Tell our readers briefly about yourself and not give just your bio. Write it as if you were on a talk show. How would you introduce yourself?
I would be very scared to be on a talk show, and would wonder at what the audience had done to deserve such a guest! My name is David Green, but most people call me Dave or sometimes Davey and I don’t really mind as I am far too accommodating for my own good! I write fantasy, mainly, but cut my teeth in the publishing world by submitting horror short stories and the like. I have two fantasy series - one dark epic, the other urban noir - but would one day love to write an Agatha Christie style novel. I’m Irish but grew up in Manchester, UK and now live in Galway again, and have a train obsessed four year old son.
What books do you have available?
So I have two series. My epic dark fantasy is called Empire of Ruin and the first book, In Solitude’s Shadow, is available now and the sequel, Path of War, is out June 18th 2022, and will be a four book series! It’s my love letter to everything I love about epic fantasy with my own takes on it, and features badass women doing incredible things with a huge focus on character, as well as high-stake situations. My other is an urban fantasy noir called Hell In Haven, following the trials and tribulations of Haven City’s one and only paranormal investigator. There are two books in the series, but The Devil Walks In Blood Special Edition contains both of them. This will be a 7ish book series… I’m not settled on the length yet as the nature of it lends itself to a little wiggle room. Fans of Dresden Files, Hellblazer and Supernatural seem to enjoy it!
Can you tell us about your most recent release?
My last two books came out in 2021 which were the ones I mentioned above - In Solitude’s Shadow and The Devil Walks In Blood.
However, Path of War, the sequel to In Solitude’s Shadow, is out in June which sometimes sounds so far away but at other times I realise it’s only a couple of months away! I’m really proud of the book; it’s bigger, more complex, deeper and larger in scope than the first book, and I’m really excited for people to read it. My beta readers and publisher have really enjoyed it so I’m hopeful!
Do you stay in one genre when you write or do you find yourself veering toward others?
I’ve written lots of short stories in horror and sci-fi, and even have a science-fiction novelette called A Place Beyond The Storm published, but I do always veer towards fantasy as I’m an avid reader of the genre, and I see the majority of my long-form work in that area.
Fantasy is wide-ranging so there’s lots of subgenres I can explore, and I do! I pull on different aspects of fantasy, particularly in my urban fantasy series, and I ghost write too where I work with genres and subgenres I usually don’t get to explore.
Are you a panster, planner, or someone in between?
I’m very much in between. A planster. I know the beginning, middle and ends well, and the characters involved, but I let the story wonder here and there and see what happens. I like to be surprised!
What is your writing routine like?
I have a really rigid structure because my brain demands it! I write on set days, for set times, and break down my writing by word counts needed for those days plus 10% so I’m always ahead of where I should be in case something comes up and I can’t write on a different day. I know this wouldn’t work for everyone, but I find I just get more done and feel much more relaxed this way.
Tell me about your favorite character that you’ve created?
That’s a tough one as I genuinely like all of them, even the not so nice ones! The character I’ve spent a lot of time on recently is one of the villains from In Solitude’s Shadow called Nexes Almor, and I got to go deeper with him in Path of War and really enjoyed doing that.
Where do you get your ideas for world building?
Sometimes it might just be something I have in mind and want to explore and define, but other times it can be from situations I’ve read in other books and an author has gone in a certain direction with something, and I think what would happen if they went in another way. Not to say it was done badly or anything, but I just think that way sometimes. “This is cool, but I wonder what this would have looked like.”
Other times I look at history and draw from that. Either applying situations to my worlds, or going in a different direction with them. I’m a big fan of studying history.
Do you add romance to your writing?
I do. Romance is a part of life, and is a great driver for character relations, situations people find themselves in, and choices people make, so why shouldn’t it be a part of a story? It’s never a main focus, but it’s alway there. I want to show that my characters have full lives, so it’ll always be in my work.
What was your favorite scene to create?
I have a lot of fun with writing endings, and the last chapter of In Solitude’s Shadow was a lot of fun to write, and people seemed to have enjoyed it just as much. I must say, though, the penultimate chapter of The Devil Walks In Blood is one of my favourites. The chapter before that is a big and action heavy with really high stakes, and the next one is more intimate but just as tense in a different way and I was really happy with how it turned out, particularly because it deals with a couple of really heavy themes.
Where do you get character inspiration?
I honestly don’t know! I build my characters at the same time as I create my worlds, and all at the same time, so often I’m looking at them and thinking, “Okay, what’s their biggest fear? How can I challenge them?” so I create a character that can do that, and then reflect that in the world, too. Doing this I get to know them better and they become more rounded.
