Wardens of the Rift

The Author

About Jay S. Scott

My love for writing stories began in fifth grade. It all started with an assignment from my teacher, Mr. Garreffa who introduced us to something called "Squiggle Stories." He'd hand us a half-finished drawing and give us two instructions: 1. Finish the drawing using your imagination. 2. Write a story inspired by it. And let me tell you… my little brain exploded. I was hooked. Like most things, the urge to write faded as I got older and life got harder. But that inner fifth grader never really went away. I daydreamed constantly—through high school, college, and even into adulthood—building elaborate worlds in my head while sitting at school, work and wherever. Then, after being laid off for the first time in my professional career, I finally said, screw it. I'm going to write my own story. That was March of 2017, when I began writing Ascension. I hand-wrote the first ninety pages in an old college-ruled notebook. Around that time, I posted some very raw, unfinished excerpts online in a questionable writers' chat (I genuinely couldn't tell you what site it was). The feedback was unanimous: I had a hell of a story, but my prose was… not great. So, I did the work. I shelved the manuscript and devoured everything I could about writing. I attended lectures, watched videos, and read literature on the process. From Jerry B. Jenkins' videos on YouTube, to reading about the journey from seasoned self-published authors, I was determined to learn how to tell this story the way it deserved to be told, so it would grab readers by the throat and refuse to let go. In March of 2025 (yes… it took a while), after building a career and becoming a parent, I decided, with no small amount of encouragement from a coworker (who later became my alpha reader), that I was finally going to do this thing. And four months later, in July, Ascension was published. Writing is my single creative outlet. It's also my escape, and my way of stepping out of the black-and-white world of my day job in Human Resources. I live in Kansas with my adventurous four-year-old son, my supportive (and occasionally skeptical) wife, and more story ideas than I'll ever have time to write. When I'm not daydreaming, drafting battle scenes, or fleshing out ancient mythologies, I'm chasing my kid, running solo on a trail, or trying to balance work, family, and the next book. It's a chaotic season consisting of late nights, exhaustion, and the occasional bout of writer's block, but I wouldn't trade it for the world. If you'd like to follow along on the journey, please sign up for my newsletter. I will be sending out regular updates on the writing of Dominion - Book 3 in the Wardens of the Rift series.