Sunday, December 1, 2019

Q&A with the author (All 10 chapters)

Q. Where do you get the ideas for your books?

A. There is no one answer to that question, but generally I have an active imagination and ideas come to me fairly easily. I got the idea for Time Capsule several years ago when I planted a tree in my yard and wondered what would happen if I found something buried there. I decided to write a story about that and it eventually became a book.

Because it’s a fiction novel, I had to create all of the people, places, events, dialogue and so on, which was a lot of fun. I’m a former journalist so I used real people, places and events for inspiration but turned it all into a fictional narrative, built around two main characters who are newspaper reporters like I was.

Once I got started with the discovery of the time capsule, I crafted the rest of the story from actual experiences and some that I invented out of my own head.


Q. Tell me about your writing process?

A. It really differs from book to book. In Time Capsule, once I had created Rob and Jennie Covington, I began to visualize them doing and saying things that news reporters would do and say, and then I wrote it all down. To be honest, when I wrote the beginning, I had no idea how it would end or how I would get there, but as I continued to visualize scenes and as I wrote more and more of the story, the ending came to me in time.

You can write whatever comes to mind, just to get it memorialized "on paper," because you'll go back later to edit what you wrote--probably more than once. The first draft can be far from perfect as long as it gets you off and running and begins to tell your story. 

The best part for me was writing all of the dialogue, which I admit sounds a lot like things I might say myself. I think the first words I actually wrote in Time Capsule were, “No stupid, your other left,” a good-natured barb that Jennie threw at Rob when he was planting the tree.

In effect, it was those five words that defined the relationship between these characters for all of Time Capsule and the Covington books that followed. In one of the books, I described their compatibility as "a healthy relationship based on trust, mutual admiration for each other’s talents, common interests, sexual attraction and the ability to take a joke.”


Q. So in Time Capsule you just made up the story as you went along?

A. Yes, exactly. I started out with the basics: “Man plants tree, man finds box, man opens box, there’s a mystery inside.” When I wrote that, it was really all I had. Then, by way of introduction, I went back and told the story of how the main characters met.

Next, I decided that I needed a dead body. I didn’t know who it was or how it fit into the story, but I wrote it as a separate chapter that also set the location for the book. I moved it to Chapter 1. That gave me more ideas, but I still had no idea how the book would end or how I would get there. In fact, I didn’t even know what was in the box. So I wrote a couple of chapters, set it aside for a while and kept thinking about it.

After a while, I got an idea to describe some items in the box and have each of them take the reader off in a secondary direction, so I created three new characters, attached each of them to an item in the time capsule and wrote a back story to go with each character.

Then I realized that aside from solving a mystery, Rob and Jennie would have real jobs, so I wrote about what they do at work. As reporters, they cover events, write stories and interact with other people on the job. I brought in fictionalized versions of actual events that happened to me or people I worked with and added them to the soup.

Eventually, I had five threads running at the same time. I had Rob and Jennie pursuing the mystery of the time capsule, Rob and Jennie going to work at regular jobs and three separate characters with their own stories linked through items in the box. I tied them all together and finally an ending came to me. I had a beginning, a middle and an end, so Time Capsule became a manuscript…but it wasn’t yet a book.


Q. So what happened after you finished your manuscript?

A. I contacted a publisher and paid a small fee to have an “editorial review” written on my manuscript. I asked the publisher to tell me honestly whether the manuscript (1) worked as a book, (2) could be fixed and made into a book or (3) should be tossed into the trash and forgotten.

The publisher, Beth, liked my work and was interested in publishing it with some minor changes and some editing suggestions. Then she asked me, “What else do you have?”

What I had was three pages of another book about a private detective who starts out dead. It was three pages going nowhere, but I sent her the pages anyway. Beth liked the idea and told me I should finish that book, too. So I re-read what I had written, added a few details and some quotes and moved on to Chapter 2, where I wrote, “It all started….” And then I let my imagination run wild. Ideas started coming to me and I wrote the whole second book in a matter of weeks.

