New Books, Bonus Extras, and Buzz!

---

 “I developed a story around the conflict between freedom and safety… Think about how ironic it is that our forefathers gave their lives to establish freedoms that we give up in a heartbeat to protect our lives.”

It’s been 8—yes, 8—years in the “pollinating” and making, but Cullen Scott finally has his debut novel in flight. We asked Cullen to give us a little insight into the story of STUNG and his writing process, which we’ve squeezed into 10 (always 10!) Q&As.

1. You're a businessman, an engineer… so what made you decide to write a novel?

I have always enjoyed writing. In business, I’ve spent most of my career running “bleeding edge” technologies, where we sold dreams and did our best to deliver. This involved writing a lot of creative stories, stories about the next generations of different technologies. But the writing I liked best was the little stories I would put together with my youngest son. Between the ages of 5 and 8, he would sit down with me and start writing. His ideas were all over the place, but he had a definite story he wanted to tell and he always enlisted my help to get his very important work down on paper. I remember thinking someday I would like to capture my son’s enjoyment of telling a story and write something that had nothing to do with work.

2. What were your motivations for writing STUNG? How did the ideas begin to coalesce for you?

I read books continuously and especially enjoy fiction. And while I get pulled in by the many worlds that authors create, I get a little tired of the fantasy involved. Over time, the idea took hold that it would be great to build a story around a world that was completely achievable (good or bad) with today’s and up & coming technologies. In essence, I wanted to create a scary, somewhat mind-blowing world that was believable. 

3. I've found that writers are all really quite different from each other. Give us an idea about your writing process. For example, did you plan out the story from start to finish or did you let it grow more organically?

When I started, I was determined to be very disciplined, and I outlined the entire story. Ironically, throughout my entire life, including school, I refused to outline anything! Much to my teachers’ ire, I simply began writing and did my best to organize my thoughts as the story progressed. Now, did I follow the outline? Not even close! I always wandered off, causing continuous overhauls of the outlines until they were unrecognizable and impossible to follow.

4. There is a lot of story in STUNG, but at the same time the charactersare very strong. So would you say that STUNG is more plot driven or more character driven?

It was definitely plot driven. I drew on my experiences with high tech to put together a world with definite rules that governed living. For example, if your intended harm resulted in death, you were killed. If you weren’t programmed by age 16, you couldn’t enter a grocery store or get a job. In shaping this world, it became obvious that a lot of freedom would need to be sacrificed to create this “new and improved” safer world. So I developed a story around this conflict between freedom and safety—which is extremely relevant considering all societies continuously struggle with trying to get the right balance between these two opposing forces. Think about how ironic it is that our forefathers gave their lives to establish freedoms that we give up in a heartbeat to protect our lives. For example, a few terrorist events led to us practically being strip-searched at airports. Anyway, the characters finally evolved to support the story. But, once I started putting the characters in place, I was completely enraptured by them! Which is why I completely overhauled the story numerous times to fit the personalities and behavior of these characters—the story had to be reshaped to fit the characters, rather than the other way around.

5. Talon and Sofia are your main characters in STUNG. Did they form as characters very quickly, or did they change much during the writing process?

Sofia, my favorite character, clicked immediately! She was a combination of my wife’s near-perfect family upbringing with my not-so-perfect upbringing, where I tended to rebel against the world… or anything that moved! Talon… He was a lot more difficult. His analytical background came from my youngest son, while his need to do right by others came from my oldest. But perhaps like all children growing up, it took a while for him to realize what was important to him and it took me a bit of time to flesh that out as well.

6. When do you usually write? Do you set aside blocks of time or do you prefer to sit down when the mood takes you?

I started writing this book 7 or 8 years ago when I had quite the busy schedule. Very little got done. Then as my life became more manageable and the book neared the end, my wife started insisting I focus on it and get it done. The couple of years the writing time ramped up, with the last few months becoming an obsession. We didn’t travel and barely socialized. We would agree that an evening would be dedicated to writing, and I would go at it until two in the morning. Regardless of whether I couldn’t even get out a page or I could write twenty, the evening had been sacrificed, so my wife saw to it that I gave it my best.

7. How much did you find the story and the characters occupying your mind during your day job?!

Needing to block out work when I came home to my family taught me to compartmentalize well, so I almost never thought about my book when I wasn’t writing. Unfortunately, this made it hard to get going every time I returned to my book! It could take a while to get my mind wrapped back around this world I was trying to create.

8. You've already mentioned book 2 on your website, and not to give anything away here for STUNG, but what might be in store in book 2? Give us, if you can, some ideas in general terms.

It could be anywhere from 1 to 3 years before it sees the light—I know now that writing a book is a major commitment! While I dabble with ideas now and then, I haven’t pulled the trigger. My wife and I have to be ready to give up some of our free-flowing lifestyle to make this happen. So, stay tuned.

9. Can you sum up STUNG in three words?

The wrong direction.

10. What do you hope readers might take away from their reading experience of STUNG?

I’d like to think the book could serve as a warning against the hate and intolerance that seems rampant in our world, with the story pointing to what it might cost us if we can’t find common ground (both nationally and internationally; book 2 or 3 would bring more focus to the international ramifications, with book 1 being more US-centric). And with the story pointing out what can happen right if we fight for it. Most importantly though, I hope it’s a fun read.

