Connor Reads Books
Connor Reads Books
Episode 38: David Deane Haskell - Author Interviews
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This week, I sit down with David Deane Haskell to talk about the long arc of becoming an author, from finding his voice through music to discovering that fiction and nonfiction can both be a way to be seen, understood, and connected.
We explore David's experience in the indie publishing grind, and what the Kindle era taught a lot of writers the hard way: overnight success is rare, and craft takes time. David shares what influences still guide him today, his burst-based workflow, and using dictation to write.
David talks about a multi-year stretch where healing was the priority, and how the floodgates reopened with richer characters and sharper themes. That shift shows up in The Solarian Deep, a story that starts with an undersea premise and grows into science fiction with dystopian edges, identity and transformation, social pressure, and the divide between “us” and “them.” We also talk about building an online presence, the real risk of internet cruelty, and the very real rewards of putting yourself out there.
If you enjoy author interviews, science fiction craft talk, and honest conversations about creativity in public, you’ll get a lot out of this one.
Subscribe, share the show with a friend, and leave a review so more readers and writers can find us.
David's Links:
https://daviddeanehaskell.com/
https://www.instagram.com/daviddeanehaskell/
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7171228.David_Deane_Haskell
https://substack.com/@daviddeanehaskell
The Men of the Mountain
Purchase the Book Here!! => Audible Link
Review Signups:
https://forms.gle/dBNywczwCG72HXt9A
Drew Harrison's Links:
https://www.amazon.com/stores/Drew-Harrison/author/B09PJWGGF2?ref=ap_rdr&shoppingPortalEnabled=true
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22160775.Drew_Harrison
https://drewharrisonbooks.wixsite.com/home
Voice Over, Mixing and Mastering Credits:
L. Connor Voice - Website
https://www.instagram.com/l.connorvoice/
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100095473899665
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIC0iAX-pJlqW7LBq2PJL6A
Music Credits:
Louie Sanders, https://www.instagram.com/soundmonksound/
Any and all music, sound effects, or visual effects used in this production are royalty and copyright free. Lists of SFX and Music can be provided upon request.
Welcome And Guest Setup
SPEAKER_00Howdy folks, and welcome back to another episode of Connor Reed's Books and another installment of author interviews. Today we are talking to David Dean Haskell, a prolific sci-fi writer, drumline teacher, extraordinaire, and also just a really cool dude. I had a great time talking with David Dean Haskell today about his new release, The Salarian Deep, and about upcoming works, The Vibrance, as well as just his writing history. We talk about his experience growing his social media presence, and I think this is an awesome episode for any writer who is looking to expand their sort of network and gain some more visibility. So without any further ado, enjoy this author interview. Howdy folks, and welcome to Connor Reed's Books, and another installment of Author Interviews. Joining me today via virtual meeting is David Dean Haskell, a sci-fi author, memoir writer, and drumline teacher extraordinaire. Today we are talking about David's approach to writing, his journey as an author, and then we'll discuss his new release, The Solarian Deep, which Connor Reed's books will be doing a chapter read for in the next couple of weeks. So, with all that being said, it is my pleasure to introduce to the show fantasy fiction author David Dean Haskell.
SPEAKER_03How are you doing? I'm doing great, Connor. Thank you so much for having me. And just hearing you talk about the uh the upcoming readings is got me excited because I'm looking forward to seeing what you guys come up with with that. It's gonna be really cool. Yeah, I'm super excited. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00I'm sorry I interrupted you. Go ahead. No, that's it. That's it. I'm just excited. Yeah, I'm glad to be here, man. Great. And I'm glad to have you. I'm very excited to have you. I'm really excited that we get to share a chapter of your book, The Salarian Deep. I have been able to read through it these past couple weeks. Um, full disclosure, I haven't finished it, but I've gotten a nice way through, and it's a really fun read. Um, but let's start at the beginning.
Music First Then Writing For Connection
SPEAKER_00So when did you first know that writing was a medium for you?