With my publisher’s encouragement, I have since written two other Rob and Jennie Covington books and recently started on Covington book number 4.


Q. What does someone need to do to write good fiction books?

A. In general, I believe there are three main qualities you need to write good fiction:

(1)   Obviously, you need the ability to write, which means having a decent vocabulary and knowing the rules of grammar, syntax, sentence structure, punctuation and spelling. If you can’t form words into proper sentences and sentences into paragraphs—and make them interesting to total strangers—then writing a book is probably not your best career option.

(2)   You also need perpetual curiosity, or what I call the “what if” gene. I think a fiction author needs to go beyond just seeing things for what they are and wonder “what if this” and “what if that.” For example, if you plant a tree and all you see is a tree, a shovel and a hole, you’re probably not going to write a book about the experience—unless it’s a book about gardening. But if you plant that tree and wonder, “What if I found something I didn’t expect,” and you imagine what it could be, then you’re off to a good start on your story.

Some of the most famous inventors, writers, musicians and artists of all kinds have that “what if” gene. They wouldn’t be what they are without it.

(3)   Finally, you need a vivid imagination. If you have the curiosity to ask the question “what if,” you need a vibrant and active imagination to conjure up an answer. It’s your imagination that tells you what’s in the time capsule, who found it, what he did, who he told, what was the mystery and what happened next. It’s your imagination that takes a simple “what if” idea and turns it into a book.


Q. Who are some of those famous “what if” people you mentioned?

A. Let’s start with a man who wondered what would happen if two people stretched a wire between two rooms and connected it to a vibrating mechanism, then spoke into the device on one end and listened to it on the other. As a result, we have the first telephone.

A writer once imagined what would happen if a vengeful ship captain set out to find and kill the giant white whale that had taken off his leg, and we got the classic novel Moby Dick. 

Two guys sat down with guitars one day and wondered, “What if we wrote a song that said ‘she loves you yeah yeah yeah,’” and that gave the Beatles their first big hit.

And an artist once looked at the woman he was painting and wondered what would happen if, instead of a smile, he gave her a smirk, and that gave us one of the world’s most famous works of art—the Mona Lisa.

This is what happens when creative people asked themselves “what if?” and use their imaginations to answer the question.


Q. What’s the hardest part of writing a novel?

A. In fiction, because you are making up things that don’t really exist, the hardest part is keeping the timeline straight, being consistent with your characters and making sure that what you write is believable enough that it could happen the way you said it did. (Exception noted for science fiction.)

For example, I have gone back to review chapters I wrote previously and realized that a person couldn’t know something I said he knew because it hadn’t happened yet. That happens a lot when you rearrange sections during an edit. For that reason, I’ve started keeping calendars of events and writing a chronology of what happened and when.

I once found that one of my characters had two different first names—one early in the book and one a few chapters later. In my defense, I wrote those chapters months apart. To avoid that, I’ll sometimes insert a place holder where the character goes, write his or her description separately and blend it into the book later.

In one book, I discovered that I had two people going to work on a specific date in June 2004 when, in fact, that date was a Sunday and neither of them would have gone to their jobs on that day. I had to search the manuscript and change the date throughout.

In the same book, I gave a character the wrong last name. Hey, it happens.


Q. What’s the easiest part of writing a novel?

A. I’m not sure I’d say it’s always easy, but the most enjoyable part for me is writing dialogue. It comes fairly easily to me most of the time. I just think what I would say at a given time and then have my character say it, or I try to put myself in the character’s mind and imagine what he or she would say. It’s almost like talking to yourself through a keyboard.

I also find it pretty easy to create characters. Because they’re not real, you can give them any traits or habits you choose and make them look any way you want them to look. I have written handsome men, ugly men, beautiful women, homely women, old people, young people, adorable children and children who need a bath. I’ve written happy people, sad people, drunks, ministers, cops, killers and everything in between.

After I finish a book, I often go back and read the parts where I introduced a character and try to figure out where the inspiration came from. Sometimes I also see parts of myself in the people I write, and that amuses me.