Thanks, Cullen. Readers can find out more about STUNG and some tidbits about those ideas mentioned above at CullenScottBooks.com.

“It's rare to see techno-thriller writing that can appeal broadly from young adult into adult audiences but STUNG is such an offering.”

– D. Donovan, senior reviewer, Midwest Book Review

“Tough but subtle prose ably conveys quiet, intense psychological conflict.”

– Kirkus Reviews

STUNG can be found in e-book and paperback at digital booksellers worldwide, including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, Apple, and Kobo.

Check back here soon for more STUNG stuff!

Our first publication of 2024 is out on Wednesday, February 7th!

To change the world, first they have to find each other...

Debut author Cullen Scott brings us an exciting near-future sci-fi adventure thriller that Kirkus Reviews agrees is "an absorbing story."

When Talon and Sofia, two teens on the cusp of adulthood, find their neuro-activated CHiPs fail, their lives are irrevocably changed. Government sanctions mean they must be... re-assigned.

This exhilarating techno-thriller posits today’s question of whether security or freedom is more important to society and how the next generation either bends to society’s will or fights to sow the seeds of change.

Suitable for young adults (16+ years) and adults who enjoy stories of enduring friendship and loyalty at their heart.

“Scott’s labyrinthine SF yarn effectively magnifies paranoia about a total surveillance state as well as the universal experience of frustration at inscrutable digital devices that unaccountably stop working.” – Kirkus Reviews

“A really interesting concept... The characters work really well and the concept is terrifying!”

– 5-star NetGalley review 

“I found certain elements of this book quite unsettling!”

– 5-star NetGalley review 

“As confrontations, new revelations, and struggles emerge, the story of a kill-chip's influence and resistance moves between a disparate group of characters, from Talon and Sophia to Shadow, Drake, and General Stafford.”

– D. Donovan, senior reviewer, Midwest Book Review

On sale in e-book ($4.99) and paperback ($15.99) across all main digital booksellers Feb 7.

books2read.com/STUNG

OR find the novel as a 4-part novella series exclusively on Kindle and Kindle Unlimited

 "Notification Alert: Your neuro-activated chip is encoded and set. Terms of your expiry apply."

To  prevent the world from descending into the chaos of terrorism,  scientists and governments have devised a foolproof deterrent: if you  cause a death, you too will die when your NAC, your neuro-activated  chip, bursts inside your skull. Quick, painless, and simple—it works.  Every time. No one now dares risk taking a life. The politicians say  they have saved the world, creating a perfect global society where  everyone can feel safe and secure.

Unless, that is, you’re deemed a threat to this perfect order. For some, the problem with a brave new world is living in it...

Find the series as 4 serialized novellas exclusively on Kindle and

FREE on Kindle Unlimited.

(Each entry should be read in order).

Book 1 – The Savior (out NOW)
Book 2 – The Warden’s World (11.13.23)
Book 3 – Sofia’s Choice (11.20.23)
Book 4 – Talon’s Sacrifice (11.27.23) 

 "Notification Alert: Your neuro-activated chip is encoded and set. Terms of your expiry apply."

The DEEP STING series, a sci-fi thriller-adventure set in the near future, posits today’s question of whether security or freedom is more  important to society and how the next generation either bends to  society’s will or fights to sow the seeds of change. Suitable for young  adults (16+ years) and adults who enjoy stories of enduring friendship  and loyalty at their heart.

These 4 exciting novellas are on a rapid-release schedule throughout November.  Book 1 - The Savior drops Monday 6th.

Find the series as 4 serialized novellas exclusively on Kindle and

FREE on Kindle Unlimited.

(Each entry should be read in order).

Book 1 – The Savior (out NOW)
Book 2 – The Warden’s World (11.13.23)
Book 3 – Sofia’s Choice (11.20.23)
Book 4 – Talon’s Sacrifice (11.27.23) 

Would you surrender your soul to the dragon to stop the next murder…?

Women are dying in Baltimore, but Detectives Mankiller and Ruiz’s only lead is a washed-up ex-boxer rambling incoherently about a dragon. 

- OUT NOW -

“Builds to a riveting final act and a worthy payoff” — Kirkus Reviews

For 80 years they've asked, "Who Killed Rosemary Bud?"

In the last entry in this cozy mystery & romance series, Monica Wade takes on a case of ghastly and ghostly complexity!

-  OUT NOW - 

“Brings the series to a riveting close.”

"Mistakes are the price of an interesting life"

Sophia Loren  

 Walking a thin line between secrecy and discovery, all  roads lead to Rome, via London, Paris, Monte Carlo, and Cannes for Miri, her friends and enemies, and a Fiat 500.
 

Collects The Seductive Escort Series trilogy in one e-book and paperback. 

Snuggle in for 8 moving Christmas literary experiences!

Take  a trickle of fun, add drops of delight, and mix in a dash of  bittersweet, sprinkled liberally with hope, and enjoy this collection of  enchanting stories of Christmas times spent in the most unexpected of  ways. 

The holiday season comes just once a year..Time to get in the festive season mood!.

"The perfect gift for every stocking on your mantle."

5 stars on Goodreads

Our 2023 Christmas release joins our brand new Tinsel & Twists holiday series.

- OUT NOW -

Grab your copy in e-book or paperback.