Get to know Empire of Ruin and Hell in Haven author David Green

1) Let’s get to know you. What is your Author name; use your Pen name if you have one.

David Green. My actual boring name!

1) What inspired you to become a writer?

I’ve always loved reading from a very early age, and had always harbored ambitions to write which I’d never got around to (no time, no confidence and other excuses!) but when my son was born I decided it was time to try. I wanted to have something to show him when he was a little older, you know? Like if you’ve got a dream you can achieve it, kind of thing. If he ever reads my work and enjoys it then it’s a bonus.

2) Which character of yours was the most challenging to write and why?

There’s been a couple. There’s a character named Zanna Alpenwood in the first book of my Empire of Ruin series, In Solitude’s Shadow. She’s a woman in her fifties, a person of colour, a mother, and someone at a crossroads in her life. There were some aspects I could draw on myself - the parenthood and the reflection on life choices - but I think a relationship between father and son is different from mother and daughter, so Zanna was someone I had to really work on to get the emotion correct and the dimensions of her character.

Another from the same series is Nexes Almor. We see him a little in the first book, but we go much deeper in Path of War, the sequel, and his is a very tough mindset to get into. I enjoyed writing him, but I needed to go do something bright and breezy afterward!

3) Do you prefer writing dialogue, action or other scenes?

I don’t really have a preference. Every scene I write no matter the style or content is to further the story, plot, or character arcs/development, and it’s all enjoyable to me.

4) What is the most important bit of information you would want to tell a person interested in publishing a book?

Get involved in the writing community as there are many people who can offer advice, talk to about different situations, and celebrate your success with you.

5) Pick five books that are must-reads in your mind.

Hyperion by Dan Simmons.

Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien.

Shadow Rising by Robert Jordan.

Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb.

Red Country by Joe Abercrombie.

6) Name one book that you have reread several times.

I’ve read the entire Wheel of Time series more times than is healthy! I used to re-read the series in-between books, and obviously there was quite a big wait after Robert Jordan died and Brandon Sanderson took over the final books. I think it’s around 20 times now!

7) Do you prefer to read series or independent novels?

I do prefer series. Not to say independent novels aren’t great, they are, but I love the feeling of immersing myself into a series. I must say, though, I do enjoy standalone books set in already created worlds. Joe Abercrombie did this extremely well with Best Served Cold, Heroes, and Red Country. Each book had self-contained stories, using new or existing characters, set after the events in his First Law series, and added a new genre to his usual style. Red Country, for example, is a fantasy western and is excellent.

8) If you could live in any “book world” what would that be?

Oh, that’s a tough one as so many of these worlds are, frankly, terrifying and horrible! So many horrific things happen on a regular basis! The one place I can think of that gets away relatively unscathed is Bree in Lord of the Rings - not even the Shire (in the books) gets away with it - so maybe there?

9) What is your best book memory?

Probably finished A Memory Of Light, the last book in the Wheel of Time, and it being 95% completely satisfying. It was such a relief to see such a mammoth series hit the landing, especially with a new author and one that meant so much to me, and it’s genuinely one of the best series finales I’ve read.

10) What is the name of your book/series? Tell me a little bit about them.

I have two series. The first is an epic dark fantasy called Empire of Ruin. The first book is called In Solitude’s Shadow, and the sequel, out very soon, is Path Of War. They’re very character driven, with small, intimate moment set against epic action and events with huge scope. They’re my love-letter to epic fantasy, and is a planned-out four book series that I’m aiming to have completed in 2023. People have responded really well to In Solitude’s Shadow, so I’m excited to see the reaction to Path Of War, which is bigger (the first is epic fantasy with a smaller page count), larger in scope, more intense, and I’m very proud of it.

My second series is an urban fantasy noir called Hell In Haven. There are two books, but they’ve been released in a special edition book called The Devil Walks In Blood, which is the best place to start. They follow Haven city’s one and only paranormal investigator, Nick Holleran, who dies in the first line of the first story, and sees Heaven is real. But, as he’s ascending, he’s pulled back into his body. Resuscitated, he realizes Hell is real, too, and we’re living in it. Wanting a place back in Heaven, he takes jobs for ghosts, demons, creatures and anything else in Hell, aiming to keep his ledger clean, and to figure out why all humans are living in Hell. It’s witty, fast-paced, and fun to write.

11) Do you have a website? If so, what is it?

My website is www.davidgreenwriter.com and you get a free short story collection for signing up to my newsletter!

12) Where can we find and follow you? (Name your social media platforms.)

You can find all of them at https://linktr.ee/davidgreenwriter

13) If there anything important that you would want my readers to know about you?

I’m neurodiverse, and it’s something I try to weave into my work and represent people who are like me. It’s great when people who are neurodiverse pick up on it and respond to it!