Q. A lot of authors outline their books before they start to write. Why don’t you?

A. Maybe I’m not that organized, or maybe my brain doesn’t work that way, but really, I don’t think it’s necessary. I tend to develop ideas after I first put pen to paper rather than plot out an entire book in advance. I don’t think one way is necessarily better than another. It all depends on the author.

In my case, sometimes I wake up with ideas and run to my office to type them out. Sometimes they come to me when I’m walking my dog or sitting outside on my deck. As long as I can write “and then…” and come up with a narrative to move my story along, I don’t need to have it outlined all the way to the end.

I will admit to this: Sometimes I get to the point where I have written the beginning and the end and I need to fill out the middle that connects those two dots. At that point, I’ll make a list of the things that need to happen or the questions that need to be answered before the end of the book makes sense.

When I do that, I will retroactively list all of the chapters I have written with a summary of what’s in them, and add a chapter for every plot point that I need to insert. This is usually when I complete my calendar and double-check my chronology to make sure the story has the proper timing and flow.

If that’s what you consider an outline, then yes, I’ll do that sometimes. I’d call it more of an “outline after the fact.”


Q. When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

A. I started at a very early age. When I was a kid of 10 or 12, I wrote a neighborhood newspaper. It was laid out in pencil on notebook paper and probably reported on the day’s wiffle ball game or somebody’s birthday party. (I forget.) I’d say the number of editions was probably in the neighborhood of…one.

In high school I started writing poetry and song lyrics for a garage band I was in, and during college I wrote for the school newspaper. I became a journalist after college and worked for four newspapers over 13 years.

Even after I left the newspaper business I continued to write news releases, newsletters, pamphlets, brochures, advertising, position papers, magazine articles and other materials for a public utility and, later, for a variety of clients as a freelance communications consultant.

So I guess I've always been a writer and I never wanted to be anything else, which is good, because it’s about the only thing I really know how to do.

Thursday, November 28, 2019

It's a good day to buy Time Capsule

It's a good time to buy a copy of Time Capsule. Trust me, it's no turkey. Happy Thanksgiving.


Amazon:

High Peaks Publishing:

For a signed copy, send your name and a mailing address to ShieldsBooks2018@gmail.com.

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Feast of the Seven Fishes a holiday tradition

What could be better than a winter street festival celebrating the Italian tradition of feasting on Christmas Eve? Come to downtown Fairmont on December 14 to enjoy great food and wine, delight in the music of the season and shop local artisans for your holiday wish list.

And be sure to stop by Adams Office Supply to meet me and pick up an autographed copy of my first novel, Time Capsule.

Vieni a festeggiare.



Sunday, November 17, 2019

Q&A with the author – Part 10 of 10

Q. When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

A. I started at a very early age. When I was a kid of 10 or 12, I wrote a neighborhood newspaper. It was laid out in pencil on notebook paper and probably reported on the day’s wiffle ball game or somebody’s birthday party. (I forget.) I’d say the number of editions was probably in the neighborhood of…one.

In high school I started writing poetry and song lyrics for a garage band I was in, and during college I wrote for the school newspaper. I became a journalist after college and worked for four newspapers over 13 years.

Even after I left the newspaper business I continued to write news releases, newsletters, pamphlets, brochures, advertising, position papers, magazine articles and other materials for a public utility and, later, for a variety of clients as a freelance communications consultant.

So I guess I've always been a writer and I never wanted to be anything else, which is good, because it’s about the only thing I really know how to do.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

It's a perfect time to buy Time Capsule


Black Friday is only 17 days away. Why not beat the rush and buy a few copies of Time Capsule? It makes a great gift.
For a signed copy, send your name and mailing address to ShieldsBooks2018@gmail.com.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Q&A with the author - Part 9 of 10

Q. A lot of authors outline their books before they start to write. Why don’t you?

A. Maybe I’m not that organized, or maybe my brain doesn’t work that way, but really, I don’t think it’s necessary. I tend to develop ideas after I first put pen to paper rather than plot out an entire book in advance. I don’t think one way is necessarily better than another. It all depends on the author.

