We chat with author Scott Reintgen about Devious Prey, which follows a young woman who must survive the deadly mythical creature she smuggled aboard an airship after a crash landing on a deserted island frees it and begins hunting the survivors.
Hi, Scott! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
I’m a former teacher who has become a full-time writer. I’ve published over 15 books that range from middle grade to young adult. I live in North Carolina with my wife and three kids.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
My very first experience with this goes back to elementary school. Our class got to write a story, and then the teacher ‘published’ them. So I had a physical copy of my very first book—The Chronicles of Rascal. It was unlike anything I’d experienced before. Seeing my name on the cover and the spine. I’ll never forget that. Ever since then, I’ve been trying to find ways to get my books on shelves and it’s all worked out kind of nicely.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: I was in love with all things Frog and Toad. I wanted to hang out with those two and be invited into their world. That was the earliest read that I remember. I also remember waiting for the next Goosebumps book to come out. Those were really fun and properly terrifying for a younger reader.
- The one that made you want to become an author: I technically already wanted to be a writer, but A Game of Thrones comes to mind. When I read that book, I was left sort of breathless. The first 6 chapters, especially, are a master class in writing. The tone and the mood and the character building and the plot progression. It’s flawless. I remember reading that and thinking, “Well, I have a lot to learn…” And I took writing much more seriously after that.
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: I suppose I can be a prisoner of the moment: I’m reading Strange Buildings by Uketsu right now. It’s this interesting nonfiction book about strange buildings—and their designs—throughout Japan. The story is very ominous and links the strange designs slowly as you read the book. Kind of a big mystery with darker tones.
Your latest novel, Devious Prey, is out March 31st! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Let’s see who can survive.
What can readers expect?
For my young adult career, I’ve really leaned into what I would call fantasy thriller. My books aren’t going to feel as weighty as your traditional fantasy. They’re really a thriller book with fantasy trappings. So you can expect a bunch of people lost on an island, trying to survive a dangerous dragoness. It leans hard into the fast-paced excitement of a thriller, but with some fantastical pieces to work with for those of us who love magic and all of that.
Where did the inspiration for Devious Prey come from?
I wrote the first version of this book a very long time ago—and it was wildly overcomplicated. I had 8 POV characters and all these wild plots going. Eventually, I figured out that there was one plot—the crew being stranded and hunted by a dangerous creature—that really deserved to be the main story. I cut away all of that extra stuff and kept the good parts.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I rather enjoyed Marken Burke. He’s a prisoner to begin the story. Accused of a terrible crime. And yet—when the ship crashes and they need help, he also happens to be the one with the most power. He has magic that could literally save them all, but his track record makes him less than trustworthy. I think writing a character who is needed but not wanted was interesting.
Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?
The biggest challenge for me, any time you have multiple POV characters, is just making sure they’re equally interesting. I think I accomplished that, but there is a certain art to figuring out what needs to happen and in which POV. You are essentially a director at that point. Choosing where to put the camera and when and for how long. I will say though: Devious Prey was my fastest edit in my career. My editor had just 3 notes for me—and they took roughly 30 minutes to complete. I may never have a book happen that way in the rest of my career.
What’s next for you?
Devious Prey is a standalone, so for me, there’s another standalone coming. The title of that book will be The River Infinite. Opposite of Devious Prey, it was possibly the most challenging book that I’ve ever written. I also have the third book in my Dragonships series coming out in October. The title for that one is The Void Dragons
Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up this year?
I just finished The Will of the Many, which means I’m eager to pick up The Strength of the Few and continue on with that series. And while I’ve already read this one, the special edition of Legendborn looks beautiful. I have to get my hands on that one.