SPEAKER_03Okay. Um, and it's interesting you also mentioned the drum thing, which to me is so many people have asked me about this too. Um, so connection, creativity, and being heard and being understood is what I am trying to do, right? Yeah. So it started with music, it started with drums. Um, I had a rough time as a kid making friends, yeah. Um, and then I was given piano lessons and I had some talent for that, and like all of a sudden I, you know, could get the bullies off my back for a few days by playing piano and oh, Haskell's a pretty good piano player, you know, whatever.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_03And then uh I I fell into the drums, which I loved even more. And again, you know, being on stage or kind of showing that stuff off um got me some connection, you know. And so for me, music has always been a connection thing. This is where I'm where my heart is, this is what I'm thinking, this is what I think. Um, so the writing didn't come as early. I was doing music, you know, I age 11, 12, something like that.
SPEAKER_04Right.
SPEAKER_03I didn't really write until college. I took a creative writing class, and that was the first time it was like, oh, I don't have to follow a bunch of boring rules, and you know, you don't have to be some sort of uh, you know, uh, you know, whatever, a novel, uh, novel um degree holder to write, to write stuff. So I had fun with that, and like I was kind of like trying to shock the class. I wrote something about an acid trip and some other thing, and just to see reactions, you know, and I got reactions. It was like I was being heard. It's like you said you said what? And then people react. So, you know, not much came out of that for a while because I never really had this idea that I would want to pursue it as a career with the agent and the publicist and the agency and all that garbage,
Kindle Era Lessons And Early Books
SPEAKER_03right? Yeah, and then the Kindle revolution hit, and this was around the uh the early teens, like 2011, 1213, right? Right, yeah. Um, all of a sudden everything on the internet was like, you can write a book and make a fortune, you know? Yeah. It's like, oh, cool, I'll write a book and make a fortune, right? And so, you know, but I it was I was in it, you know, and the thing is my first four books are there for sale. I did um a second edition on two of them, and I'm gonna revisit the other two as well, quite recently. Yeah, um, to polish them up because I wrote them between 2013 to 2019.
SPEAKER_02Right.
SPEAKER_03I'm proud of them, but it's early work, right? And so, like, you know, I I put it out, um, thought I was gonna have overnight success. That ain't how it works. So then I put out another book and another. And when I finally put out my fourth one, which was Emergence, yeah, which is the one you can you can get it for free on my website if you want to read that. Um, it's uh it's it was my best early work, but I had kind of given up on any fast success I was in five or six years, and now I was just sort of like becoming a good writer.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_03Right. And then um, so you know, that's kind of the beginnings of it. You know, at first it was like, I'll just try this out, yeah um, see what I can do with it. But I realized it became another form of expression, and now I write nonfiction and fiction, and and it's it's all about these connections, yeah, and how I feel.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, absolutely. That's that's a really nice answer. You know, I feel like that is fairly unique for some of the folks that I see coming uh through the Connor Reeds book's doors is um kind of that expression as a form of connection and sharing really what's what you're feeling uh inside in order to connect with other people. And I mean, I think that's a really uh compelling reason to begin writing or to begin art at all. I mean, um you know, connection is one of the most important things. I mean, we're social creatures. We need connection, you know, and it's it's important to feel like you're connected and understood. And so that's really um that's really cool that that's like a a form of expression that you use to to connect and you know, and and uh I'm just gonna be redundant and say make more connections.
SPEAKER_03So no, absolutely. And uh again with the I think the nonfiction came later, the inner child and trauma healing.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_03Um, which that's real that forms really quick connections when people can relate to that. It's like, oh, I I I understand that too. But even I've always written sci-fi and future stuff, and I so I think it's like I'm trying to, okay, this is what I think might happen, or what I fear might happen, or what I hope might happen. So let's talk about, you know what I mean? That's yeah, you know, I write about the past, this is what happened, and it and it sucked, or it was okay, or you know, whatever. And then here's my future idea. And so to me, it's kind of a continuum of of connection too.
SPEAKER_00So yeah, no, I I really like that. I think that was well stated. And um, yeah, that rings a bell for me as I was kind of looking through some of your work, and I'm sorry I don't remember the name of the book, but I remember it was one of your early writings, and it was about kind of like a corporation that was uh taking like everyone's data and kind of being like a mass surveillance uh you know state. Uh and I was like, and I think that was published back in like 2012, and I was like, wow. That was my first book, yeah. Yeah, I was like, man, you saw the writing on the wall. So oh my god, yeah.