In my case, sometimes I wake up with ideas and run to my office to type them out. Sometimes they come to me when I’m walking my dog or sitting outside on my deck. As long as I can write “and then…” and come up with a narrative to move my story along, I don’t need to have it outlined all the way to the end.

I will admit to this: Sometimes I get to the point where I have written the beginning and the end and I need to fill out the middle that connects those two dots. At that point, I’ll make a list of the things that need to happen or the questions that need to be answered before the end of the book makes sense.

When I do that, I will retroactively list all of the chapters I have written with a summary of what’s in them, and add a chapter for every plot point that I need to insert. This is usually when I complete my calendar and double-check my chronology to make sure the story has the proper timing and flow.

If that’s what you consider an outline, then yes, I’ll do that sometimes. I’d call it more of an “outline after the fact.”

Next: When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Q&A with the author – Part 8 of 10

Q. What’s the easiest part of writing a novel?

A. I’m not sure I’d say it’s always easy, but the most enjoyable part for me is writing dialogue. It comes fairly easily to me most of the time. I just think what I would say at a given time and then have my character say it, or I try to put myself in the character’s mind and imagine what he or she would say. It’s almost like talking to yourself through a keyboard.

I also find it pretty easy to create characters. Because they’re not real, you can give them any traits or habits you choose and make them look any way you want them to look. I have written handsome men, ugly men, beautiful women, homely women, old people, young people, adorable children and children who need a bath. I’ve written happy people, sad people, drunks, ministers, cops, killers and everything in between.

After I finish a book, I often go back and read the parts where I introduced a character and try to figure out where the inspiration came from. Sometimes I also see parts of myself in the people I write, and that amuses me.

Next: A lot of authors outline their books before they start to write. Why don’t you?

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Q&A with the author – Part 7 of 10

Q. What’s the hardest part of writing a novel?

A. In fiction, because you are making up things that don’t really exist, the hardest part is keeping the timeline straight, being consistent with your characters and making sure that what you write is believable enough that it could happen the way you said it did. (Exception noted for science fiction.)

For example, I have gone back to review chapters I wrote previously and realized that a person couldn’t know something I said he knew because it hadn’t happened yet. That happens a lot when you rearrange sections during an edit. For that reason, I’ve started keeping calendars of events and writing a chronology of what happened and when.

I once found that one of my characters had two different first names—one early in the book and one a few chapters later. In my defense, I wrote those chapters months apart. To avoid that, I’ll sometimes insert a place holder where the character goes, write his or her description separately and blend it into the book later.

In one book, I discovered that I had two people going to work on a specific date in June 2004 when, in fact, that date was a Sunday and neither of them would have gone to their jobs on that day. I had to search the manuscript and change the date throughout.

In the same book, I gave a character the wrong last name. Hey, it happens.

Next: What’s the easiest part of writing a novel?

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Q&A with the author – Part 6 of 10

Q. Who are some of those famous “what if” people you mentioned?

A. Let’s start with a man who wondered what would happen if two people stretched a wire between two rooms and connected it to a vibrating mechanism, then spoke into the device on one end and listened to it on the other. As a result, we have the first telephone.

A writer once imagined what would happen if a vengeful ship captain set out to find and kill the giant white whale that had taken off his leg, and we got the classic novel Moby Dick.  

Two guys sat down with guitars one day and wondered, “What if we wrote a song that said ‘she loves you yeah yeah yeah,’” and that gave the Beatles their first big hit.

And an artist once looked at the woman he was painting and wondered what would happen if, instead of a smile, he gave her a smirk, and that gave us one of the world’s most famous works of art—the Mona Lisa.

This is what happens when creative people asked themselves “what if?” and use their imaginations to answer the question.

Next: What’s the hardest part of writing a novel?

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Q&A with the author – Part 5 of 10

Q. What does someone need to do to write good fiction books?

A. In general, I believe there are three main qualities you need to write good fiction:

(1)   Obviously, you need the ability to write, which means having a decent vocabulary and knowing the rules of grammar, syntax, sentence structure, punctuation and spelling. If you can’t form words into proper sentences and sentences into paragraphs—and make them interesting to total strangers—then writing a book is probably not your best career option.

