How long have you been writing? What inspired you to write in the first place?

I have written since high school, either fiction stores or in a journal.  I think one of the inspirations for writing is the idea of leaving something of worth behind for people who come after.  As the years pass, I realize life is fragile, and could be taken away at any time, so I wanted to make sure I could give something back since we never know what tomorrow will bring.  I thought it was important to create something so after I leave this place, people would remember me, and get hope or inspiration from the stories I create.  I enjoy writing about life and the relationships we have with others since they seem to mold us into what we are.  Besides, being single, I have to write about the boy getting the girl to give me some kind of hope, right?


What drove you to get published?

There were many things driving me to get published.   One was to create something inspirational for people to read, especially in this time of uncertainty in the world where things are not as good as we would hope for.  If the reader can take something good from my novel, that’s a huge payoff more important to me than money. Another motivation was when I would tell people I am writing a novel, I heard over and over about how they are writing a novel too, but they just don’t have the time to finish it, or they have an idea for a story, and they will get to it sooner or later.  I am certain there are a million more novelists and novels that haven’t made it off the computer screen, and I didn’t want to add to the list.  I know when I finally saw the book in print, the feeling of excitement and accomplishment were overwhelming!  At the time of writing Summer, I was going through a tough time in my life.  I was broken hearted over a failed engagement, then eight months later my father passed away, so writing and the quest to get published was really the only thing I could focus on to escape.  About a month after my father’s death, I tore my knee ligaments playing softball.  Since softball was another escape for me, along with writing, it was an important part of my life.  I remember laying on the doctor’s table with a huge ice pack on my knee, not sure if I would ever be able to play again, thinking to myself this is the lowest I have ever been because everything important to me has been taken away.  In the months after, I used those memories as motivation to succeed, especially late at night when I was too tired to write or when I didn’t feel like writing.  I would think about the pain I felt, and how I wanted to succeed, and before I knew it, I would have another chapter written.  Another motivation was to prove to the world no matter how tough things got, I was going to overcome any obstacles by following my dreams and living life to the fullest.



How long did it take you to get AN INVINCIBLE SUMMER published?

I began writing Summer in April of 1995 and it was finally published in October of 2002.  There was a lot of re-writes and edits in between, and when I was ready, I looked for an agent.  I finally found one in January of 1999 and by October, I signed a contract for representation.  In June of 2002, she emailed and said she no longer could represent me, which was a disappointment, and made me wonder if I would ever see my book in print.  I thought about it for a few days, and decided I was going to be pro-active and look for another avenue.  A friend who manages the Barnes and Noble store at Georgia Tech called and said she knew of a professor at Georgia Tech who had his novel published with a company called Aventine Press, who helped writers in self-publishing.  I contacted them and they were instrumental in helping me get my book published.  The neat thing about Aventine is they do the work once you send them your manuscript, and create a cover.  Their creative staff is excellent!  Another advantage is they make the book available at Barnes and Noble.com, and Amazon.com, as well as a few others, so distribution is taken care of.  Self-publishing in the old days meant you had to purchase a minimum of several hundred copies, then were responsible for distribution.  With Aventine, they print the books on an as demanded basis, so you are not stuck with a large bill, and your book is available for purchase with reputable book companies.


Baseball and romance go hand in hand in AN INVINCIBLE SUMMER.  How did you come up with this premise?

I am intrigued by the 50’s, especially Ebbets Field and the old Brooklyn Dodgers.  I paired that up with a question I have always wondered about.  What would I do if I could go back in time, but met a girl there and then had to decide to either stay in the past or come back to present day?  If I stayed, I would never see any of my friends again, I would have to adapt to the times in ways such as: communication, transportation, medicine, social standards and a standard of life.  If you stop to think about something such as those things, could the love of another be enough to trade for your life of today?  It is an interesting proposition that might not be an easy decision to make.  Also, I think wanting two people to fall in love through incredible circumstances is another intriguing element I enjoy writing about, and in Summer, getting the two characters together for the possibility of love is quite  a feat.


How do you feel that baseball has changed throughout the years, and do you expect that those 'glory days' of the last century will occur again?

It has changed because of the high salaries, the free agency and the whole business of how the teams cater to corporations rather than their lifeblood: the fans and families.  Seeing baseball of today makes me appreciate the stories of how baseball used to be.  Baseball in the 50’s was a simple game in a simpler time of life, and the innocence of the times was something that drew me to writing about it.  Living in Atlanta, I see first hand how the alumni and fans of colleges get hyped in the fall for college football season, and how passionate they become.  It used to be that way with cities and their baseball teams.  Before free agency and the high salaries, players stayed with teams longer, so they had a connection to their teams and to the city, and that is where the love for the players and the teams came from.  I am sorry to say those days will never come again because of the way our society is today, and the way the teams have alienated the fans.  


Do you usually outline your stories before you write them, or do you "go with the flow"?

