This week on the Dad Spotlight we are bringing you John Martin and Scott Seegert, authors of the brand new book, Sci-Fi Junior High.
Daughters played softball together and it was almost a year until they talked about what they did. They started to converse about the books that Scott had written like It’s a Guy Thing: Awesome Innovations from the Underdeveloped Male Mind and then decided to partner up on writing and illustrating together on a series called Vordak the Incomprehensible
The concept of this book was what do we do after Vordak, and it was a Middle School where anything could happen. They love monsters and love the idea that there was a middle school where anything could happen. First the title came and then John Martin started to doodle characters. Scott looked at the doodles and he then started to outline the book.
Scott said that he and John Martin had a lot in common, similar shows, cartoons, and comics that they loved to read and watch. These commonalities led to them being great partners in the books that they created together.
Part of the inspiration for this book is that they really enjoyed their childhood and hoped to be able to bring some their childhood to the people reading their books.
The first book took about 2.5 years to write and it just came out on February 21, 2017.
Their kids did read the series and loved to give feedback about their own experiences. John Martin said it also helps that he does a cartoon camp for kids in Farmington, Michigan and this offers inspiration.
Sci Fi Junior High 2 is the second book and Scott is working on writing this currently and John is working on chapter development. Scott said that book two will come out in 2018.
John Martin and Scott Seegert have found a career that they love. John Martin also teaches at the College for Creative Studies and he tells students that you continually are reinventing yourself and you do not have to find the right career for yourself right away. Scott mentioned that his own kids did not know what they wanted to do when they went to college and he told them to do what they wanted to do. However he is honest with them about finding something that is a career path. If it turns out that the career path is something that you do not want to do, be flexible and open to other ideas. John Martin also expressed that you have to be versatile and realistic in their expectations about achieving their dreams.
About the Book
Kelvin Klosmo isn’t just the new kid at school – he’s the new kid in the galaxy! Welcome to Sci-Fi Junior High: an inter-galactic space station with students of all shapes, sizes, smells, and… slime content. As the son of Earth’s two most famous geniuses, Kelvin isn’t just the smartest kid in the world….he’s the smartest kid in the UNIVERSE. At least, that’s what everybody at Sci-Fi Junior High thinks.
So, maybe Kelvin lied a little about being a genius to fit in. And maybe a mad scientist is about to take over the universe unless Kelvin can stop him. Maybe everyone is doomed.
Well, at least Kelvin won’t have to worry about math homework anymore.
Sci-Fi Junior High is an out-of-this-world story about friendship, accepting our differences, and the fight against evil… bunnies. Yes, evil bunnies – don’t ask.
About the Authors
Scott Seegert is the author of the Vordak the Incomprehensible series. He lives in Farmington, MI with his wife, Margie, and their three children.
John Martin is an illustrator, graphic artist,