On Thursday, September 27, Young Adult science fiction author Scott Reignten visited Heritage High School to speak with hundreds of students, including the Book Club, the Creative Writing Club, and the freshmen and sophomore classes. The Book Club is currently reading the first novel in a two-part series, entitled “Nyxia.” Basically, this book tells the story of teenage protagonist Emmett Atwater who is offered an extraordinary amount of money to participate in a dangerous space program, and it is more than enough to provide for himself and his family for the rest of their lives. Unfortunately, he doesn’t realize how dangerous the excursion is until the contract has already been signed. Aside from this novel, Reignten also has written the sequel, “Nyxia Unleashed,” and he plans to release several more novels in the following years, some of which will even be for a younger, middle-school-aged audience.

During his visit, Reignten spoke about his writing process and what it is like to right full-time, a huge sign of success in an author. For him, he doesn’t plan out every step of the novel; instead, he knows the beginning, middle, and end, but fills in the rest along the way. Dynamic characters are also extremely important. He likes for the readers to see themselves in his novels, which is why he explains, “You almost want your characters to cast shadows.” Scott Reignten’s push for representation shows through his work, and whatever your backstory is, you’ll recognize yourself in the pages of his books.