Meet David Hopkins, Author of The Dryad’s Crown

As part of the Indie Author Highlight, I’m happy to introduce you to David Hopkins, author of the epic fantasy The Dryad’s Crown which launches tomorrow. David, our books share birthdays!

Tell me a little about yourself.

About 20 years ago, I started off as a comic book writer, and then I shifted to journalism. Finally, I ended up here as an adult epic fantasy author. I spent much of my childhood wandering the woods behind our house. It probably shouldn’t come as a surprise that my creative pursuits wander as well. But I think I’ll stay with epic fantasy and with writing novels. I feel most at home here.

Tell me a little about your current book.

The Dryad’s Crown is a novel about a wood nymph named Silbrey. Through a twist of fate, she is taken from her forest home and raised in the city—unaware of her fey nature. As a result, she’s also separated from her purpose and calling. The novel is a story about family, about recovering from grief, and it’s also about self discovery.

Wonderful, and readers can check that out here, officially launching tomorrow, September 5!

Check it out on Amazon

The art on the outside is clean and beautiful, and the art within is absolutely stunning. Does the cover art have particular meaning or symbolism? Please explain.

Rena Violet designed the cover. She’s incredible. The cover art was created by Calvin Nicholls. He’s an amazing paper sculptor who hand-carved the floral crown. The floral crown, in this setting, represents adoption—a child under the protection of a loving parent. It’s a reoccurring motif. Silbrey lacks a loving, nurturing parent figure in her life. But also, she struggles to be a good parent to her children.

And the art within? I must say, I looked up Francesca Baerald for map commission because of your book. The illustrations are far more complex and detailed than most you see.

Francesca Baerald is an incredible fantasy cartographer, one of the best. I was really fortunate to connect with her and get the commission. I did a simple version of the map, which she then recreated in that beautiful medieval style with the marginalia art. The map was one of the first things we did with The Dryad’s Crown. And even though it’s been a few years, Francesca has remained so supportive of this novel.

The interior art is by Daniel Irving Decena. I actually found his work on Reddit, and I hunted down more of his work online. His style reminds me a lot of Bernie Wrightson, which looks gorgeous on groundwood paper. I remember Wrightson’s work on Stephen King’s The Stand and just how perfectly it fit. Daniel worked on the illustrations while I was writing. The twelve illustrations in the book took about three years to complete, all while he was balancing other work and commissions. It was a huge commitment on his part, but Daniel has a love for fantasy illustration. We’re both happy with how it came together. It’s hard to explain, but when you’re flipping through the paperback, the illustrations just pop in such a unique way.

The Dryad’s Crown is not your first book, although it is your first epic fantasy novel, right? How many books/novellas/short stories have you published already?

3 graphic novels, 1 comic book adaption, 1 short story collection, 2 D&D adventure modules, 2 D&D supplements, 1 memoir (not mine, I co-authored it), several magazine features, and 2 novels

How have you changed as a writer since you first began writing?

Hopefully, I’ve gotten better. I’m still learning how to slow down my stories. Most inexperience writers move too fast. Their pacing is a nightmare. In contrast, someone like Robin Hobb is such a patient storyteller. I’d love to get closer to where she is.

Describe the type of books you write in general.

Readers have told me that regardless of the genre, my books tend to have a strong emotional core. My characters have lots of big feelings. Also, I’d like to think that there’s a kindness and a humanity to my work. That’s not to say my work is “cozy.” I don’t think it is. There’s cruelty and evil characters. But love is a powerful. It has meaning and weight.

I can see all of those things and agree, The Dryad’s Crown is not cozy or comfortable. There is great evil in human nature, but there is also hope and love. I could certainly see those themes coming out as I read it.

What project are you hoping to work on next?

Right now, I’m working on the next novel in my Tales from Efre Ousel fantasy series. It’s titled War of the Hounds. It centers on Bren Caius, a minor character in the Dryad’s Crown who casts a big shadow over everything. It takes place before the events of the Dryad’s Crown, but I wouldn’t call it a “prequel.” It’s just another perspective on the major events shaping this world.

