Carolina Writers Speak
Carolina Writers Speak
Scott Jones, Author
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W. Scott Jones is an American author of Southern multi-genre fiction, drawing heavily on his 30-year career as a public school history teacher, high school football coach, and athletic director. Born in Alapaha, Georgia, and raised near Sumter, South Carolina, the University of South Carolina alumnus weaves themes of history, sports, community tension, and redemption throughout his work.
His latest release, End Road Work (2026): His latest release centering on a profound, generation-spanning conversation about Heaven between a dying elderly man and a young man on a journey.
To be a wordsmith is defined as a person who writes, an author, a journalist, a person who commits their thoughts to paper. But I believe it is so much more. The ability to craft a story, to change lives, transport the ordinary life to an extraordinary place. To put words on paper and awaken the imagination in ways that the reader never dreamed possible. Yes, to have the ability to see what isn't there and make you see it too. To awaken the senses in new and amazing ways, like feeling a cool breeze on a hot summer day on your cheek, to smell wildflowers as they bloom, to taste the delicacy on foreign soil, to feel like you've never felt before, touching places long forgotten, connecting your soul in new ways. That's what writers do. It's my pleasure to host Carolina Writers Speak, a new podcast, a chance to hear actual writers' voices, hear what inspires them, experience their trials and their struggles, and realize that we all have a story and it's worth telling.
SPEAKER_00Thank you so much for having me.
SPEAKER_02We uh Carolina Writers Speak is excited to have you on. Tell us a little bit about you, and then we'll get to your book.
SPEAKER_00Well, uh, I'm a semi-retired uh high school football coach and athletic director who's a turned novelist. Uh I wrote my first book uh in 2021, is when I published my first one. It was called A Storm in the Carolinas, and it's done really well recently. And since then, I have written five novels and one novella.
SPEAKER_02Wow.
SPEAKER_00Are all your novels published? No, ma'am. I've I've self-published them, but uh I did have a traditional publisher. I am a traditionally published author with my third novel called What a Crowd. And What a Crowd actually hit Amazon number one in several categories for a couple of weeks. And then it's a it's a sports-related novel about uh the number one high school football recruit in the nation. And there's a guy named Travis Kelsey who played for the Kansas City Chiefs, and he wrote a book, and mine went downhill in a hurry.
SPEAKER_02Well, that's that's sounds like a tough break. I'm sorry about that.
SPEAKER_00That's okay.
SPEAKER_02So tell us a little bit about End Road Work. What an interesting title. What inspired you to to come up with that title and and write it?
SPEAKER_00Well, it uh you know the orange and black uh warning sign called End Road Work. Yes, that's that's the name of the novel, and uh this the story uh it goes back to it it's really uh it's a story about me in a way it's fictitious. But uh I took a trip with my 82-year-old uh great uncle from California all the way across the country, and that's what the book's about. And uh I you know this guy calls Tim Jackson is the character in the book. Tim is a 24-year-old first-year teacher and high school football coach in Tallahassee, Florida, and he gets a phone call from his 82-year-old great uncle, who he has only met once in his life. And the great uncle has a strange request. He says, I need you to come out here, fly to LA, and then drive me back to the South. And so he wants the great uncle tells him that he wants to die in the South, that he doesn't want to die out in California, and there's reasons behind that, and uh the book is about the journey uh where they stop several times. It's a four-day journey, and during that time, the great uncle begins to reveal family secrets that Tim Jackson had no idea existed. He didn't know anything about the side of the family, and including a murder and some other things in the book. I don't want to give it all away, but uh it it turns into uh quite a little bit of a mystery uh as they travel.
SPEAKER_02And then I remember reading it, reading some of it, and it was a fabulous, fabulous story.
SPEAKER_00Well, thank you.
SPEAKER_02And being from the South, I certainly appreciate all of his reasons.
SPEAKER_00Yes, ma'am.
SPEAKER_02So that book is on the market now, correct?
SPEAKER_00Yes, ma'am.