(2)   You also need perpetual curiosity, or what I call the “what if” gene. I think a fiction author needs to go beyond just seeing things for what they are and wonder “what if this” and “what if that.” For example, if you plant a tree and all you see is a tree, a shovel and a hole, you’re probably not going to write a book about the experience—unless it’s a book about gardening. But if you plant that tree and wonder, “What if I found something I didn’t expect,” and you imagine what it could be, then you’re off to a good start on your story.

Some of the most famous inventors, writers, musicians and artists of all kinds have that “what if” gene. They wouldn’t be what they are without it.

(3)   Finally, you need a vivid imagination. If you have the curiosity to ask the question “what if,” you need a vibrant and active imagination to conjure up an answer. It’s your imagination that tells you what’s in the time capsule, who found it, what he did, who he told, what was the mystery and what happened next. It’s your imagination that takes a simple “what if” idea and turns it into a book.

Next: Who are some of those famous “what if” people you mentioned?

Monday, October 7, 2019

'Time Capsule' on sale at Fairmont pharmacy

Great news! Time Capsule is now on sale at Rider Pharmacy in Fairmont. Pick up a copy next time you visit the store. 

In addition, I'll be signing books there on November 2 during their big holiday open house from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. The book is just one of many Christmas gifts Rider will have on display.




Sunday, October 6, 2019

Q&A with the author – Part 4 of 10

Q. So what happened after you finished your manuscript?

A. I contacted a publisher and paid a small fee to have an “editorial review” written on my manuscript. I asked the publisher to tell me honestly whether the manuscript (1) worked as a book, (2) could be fixed and made into a book or (3) should be tossed into the trash and forgotten.

The publisher, Beth, liked my work and was interested in publishing it with some minor changes and some editing suggestions. Then she asked me, “What else do you have?”

What I had was three pages of another book about a private detective who starts out dead. It was three pages going nowhere, but I sent her the pages anyway. Beth liked the idea and told me I should finish that book, too. So I re-read what I had written, added a few details and some quotes and moved on to Chapter 2, where I wrote, “It all started….” And then I let my imagination run wild. Ideas started coming to me and I wrote the whole second book in a matter of weeks.

With my publisher’s encouragement, I have since written two other Rob and Jennie Covington books and recently started on Covington book number 4.

Next: What does someone need to do to write good fiction books?

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Q&A with the author – Part 3 of 10

Q. So in Time Capsule you just made up the story as you went along?

A. Yes, exactly. I started out with the basics: “Man plants tree, man finds box, man opens box, there’s a mystery inside.” When I wrote that, it was really all I had. Then, by way of introduction, I went back and told the story of how the main characters met.

Next, I decided that I needed a dead body. I didn’t know who it was or how it fit into the story, but I wrote it as a separate chapter that also set the location for the book. I moved it to Chapter 1. That gave me more ideas, but I still had no idea how the book would end or how I would get there. In fact, I didn’t even know what was in the box. So I wrote a couple of chapters, set it aside for a while and kept thinking about it.

After a while, I got an idea to describe some items in the box and have each of them take the reader off in a secondary direction, so I created three new characters, attached each of them to an item in the time capsule and wrote a back story to go with each character.

Then I realized that aside from solving a mystery, Rob and Jennie would have real jobs, so I wrote about what they do at work. As reporters, they cover events, write stories and interact with other people on the job. I brought in fictionalized versions of actual events that happened to me or people I worked with and added them to the soup.

Eventually, I had five threads running at the same time. I had Rob and Jennie pursuing the mystery of the time capsule, Rob and Jennie going to work at regular jobs and three separate characters with their own stories linked through items in the box. I tied them all together and finally an ending came to me. I had a beginning, a middle and an end, so Time Capsule became a manuscript…but it wasn’t yet a book.

Previous: 

Part 1 - Where do you get the ideas for your books?

Part 2 - Tell me about your writing process?

Next: So what happened after you finished your manuscript?

