Devon-based horror writer Dave Watkins ventures into space for his latest novel, The Memory Shades—a tale that Lee Murray says channels Dune and The Swarm!
Name: David Watkins; Dave to, well, everyone (he/him)
Based in: Devon, in the UK
What genres/subgenres are you drawn to?
I write mostly horror, or horror adjacent stories, but I’ll read just about anything except romance.
(Photo of Dave by Peter from proheadshots.uk)
Is writing your full-time focus, or do you have a day job as well? What do you do?
I took voluntary redundancy last year, so I am mostly writing these days, but I still do some consultancy work for schools (I used to be a teacher). This involves coaching staff and working with students to boost their grades. It’s great fun, really rewarding and comes with considerably less stress than what I used to do. I’m not sure I’d want to only write—too much time in my own head sounds a bit dangerous to me!
The Book: From Pen to Print
What was the genesis of this book? Where did you get the idea from?
I’ve had the idea about doing a sci-fi horror on an alien planet for a while (far too many years!). I couldn’t quite get a plot to go with my idea for how the planet works but then the idea of memory wipes sprung to mind and the whole thing fell into place. It’s probably the fastest first draft I ever wrote.
At around this time, I also became interested in memory and how it all works. In particular, I’m in awe of stories of amnesia patients who have incredible skill sets—so if, for example, you are a concert level pianist, you won’t lose that ability through amnesia. I have no idea how that works, but it’s pretty cool.
How many drafts did you go through before you felt it was ready to query? How long did that take you?
So from fastest first draft to a fairly tortuous revision period. I wrote that first draft during the initial outbreak of Covid-19 in the UK, basically using the time I would have been commuting to ensure I wrote every day for at least an hour, but it was usually a lot more. Writing at such speed meant I had a few blind alleys I’d gone down and needed to sort out. I forget who said the second draft is the one where you make it look like you knew what you were doing all along, but that was so true for this book.
I queried this with a few publishers, and got close but never over the line. So I re-looked at the whole thing with a fresh eye, went through again, and decided to put it out myself.
Did you work with beta and/or sensitivity readers? How did you find them? How did you incorporate their feedback?
Yes. I had a good few people read this, including Dan Howarth, Kev Harrison, Kit Power and Lee Franklin, all of whom helped improve the final draft no end. Lee Murray read it when it was pretty much done and she loved it, so I figured it was good to go.
What was the process to get it ready for release?
A little bit of panic, a little bit of despair, and a little bit of hope.
Formatting came first, so I used Atticus to make it look pretty. I also contacted a cover artist (shout out to Paul Stephenson) who did an amazing job and was very patient with my requested changes. I can’t take any credit for the final image—that was all him, but he absolutely nailed it. Cheers Paul!
Then it’s uploading all the files to KDP and to Book Vault ready for the book releases, setting a date for release and enabling the pre-order ability.
Finally, you get to sit back with your favourite tipple and watch the thousands of pre-orders roll in.
And then give in to despair…
And now your book is about to be unleashed on the world! How are you feeling?
See above.
I’m never confident that I’ll get a single sale, let alone more than that, and constantly niggling away at the back of my mind is that this, finally, will be the book where everyone finds out I’m actually a hack who has no clue what they are doing. Imposter syndrome sucks.
What would you like us to know about this book?
How about if I just give you the back of the book?
A brave new world…
Jon is being used as slave labour on a distant planet. The memory of his crimes has been wiped to help keep him compliant. But Jon has visions of a dead woman with horrific wounds. Who is she? Why is she haunting his thoughts?
Hollie was against the wiping of prisoners’ memories and is horrified they are seeing things. Determined to get to the bottom of the visions, she makes a startling discovery.
Neither of them are prepared for what comes next.
…as deadly as the old one.
Praise for The Memory Shades:
- “With The Memory Shades author David Watkins doesn’t pull any punches, channelling DUNE and THE SWARM in a breakneck off-world adventure to turn your toes—and your stomach. A tale of betrayal and butchery and unexpected brotherhood, this is space opera at its bloody best.”
-Lee Murray, five-time Bram Stoker Award®-winning author of Grotesque: Monster Stories - “The Memory Shades is Watkins firing on all cylinders; blistering sci-fi/horror action alongside an intriguing mystery that creates a classic pager-turner. Highly recommended.”
-Kit Power, Author of A Song For The End and My Life In Horror - “In The Memory Shades, Watkins crafts a brutal dystopia where the twin nightmares of incarceration and lost memories pale in comparison to the horrifying things lurking on this brave new world.”
-Kev Harrison, author of Pyres and Shadow Of The Hidden - “Memory Shades is a thrilling novel of ambition and ideas which champions Watkins as a force to be reckoned with in the British horror scene.”
-Dan Howarth, author of Last Night of Freedom and Lionhearts
Who’s the ideal reader for this one? What sort of things do they like to read about?
That’s a great question. I would say it’s someone who likes an adventurous sci-fi (not hard sci-fi) tinged with a bit of horror and a bit of creature feature with characters you can’t help root for. If that sounds like you, then step this way, I have, ahem, such sights to show you.
Your writing process
Are you a plotter or pantser or somewhere in between? How do you do your first draft?
Somewhere in between. I have a broad outline, and usually have an ending to go with the beginning. The characters don’t always do what I need them to, so I’m not 100% absolutely beholden to my original plan (hence those pesky blind alleys you have to remove).
How do you approach writing? Are you the type or writer who needs to treat it like a job? Is there a particular time of day you find best for you to write?
I do currently treat writing as a job, as I only work a couple of days each week. I have a desk set up for my writing, which means it has my laptop and a decent speaker for music. No place for my phone, which is essential otherwise I’ll lose time to doomscrolling and worrying about the generally crap state of the world (Top tip: uninstall Balatro and Slay The Spire unless you have iron-clad willpower).
Geek out about stationery: do you use a notebook? A specific type of pen? Or are you computer all the way?
I use a lovely notebook and pen my wife bought me when my redundancy was approved. It’s where I scribble my ideas, outlines and notes for whatever I’m currently working on. Makes me feel like a ‘proper’ writer.
Is any of that different for editing?
I always have to print my work for editing purposes (or at least, my edits, although my editor also likes a physical copy) and then I scribble all over it in red ink. Once a teacher, always a teacher.
Of course, deciphering my own hand-writing when I’m done is a degree-level skill, which I lack despite years of practice.
What’s your writing soundtrack?
For The Memory Shades, I listened to a lot of Porcupine Tree and Stephen Wilson’s solo stuff, which is all amazing. I also listened to Springsteen (of course, he’s not the Boss for nothing), Public Service Broadcasting, Jimmy Eat World, and my ultimate guilty pleasure, Def Leppard. My taste is fairly eclectic, so sometime I start with a song on Spotify and see where the algorithm takes me.
(Photo of Bruce Springsteen from Britannica)
Do you have a writing ritual?
- Cup of tea. Absolutely essential.
- Music. Almost as essential as the tea.
- Being alone. I cannot write with other people in the room with me.
Where can we follow you / find out more about your work?
- I’m on Facebook
- Instagram: david.watkins.writer (took me ages to come up with that)
- Threads: david.watkins.writer (took me even longer)
- I’m also writing a blog about my time in education, which is updated every Friday: Could Do Better…
The Memory Shades is out on 17 February. Get it, and Dave’s other books (seen below), here.
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