SPEAKER_03It's funny. Well, yeah, it's too much information. That was my first book. Yeah, and the thing about that book was I did get a lot of stuff right, but also things got way worse than I imagined. Because this it was about it focused on airport technology and like security overreach, but also like the machines got so sophisticated they could tell like people's health care. And that's where that's where the the story starts, is like one of the security people, Rosa Rosa, was um noticed that somebody had cancer because she used to be a nurse, and she's but she wasn't allowed to disclose information, too much information, right? All this info is out there, everybody knows everything, and then you you don't say it's and anyway, it's turned into very, very much a uh prediction of the future. Now it's now it's like uh you know Jules Verne or something. It's like, yeah, no, it's way worse. Yeah, I'm going through airports the last couple of years, and it's like, oh my God, some of that security theater that they do there is yeah, yeah, it's pretty, it's pretty intense.
Sci-Fi Influences Plus Crichton Win
SPEAKER_00Well, I guess we're kind of brushing up on this idea, but that sounds like a good segue to my next question, which is like uh what other works or I guess real life events uh would you say have inspired your writing the most?
SPEAKER_03Um well, my uh nonfiction is my life, so that's that's easy. But um fiction-wise, uh real life events, um maybe not so much, but I've been a sci-fi guy ever. I was a Star Wars kid. I saw every movie in the theater that indicates my age. Yeah, um, you know, I grew up with that uh Star Trek, and then even reading wise, too, I was into the sci-fi books, that's all I cared about. So I was into the classics, like um Isaac Asimov is a big one for me. Okay, Arthur C. Clark is a big one for me. So, you know, I've always gravitated towards it, and also Michael Crichton. And um, I got a I got a great story about Michael Crichton, actually. Yeah, lay it on us. Uh for everybody who ever struggled in class, this is your story. Biology class, ninth grade. I was failing. I hated it. They made this dissect fetal pigs and stuff. It was disgusting, and I hated the teacher. Yeah, failing. I was getting an F the whole time. He assigned Michael Crichton's book, The Andromeda Strain, which is actually a sci-fi. It's not, you know, so why this should be in a biology class, I don't know. He just liked Michael Crichton.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_03And I put it off for like a month. He gave us a month to read it. Finally, the last weekend before the test, I a fine, I'll give it a try. And I read the first chapter and laid down on the couch, second chapter, third chapter, and I just devoured the book. It was the first I'd ever and it was before Michael Crichton was really well known. I don't even know if he'd written Jurassic Park.
unknownOh.
SPEAKER_03Um, so and anyway, I the we took the test. Nobody else in the class could even read it, even the smart ones. I got an A. I got 100% on the test. Everybody else failed it.
SPEAKER_02Nice.
SPEAKER_03I was like, so that's you know, you can see I had some connection to that type of like, you know, yeah, Michael Crichton's was amazing. He's another big influence.
SPEAKER_00So awesome. Awesome. That's a great story. I love that. Oh, yeah. So
A Writing Process Full Of Bursts
SPEAKER_00I guess my next question is what is your writing process like? Are you a little bit more discovery? Are you a little bit more framework? Um, yeah. It my writing process is horrible.
SPEAKER_03I don't recommend it to anybody. I struggle, I struggle with it. I have undiagnosed ADHD. I don't write every day. Um, I can't. I I write um in bursts. Um in I'm in the middle of a book that I I really love. Now I'm writing a book called The Vibrance. It's it's gonna, it's my next, it's the best thing I've ever written, and it'll be out in a few months. Oh, that's awesome. And there's some pieces that I'm still writing, and it's just like, oh, why can't I just do it? You know, but um I get it either I can do like the business stuff.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_03And like, okay, I fixed my website. Okay, now my my podcasting mic is working. Now I'm and I'm also audio uh audio voicing my own uh memoir. I wouldn't dare audio voice my own fiction, but I'll do my own nonfiction, right?
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_03So all these projects are going on, you know, one man band doing the publish, you know, the indie publishing thing.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_03Meanwhile, I gotta write some fiction. I need to write some, you know.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_03So, you know, I I um that's my process, you know. Yeah. But one thing I would say is I write um game changer here. I write voice to text. I don't type it.
SPEAKER_01Okay.
SPEAKER_03Man, does that make the writing flow better and it makes the dialogue more natural?
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_03And I use, and this is not to go down, not to, you know, poke the bee's nest, right? But I use GPT to do that. But I have a specific prompt, which is um uh handle the handle the punctuation in paragraph breaks only. Do not tamper with the text.
SPEAKER_01Nice.
