About the Book

Book: Chaos Woods, Chronicles of the Ever-Guise, Book I

Author: Scott T. Barnes

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Release Date: November 14, 2025

After a thieves’ auction goes wrong, young barmaid Telyn Brower winds up with a shard from a magical mask.

Only one problem: In this world, humans are forbidden to use magic. In fact, they’re the only sentient beings without any innate magical powers.

That doesn’t stop Telyn and her friends from using the mask to improve life in their isolated mountain town of Harlech.

At first, the changes seem small. Helpful. Necessary.

But good intentions only carry them so far.

Soon, lies begin to surface. Trust erodes. With every spell they cast, the mask tightens its grip. The power is seductive, addictive. The consequences are dangerous.

As the subjugation of humans intensifies and enemies draw near, the only way out seems to lie deep in the Chaos Woods—an ancient forest where magic itself bends and frays.

To survive, the friends must face the cost of their choices and decide whether they can truly trust one another.

Discover the young adult fantasy Chaos Woods, rated 4.8 out of 5 stars by IndieReader, and described as “an ambitious, character-driven fantasy.”

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

An afficionado of small towns, forests, and mountains, you can find Scott T. Barnes writing in coffee shops all over Southern California. Scott won the Writers of the Future Award for his story “Insect Sculptor.” His contemporary fantasy, Memories of Lucinda Eco, set in Baja California, received a coveted “Editor’s Pick” from BookLife, while his epic fantasy Chaos Woods earned 4.8 out of 5 stars from IndieReader. Kirkus Reviews called it, “An absorbing, character-driven YA tale of camaraderie and redemption.”

More from Scott

One of the things that makes the fantasy genre so powerful, so important even, is that it often deals with existential questions, especially life versus death and good versus evil. Many other genres shy away from such question, or pretend that evil is, in fact, “relative.”

However, sharing the same stakes also means that many fantasy tales may come to resemble one another a little too much.

For Chaos Woods, I wanted to do something a little bit different. Given that the main character winds up with a magical mask, it did not take long to realize that the primary stakes of this story would be truth versus lies. This realization made the writing of the story much easier. Conflict and confrontation came easily through the turning of these two poles. This led IndieReader in a 4.8/5-star review to remark, “Scott T. Barnes delivers a richly imagined, character-driven coming-of-age fantasy that balances cozy adventure with thoughtful themes of morality, addiction, and the consequences of one’s choices.”

In addition to unique stakes, there is a lot of me in this tale. I grew up in a gold-mining town, surrounded by fields and live oak stands, and the mountains, forests, and small-town vibe enrich Telyn’s adventures. I hope the reader finds the Chaos Woods a place they want to visit again and again.

Interview with the Author

1)What does success as an author look like to you?

I have to answer that in two different ways. From a creative standpoint, I need to create. If I am not writing stories, then I feel a certain emptiness inside, sort of like an athlete who does not get a workout in. From that standpoint, as long as I am creating something new, then I am satisfying that need.

That said, it is deeply satisfying when people read my stories. I tell my team that I would like to sell 10,000 copies of every novel. What’s even more satisfying is when people are moved by my stories. For example, I was just selling novels at WonderCon, like a small ComicCon. A young man came up to me in the morning and we talked about Chaos Woods, and I could tell he was interested. But he said, “I’ll come back later.” We said goodbye, and I did not expect to see him again. But at the close of the day, nearly 10 hours later, he returned and told me he wanted to buy the book. It took a while to get the credit card reader to take his card, so I asked him what other cool stuff he bought at the convention. He replied, “Nothing. I only had $20 to spend and your novel was the most interesting thing I saw here.” What a thing to say to an author! I blushed like you wouldn’t believe. That, to me, is success.

2)Which character did you connect to best in this book?

Tough question. Hosh is a bit of a comic relief character, a bit clumsy and often saying the wrong thing at the wrong time, but he is loyal, stoic, and always tries his best. Not so different from me in real life. Meanwhile, Telyn has the most traits that I’d like to emulate: rebellious, tough, spontaneous, physically capable (and not afraid of heights), almost fearless, and leading with her heart.

3)Which part of the book was the most difficult to write?

I have discovered that if a scene is particularly difficult to write, it probably doesn’t belong in the book. My mind resists writing it because it considers it boring.

What can be difficult is writing fast-paced, exciting scenes. The tendency is to rush through them, to make the prose match the action, but something I learned from Stephen King is to slow down the most exciting scenes so that the readers can savor them.

4)What inspired this book?

Probably most of all the setting. I grew up in a small, mountain town surrounded by forests, which is quite a similar setting to Chaos Woods. But I never begin a story unless three or more brainstorm ideas seem to belong to the same story. In this case, the setting, the main character, and the Spring Sale, which probably was inspired by showing sheep in the 4H at the Del Mar Fair, if you can believe that.

5)Which author influenced the you most?

J.R.R. Tolkien, followed by C.S. Lewis.

6)What is your favorite Bible verse or life verse?

I love Job 38. I used to think I had to understand everything, but this makes it abundantly clear that this is not only unnecessary, it is impossible. I find that a great liberation.

7)What is your vacation spot?

We used to go to Mount Hermon family camp every year. If I had to go to one place year after year, that would be it. But we have made the decision to visit different places. We just returned from Iceland, which was an adventure in itself. Definitely inspirational.

8)What are you reading right now?

I am re-reading the series Memory, Sorrow and Thorn by Tad Williams. The reason is that I remembered it being quite close to Chaos Woods in tone, and my memory is not mistaken. Anyone that likes Memory, Sorrow and Thorn will like the Ever-Guise series.

9)Describe your view as you’re sitting in your writing chair.

I almost always write in one of half-dozen coffee shops around Orange County, so my view is usually of three or four other people bent over their laptops being productive in their own way. I love the smell of coffee and the combination of solitude and being in a public place.

10)If you could have one book or piece of art or music on a deserted island, what would it be and why?

The Bible would definitely be first on the list. Next is Lord of the Rings. I reread it every couple of years and discover something new every time.