Mebus, Scott 1974–

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Mebus, Scott 1974–

PERSONAL:

Born November 28, 1974. Education: Attended Wesleyan University.

ADDRESSES:

Home—New York, NY. Agent—David Dunton, Harvey Klinger Inc., 301 West 53rd St., New York, NY 10019.

CAREER:

Television producer, music producer, writer, editor, novelist, playwright, and composer. Producer for Music Television (MTV) and Video Hits One (VH1), New York, NY. Has also performed as a stand-up comedian. Member of BAD SAM sketch comedy performance group.

WRITINGS:

Booty Nomad (novel), Miramax Books (New York, NY), 2003.

The Big Happy (novel), Miramax Books (New York, NY), 2006.

Gods of Manhattan (children's book), Dutton Juvenile (New York, NY), 2008.

The Hidden Light (children's book), Dutton Children's Books (New York, NY), 2008.

Author and producer of rock musical Tarnish, performed at International Fringe Festival. Author of plays and writer for television commercials. Composer of musical scores for television programs.

SIDELIGHTS:

Scott Mebus is a writer, television producer, music producer, and stand-up comedian who lives in New York. Mebus published his debut novel, Booty Nomad, in 2003. He also wrote and produced the rock musical Tarnish in the late 1990s that was staged at the International Fringe Festival. As a producer for MTV and VH1, Mebus has worked on projects such as The Tom Green Show and The Real World. He has also composed musical scores for MTV, VH1, and the Discovery Channel.

Mebus's interest in the arts began when he was a teenager; he first published his writing in the school newspaper. At age sixteen, he co-composed a theme song for a local theater, earning his first commission as a songwriter. As he grew older, Mebus continued to develop as an entertainer and writer, crafting plays and performing comedy.

Booty Nomad is the fictional account of a twenty-something television producer, David Holden, who breaks up with his girlfriend and begins to navigate the New York dating scene. This romantic comedy, narrated from a man's perspective, joins the growing number of novels that combine comedy, romance, and fiction to appeal to a predominantly male audience. The book received mixed reviews from critics. While a Publishers Weekly contributor wrote that the book contains "flashes of sharp urban observation," Booklist contributor John Green felt that the novel is lacking in some respects but appealing in others. He commented: "Though the novel is marred by awkward plot devices and gags that fall flat, it proves to have a surprisingly big heart (and the slapstick is often very funny)."

In his next novel, The Big Happy, Mebus brings back David Holden from Booty Nomad. David is now falling for the neurotic Janey while trying to sabotage his friend Annie's wedding to Josh, a man David refers to as "Rat Boy." The novel's title refers to David's search for a state of perfect contentment. Referring to a popular television show, a Publishers Weekly contributor noted the novel's "Friends-like sweetness." Allison Block, writing in Booklist, opined that "fans of the first novel will want to follow the story."

For his next book, Gods of Manhattan, the author targets young readers with a tale of a spirit world named Manhatta that coexists alongside modern Manhattan. When thirteen-year-old Rory Hennessy begins seeing the spirit world after a magician's trick, he and his little sister, Bridget, find themselves entering the strange world of Manhatta, where everyone who is worth remembering still lives, from notables such as Alexander Hamilton and Babe Ruth to famous criminals. In addition, Manhatta is populated by various strange creatures and monsters, including cockroaches who are respected animal warriors. However, the young siblings soon learn that all is not right in Manhatta, as heroes have lost their luster and the Munsees, which is what the Native American Indians are called, are caged in the Trap.

"Gods of Manhattan was not at all what I'd expected from Scott Mebus," wrote Nathan Brazil on the SF Site Web site. "As a former MTV producer and author of two BlokeLit novels, I was anticipating this venture into Harry Potter territory would be loaded with modern cultural references, and techno[logy]." Brazil added: "Instead, what I found was a quaintly old-fashioned work, brimming with quirky invention and subtle charm." A Kirkus Reviews contributor called Gods of Manhattan an "uncommonly entertaining crossover debut."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, November 15, 2003, John Green, review of Booty Nomad, p. 576; April 15, 2006, Allison Block, review of The Big Happy, p. 29; April 15, 2006, Allison Block, review of The Big Happy, p. 29.

Kirkus Reviews, December 15, 2003, review of Booty Nomad, p. 1417; March 15, 2006, review of The Big Happy, p. 257; March 15, 2006, review of The Big Happy, p. 257; March 1, 2008, review of Gods of Manhattan.

Publishers Weekly, February 2, 2004, review of Booty Nomad, p. 61; April 10, 2006, review of The Big Happy, p. 43.