SPEAKER_02Where can people find that book?
SPEAKER_00Uh you can get it Barnes and Noble. I mean, you can order it off of Barnes and Noble, Amazon. Uh it's all of the Ingram Atlas books a million. Um it's not in each store, obviously, but you could order it that way. And you could order it off my website. My website is uh www.scottjonesauthor.com.
SPEAKER_02Now let's talk a little bit about your your uh process for writing the story. How how do you write? You know, tell me a typical day of your writing.
SPEAKER_00I write in the morning. I I like to get up early. I'm a 4 30, 5 o'clock writer uh on most days. And this story um goes back to 2020. Uh I started writing this book and I put it down. I put it halfway through it, I put it down, and uh I wasn't uh real fired up about it at the time. And uh so uh some other things happened in my life and uh I came back to it. And my editor, she loves this story better than anything that we've done. Uh she says, this is what she told me. She said, You're probably not gonna make much money off of it in your lifetime. She said, But I believe that in a hundred years people will be reading this book. She thinks that it's a classic. And uh, you know, I kind of laugh at that, but uh it's that's very complimentary from her. If you knew her, you know, I I was very uh complimented, you know, by that what she had to say.
SPEAKER_02It's certainly quite possible because you know that that type of road trip and lifestyle is something that the country is moving so far away from and it's so sad. So someday it'll come back around and people will seek out that kind of stuff.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, that's that's that's the way she put it too. She said, you know, um people will look at that and go, wow, that's what they did, you know.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, but in the meantime, it's a daggone good story right now.
SPEAKER_00Well, thank you. I appreciate that.
SPEAKER_02And what a cool vacation read that book would make, you know, because you know, when you go on vacation, normally you're on some kind of a road trip. So that would be really fun to pack right in your suitcase.
SPEAKER_00Sure, absolutely. And uh I've had uh several people that have reached out to me since then, and uh they told me that you know, we're talking about a time period of 1989, uh when the road trip actually occurred. And people are, you know, talking, you know, they're talking to me about, well, I had forgotten some of these things, and thank you for reminding me of these things. And so there's a little historical element to it. And of course, the story, the background of the story is set with the execution of Ted Bundy, the serial killer, uh, you know, in Florida. And um, you know, there's some redemption redemption story uh included in this, but uh that's the backstory of you know of what's happening uh while they're on this trip.
SPEAKER_02Okay. All right. Every book begins with a story that somebody believes is worth telling. At Cushing Publishing, we believe authors deserve more than a name on a contract. They deserve a publishing partner who respects their vision, understands their goals, and cares about the story behind the book. As an independent traditional publisher, we work closely with a select number of authors to create professionally produced books and help those books find their place in the world. From children's stories and novels to poetry, history, and personal journeys. Every book we publish is treated as something meaningful. Because your story matters and we want to help you tell it well. Follow Cushing Publishing and Cushing Media on social media or visit cushingmedia.net to discover our authors, explore our books, and learn more about how you can publish with us. Cushing Publishing, where stories become legacies. So when you when you write, do you have are you a pantster or are you a plotter?
SPEAKER_00I am a pantser. When I write, this this is what I do. I have an idea in my head, then I sit down and I start writing, and I promise you, I've written, you know, six books now, and I never knew where it was gonna take me. I never knew where the ending was gonna be. And uh so that's to me the fun part of writing is not knowing where the writing is gonna take you. And I know people laugh at that and they don't believe me, but that's the truth. I I start the story and then uh I go along and you know, uh, my last book before this one, it took me about a week to figure out the ending. And uh one day the ending hit me uh just you know by accident. And so that happens to me quite frequently.
SPEAKER_02That's how I write too. I always tell people that I pick up the pen, which is really a keyboard, and the the keyboard tells me the story, you know, and I just kind of channel it on out.
SPEAKER_00Yes, ma'am.