Nick Holleran from Hell In Haven was a little different, though. He is very much just based on me - an American, not bald or bearded version of me, and a little more jaded and sarcastic, but he has a very similar background to me and many of the same world views.
What genre do you prefer to read?
Fantasy! I’ve read it all my life and love it. It’s such an escape for me, but I love how you get to explore such deep and meaningful themes in it, and the imagination of the writers just astounds me.
I also love mysteries. Sherlock Holmes, Agatha Christie and so on.
Do you have any specific authors you follow and try to craft your work after?
Not so much trying to craft my work on because I think it’s good to search for your own voice, but I have studied my favoutite authors to look how they would handle certain things; Tolkien, Robert Jordan, Robin Hobb, Anna Smith Spark, Joe Abercrombie. I think reading while writing is important, but not trying to emulate people. Look at it like advice from someone you admire!
Do you have any recurring themes in your book?
Family is a recurring theme. What does family mean? Do you have to like your family? Why do people make the decisions they do for their family, and what effect can those decisions have? It’s something that interests me a lot.
Similar to that, connection and the yearn for connection is quite prevalent, too.
What does your editing process look like?
I’m terrible as I self edit as I write. I’ll finish a paragraph, look at it again, then do the same when I finish a chapter, then I’ll send a batch of 3 chapters to my beta readers while I’m still writing the next 3, then go back to the previous ones! When I’m done with the book, each chapter will have had about 3 different passes on them, then I’ll read through and do some edits myself, before handing it off to my publisher, when the next phase starts!
Do you have a preferred drink or snack that you eat/drink while writing?
It depends on the time of day! During the morning, it’s water or tea! At night, wine sometimes. I generally don’t eat when I’m writing as I can touch type and kind of get hyper focused on it, so I don’t have the time for it!
When is your favorite time of day to write and why?
I can write at any time, really. When the house is at its quietest is best. No distractions so I can sink into it!
What is your favorite vacation spot?
The Mediterranean. Anywhere along it. I love the weather, the lifestyle, the food. Portugal, Greece, southern Italy, Croatia. It’s just beautiful. One day I’d love to get a boat and just sail around there, but my big dream is to buy a vineyard and retire on it.
Marvel or DC? Do you have a favorite character?
Hmmm… The overall films of Marvel are better. The quality is more consistent and I like the whole universe they’ve built, even though a few of the films are a little cookie cutter. The DC films can be all over the place, but I think the very best ones like The Dark Knight, The Batman and so on are higher quality than most of the Marvel ones.
In terms of comics I’ve always preferred DC. I just prefer the more mythic outlook of it. Batman and the Flash were always my favourites.
What hobbies do you have?
Can I say writing? I know it’s my ‘career’ now, but I still feel like it’s a hobby. Reading? I used to play a lot of video games but I had to push that to the side to fit in my writing, and kind of the same with TV and films, though I do treat myself to a couple of episodes of something after I’m done with my evening of writing. Music… I play and listen. I always have music playing somewhere.
What is something your readers don’t know about you or something unique about yourself?
I’m a black belt in Judo! Caveat to that, it’s been some time since I practiced, but once a black belt, always a black belt. I think Chuck Norris said that.
What defines success for you as an author?
An Amazon Prime, Netflix or HBO series of my work, of course! No, while that would be great, you never really think anything like that will happen. I started writing so that my son could see what could happen if you chase your dreams and never give up when he’s older. Other than that, it’s a pure thrill whenever anyone gets any enjoyment from my work and that’s achievement enough.
What is your work space like?
I sometimes work at a desk with some notepads and a couple of books sitting on it at the end of my bed, or at the kitchen table with some notepads and a couple of books sitting on it! Me and my laptop don’t mind either.
Do you have a selfcare routine that you follow?
I am neurodiverse with GAD and autism. While I’ve known about the former for a very long time, the latter is a new discovery, so I’m just settling into that and seeing what works best for me, so selfcare is in kind of a state of flux at the moment! I’m very, very hard on myself, and rarely give myself any credit - when I finish a book I usually just save the file, send it away and then open up the next document and get working and I know I need to get better at enjoying the successes and living with the accomplishment a little more. No, a lot more!
What advice would you share with new or aspiring authors?
Keep writing, try anything you think you’d enjoy, keep going, and get trusted beta readers who will give you constructive and honest advice early on! Showing others your work is a terrifying notion for most of us, but if you want to publish you’re going to have to have someone read it at some point, and the earlier the better. Your work will be stronger, and you will improve as a writer by examining your work with others. Also, it helps you grow a thicker skin which comes in very handy in this game!
Where can our readers find you?
My website is www.davidgreenwriter.com and linktr.ee/davidgreenwriter has all my links!
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