With Summer, I thought I should create an outline so it would make the story easier to write.  However, as I got into the writing, I was more comfortable with writing the story as it came to me.  I had an idea for certain chapters, however, most of it came as I wrote.  I am comfortable with writing that way, and anyone who writes will tell you being at ease when you create is a great way to get the best out of your words.  The other way I write, which may be different than others, is I write the story on paper, then transfer it to the computer.  I wish the process were easier since it takes a lot of time to write the story on paper, then type it in, but that is the way I am most comfortable.  I believe when we create, whether it be painting, writing, dancing or whatever, the creative process has to be comfortable to the artist, and if it isn’t, it limits the greatness the thing could become.


Do you feel each of your characters live with you as you write? If so, can you name an example?

I think it is important for characters to have a real life image since they have to be brought to life in the stories for the reader to believe in them.  I get my characters from people I know, or people I have met.  Also, my family and friends who read my book tell me they can see a lot of me in the characters so I must put a lot of myself into them without realizing  it.  When I write, I will create a sheet if paper with the characters names on it, then assign an actor or actress to their name to give them a visual image for me to see when I write.  I will buy a large piece of poster board, download pictures of the actors from the computer, paste them on the board, then write the characters name underneath it with a small bio.  This is a huge help for me to get into the flow when I write about them, or about a scene where the characters interact.  An example of the characters living as I write would be when I think about what their future is going to be as the story unfolds and wonder if they are going to like what I write about them.  If I have a man and a woman interacting and one has a romantic interest in the other, I will joke to myself about one of the characters telling me, "Hey, can you write up a little love scene for us?"  Or, "Could you get us together in this chapter instead of making us wait till the end?"  I think an author should have his characters take on a life of their own since it they will write about them more intelligently.  When an author write in that way, it makes them more memorable to the reader since they have tremendous depth.


Your book features two very different men in Sam and Jack. Which of these characters do you think is most similar to yourself?

As I first wrote the novel, I identified with Sam since the pain I felt was intense and fresh within me.  However, as the years have passed, I tend to think of myself more as Jack since the wounds have healed and the scar is all that remains.  I will say there is a lot of both men inside of me though! The interesting thing about Jack and Sam is they come form different generations, different upbringings, and different educations, yet they still manage to be headed in the same direction.  Both are intensely romantic, passionate about life and the people in their lives, and have endured trauma in their life they had to overcome.


What is it about the year 1955 that made you place your book during that time period?

I debated on what year to have the story take place in.  I chose 1955 since that was the first and only year the Brooklyn Dodgers won a World Series before moving to Los Angeles.  I thought about the other years they played in the Series and lost, but I wanted the story to have a happy ending as far as the baseball portion of the story went.  I have an interest for the 50’s too, so that was another reason why I chose that year.   I spent a lot of time at libraries around Atlanta looking at old microfilm of New York Times newspapers and got a feel for what was going on in New York as well as the rest of the world.  I took note of what television programs were on, what songs were popular, the style and the clothing worn and things outside of baseball to give the time period a factual background.  It was a time of innocence I wish I could live through for just one day, and that is one of the reasons why I wanted the book to take place in that time period.


What is your favorite thing about being a writer?

My favorite thing is the knowledge of giving back to the world in a way I hope will be good for someone else.  I enjoy reading Shakespeare, even though some of it is difficult to translate, since he wrote about life.  After understanding what he was writing about, I realize people in his time experienced the same emotions as we do, and that is a source of fascination for me.  The neat thing is one day, many years from now, I hope someone will walk into a bookstore, read my book and know we experienced the same things as they may be going through.  I hope they would get the same feelings about my work, and me as I do when I read an author from the past. 


Most authors are also avid readers.  Is this the case with you?  If so, who are some of your favorites?  Have any influenced your writing?

If you seen my bookshelves, you would know I like to read a lot.  I have a lot of books of many different genres, so I try to be as well rounded as possible when it comes to literature.  I have everything from historical non-fiction to romance novels.  I think reading helps the writing process since an author can get a feel for how a novel unfolds and why.  I know when I read, then begin to write, the flow seems to be there.  Some of my favorite writers are: William Faulkner, Kahlil Gibran, Rainer Maria Rilke, Rumi, Ernest Hemmingway, Nicholas Sparks, Eric Segal and Walt Whitman.  When I was struggling with Summer, and not sure where I was going to go with it, I read an article about Nick Sparks coming to Atlanta and about his books, The Notebook and Message in A Bottle.  After reading about him and his work, it charged me up to finish what I started since he was where I wanted to be as a writer.  His words stirred a passion within me, and because of that, I wanted to do the same thing for my readers.


Have you ever suffered from "writer’s block"?  If so, what did you do to get out if it?

