Date Born/ Age:The Early 60s period

Length:69 inches

Weight:l55 pounds

Favorite Food: Thai

Family: Wife, Denise

Genus: Writersaurus

Species: Creativesaurai

Place of Origin: New Jersey, USA

Habitat:   Ft. Myers, Florida, USA

Favorite Movie: Tie between "Rebecca" and the original silent "Lost World"

Favorite TV Show: Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Favorite Dinosaur: T. rex

Favorite Sport: Basketball

Exercise: Aquatics

Hobbies: Comic books, exploring new places 

Distinguishing Features: Green eyes, blond hair, enthusiasm

Scott Ciencen  was the 
Paleontology Author of the Month
on 
Dinosaur Interplanetary Gazette Dino Dish
from September 15-31, 1999

Vera Velociraptor's Very Vast, Verbose, Voracious Vocabulary 

Students? Pay Attention! Be sure to check out that is to say, investigate, (humph), certain other useful pieces of terminology at the 7V-WOW Archives.

Author of DINOVERSE and Dinotopia Series Books:Windchaser, Lost City, Thunder Falls and Sky Dance 

Scott Ciencin is a best-selling author of children’s and adult fiction. Praised by Science Fiction Review as “one of today’s  finest fantasy writers” and listed in the Encyclopedia of Fantasy, Scott has written over 30 works, many published by Random House, Warner, Avon, and TSR. He has written screenplays, directed for television, and scripted comic books. He lives in Florida with his beloved wife Denise. 

 For Dinotopia, Scott is the author of Windchaser, Lost City, Thunder Falls, and Sky Dance. An avid dinosaur lover, Scott has also created his own series about junior high school students thrown back in time and into the bodies of dinosaurscalled Dinoverse. 

Where does your writing process begin? How do you generate ideas? 

                         The stories I enjoy most are those in which people grow and change. So, as a writer, I always start with the characters. Who am I going to be writing about? What does he or she want most out of life? And what obstacles can be placed in his or her way?    I’m very passionate about what I do. I love being a writer. An each time I get to write a book, I sit down with the goal of creating the best and most entertaining story I possibly can. I try to put 100% of myself and my  energies into everything I do.

                         So I look for characters who are similarly enthusiastic about their goals, characters who will hang in there no matter how tough things might get —  characters who I as a reader can relate to and really root for. For me, the plots really spring from the characters.

What are your sources of inspiration? What books or movies did you like as a kid? 

                          When I was very young, a local radio starting in New York began broadcasting a show featuring original stories and adaptations of classics from every genre imaginable — adventure classics, science fiction, courtroom dramas, historicals, you name it.

                         At the same time, Steven Spielberg was creating a revolution in visual storytelling with movies like Close Encounters. Plus, I was, and am, a big  fan of comic books. So on one level, I fell in love with telling stories in  pictures, and on the other, with words.

                         I would listen to these radio dramas and be introduced to writers I may never have know otherwise, and I’d go out and read everything I could  find of theirs. Then I’d go home and write and draw my own comic books. That led to TV directing, then to books.

What are the challenges in writing for the Dinotopia universe? 

                         Writing for Dinotopia is a joy. Plain and simple. I admire and respect  James Gurney’s vision and I feel that Dinotopia brings a sense of wonder and hope that is unmatched by anything else out there. I feel honored and  privileged each time I get to visit. 

                         Dinotopia is an isolated island that few people (except lucky readers) ever visit, and much, though not all, of the geography is already mapped out.  For me, that’s less of a challenge than a form of liberation. It frees me up  to write character-driven stories. 

                         The opportunity a writer has with Dinotopia is to explore a realm that has been beautifully constructed, and, in small ways, to add to the splendor and the amazing mythology, this bright, wonderful gift of creation that James Gurney has given us.
Do you have an audience in mind when you write? 

                         I once saw an interview with Oscar-winning actor Anthony Hopkins and he said that his approach to acting is to read the script a 100 times, then toss it out and live the moment on the day of shooting. 

                         I try to have, in general, a solid understanding of the readership a publisher may be trying to attract for any given story. Whether it’s one set in a land like Dinotopia that was created by somewone I admire or one set in a realm that’s entirely of my own making. 

                         However, when I’m actually writing a book, I’m more like a reader myself, along for the ride. I love when a character does something that surprises me or when an unexpected opportunity arises in the plot. I’m part of that audience that I want to be entertained.

Where can we find other Scott Ciencin books?

                         I have a brand new novel out in hardcover called Dinoverse or I Was a Teenage T-rex that I think readers of Dinotopia will greatly enjoy. I’ts a  paleo-accurate look at four junior high school students who are thrown back in time and in to the bodies of dinoaurs! This book is like the Breakfast Club with scales and it will be followed by several sequels including Raptor Without a Cause and Beverly Hills Brontosaurs. I’m also working on projects in other mediums and I hope to visit Dinotopiaagain soon! 
 
 

Books by Scott Ciencin 
Look for these books at your Public Library!
Some of these books may be purchased (instantly) online through our relationship with Amazon.Com. All purchases support D.I.G. 

Dinoverse (or I Was a Teenage T.rex)
Scott Ciencin, Mike Fredericks (Illustrator) / Hardcover / Published 1999 

Ancient Games (The Elven Ways , No 2) 
                     by Scott Ciencin 
                     Out of Print

Night of Glory (The Elven Ways, Book 3) 
                     by Scott Ciencin 
                                 List Price: $5.99
                                 Mass Market Paperback - 246 pages (June 1998) 
                     Eos (Mass Market); ISBN: 0380779838 ; Dimensions (in inches): 0.73 x 6.88 x 4.23

                     ISBN: 0679882367 ; Dimensions (in inches): 0.55 x 8.20 x 5.47 

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Godzilla Invades America (Godzilla Digest Novels , No 2) ~

 Godzilla : Journey to Monster Island (Official Godzilla)

Godzilla : King of the Monsters (Godzilla Digest Novel Ser.) ~  Scott Ciencin / Paperback / Published 1996, Price: $3.19 

Godzilla Vs the Space Monster (Classic Godzilla , No 3)

Dark Blade Falling (Jim Lee's Wildc.A.T.s Covert-Action Teams) 
                          Scott Ciencin 
                          (Publisher Out Of Stock) 

The Evil Within (Wildc.A.T.S.) 
                          Scott Ciencin 
                         (Publisher Out Of Stock)

The Lotus and the Rose 
                     by Scott Ciencin 
                      (Publisher Out Of Stock) 

The Mask - Mars Needs Chocalate (Tattoo Tales) 
                          Scott Ciencin, et al 
                         (Publisher Out Of Stock) 

The Night Parade (Forgotten Realms Fantasy Adventure) 
                          Scott Ciencin 
                         (Publisher Out Of Stock) 

Parliament of Blood 
                          Scott Ciencin 
                         (Publisher Out Of Stock) 

Triad (The Lurker Files #6)
                         Scott Ciencin 
                         (Publisher Out Of Stock) 

The Vampire Odyssey 
                          Scott Ciencin 
                         (Publisher Out Of Stock) 

The Wildlings 
                          Scott Ciencin 
                         (Publisher Out Of Stock) 

The Wolves of Autumn 
                          Scott Ciencin / Paperback / Published 1992 
                          (Publisher Out Of Stock)