I like that building of your world’s history. The War of the Hounds comes up several times in The Dryad’s Crown, and it will be nice to have some detail regarding what happened back then, what made Bren who she was. Where do your ideas for new stories come from?

Often times, story ideas come from certain writerly challenges I give myself. Wouldn’t it be cool if I wrote a story that is just packed from action from beginning to end? Or wouldn’t it be interesting to tell a story where the characters never leave the room they’re in? What if I told a story with no dialogue or one that is only dialogue? And on and on. War of the Hounds is my take on Shakespeare’s Henry V. But where the idea begins and how the story ultimately takes shape is a completely different thing. You have to let the story evolve.

Why do you write?

My response is fairly basic, not interesting at all. It never occurred to me to not write. I’ve always been a writer.

Born to write. I get it.

How do you balance writing with the rest of life? Any tips? It can be hard sometimes when we always want to write.

Having a weekly accountability check-in with another author is useful. Keep it short: What did you accomplish this week and what do you want to accomplish next week? I write late at night, when the rest of the family is asleep, but I’ve discovered that I’m a more productive writer during the morning and afternoon. Learning that about myself was huge, carving out time during the day is challenge for me, but it’s essential for taking that next step.

Who inspires you to write?

This is going to sound horribly pretentious, but I inspire me to write. That’s the only person who can do it. My family is incredibly encouraging—I have a wonderful wife and two wonderful daughters—but I’m the one who has to decide to do it. Style is a different matter. I wish I could choose my masters. Even if I wanted to write like Ursula K. Le Guin or Michael Chabon, it’s not happening. My style probably comes more from the melodrama of Marvel Comics and Saturday morning cartoons.

Writing Advice from David

What advice would you give to a new writer?

I mentioned this before. But slow down. If you’re new, even if your book is a chonky novel, it’s very likely you’re moving too quickly through the events. Develop a good pace—and make sure that what you’re wanting to say is actually on the page. Be intentional about your reading too. Find good authors and study them.

What was the most difficult challenge you’ve faced as a writer, and how did you overcome it?

Writing my first novel was difficult. I took too long on the first draft. A lot of stop and start. I didn’t have a good routine yet.

Slow down…Develop a good pace.

What are some of the most useful tools you’ve found that make writing/publishing easier?

As far as software goes, Scrivener for drafting and Vellum for layout. My Merriam-Webster app is referenced often. I also use StoryOrigin’s goal tracker. It’s great. Dreyer’s English is a book that every writer should take seriously.

How do you approach planning a new story? Do you develop outlines, timelines, journal notes, character profiles, etc.? Do you free write? Somewhere in between?

I tend to start with a notepad and a pen. I jot down ideas and then expand on them with a more detailed outline. From there, I break up the outline with anticipated page counts or chapters. I try to keep my character profiles concise. The characters will grow on their own. My job is mostly to make sure they don’t go astray.

What was the hardest lesson you had to learn in publishing a book?

You can’t buy the bet. No matter how much work (and money) you put into branding, marketing, and promoting your book—luck will always play a role. Publishing is a gamble. There’s just no way around it.

What is the worst writing advice you’ve received, and what did you learn from it?

I don’t know if I’ve gotten “bad” advice, just advice that didn’t apply to me. And then, it’s fine to ignore it. There are some terrible writing exercises out there—usually, the worst ones treat writing like method acting. You don’t need to drudge up your feelings to write an emotional scene.

I appreciate that perspective. There is a lot of advice out there, and much of it comes unsolicited. Most of it isn’t necessarily bad, but may not fit your particular approach or style. Forcing a tool to fit in your hand is kind of like wearing ill-fitting clothes.

Alright, time for some favorites. Let’s see if readers share some of yours, and if so, they may see more connections with you and your work! Who is your favorite author? Your favorite book?