Author Interview with Nicholas Teeguarden about The Copper Scroll
What is your latest book about?
My latest book, The Copper Scroll, is a modern archaeological thriller about Joshua “Masa” Bennett, an Army veteran turned grad student whose research on the real Copper Scroll pulls him into a deadly hunt across Amman, Qumran, and the Dead Sea.
What begins as a thesis on an obscure Dead Sea text turns into a race between scholars, smugglers, and shadowy religious factions, all convinced the scroll points—not just to buried treasure—but to hidden writings that could shake how the world understands Jesus, John the Baptist, and early Christianity.
Taking the story from a concept to a published book is a long and involved process. How does that usually work for you?
This story started with my obsession with the real Copper Scroll: a baffling Dead Sea document that reads more like a treasure inventory than a piece of scripture. I asked myself, “What if somebody finally connected its clues to one specific, overlooked place—and what if dangerous people noticed?”
From there, I built Joshua: a believer, a veteran, and a serious archaeology student, then dropped him into very real settings—the University of Jordan, the Jordan Museum, Qumran caves, Ein Feshkha springs—and let him chase the scroll while the world around him pushed back. I draft fast and messy, then spend most of my time in revision tightening the mystery, checking the history, and making sure the danger feels earned, not just convenient.
Which of your books would you recommend for readers to choose first if they’re new to you and your books?
If you’re new to my work, The Copper Scroll is actually the best place to start, because it launches the Masa Chronicles and introduces Joshua, Noa, Amina, and the whole web of forces around the scroll.
It gives you the core mix I love to write: grounded archaeology, contemporary Middle Eastern settings, faith under pressure, and a slow‑burn partnership that has to survive ambushes, caves, and conspiracies long before it can survive coffee.
Do you have a favorite personal development or writing book you would recommend?
For personal development, I really appreciate books that talk about fear and focus rather than “hype,” especially for long projects like a novel; I’d recommend you pick something that helps you build habits you can actually live with during a long drafting and revising season.
On the writing side, craft books that break down story structure and character desire have been most useful for me, because a book like The Copper Scroll depends on balancing external danger (ISIS cells, intelligence services, black‑market hunters) with Joshua’s internal journey as his faith and motives get tested by what he finds.
Are your characters based off real people or did they all come entirely from your imagination?
The characters in The Copper Scroll aren’t one‑to‑one portraits of real people, but they’re definitely stitched together from reality. Joshua carries pieces of veterans I’ve known, people who’ve wrestled honestly with faith, and grad students who take their subject a little too seriously.
Noa and Amina both grow out of real tensions in the region—Israeli intelligence, Palestinian history, Christian and Muslim communities—and from the kind of brilliant, driven women you really do meet in archaeology and museum work. I exaggerate for drama, but the human core is meant to feel true.
What have you learned throughout your writing process?
Writing The Copper Scroll taught me how much work it takes to make a fast story feel both fun and respectful. I had to slow down and keep asking, “Is this how a real grad student, or a real Mossad officer, or a real museum curator would react?” and then rewrite until the answer was closer to yes.
I also learned that weaving together faith, doubt, history, and danger demands patience: some days were pure research on Essenes or Qumran cave maps, and other days were just trying to get two characters to talk honestly in a coffee shop after they’ve been shot at.
How do you keep your ideas fresh and avoid traveling over well-worn territory?
To keep ideas fresh in this book, I focused on consequences instead of just set‑pieces. Instead of asking, “What’s a cool chase scene in a cave?”, I asked, “If someone really believed the Copper Scroll pointed to explosive writings, who would that threaten, and how would they realistically push back—in Jordan, in Israel, in Rome?”
I also made myself avoid the easy version of familiar tropes: the “Indiana Jones” nod is in there on purpose, but then I let the story argue with that fantasy—there’s food poisoning, bureaucratic roadblocks, and the emotional cost of being watched and hunted while you’re just trying to finish a thesis.
Do the characters all come to you at the same time or do some of them come to you as you write?
Joshua and Noa arrived first: I knew I wanted a collaboration that felt like friction, respect, and slow trust, not instant romance. Once I had them, the story started to assemble its own cast—Dr. Khalil, Father Nance, Rabbi Cohen, Omar at the falafel stand—as the kinds of people who’d realistically orbit a Copper Scroll investigation in Amman.
Other characters, like Amina and some of the darker figures in the shadows, showed up later as I asked, “Who else would be watching this?” and followed the logic out to intelligence services, black‑market networks, and religious institutions that have their own reasons to fear what might be hidden in a cave.
Title: The Copper Scroll (Masa Chronicles
Book 1)
Author: Nicholas Teeguarden
Publisher: Independent
Publication Date: October 7,
2025
Pages: 230
Genre: Archaelogical
Thriller/Suspense/Action Adventure
Sub-Genre: International Mystery &
Crime
Formats: Paperback, Kindle,
Audiobook & Kindle Unlimited
BLURB
The
Copper Scroll follows historian Joshua “Masa” Bennett as he journeys into the
heart of the Middle East in an attempt to unlock the secrets hidden within the
legendary Copper Scroll. Just as he begins making progress, disturbing warnings
and shadowy sightings reveal that other powerful forces are also closing in:
Templars, ISIS operatives, and government intelligence groups, each hiding
their own motives for uncovering what the scroll may reveal.
