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Announcement:
From Pen to Print: David Green on Charms, Charts and Conspiracies
Following the amazing success of the British Fantasy Award-nominated first instalment in his neurodivergent-affirming series about Greton’s Marvellous Maps, David Green is set to unleash part 2 on an unsuspecting world…
Name: David Green (he/they)
Based in: Galway, Ireland
What genres/subgenres are you drawn to?
Fantasy, non-fiction and horror as a reader; just fantasy as a writer these days
Is writing your full-time focus, or do you have a day job as well? What do you do?
Full time stay at home parent and writer.
[Ed note: David is also the BFS’s Secretary!]
The Book: From Pen to Print
What was the genesis of this book? Where did you get the idea from?
This one is the second in a series, so that’s a pretty easy answer! Though with this one, and the focus on autism the series has, I wanted to dive deeper into my relationship between autism and self-worth, as well as show what goes on with being overwhelmed and how that can present itself. A lot of the time people witnessing the meltdown of an autistic person just see the end result; the reasons for it can be many and long-gestating.
But autistic self-worth is the big theme in this book. I can’t speak for others but I’ve had lots of conversations with other autistic people (and neurodiverse people!) who tie their productivity and what they are offering people directly with their worth. Charms tackles that head on.
How many drafts did you go through before you felt it was ready to query? How long did that take you?
Well, this is a sequel and was written to contract—and for a very tight deadline! But I’d wanted to write this book for a couple of years while the first in the series was going through submission, so when the time came it was a very easy process.
Did you work with beta and/or sensitivity readers? How did you find them? How did you incorporate their feedback?
Yes, I always work with a beta team and I take all feedback on board. I usually judge that against my instincts, but if there’s an overwhelming majority that goes against my instincts, I’ll go with the majority. I’m not precious!
After that, I always work with a developmental editor too. Of course, this comes with a publisher, but I do the same with anything I self publish—developmental edits from a professional editor can make a huge difference.
What was your querying process like? How long did it take?
There wasn’t any for this one, as I signed a contract for two books in January and they wanted the second one, this one, by April! But the first book, Maps, was on submission for… 18 months? I ended up self-publishing it and then a publisher approached me and my agent for the rights, so it had an unusual journey.
I’ve just sold a different book to a publisher that had been on submission for a year, so these things can take time.
Once it was in the hands of your publisher, what was the process to get it ready for release?
It’s been pretty quick. Thankfully, the draft was pretty clean and there was minimal work to be done. Also, we used the same audiobook narrator—Joel Froomkin, who is brilliant—so he was able to get to work right away with a good amount of prior knowledge of the characters. It’s all been weirdly straightforward…
And now your book is about to be unleashed on the world! How are you feeling?
Good! It’s a book I’m really proud of and reviewers seem to like it even more than the first, which is a great relief. But, as you know with writers, I’m already busy on the next thing…
What would you like us to know about this book?
I have, for the first time (!), included a note at the beginning of the book talking about my aims for this one. There are so many stereotypes about autism and so much misinformation that I wanted to point out that Greton’s experiences are drawn from mine—an actually autistic person. But I’m just *one* person. Autism is complex and while many autistic people share common traits, we also experience many different ones. All I can do is use my lived experience to inform my character and hope I’ve done a good job at that.
Who’s the ideal reader for this one? What sort of things do they like to read about?
It’s a cosy fantasy, and it’s character focused. The pace is a little faster in this one than book one, and the plot is more present in terms of impacting the day to day life of the characters. It’s also set in an already established epic fantasy world, so there is a depth and richness to the setting. Most importantly, it’s an exploration of neurodiversity. If you are neurodivergent, or there are neurodivergent people in your life or you’re curious to learn more, this is the book for you (as is the first one!)
Your Writing Process
Are you a plotter or pantser or somewhere in between? How do you do your first draft?
Usually I’m somewhere in between, but this book was deeply plotted. It helped with the tighter than usual deadline.
How do you approach writing? Are you the type of writer who needs to treat it like a job? Is there a particular time of day you find best for you to write?
I treat it as a job. But I also give myself grace if it just isn’t working on a particular day. I never used to do this and would power through… which led to lots of burnout!
Geek out about stationery: do you use a notebook? A specific type of pen? Or are you computer all the way?
Mostly computer but I use pen and paper for notes and doodles! And nothing fancy. Just whatever is to hand.
Is any of that different for editing?
Nope. I edit as I go. A cardinal sin to some, I know. But it works for me.
Where do you work? Do you have a comfy, creative space at home or are you someone who has to grab the moment wherever it comes?
At my computer desk in the front room. And if there are people in the front room, in bed with my laptop.
(Photo by charlesdeluvio on Unsplash)
What’s your writing soundtrack?
Soundtracks! I usually get something to fit the mood of what I’m writing. Greton’s Marvellous Maps has so far been powered my Lo-fi Medieval Tavern Music.
Do you have a writing ritual?
Not really. Though I like to get any BFS-related work or other writing work out of the way before diving back into a manuscript so my headspace is clear.
Where can we follow you / find out more about your work?
My website is www.davidgreenwriter.com and Instagram is @davidgreenwriter.
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