SPEAKER_03And then I just dictate, right? That way it doesn't change a word. Because you have to be careful, because if you just voice to text on GPT, it'll change everything, yeah, which is the danger. And I don't, I don't use, I don't let my books be written by AI, but I'm happy to use their voice to text because it's the best voice-to-text technology. Yeah, and so there you go. That's I use voice to text to to do drafting, yeah, and then I edit with a keyboard. And I've been able to write a lot. I mean, if you're if anybody's looking to do some creative writing, yeah, and they just want to just want to write, and you can do it so much faster. Yeah, you said grab your phone and talk for two minutes and and it's all out there in print and you can see it. It's a beautiful uh game changer for me.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, absolutely. I mean, like four thoughts just collided in my brain at once as you're saying this, you know. It's like um I I feel very similarly, like uh in terms of like writing and speaking. So like when I journal, I audio journal rather than write because I it allows me to just kind of stream of consciousness a little bit more, you know, and um and that works really well. Um and then to your point about the speed of getting things done, I think it's like one of the statistics for audiobook narration is you can get about 9,000 words said in an hour on average. Okay. So that's that's pretty quick, you know, to be able to speak 9,000 words right then and there if you got the words to if you got the words to speak, you know. So that makes a lot of sense. And uh and one last thing, one last thought I wanted to throw in there as a a little anecdote. Um, one of the first books I ever narrated, uh, it's a book called Haunted Hawaii. And it is a story or a collection of stories written by a native Hawaiian islander who shares some of his um personal like ghost stories and some of like the cultural uh stories of Hawaii and kind of the spirits there. And uh the author did um speech to text. And I think part of the problem was there is that words do get changed. And so there were proper nouns that I that I didn't know what to do with. So it took a little bit of like extra finessing and research to like, you know, for instance, there's a night called Po Kane, which is like the night when the spirits walk, you know, like um, you know, descend from the mountains and you can see their their ghostly torches. And because of the speech detects, it was the night of Pol Kani. And I was like, who is Pol Khani? This doesn't make any sense. Uh I thought this was a night about spirits, not about uh a stripper, maybe. I don't know.
SPEAKER_03Uh so oh man, that's I mean, that's the most big the first of all, my name, David Dean Haskell, is spelled with an E. So it's constantly misspelling my middle name. Yeah, and then another one is the book, The Vibrance, which is V-I-B-R-A-N-T-S. This is a group of people called vibrant creators. It's a future, future creativity thing. There's vibrance, yeah, and then resonance, the resonance are AI, the vibrance are human. Yeah, so the book is called The Vibrance, and every time, every time it comes out vibrance, V-I-B-R-A-N-C-E. Yeah, yeah. I'm like, that's not the name of the book. Oh, you know, it's like, why don't you why can't you learn? Why won't you learn? Yeah, exactly. So much for the so much for the brilliant AI, but you know, for the brilliant voice to text even. It's uh yeah is what it is. But you know, I mean still amazing. But yeah, it's true. Good job on that challenge.
SPEAKER_00But well, thank you. I appreciate it.
SPEAKER_03Hawaiian words, wow.
SPEAKER_00It it was a bit of one. And you know, every tool is gonna have its ups and downs, right? So that's just how it kind of goes.
Voice To Text Drafting With GPT
SPEAKER_00Um, so I I guess I want to kind of segue somewhat of a similar question, but maybe a little bit different. So again, as I was kind of looking over some of your websites, like Goodreads and stuff, I noticed that you mentioned you had like a five-year period of writer's block from like 2020 to 2025, and that um and that it felt as though it's really necessary for you to do some inner reflection and healing before you were able to like get back on the writing train. And I guess I wanted to know, like, uh kind of thinking again about your writing processes or how you approach writing, like how did it change in that time? Like, what's the biggest difference um writing now than writing then?
SPEAKER_03Yeah. Um yeah, uh so just to be specific, it was 2019 to 2024. And the reason I mentioned that is because my last book was published in 2019. So I was able to finish it up in 2018 and then just fell off. Um, part of it was discouragement because I'd published four books and really hadn't gotten anywhere. But um, there was also, I mean, that was a period of spiritual and emotional healing for me. And I think all my creative and and emotional and heart and everything energies were going into that.