Drawn
deeper into a world of danger, deception, and spiritual tension, Masa must
navigate hostile territory, shifting alliances, and a truth far more explosive
than he ever imagined. As past and present violently intersect, he realizes the
stakes extend far beyond archaeology, the secrets of the Copper Scroll could
alter geopolitical power and shake the foundations of faith itself.
A
blend of international suspense, ancient mystery, and truths long buried
beneath history, The Copper Scroll delivers a gripping thriller for fans of
Joel Rosenberg, Dan Brown, and archaeological adventure stories rooted in
real-world intrigue.
Read
sample here.
The
Copper Scroll is
available at Amazon.
Here’s What Readers Have To Say!
"The Copper Scroll: Masa Chronicles,
authored by Nicholas Teeguarden, is extraordinary piece of literature that has
made a significant impact on me. The last time I felt this level of excitement
about a book was while reading the Bible for the first time, a bold comparison,
but one that underscores the author's exceptional God given talent!" -
Louise Jane, CEO The Christlit Book Award
"The Copper Scroll is more of a quest
for truth than a treasure hunt. I recommend this book to lovers of historical
books with a bit of danger, and it put me in the mood to find out about Qumran
myself." - Mary Clarke for Readers Favorite
I'd recommend The Copper Scroll to anyone
who enjoys historical mysteries wrapped in modern storytelling. If you like a
blend of Indiana Jones energy with a more thoughtful, personal core, this book
will hit the right notes. It would appeal to readers curious about archaeology,
faith, or just a good chase story where the stakes feel both grand and
intimate. It left me thoughtful, a little breathless, and eager to see where
Masa's journey goes next. -Literary Titan
BOOK EXCERPT
Joshua “Masa” Bennett hummed the Villines
Trio’s familiar refrain, “I’m going all the way, I made up my mind…” as he
drove toward the University of Arkansas. The song, a staple from his Lincoln
church, bookended his commute, its quiet grace a lifeline since his Army days
tromping biblical lands. No atheists in foxholes, they say, and Masa carried
that faith into civilian life, fueling his master’s in archaeology. Today felt
routine, just another class, but a spark flickered beneath it, a path to
mysteries buried for centuries, secrets that could shake faith’s foundations.
The lecture hall buzzed with late-afternoon chaos. High ceilings arched
overhead, intricate moldings catching golden light through tall, narrow
windows. Dust motes danced in the beams, stirred by restless students shifting
in tiered rows of scarred desks with etched initials, coffee rings, and doodles
of bored minds. Chalk dust bit the air, mingling with the musty scent of old
books and the hum of flickering fluorescents. At the front, Professor Thaddeus
Luke commanded the room, his wiry frame dwarfed by a blackboard scrawled with
frantic chalk lines and gray hair flaring like a storm cloud as his voice
boomed with passion.
Joshua
sat near the back, his lean frame hunched over a desk that creaked under his
weight. His leather backpack, a frayed relic from his grandfather’s
desert-wandering days, slumped against his leg like a loyal dog. Dark hair fell
into his eyes as he scribbled furiously in a notebook already thick with ink:
sketches of jagged cave mouths, snatches of Hebrew script, arrows darting
between wild theories. Around him, classmates slumped in their seats, some
doodling aimlessly, others sneaking glances at their phones beneath the desks.
A girl two rows ahead twisted a strand of blonde hair around her finger,
whispering to her neighbor with a smirk. Joshua barely noticed. His world was
the blackboard, the professor’s words, the tantalizing riddle unfolding before
him.
Professor
Luke’s chalk scratched against the board as he recited from the Copper Scroll,
his tone reverent yet edged with excitement. “Item four: ‘In the cave of the
pillar that is in the valley of Achor, which is near the house of the washer,
dig three cubits: there are twenty-two talents of silver.’” He paused, turning
to face the room, his eyes glinting behind wire-rimmed glasses. “Discovered in
cave three at Qumran in 1952, this scroll stands apart from the Dead Sea
manuscripts. Sixty-four locations, each a cryptic promise of treasure, not
scripture, not prophecy, but a map. A cipher waiting to be cracked.”
– Excerpted from The Copper Scroll, 2025.
Reprinted with permission.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Nicholas
Teeguarden is the award-winning author
of Masa Chronicles: The Copper Scroll, a biblical-archaeological
thriller blending international suspense, ancient mystery, and faith-driven
storytelling. His debut novel is a ChristLit Book of the Year Finalist,
a Titan Gold Medal Winner, and has earned praise from readers for its
gripping pace and moral depth. Nicholas hosts Teeguarden’s Writing Room,
a weekly series chronicling his creative process and the ongoing development of
the Masa Chronicles. He resides in Oklahoma and is currently working on the
next book.
Visit
Nick’s website at www.nickteeguarden.com.
Connect
with him at the following social networks:
X: https://twitter.com/nickteeguarden
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61579248636306
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/nickteeguarden
BookBub:
The Copper Scroll: Masa
Chronicles (The Masa Chronicles Book 1) by Nicholas Teeguarden - BookBub
Goodreads:
Masa Chronicles: The Copper
Scroll by Nicholas Teeguarden | Goodreads
YouTube
– https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCF_TUwTK0lQI0eu6_6QEyYQ/
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