David: The Dryad’s Crown is a high fantasy series. It has dragons and fey and goblins and dark gloomy forests and all the things we love about fantasy. But ultimately, The Dryad’s Crown is about Silbrey, a person who deals with her traumatic past, the loss of her husband, her relationship with her children, and her strange connection to nature. It’s a big story. There’s a lot to explore. The series will consist of ten novellas. The third book, A Red Moon Over Rhyll will be available on Tuesday, June 29^th through Amazon Kindle and Kindle Unlimited. It’s available for pre-order right now. (See links at end of interview).

Helen: Ten novellas is an enormous undertaking, congratulations on the release of the third installment. Your covers are very delicate and nature orientated, tell us how you chose the design.

David: I’m fortunate that my wife April is a graphic designer. She’s designed the covers with licensed art by Julia Dreams on Creative Market. Since we’re on a schedule to release these novellas every three months, we needed something that looks good, which can be put together on a deadline and works as a series. The covers don’t give away anything plot wise. Instead, they establish an earthy aesthetic—and could also look like a collection of fairy tales. Each cover features small touches that distinguish them and have meaning within the story. For A Red Moon Over Rhyll, the bees are significant. I wanted the covers to have an original appearance and be easily identified. April did that very well.  Also, I didn’t want the exterior cover art to compete with the interior illustrations of Daniel Decena, which are absolutely stunning. Daniel has his own style, so the covers needed to not go off in a different direction.

Helen: The covers are beautiful. You have set yourself quite a goal to release a novella every three months. What made you write this story?

David: I’ve been writing fiction for the better part of two decades, but I’ve never told a story with such an epic scope, not like this. For me, that’s part of the appeal of The Dryad’s Crown. By the end of it, you’ve witnessed Silbrey’s life. This massive character arc, a story of wonder and hope and beauty, an amazing heroic adventure. As the author, I’ll be with you to the very end—and we’ll experience it together.

Helen: Thank you so much for spending time with me today. I wish you luck with the launch of third book on July 13th. Just to finish, do you have any book recommendations for our readers?

David: Anything by Ursula K. Le Guin. She’s always at the top of my recommendations. She’s definitely a writer for writers. Her style has a grace and brilliance—like Joan Didion, but not as showy. As far as books I’ve read recently, The Unbroken by C.L. Clark is the best novel I’ve read this year. It’s stunning. Powerful. Entertaining. Hugo worthy! I can’t say enough good things about it. Other books I’d recommend would be: A Master of Djinn by P. Djeli Clark, The Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buehlman, Swordspoint by Ellen Kushner, and the Galaxy Run series by Sam Renner.