SPEAKER_02So I certainly understand that thought process. And and I think that, you know, I I applaud people that take the time to do the outline and do all that junk, and that's really good. But for me, that's not how I think or how I write. So I I understand your your way for sure.
SPEAKER_00I just I just can't do it. I can't plot it out.
SPEAKER_02I can't either. I can't either. It takes all the fun out of it, you know. It's more like a work assignment when I have to do all that.
SPEAKER_00That's right.
SPEAKER_02So are you writing now?
SPEAKER_00Uh yes, ma'am, I am. I have uh actually uh I'm in the middle of a series uh that I'm doing. It's a mystery series. I've I've I've been all of my books have an element of mystery in them, uh, but I've never really done a real mystery novel. And I had a friend of mine who said, you might want to try this, you know, uh, because all of your books have the elements of mystery included in them. And so right now I'm in the process. I've I've all I've actually finished one and I'm working on number two. Uh and we hope to try to get that out next year sometime.
SPEAKER_02Fantastic. I think a series is so much fun for your readers, too, because you've got a good base of fans now, and they will really appreciate a series. It's a good time to introduce that into your collection.
SPEAKER_00Well, thank you. I appreciate that. Uh the book, the book that I published before this one, uh The Coaches' Wives. Uh, I have a lot of people that are asking me to do a series on that. And uh I just I'm running out of time, Rose.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I know, I know. I time goes by so fast, everybody's wanting my sequel, and I've written 3,500 words, but I got a long way to go.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, you got you do a lot though. That's you're you are one busy lady, I can tell you that.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I my ADHD shows up. But uh I'm excited about your book series. Now, one more question. Do you have any advice for folks that are trying to start their writing career or finish their book? What advice would you give them?
SPEAKER_00Just do it. You know, this my story, I don't I want to take up too much of your time, but my story starts back in college when I had a professor who told me to come to his office and I thought I was in big trouble. And he sat down and he said, Uh, we have a problem here. And I said, What do you what do you mean, sir? And he said, Your writing is unbelievable. And you need to think about becoming a writer. And I said, No, I'm gonna be a football coach. Uh yeah, that's already a done deal. I'm graduating, you know, there's no way I'm changing majors and you know, doing that. And that guy stayed with me. Uh, he was one of those great professors who stayed in my life, actually came to my wedding and came to a lot of my football games when I coached, and um, he kept begging me to write a book, write a book, and it was 20-something years later when we actually worked on a book, which this is a long story, Rose, but I'm gonna make it short. The book the book was read by a North Carolina college football coach at NC State, Dick Sheridan, and Dick Sheridan loved our book, and he sent it to his publisher in New York, and I just knew I had hit the big time. Yeah, and the publisher got back with me and said, we would love to do this book. However, there is a movie coming out this spring by Disney, and if we published your book, it would look like you had copied Disney's movie.
SPEAKER_02Oh man.
SPEAKER_00The book was called, I mean, the movie was called Remember the Titans.
SPEAKER_02Yep.
SPEAKER_00And so I was crushed. You know, uh, I I finally, you know, we finally put the uh words to paper and actually published you know, tried to publish the book, and uh, I just gave up and I said I'll never write again. Fast forward like 15 years later, after that happened, and uh I decided to write my first novel. I wish I would have done it before, and I wish I would have worked on it, found time to work on it uh when I was younger. But here I am, here I am in the twilight in the fourth quarter, and uh just having a good time doing it. I we just we have so much fun going to events and meeting different readers, and uh, we love feedback from people, good and bad. I've you know we have some bad feedback every now and then. Lady called me the other day and she said that uh she had a complaint. She couldn't go to sleep at night. She was reading a book so long. I said, Well, that's a good thing.
