As a Gift to Their 'Future Children' (Exclusive)? Scott and Mark Hoying Wrote Their New Book How Lucky Am I

Pentatonix singer Scott Hoying and his partner Mark are getting candid about their new book, How Lucky Am I?

The pair, who will celebrate their one-year marriage anniversary next month, opened up about the reason why they decided to write a children’s book together — and the very special meaning that the story holds for them.

“We wanted to create a book as a gift to our future children,” Scott told PEOPLE. “We're in the process of starting a family, so we wanted to get a gift for them and instill the values that we hold really dear to us, such as love and gratitude and making life an adventure.” 

He added that they initially bonded as a couple through their mutual love of “Disney, Pixar and animated things” and had a love for the “poignancy of a children's story.” So, when the idea initially came to them in 2020, they decided to “pursue it wholeheartedly.”

“We trapped a fly in the refrigerator. And we're like, ‘Oh my gosh, we have to let that fly out. It only has, you know, a little time to live.’ And it made us think 'Wait, how long does a mayfly live?,' “ Mark explained. “So, we googled it and we found out that the mayfly lived 24 hours and that was kind of  the genesis of the idea.” 

How Lucky Am I? is about a mayfly with a single day to live who ponders the idea of spending his day alone while other mayflies pair off. The story “encourages us all to appreciate the beauty of everyday life and those we share it with,” according to a synopsis of the book.

The pair likened the process of writing their first children’s book to writing music together — which was even incorporated into the book. How Lucky Am I? includes a QR code that readers can scan to listen to its accompanying song in either orchestral form or piano with vocals.

Mark noted, “it's almost like a musical audiobook written with all the words told in song form,” and Scott added that implementing music within the book was “one of the biggest priorities for us.”

“It really paints the picture of the emotions they're feeling,” Scott shared. “And -

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so like when the main characters are falling in love, you can hear in the song … the orchestra gets huge, and they're just like, belting and this duet's happening. And we wanted it to sound like falling in love feels.”

It’s a feeling that both Scott and Mark wanted to share with their readers, along with a special piece of their own love story. 

“Mark had the most beautiful vows a human can give at our wedding … And there's a line he says in his vows where he's like: ‘I promise to adventure with you side-by-side, talk for hours, laugh and cry. Some of our favorite things to do,’“ the Pentatonix singer said. “That's actually in the book when they're falling in love. And it reminds me of our wedding every time.”

The couple, who dated for six years before tying the knot in a romantic seaside ceremony in Santa Barbara, Calif. in 2023, said it was ultimately important for them to tell their own love story, since they didn’t see much queer representation in the media when they were growing up. 

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“When kids don't see that at a young age, you start to think ... 'Do I belong? Does this story that I feel like I'm living, does it deserves to be told?’” Scott said. “And we just want to make it our mission to be as public-facing as possible, show our love, show that you can overcome obstacles and do everything we can to help any people or queer kids out there feel safer.”

“And we're hoping that through this book … that even just seeing two mayflies fall in love will inspire and help other kids relate to things that may make them feel different or 'other' in the world and give them some peace as they're reading the story,” Mark added.

How Lucky Am I? is currently available, wherever books are sold.

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