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_03And I was trying to write. I was really trying. I was like, should I quit? Should I give up? Should I, you know, go back to music or something else? You know, I'm I'm trying here, yeah, but nothing's coming out. Um, except like journaling. I did journaling.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_03But um it just the floodgates just sort of reopened at the beginning of 2024, and it was incredibly different. Like my writing now is incredibly different. Um, it's the the characters are a lot deeper for one thing. In the Stellarian Deep, the characters uh have a lot more depth, yeah, I think, than my previous books. Um and uh even as I wrote that too, because I wrote it in serialized, I know we'll talk about it as we go forward, but I wrote it just as a kind of a side pro not side project, but like an easy re-entry. Right. Because it was 2024. I was like, I'll just do serialized. I started on Royal Road and then I moved it to Substack. But as I was writing it, it started evolving and it got you know a lot of deep themes into it.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_03Um, and so that alone was a lot different. And then of course I started writing nonfiction, which I did not want to do. Yeah, I was like, oh man, I don't want to do that, you know. I don't want to do uh self-help, I don't want to do, you know, I don't want to talk about the the stuff that went down, and somebody might judge me, you know, somebody might actually see me, you know, which is actually true whether you write whatever you write in the in, but when you're writing fiction, you can kind of hide behind the characters a little bit and just be like, Yeah, you know, no, I didn't want to punch her in the face, my character did. Yeah, it's like, well, you wrote it though, you know. But there's a lot of leeway for fiction, which is nice because then you can really express what you want. But I still I feel held back sometimes. Like I, you know, you see Stephen King and some of those other writers that will write a racist character, for example, who says all kinds of things that like yeah, you could only get away with in fiction.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_03And then I think, well, you know, what it is are people gonna think I'm a racist if I write a racist character? What you know, yeah, uh, you know, and so I do feel still constricted. Um, and but I'm trying to open it up. And I think the more that I expose myself, the more I'm vulnerable. Yeah, you know, it will it will get to that point. Um, and it's it's a it's always evolving. So yeah, but yeah, that was a big, you know, this definitely uh if if I ever get important enough to look at, people will probably look at you know, this is the early phase, this is the middle phase, and you know, not to I don't want to sound egotistical because that's the kind of thing uh in music history class we look at the early phase of Beethoven, and then these things happen, and then there was the middle phase. You know, I don't wanna I don't wanna say that about myself, but yeah.
SPEAKER_00Oh that's fair enough. That's fair enough. And yeah, and you know, I think um I'm sorry, my brain just farted so hard. Wow. Um, yeah. I'm sorry, give me one sec to collect my thoughts here. This is why. This is why I do the editing.
SPEAKER_03Oh no, you gotta leave it in, man. I gotta leave it in. You gotta leave it in. You gotta leave it in. No, no, I'd say I I I gotta if you look at my Substack, you'll see uh this guy, a really nice guy, um, whose name escapes me at the moment. I've done like 15 podcasts, I feel bad. But anyway, he he generously allowed me to put it um on Substack, but he gave me the whole raw file. And the very beginning of it is like, you know, oh hang on while I collect my things, and you know, thankfully we can cut this out. And we were kidding about that for about a minute, and I just stuck it up there. I hope he's not mad at me because I don't know if he saw it or what, but I was like, that's so real, right? You know, yeah, absolutely. It's all good. But anyway, I'm not telling you how to edit your stuff, but I kind of like this stuff. I you know, to me, it's just this is real life, you know.
SPEAKER_00Absolutely. And it and you know, to your like kind of like what you're saying, you know, like these um like having these mistakes and these stumbles, like it's very human, and it can be very endearing to let people see you in that way where it's like, yeah, you see how I might stumble, and then you see how I like recover from that, you know. Um so I I totally see that. Um yeah, I guess um I am gonna continue to struggle uh because I want to kind of ask a follow-up question, you know. Um, I think I'm just gonna let that one swim away. Gonna let I'm gonna let that line of thought swim away. But while
Healing Years And Returning To Work
SPEAKER_00we're talking about swimming, let's talk about the Solarian Deep. So what was your main inspiration for the Solarian Deep?
SPEAKER_03Um it changed as I wrote it. So I never I I don't know about inspiration in terms of uh like writer or book or story or anything like that, but I did want to write something, even know how to categorize it now, because I know it could be seen as young adult, fantasy, that kind of thing. But actually, the more I look at it, I I am pretty insistent that it's all science fiction possible.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_03I I believe this there's evolution in it, um, there's telepathy in it, yeah, there is you know technological evolution in it, and it is Earth, it is humans, and it is uh the dystopian distant future, but that's just how I could set it under sea.
