Scott Reintgen was on campus Monday to talk to Christ School students about his debut novel, Nyxia
Passion at the Heart of Visiting Author's Work
Reintgen encourages Christ School students to chase their passion
Scott Reintgen can hold the finished product in his hands now. His debut novel, Nyxia, is available for the rest of the world's consumption and gaining traction with positive reviews from New York Times bestselling authors.
Reintgen was not on campus Monday to gloat. Rather, the former North Carolina teacher spoke to Christ School students about the importance of passion in their lives.
"Once you find that thing you love, chase after it," Reintgen told the boys. "My heart beats faster when I write. Put in the work, work harder than everyone else. Passion is accepting the challenge. Life will not always go perfectly. If you love something, (discouraging) people will sometimes get in the way. Passion is best enjoyed with other people. Find someone to enjoy it with."
Nyxia is the first in a three-book series called the Nyxia Triad.
The central character, Emmett Atwater, is from Detroit. He is one of 10 teenagers who are offered millions of dollars to go into outer space by the Babel Corporation. Once there, recruits must earn the right to travel down to the planet of Eden. The planet contains the substance Nyxia, which is valued for its ability to manipulate thought. Emmett's conflict is deciding how much of his humanity to give up to achieve the riches promised by Babel.
"Early readers have been loving it. What's exciting is that I really like book two even more," Reintgen told the Greenies. "I was a teacher until three years ago. Now this book is going out all over America. What you don't see is that I did 15 revisions. I had two books that I tried to get published before this, and I failed. Passion is all of the things that come before your slam dunk moment."
Reintgen is a University of North Carolina graduate who grew up in the Raleigh area. He started writing Nyxia in March 2014, and only needed two months to finish the book. But after that, it was a two and a half year slog to get the Nyxia published by Penguin Random House. Reintgen said another life-changing moment was the recent birth of his son, Harry.
Nyxia may be purchased through all major national retailers. More information on Reintgen is available through his website.