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Q&A with the author – Part 2 0f 10

Q. Tell me about your writing process?

A. It really differs from book to book. In Time Capsule, once I had created Rob and Jennie Covington, I began to visualize them doing and saying things that news reporters would do and say, and then I wrote it all down. To be honest, when I wrote the beginning, I had no idea how it would end or how I would get there, but as I continued to visualize scenes and as I wrote more and more of the story, the ending came to me in time.

You can write whatever comes to mind, just to get it memorialized "on paper," because you'll go back later to edit what you wrote--probably more than once. The first draft can be far from perfect as long as it gets you off and running and begins to tell your story.  

The best part for me was writing all of the dialogue, which I admit sounds a lot like things I might say myself. I think the first words I actually wrote in Time Capsule were, “No stupid, your other left,” a good-natured barb that Jennie threw at Rob when he was planting the tree. 

In effect, it was those five words that defined the relationship between these characters for all of Time Capsule and the Covington books that followed. In one of the books, I described their compatibility as "a healthy relationship based on trust, mutual admiration for each other’s talents, common interests, sexual attraction and the ability to take a joke.”

Next: So you made up the story as you went along?

Two good ways to start your morning

Image may contain: coffee cup and drink

Friday, September 20, 2019


Q&A with the author - Part 1 of 10

Q. Where do you get the ideas for your books?

A. There is no one answer to that question, but generally I have an active imagination and ideas come to me fairly easily. I got the idea for Time Capsule several years ago when I planted a tree in my yard and wondered what would happen if I found something buried there. I decided to write a story about that and it eventually became a book.

Because it’s a fiction novel, I had to create all of the people, places, events, dialogue and so on, which was a lot of fun. I’m a former journalist so I used real people, places and events for inspiration but turned it all into a fictional narrative, built around two main characters who are newspaper reporters like I was.

Once I got started with the discovery of the time capsule, I crafted the rest of the story from actual experiences and some that I invented out of my own head.

Next: Tell me about your writing process?

Another reader comment

"Awesome read! Have an autographed copy from the (book signing at the) Marion County Library. Great book."


Get an autographed copy of your own. Just send your name and mailing address to ShieldsBooks2018@gmail.com and I'll get one out to you. 

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Reader wants to read 'Time Capsule' again

Reader comment: "I really liked your book. I plan on reading it again."

Get ready for Halloween with a juicy murder mystery



Halloween is approaching, so here's an idea: Get in the mood for our spookiest holiday by reading a good mystery book like Time Capsule. It's full of twists and turns and surprises you won't see coming.

Paperbacks are $12.95 and eBooks are $8.99 from Amazon. To purchase one, click here.

For a signed copy, send your name and mailing address to ShieldsBooks2018@gmail.com.


Monday, September 9, 2019

Special deal: BTGT

Buy two copies of Time Capsule at regular price and get two more copies at, uh, regular price. You see, I need to sell some books or I can't publish another novel.

So c'mon, who's with me?

For paperbacks and eBooks, click here.

For a signed copy, send your name and mailing address to ShieldsBooks2018@gmail.com.



Monday, September 2, 2019

Readers continue to comment on 'Time Capsule'

Hi Scott. I finished your book about an hour ago. I so enjoyed it. Your descriptions of your characters made them very real to me. The plot and subplots were real life. I am looking forward, very much, to your next book. Feel like I need to thank you for an interesting and pleasurable read.

Saturday, August 31, 2019

The 'Paperback Books in the Box' song

14 paperback books in the box
14 paperback books
Take one out and give it a look
13 paperback books....

Who wants the next one? Send a mailing address to ShieldsBooks2018@gmail.com and I'll autograph one just for you.



Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Another Amazon review

August 26, 2019
Format: Paperback
"I’m not normally one to read books just for pleasure. But this book 
I read in one day. I couldn’t put it down. It keeps you guessing up to 
the very end. The characters are everyday people that find themselves 
in the middle of a mystery. I highly recommend this book to anyone, 
especially those looking for a good mystery to read."

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Love my readers, love their comments

"I could not put it down. Started at bedtime and finished at 3 a.m. What a twist in solving this one! Congrats."