Oh yeah, I get the writers block problem a lot.  I think it is different with everyone as far as how they get it, or what they do to get rid of it.  When the block hits me, I will close the notebooks I write in, fold up the storyboards, then put everything in a place where I can’t see it since out of sight means out of mind.  I will leave my condo to visit friends, or play softball, or listen to music, and that usually does the trick for me.  One thing I learned from other writers is when the block comes, don’t worry about the time frame for it to lift.  There is nothing that says after one day, or after a week, you will be able to write again.  I think it is important to be content with it, and when you are ready to write, it will come.  I know some of the times I have forced myself to write, the words and story are passionless and goes nowhere, so the best thing to do is leave it alone until you are ready to come back to it.


How has being published changed your life? What have you learned?

It has changed my life in one simple way so far: I know whatever I do from here on, I will have one novel that will live on long after I have left here, and nobody can ever take that away.  I learned the process takes time and to not be too anxious or impatient for things to happen.  I also learned to be careful with agents who say they will do something, even if bound by a contract, and have their promises come up way too short.  Writing is a process that is never ending, so I am sure I will learn something new every day in this business.  If we don’t keep an open mind to learning, we won’t be the best we can be at anything we do.


Where do you see your writing career 5 years from now?

I see myself as the author of several books that people will read and have a good feeling about since it would have touched their lives in some way.  I would like to have a loyal group of fans I can communicate with that share the same passions for life and love I have.  It is neat to talk with others who have the same passions since interaction stimulates the thought process and adds to our creativity.  My feeling is five years from now, I would hope to have made an impact on our world for good, and that is much more valuable than any money I could have received from writing.  Sooner or later, wealth eventually fades, but good deeds never do.  Take a look at the classics in literature from authors who have passed on.  Their deeds and work are still being talked about and read long after they left here.


Congratulations on your first release AN INVINCIBLE SUMMER.  Can you give us a teaser? 

Thanks for the nice words of congratulation!  I would be thrilled to give you a teaser.  Sam and Lara, the main characters in the story, are sitting on the grass at Ebbets Field after a late night party.  They are holding each other, looking at the stars and talking about the future.

"You’re right.  All that matters is that we are both here, and the future is waiting right in front of us," Sam said with a smile.

His statement gripped her, because she didn’t know what the future held.  Lara said, "I want you to know the last few months have been very special for me.  No matter where we go after tonight, I wanted you to know that."

"I’m flattered you would say such a thing," Sam said.  "But as I said before, we have all the time in the world now."

Lara was glad he couldn’t see her face, as it was mired in confusion and worry.  A small tear began to leak out of her eye as she said, "Yeah, Sam, we have all the time in the world."

Are you working on anything right now? 

The next novel, Ghostwriters, is being written as we speak.  It is about a group of ghosts in Atlanta who are responsible for bringing together a man and woman through what seem like improbable circumstances.  The ghosts all have a tragic past of their own, which makes sense since they became ghosts because of some tragic occurrence in their past.  They keep a diary about their experiences as they bring the two people together, as well as put their feelings on paper about their lives.  I have always been intrigued by those chance circumstances that happen when we meet someone we eventually fall in love with.  Are they really by chance, or are there things happening we don’t know about that draw us to another? 


Any final advice to aspiring authors?


From a business standpoint, when you are looking for an agent, be weary of people who ask for money up front when it comes to your book.  In my experience, the agencies charging a reading fee, or a copying fee, or anything like that, stay away because they are not reputable.  If someone really believes in your work, they will not need to ask for money since they have the confidence they can find a place to sell your manuscript.  Also, make sure when you find an agent, you have a good working relationship with them. The road to getting published can sometimes be a rocky one, so it is important to be with someone you have confidence in, and as time goes on, become friends with since it can be a emotional roller coaster.   From a personal standpoint, never let anyone shake your confidence in your ability to follow your dreams.  There will be times when you will question yourself.  There will be times when you get rejection letters from an agent.  There will be times when a publishing house will reject your work.  There will be times when critics give you a poor review.  I could wallpaper my condo more than once with all the rejection letters I have received and the critical things written about my book.  Don’t let that discourage you!  It hurts to get that letter in the mail since someone is rejecting something close to your heart, because that is your baby.  Remember, it is important to be strong in the face of adversity, so no matter what happens, keep fighting so you can prove the people you rejected you wrong about your work.  It is sweet revenge when you can do that!


Do you have anything to add?

I wanted to say thank you to Love Romances.com for taking time to read and review my book.  Another difficulty in publishing your book is getting people in the business to take a chance on you, so when someone takes time to help you out with an interview, or a review, they have done a HUGE favor and they need to be thanked!  I also wanted to give out my website address so you can read more about my book, as well as the man who wrote it.  If you have any questions for me, please feel free to drop me an email since I really enjoy hearing from readers.  The address is: www.ivanscott.com


Thank you so much for interviewing for us.

Interviewed by Miriam van Veen
March 2003

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Ivan Scott