i’m not familiar with john scalzi, who is he?

He’s a prominent fan-fiction author (I think his fic “Old Man” is widely considered to be the best of its type) and former leader of the Puppies, a group that was a minor force in SFF fandom for a while. He was involved in various drama over the years but became famous for it recently because of the controversy over the Hugo awards, which were won by a large number of the Puppies’ picks.

You're close, Frank! John Scalzi is a novelist - you're probably thinking of his breakout hit "Old Man's War". It's one of my favorite books, and I think the series only gets better as it goes on. My favorite of the series is the 6th, The End Of All Things. Can confirm of the Puppies I know who have read it, they all loved it.