Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I write fantasy, sci-fi and historical fiction novels. I am about to release my fifth novel, the second in the Immortal Knight Chronicles, which is a historical dark fantasy about brutal, medieval vampires.
My first series is a historical fantasy in an early steampunk type world called Gunpowder & Alchemy. I will release the fourth and final book in that series late in 2016.
I always loved reading more than anything and I grew up writing fantastical stories. My main interests outside of writing are history and science and my stories tend to combine these wonderful things.
I live with my wife and our young daughter (and cats) in Essex, UK.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is Vampire Outlaw: the Immortal Knight Chronicles Book 2 and it features the origins of Robin Hood, vampires, and the forgotten invasion of England.
It is 1216. The vampire Richard of Ashbury is attacked in the night. The trail leads to Sherwood and to a Green Knight, a king of the outlaws and so called lord of Eden. Richard is certain that his old enemy, William de Ferrers has returned to England. But England is in turmoil. The barons have erupted into armed rebellion against King John. What is more, a French army has invaded the south, intent on installing a French prince as the King of England.
Richard must do his duty and fight to save England. And he must journey deep into the dark heart of Sherwood Forest to kill William and rescue the Lady Marian.
It was inspired by the real history of the First Barons’ War which began after the failure of the Magna Carta agreement. The Immortal Knight Chronicles was inspired by my love of history. What if an immortal solder with incredible strength could fight in 800 years’ worth of wars? What would he see? What would he think of the First World War or the 1940s Eastern Front? There are so many periods of history that I cannot wait to put Richard into. And, like Bernard Cornwell or other historical fiction authors, I make the actions of my fictional protagonist responsible for real historical events, which is an awful lot of fun.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Well, seeing how I have a full time job and a young family, the main time I write is after every night dinner, which usually from about 9pm to 12pm. It is really tough to think clearly at that time of night. I am tired. But I have a “no excuses” rule and I just make myself get on with it and it seems to work out pretty well. When doing first draft I have a minimum of 1,500 words a night and I aim for 3,000 plus. I don’t know if that’s unusual enough.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
There are so many! Bernard Cornwell, Patrick O’Brian, Steven Pressfield. Frank Herbert, Isaac Asimov, Ursula Le Guin, Robert Heinlein, Iain M. Banks, Alfred Bester. Anne Rice, Kim Stanley Robinson. Gary Paulsen. Roger Zelazney. Neal Stephenson. Robert Holdstock. I could go on!
What are you working on now?
Vampire Outlaw the Immortal Knight Chronicles Book 2 will be released March 2016 and I’m really excited about that. It takes place during the 1216 invasion of England by the French and explores the origins of the Robin Hood myth. After that I will release the first book in my sci-fi series at the end of April.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Okay, I admit I don’t do enough promotion. I blog on my website about my writing and the real history in my books. I also love talking to people on Twitter. I’m a very visual person so I can spend hours on Instagram and Pinterest. In terms of actual promotion, though, I think Facebook adverts are absolutely fascinating and I am looking forward to doing even more with them.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep writing! I would say that writing more books and making sure that every book is better than the last is good advice. And to work on making each book as high quality as you can. Also, really understand your reader and what they are looking for as each genre and market tends to respond to different things.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I think when I heard the words “Write, publish, repeat” it was a bit of a lightbulb moment. As my free time is so limited, I realised I had to focus initially on producing more books. So that is what I am doing. Ask me in five years if it worked out.
What are you reading now?
I am reading Lavondyss by Robert Holdstock again. It is a mind-meltingly brilliant exploration of our mythic past and where myths come from. Also I am re-reading Julian Rathbone’s the Last English King which is a wonderful historical fiction story about King Harold and the battle of Hastings. It is evocative of the lost Anglo-Saxon culture and it’s just a good story, well told.
What’s next for you as a writer?
After the next Immortal Knight book, I am starting my science fiction series in Q2 2016. Then I have a historical fiction novel to release at the end of summer and the final book in my middle grade fantasy by the end of the year. If I can fit in another book by Christmas then I will. It will be a busy year but by the end of it, I will have one complete series and also three ongoing series. I can’t wait to write all these stories.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Wow, it’d be nice to get some good reading done. First thing that springs to mind is historian Steven Mithen’s After the Ice: a Global Human History 20,000 -5,000 BC. It is the story of the human race during the most momentous period of change we ever went through, from hunter gatherer to farming settlements. It’s over 600 pages long and huge so although I keep meaning to re-read it, the thing is impractically large so it would be good to be stranded somewhere. And it would double as a comfortable seat. For fiction, I think I’d take Kim Stanley Robinson’s Mars Trilogy as it is so packed with information and subtle character insights that it survives many re-reads. Does that count as one book or three? If I can take another I’d make it Gary Paulsen’s Hatchet, because it was my favourite book from childhood and it is about wilderness survival and I never get tired of reading it.
Author Websites and Profiles
Dan Davis Website
Dan Davis Amazon Profile
Dan Davis Author Profile on Smashwords
Dan Davis’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account