Win a $50 GC: The Order of Time Series by Scott Southall

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

What are your favorite TV shows?

A: I don’t watch much television but I loved the first season of The Witcher with Henry Cavill. I had really enjoyed the books but I think Cavill plays Geralt of Rivia perfectly. A strange cross between Mr. Spock and Conan the Barbarian. Great actor and physically imposing in the same way I pictured Geralt. The production has also be done exceptionally well. The world building and monsters were always going to be tough to bring to life but in my opinion they nailed it. I am looking forward to the second season.

What is your favorite meal?

I know its going to sound a bit strange but it’s pasta with balmain bugs and shaved asparagus. Importantly, the bugs are not actually insects. Balmain bugs are one of the most delicious crustaceans you will ever have. Much tastier than lobster in my book (forgive the pun). You prepare the pasta first and set it aside. Either a spaghetti or a fettuccine works well. Then sauté the shelled bugs with garlic, fresh chilli, olive oil and lemon juice in a skillet. When the bugs are cooked turn off the heat and add the pasta to the skillet. Stir through the shaved asparagus, lemon zest and shaved Parmesan. Serve with a beautiful glass of New Zealand Pinot Gris. Perfect summer meal!

If you were to write another series of novels, what would it be about?

Luckily, I don’t have to solve this definitively right now. I am planning several more books in The Order of Time series but I have been discussing what comes next with my eight-year-old son. He has an encyclopedic knowledge of dinosaurs and cannot get enough of the Jurassic Park movies. We have a futuristic idea about humans unwittingly discovering dinosaurs on another distant planet they are trying to settle/terraform. Kind of a Jurassic Park meets Avatar type of set up. It would feature teenage protagonists who thought that leaving their friends back on earth was going to be their biggest problem.

Is there a writer you idolize? If so who?

I’m not sure I would use the word idolize but there are certainly a number of incredibly talented authors who have had an impact on me as a reader. JRR Tolkien, Anne McCaffrey, Anne Rice, Umberto Ecco, Norman MacLean, Patrick Rothfuss and JK Rowling all fit this category for me with their world building, story telling or prose. Equal parts inspiration and aspiration for me as a writer.

How did you come up for the title of this book?

A: It’s not scientific for me. Naming a book is all about feel. I knew that The Order of Time was the title for my fist book as soon as I named Dr. G’s secret society. I loved how it was both a cool name for a mysterious order and how it reflected the concept of the integrity of human history.

As for the second book, I had to search a little more. The working title started as The Test of Time. About half way through writing I decided that it just didn’t work me. I had half a dozen different titles that I kept trying out as I saved my working drafts. I eventually settled on The Order of Time and Odin’s Door. The title establishes the second book’s connection to the series and Odin’s Door is a key plot driver and personal creation that I have woven into the existing threads of Norse Mythology.

About the Series

Picture two twelve-year-old fraternal twins who are like night and day. She is a smart and highly organised MMA fighter. He’s not a fighter, he’s a lover of history, art and Star Wars. Despite their differences they are one formidable team. Together Anastasia and Edward Upston travel through time and navigate ancient civilisations, angry gods and mythical monsters in their quest to protect the integrity of human history.

About The Order of Time

Anastasia and Edward Upston are eleven year old twins who are different in almost every way. Despite this they are inseparable and he best of friends. They tackle the highs and lows of sixth grade together whether they are fending off bullies at the elite Blake Academy or examining rare antiquities at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. Then: life gets complicated.

They discover that their friend and mentor, Dr. Gregorian, is part of a secret society called the Order of Time. It turns out that time is not fixed, it’s a fluid continuum where changes to the past can create ripples all the way through to the present. It unwittingly falls to the twins to travel back through time to ancient Egypt where they must overcome deadly assassins, evil high priests and vengeful gods in order to prevent disaster. Together Anastasia and Edward must navigate all obstacles to preserve the past and find their way back home.

*****

About The Order of Time and Odin’s Door

The orange light bathed the snow-covered fields as the fiery globe began to dip below the horizon. It was strange that something so beautiful could signal the arrival of something so evil. One thing twelve-year-old twins Anastasia and Edward Upston knew for sure was that when mortals were caught between two bickering gods nothing good would come of it. Surviving the Viking Age may be the hardest thing they ever do, if they can…

Enjoy an Excerpt from The Order of Time

They started to leave when the room suddenly lit up with a strange purple light coming from under a closet door.

“Why is the closet glowing?” asked Edward, his voice trailing up an octave. “Maybe we should get out of here.”

“What if Dr. G’s in there? You know he always locks his door, but it was open tonight. Maybe he’s still here. He might need our help,” Anastasia said emphatically.

The light was getting brighter by the second. Now Edward could also hear a low humming noise.

“Stop being crazy, Anastasia! This is the part in the movies where you yell at the screen for the characters not to open the door. We are not going to open that door.”

“I’m not being crazy. If Dr. G is in there and needs help, we’ll never forgive ourselves.”

Edward looked at her pleadingly, but she wasn’t giving in. His shoulders slumped in defeat. Oh god, please don’t let there be a monster or anything really scary in there. Anastasia dragged him over to the closet door. The light pouring out around the cracks was incredibly bright and the humming was getting louder. She gripped the large, brass doorknob, took a breath, and opened the door.

About the Author

Scott is an American author and banking executive who lives in Sydney, Australia. He grew up in the suburbs of Washington D.C. and attended Georgetown University. While he loves his job as a global banker, his true passion is making up stories with his children. His debut novel, The Order of Time, reached #1 in its category on Amazon and was the 2021 Reader’s Favorite Gold Medal Winner in the Children’s – Mythology/Fairy Tale genre.

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