Monday, August 26, 2019

More great book reviews

"Just finished your book and I loved it! Wow, kept me on the edge of my seat the whole way through. Was especially intrigued by the way you wove all the side stories together and how they intersected at the end, with little clues along the way!! Prior to reading yours, I had read a mystery that James Patterson co-authored with some gal, but I have to say I found the storytelling far superior in yours!! Can’t wait for the next one!!"

*  *  *

"Great book. Read it in one day. Can't wait to read the next ones."

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Lose yourself in a Time Capsule mystery

Come out to McAteer's on Friday, August 23, at 10 a.m. and you, too, could lose yourself in a Time Capsule mystery.



Monday, August 12, 2019

News story in my old newspaper


Former Herald-Mail editor crafts a mystery


Author Scott Shields


Top of Form
Bottom of Form
A West Virginia author and former Herald-Mail journalist has published his first novel, a fiction mystery involving two newspaper reporters and a decades-old secret they uncover by accident.
"Time Capsule" revolves around a cryptic clue unearthed by accident 62 years before its time. Along the way, Scott Shields shares events and introduces characters drawn from his years working for newspapers in Grafton, Parkersburg and Morgantown, W.Va., and Hagerstown.
“None of the characters is real, of course, but many of the events in the book were inspired by things that happened and actual people I worked with over my years as a reporter, sports writer and editor,” Shields said. “These friends and co-workers helped me craft a narrative that, while fiction, bears a ring of authenticity and truth.”
Shields is a graduate of Fairmont (W.Va.) State University where he studied English and journalism. He worked as a sports writer and city editor for The Morning Herald from 1982-1985.
Name: Marshall Scott Shields

Age: 69

City in which you reside: Fairmont, WV

Day job: Retired. Former journalist, public relations manager and freelance communications consultant.

Book title: Time Capsule: A Covington Mystery

Genre: Fiction / mystery

Synopsis: A newspaper reporter planting a tree in his yard digs up a time capsule buried years ago by young children. Opening the box reveals a clue to a 38-year-old cold case murder that he and his wife, also a reporter, pursue to an unexpected conclusion.

Publisher: High Peaks Publishing through Kindle Direct

Price: $12.95 paperback, $8.99 eBook


Facebook: Books by M. Scott Shields

This is your first novel; what inspired you to take on writing a mystery? I got the idea after planting a tree at a new house my wife and I bought in Hagerstown. The idea just came to me one day. I wondered what would happen if someone was digging in his yard and found something he didn’t expect. I had been a writer for many years, so I challenged myself to prove it by writing a book based on this idea. I developed the basic outline from Point A to Point B, then worked in details and subplots through several drafts I wrote over a period of years.

How difficult was it to invent all the twists and tangles requisite in a mystery? The main thread actually came to me fairly quickly. Having been a reporter, I wrote about things I knew, inspired by actual events which I turned into a fictional narrative. Plus, I have an active imagination so I was able to make up the other parts of the story as I went along. The most difficult part was making sure the timeline made sense chronologically, and that things I created out of my imagination could actually happen the way I said they did.

“Time Capsule” is the first offering in a planned series; when can we expect the next installment? I can’t say for sure. I have written three more books, including two more Covington mysteries, but Time Capsule has only been out for a month or so. I hope it catches on so I can publish another novel in the next few months. 

Where can readers purchase your book? It’s available in paperback and eBook from Amazon.com. Signed copies are available if someone sends their name and mailing address to ShieldsBooks2018@gmail.com.


Sunday, August 11, 2019

Book sale to benefit pet rescue organizations

As promised, I'll be making donations to Pet Helpers and the Marion County Humane Society from the proceeds of yesterday's book sales. I may even add a few bucks. Thanks to everyone who bought a copy of Time Capsule. And please tell your friends.




Saturday, August 10, 2019

Good friends, family turn out for book signing

Thanks to all the good friends and family members who came out today to the book signing at the Marion County Public Library, and thanks to the library for hosting the event.  I had a great time.