SPEAKER_02Right.
SPEAKER_03Um, but in the beginning. I was just like, I'm gonna write a fun mermaid book, you know, fun mermaid story. You know, so that was the inspiration at first was to do something lighter and you know, kind of kind of chill because um my first four books, they all feel kind of heavy, they're heavy topics for me. One was the second book that I wrote, The Gold Club, that was all about my resentment towards Amazon, yeah. Like, you know, the way that they manipulate you and whatever, and they don't pay you enough and all this stuff. And like so, the book is uh is like kind of like um how to how to screw over the big corporation, yeah. Um, another, you know, there was a big heavy book on AI coming of age evolution stuff and whatnot. There was a disaster book, the third book, the Dark Alignment, is is a is um is um what it apocalyptic book, you know, basically the world's fallen apart.
SPEAKER_02Right.
SPEAKER_03So yeah, um, as I was getting back into the game, I wanted to do something lighthearted, but uh, Solarian Deep really, and I'm really I want to hear from others who read it because to me, I think there are themes in there uh related to LGBTQ and the transition, transformation kind of stuff, right? Societal, societal expectations and how you're supposed to be, and you know, do this, don't do that. Um, rich and poor, the divide between rich and poor, the us and the others. Yeah, you know, there's a war going on in there, and there's you know, we don't trust them, they're different. There's a lot of that, and it's like, okay, well, this, you know, has a lot to do with what I was watching on the news all the time that I was reading, uh, I was writing this, right? Yeah, and um, I mean, that's that's kind of the world we're living in these days, and so yeah, I I think um the inspiration changed over time, yeah. Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00Totally. No, great answer. And I guess, you know, I have a thought uh here where it's like, or maybe my next question, almost even like simplifying more, is like what brought the story like under the sea? Like, how did you like when what made you choose mermaids? And were they intended to be like technologic mermaids at the beginning, or like how did that evolve?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, at the beginning it was just a technological kind of mermaid thing. Yeah. Um, it was again, I was looking at at um stories that people were interested in and that kind of thing. And I think at the time, this was a few years ago, yeah, but um the werewolf thing was a big thing, yeah, right. And you know, fantasy in general, I think I was kind of trying to steer in that direction a little bit, but it turned out I'm just a sci-fi guy. I'm like, you know, if you wave a wand and something happens, that doesn't work for my writing. But if you explain how the nanotechnology made that happen, right, then you know, because I mean you look and in a way, I if you look at science, and I'm I'm no I'm not a math guy, I'm not a physicist, I know nothing about that stuff except what I make up in my head. Right. But some of that stuff is just mind-blowing, the whole um spooky action at a distance thing where like a photon on Earth and a photon in a galaxy next door, yeah, behave at the same time, like they're they're somehow intertwined. Right. How does that make sense? That's magic. Yeah, right. That's a that's a scientific uh fac I don't want to say fact, that's their best theory at the moment of what's going on. Like theoretically, there's a very outside possibility that you and I could vanish right now and reappear on Mars. Whole good every atom in our bodies. This is a site, you could you could you could like prove that out scientifically, mathematically.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_03So, you know, there is no magic in a way. It's like, and I'm a very spiritual guy too, so I kind of tend to think along those lines. Yeah, so yeah, you know, I mean, at the time I think I was oh, mermaids, I'd wear you know, werewolves, no, you know, whatever. But I was kind of looking towards the paranormal um fantasy stuff because it was kind of hot um at the time, but then so there you go. I was trying to follow the trend and ended up just fly just doing my thing as usual, you know.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I mean that's and I think that's a great way to go about it, you know. Um, I I think there's a lot to say there again about kind of um showing more of like who you are on the inside, right? Like you're not trying to force yourself into the werewolf box. Um, there was also another uh genre of story uh of selkies, which are kind of like werewolves, but they're seals. Um like yeah, people who can like transform into seals. Uh and anyway, I guess it's just to say like um I I can really appreciate how there is that level of taking a trend but also making it like so your own, you know? Um and yeah, totally. Yeah, absolutely. And I guess to the point of like sciences. Oh, I'm sorry, were you gonna say something?
