positions mentioned in your books is out for the time being.
What else? For the past year and a half, most of my writing time has been taken up with my podcast, Beyond Barbarossa—the first English-language podcast in the world that focuses on the Eastern Front of World War II.
However, I have just finished the fourth installment of my Hawaiian Storm mystery series. It’s now with the editor. Next, I’m doing a clean-up of my first novel, The Bones of the Earth, whose editor, it turns out, missed a lot. I’m also commissioning a new cover.
Whew. All that made me thirsty. Where’s that G&T?
2. Yum! Who do you know that is most likely to have been abducted by aliens?
I think my brother, Brent. He really has his own perspective, and isn’t hesitant to tell anyone about it.
3. If you could go back in time and be anybody in history, who would it be?
I don’t want to go too far back in history. Not before antibiotics, certainly. So I guess, Umberto Eco: respected author who lived in Italy and got to be a university professor in a field he invented. Italian food and wine every day!
4. Oooh, I loved his book The Name of the Rose. But I digress. You’re stuck on a deserted island after a three-hour tour which goes awry. Name six people alive or dead you’d enjoy being marooned with – and what would be your fantasy castaway meal?
Six people, living or dead: my wife, Roxanne; Gordon Lightfoot; Denis Diderot (the French compiler of the first encyclopedia); Sophia Loren; Boudicca; and Nelson Mandela.
The meal would have to be varied to accommodate this broad range. So I’d start with fresh fish roasted on an open fire on the beach, with local vegetables as sides. Also, pepper steak (love a pepper steak), roasted shrimp, wine, and for dessert, walnut torte (Roxanne makes an awesome walnut torte) and espresso.
5. I want to be marooned with you! Last question. If you were all stuck for some time, which of your guests would you all eat first?
Boudicca. She’d be the most dangerous.
Scott Bury: Everyone who knew me as a child has pointed out that I “always had my nose in a book.”
Writing style has always been important to my taste. I liked writers who could describe a setting, situation or emotion in visceral ways. Also, writers who had unique ideas.
I’ve also always been a writer, myself. My favourite class in grade and middle school was Composition, where I could write stories. My high school yearbook published three of my stories.
After university, I became an editor and journalist, a career I pursued for over 20 years. Being an editor of books and magazines taught me how to lay out these products, and also the value of spare and tight writing.
I always loved stories about dragons. My Father’s Dragon was one of the first books I remember reading, and I loved The Hobbit. When my sons were children, I wanted to get them some good dragon stories, but I was unhappy with most of such books on the shelves at the time. All the dragons were way to friendly, tame mounts for humans. I thought, no, dragons represent the deepest power of nature. They have no time, nor interest in giving humans rides. So I set out to write a dragon story that fit into that idea, which became The Bones of the Earth.
Since then, I’ve published another 15 titles in a broad range of genres, from fantasy to mystery and biography.
I live in Canada’s capital city, close to nature, with my wife of 41 years, two cats and the least obedient dog in history. My two mighty sons live nearby, thankfully. I have one grandson, who lives in the U.S. with his mother.
I still love to read, and creating stories is one of my favourite things to do. I actually love the process of writing. And once I’ve fully healed, I look forward to getting back to outdoor activity like cycling, skiing and canoeing.
Next book is one my wife really wants me to write, because she says I’m the leading authority: “How to Drive Your Spouse Crazy.” I’m deep into the research now, so I’d love to hear from any readers who have tips of their own on the topic.
Scott Bury’s links:
Echoes: A Hawaiian Storm Mystery Purchase Link: https://tinyurl.com/2nvutvew
Website: https://scottburyauthor.com
Email: contact@writtenword.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/
Twitter: @ScottTheWriter
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/
What a great interview! You are so prolific (and so funny). I hope you heal fast so you can get back to your activities… uh, or any of those in AJ’s books we are too timid to say! And pepper steak is a favorite? Love to hear more about that!
Posted by Elyse Salpeter on November 21st, 2023 at 10:45 amWhat an interesting interview. Scott is gem of a person. We have been working together for the past ten years and I highly value his opinions.
Posted by Samreen on November 21st, 2023 at 11:18 am