SPEAKER_02Yes, it is, yes, it is. That that says a lot about your work, Scott. That's fabulous. Every writer has a story, and every writing journey deserves encouragement, inspiration, and a place to grow. Speaking of writing as a digital magazine, we created for authors, aspiring writers, and everyone who loves the written word. Each issue brings you author interviews, practical publishing, and marketing advice, industry insights, new book discoveries, and honest conversations about the creative journey. Whether you're writing your first sentence, preparing to publish, or building an established author brand. Speaking of Writing is here to remind you that you're not traveling this road alone. Discover your next great read and find the inspiration to keep writing your own story. Follow Speaking of Writing, Cushing Media, and Cushing Publishing on social media to view the latest issue, meet our featured writers, and stay connected with your literary community. Speaking of Writing, published by Cushing Media. So, what's left on your bucket list?
SPEAKER_00My bucket list, I want to come to a little town called New Bern, North Carolina and visit the the great writer that you are. I do want to come there one day. Uh, and I know that you have a big event coming up in December, and I would love to do it, but uh I'm not sure that uh my plans will allow me to do it yet. But uh anyway, I it whether I come to that event or not, uh I would love. I've been to New Bern one time and I thought it was just a beautiful town. I love the it was a bookstore, an old bookstore there that uh I visited, and um, you know, just the atmosphere of the town. Go Bears, I think that's the book. Newburn bears. Is that right? Yes, sir. I graduated there, yes, ma'am. And uh so anyway, I just think it's a beautiful place and uh hope to make our way up there one day.
SPEAKER_02Newburn has a real special place in my heart for sure, and it'll always be home. Um, but I I we have to get together. We definitely do now. Where are you in South Carolina?
SPEAKER_00I'm in Lugoff. Uh that's next to Tukey Doo, if you know where Tukie Doo is. Um how about Rayburn's Crossroads? We're not far from there, but Lugoff is uh near Camden, South Carolina. We're in we're in horse country. I know I know Camden. You guys are uh know about the Carolina Cup and the Colonial Cup. And so um, you know, we're not far from Camden.
SPEAKER_02All right, that's a pretty area.
SPEAKER_00Yes, ma'am.
SPEAKER_02All right, well, now tell everybody again where can they buy your book?
SPEAKER_00Well, obviously you can get them on Amazon uh or you can get uh you know online Barnes and Noble at the books a million or on my website, uh which is you can buy direct, you can get autograph copies uh on www. Scott Jones author.
SPEAKER_02Okay. And how can they follow you on social media?
SPEAKER_00Facebook. Uh I I have a W in front of the Scott Jones, and so uh they W Scott Jones author on Facebook uh or Instagram, they can follow me on Instagram or um LinkedIn, Twitter, uh, and TikTok Rose. Um I don't dance though on TikTok.
SPEAKER_02Well, you need to do that. I'm sure as a football coach, you've got cool moves. Okay, so people, if you're out there listening, please pick up a copy of this book. You will be so glad you did, and it'll give you so many memories and so much insight into how important and why a road trip was a very big deal, and it still is in my heart. But pick up Scott's book and um follow Scott on social media for this new series coming out.
SPEAKER_00Rose, thank you so much. I've I've really enjoyed it. You're the best.
SPEAKER_02Thanks for being on the show, Scott, and for all you guys out there listening. You know, thank you very much for listening and let us know what you think.
SPEAKER_00Thank you.
SPEAKER_02If you love books, stories, and the people that bring them to life, make plans to join us for Lipfest 2026. Presented by Cushion Media and Cushing Publishing, Lipfest brings readers, writers, and families together for a full day of author conversations, featured presentations, book signs, and literary fun. There's plenty for your children to do too. They can write letters to Santa, gather in the story corner to hear children's authors read their books, enjoy games and puzzles, and other activities. Plus, a special visit from the big man himself, Santa Claus. Join us on Saturday, December 19th at the Riverfront Convention Center in beautiful downtown Newborne North Carolina. Admissions free, and there's something for your whole family. Learn more at CushingThemedia.net and follow Cushing Publishing on Facebook for announcements and updates. Lipfest 2026, where stories find readers, writers find community, and families make memories together.
SPEAKER_01Everybody has a story. Just let your mind drift away and find yours. I know it's out there. What are you waiting for?