About the Book
Book: Masa Chronicles: The Copper Scroll
Author: Nicholas Teeguarden
Genre: Christian Fiction Action/Suspense
Release Date: October 7, 2025
When American grad student and Veteran Joshua Bennett lands in Amman, Jordan, he thinks he’s chasing academic glory. What he finds instead is a centuries-old mystery that’s been waiting for someone reckless or desperate enough to uncover it.
At the center of it all is the Copper Scroll, a cryptic Dead Sea artifact rumored to hold clues to an ancient treasure buried deep in the Judean desert. But Joshua soon learns it’s no ordinary scroll.
Hidden symbols, coded phrases, and whispers of a “shepherd’s path” point to something far more significant and far more dangerous.
As the clues mount, so do the warnings. A silent observer in the library. A cryptic priest with a knowing smile. A message slipped into Joshua’s backpack: The shepherd’s path is not for the faint-hearted.
A cryptic priest and a rabbi jump in to help understand uncovered information. As Mossad agents, Templar knights, and ISIS operatives close in, Joshua and his allies race to unravel the truth. But who seeks to unearth it, and who will kill to keep it buried?
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About the Author
Nicholas Teeguarden writes faith-fueled thrillers that explore the intersection of history, belief, and discovery. His debut, The Copper Scroll: Masa Chronicles, follows archaeologist Joshua “Masa” Bennett across the Middle East in a race to uncover one of history’s most enigmatic biblical relics. Praised for its vivid realism and clean storytelling, the novel has been honored with a ChristLit Award, a Readers’ Favorite 5-star review, and recognition at the Paris Book Festival.
A veteran whose global service inspires his storytelling, Teeguarden aims to create cinematic fiction that uplifts while it thrills. He is currently developing the next installment in The Masa Chronicles alongside The Teeguarden Writing Room, a growing creative community where readers and writers explore faith, art, and story together.
More from Nicholas
Whenever I think of telling a story, I have Indiana Jones swapping the bag of sand with the golden idol. The spirits swirling around the Nazis and the uncanny escapes from the clutches of death.
I spent my early adult years stomping through biblical lands with the military, experiencing life that seemed to represent many stages of evolution. Seeing the differences in how people value life, faith, and each other.
I experienced the heart-pounding adrenaline of adventure, the edge of life moments, and the strange stillness that follows them. The sights, sounds, and smells of those places stay with you forever.
When I finally retired, I walked to the altar, a different kind of battlefield, and realized that all those years of chasing survival were really leading me to understand purpose.
That moment changed how I responded to almost everything that came after, and it’s what shaped The Copper Scroll.
Like me, Joshua “Masa” Bennett isn’t just searching for an ancient artifact; he’s looking for proof that faith still matters, that truth can survive the centuries, and that even when everything feels lost, redemption can still be found buried beneath the dust.
Writing this book was my way of reconnecting with those memories, with the lands I once marched through, and with the faith that anchored me through it all.
It’s a story of mystery, courage, and belief. The kind of adventure that begins in the desert but ends in the heart.
Interview with the Author
Literary pilgrimages
Most of the “pilgrimages” so far have been to the places that shaped Masa Chronicles, Middle East, Rome, and
stretches of Europe where biblical history and modern life collide in the same streets.
Under-appreciated novel
Danger on Panther Peak by Bill Wallace is a favorite under-appreciated novel, a lean middle-grade adventure about
a boy named Tom who must ride for help through panther country in a blizzard after his grandfather is injured. It is
simple on the surface, but it carries real stakes, courage, and moral weight in a way that still echoes in how
high-stakes scenes are written today.
Selecting character names
Character names usually start with two questions: “What would this person’s parents have believed when they
named them?” and “What does this culture reward?” For Masa Chronicles, biblical languages, family heritage, and
regional naming trends all get mixed together, so that a name quietly hints at a character’s loyalties, burdens, or the
kind of story they are about to walk into.
Hardest scene to write
The hardest scene to write was the ending. Without giving spoilers, it took a long time to figure out how
to solidify the key relationships in a way that felt emotionally honest, while still letting this story stand on
its own and leaving the door open to continue exploring the Masa universe in future books. Balancing
closure and possibility on that last stretch of pages was easily the biggest tightrope walk in the whole
project.
Favorite childhood book
As a kid, books like Tom Sawyer lit up the love for mischief, friendship, and adventure along a riverbank. Later,
meeting Bill Wallace and reading Danger on Panther Peak added a layer of rural grit and moral courage that made
“boy in trouble” stories feel both real and worth emulating.
Doing something differently as a kid
It is hard to nail down one thing I would change. There are plenty of moments I wish I could go back and
skip—times I went somewhere or made a choice that helped set up future heartbreak—but changing any
one of them might unravel the person I am today. If there had to be a do-over, it probably would not be
some profound revision of my past so much as quietly slipping myself a winning set of lottery numbers
and seeing what kind of stories came out of that timeline.
Plot or characters first?
“Plot—at least the core idea—usually comes first for me. I need to know the kind of story I am walking
into before I start naming people, because I cannot imagine calling someone Paul and then writing him as
a Forrest Gump type character; the name, the role, and the weight of the story all have to line up.
Most admired author in genre
Andrew Klavan comes to mind, even though my work does not mirror his directly. His no-nonsense way
of engaging with hard ideas, his willingness to be mocked for what he believes, and his commitment to
honest debate rather than yelling matches are all things admired and aimed for on the page as well. In
both his fiction and commentary, he takes evil and grace seriously at the same time, and that balance is
something Christian thrillers desperately need.
When not writing
When I am not writing, I am usually bouncing between thoroughly unproductive pastimes—anything
from video games to hunting birds with my dogs. If I am honest, a lot of those hobbies start as an answer
to the question, ‘What can I do right now to avoid working on this writing project?’ which probably
makes them both recreation and highly refined procrastination.
One dinner guest and meal
If language barriers and logistics were off the table, it would be the apostle Paul. As the human author
behind so much of the New Testament, there would be a long list of questions—asking him to walk
through his own letters, clarify debated passages, and explain how he expected the early churches to live
out the theology he was laying down. Sitting across the table from the man who wrote Romans,
Corinthians, and Galatians and being able to say, ‘Did you mean this the way we’ve been reading it?’
would be hard to pass up.
Blog Stops
Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, February 10
Simple Harvest Reads, February 11 (Author Interview)
Artistic Nobody, February 12 (Author Interview)
Mary Hake, February 12
Guild Master, February 13 (Author Interview)
Texas Book-aholic, February 14
Fiction Book Lover, February 15 (Author Interview)
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, February 16
Vicky Sluiter, February 17 (Author Interview)
Lily’s Corner, February 18
For the Love of Literature, February 19 (Author Interview)
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, February 20
Tell Tale Book Reviews, February 21 (Author Interview)
Blossoms and Blessings, February 22 (Author Interview)
Stories By Gina, February 23 (Author Interview)
For Him and My Family, February 23
Giveaway
To celebrate his tour, Nicholas is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon Gift Card, a copy of the book, bookmarks, and stickers!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
https://gleam.io/XuOgC/masa-chronicles-the-copper-scroll-celebration-tour-giveaway