SPEAKER_03Oh no, sorry to I I don't mean to interrupt. I did you I this conversation's great because I keep having all these different thoughts on on this. Um the one thing about that is for whatever reason, I'm not into shapeshifters, right? I got so upset. Let me tell you, I'll tell you, one of the things that in annoyed me the most about Star Wars was when they had a shapeshifter in episode two. Because, like, that's not Star Wars, you know, it's I can accept the force, I can accept the magical beings, I can accept all the Star Wars stuff. I'm a total Star Wars guy, but no, not a shapeshifter. That's ridiculous. Yeah, that shouldn't exist in a Star Wars universe, it's not realistic, right? So I don't know. That's my own my own issue, I guess. So maybe maybe I should force myself to write a short story on shapeshifters and see what comes out.
SPEAKER_00Maybe you could. Maybe you could try to take the scientific lens on it, right? And yeah. And and even you know, thinking about that idea of like science and magic, right? It's like almost uh gosh, I I just had an interview uh with another author, um, Drew Harrison, and he mentioned this one like writer's law, and I'm totally blanking at the moment, except for like what the rule is, which is any sort of technology that is sufficiently beyond someone's grasp is indistinguishable from magic. You know? Yeah. And and you know, to the to the point of like spirituality and stuff, and we look at all these like physical sciences, um, you keep you keep whittling down, and there keeps being more questions, and there keeps being more things like, wait, how does that make sense? You know, like in a way, there is this very tangible physical thing, and then there's also just like the ineffable mystery of it all.
SPEAKER_03Uh so absolutely, absolutely. And like I the a thought that just crossed my mind I've got this um cool little um speaker. Yeah, no wires, no nothing. If I if we took this back a couple thousand years and showed it to a musician, even if we played their music on it, yeah, they would freak out and they'd be like, What you know, what what devilry is this? You know exactly. Did you wear it where are the instruments? Exactly. Did you shrink the instruments down and exactly it's and I mean that's yeah, so but and the other thing, yeah, and that I love that rule too. Uh the rule, you know, anything um sufficiently sophisticated is indistinguishable from magic or spiritual, like the God thing too. You talk about the uh Isaac Asimov's uh story, the last question, 10 pages long or so, yeah, tells you the whole history of the universe and the next universe. It's an amazing story. I recommend it to anybody. Isaac Asimov, The Last Question. Okay, um, talks about God and and what it means, and it's really, really amazing. And um, so yeah, all that, all that. And I also have a rule which I never follow, which are there are no rules, which is there are no rules, right? Yeah, yeah. And it's like, you know, and I'm not even following my own thing. Cause like, yeah, you're right, shape shifting could definitely be it must be a hang and maybe I need to do some inner child work on it and find out why I'm so against that stuff.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Fair enough. Um, you know, and I guess so.
Building The Solarian Deep Undersea
SPEAKER_00My next question I have for you, I feel like we've kind of been skirting along this topic. Um, you know, uh, but one of the questions is is like, why the genre sci-fi? What draws you to it? And I guess maybe the next I like asking two parters. Next part is what about the genre allows you to tell the stories you want to tell?
SPEAKER_03Um, well, first off, I'd I'd quote Stephen King because somebody asked him a similar question. He said, What makes you think that I have any choice in what I write? I kind of feel like that. Because, like as I said, I was trying to steer the Solarian Deep towards um towards something that it never ended up being.
SPEAKER_04Right.
SPEAKER_03And um the the other thing that occurred to me from the last round was that actually Slarian Deep involves shape shifting. Yeah. So I've broken my own rule in there. So maybe I don't like to land shapeshifters. But anyway, so um, so yeah, I don't know, but I've always been a sci-fi guy, as I said. So like you know, I grew up with that stuff. So to me, you know, it's what I read, so it's what I write. Um, and TV wise, if I wrote a screenplay, it'd probably be a sci-fi thing.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_03Um, but uh at the same time, I I keep trying to figure my own self out.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_03Because like I'm trying to write my bio and all this stuff, and it's like, you know, he writes, you know, visionary, hopeful future. But the thing is, the the vibrance I think is like that, but there's a lot of nastiness in there too.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_03Um, this, you know, the Solarian Deep is post-apocalyptic.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_03Um, a lot of my stuff is kind of dark and kind of like the little guy versus the the big nasty um machine, corporation, government, yeah, all that stuff. And I also my short stories, which are on my sub stack, are mostly like macaw, like kind of like horror or something. Like they're like a lot of bad things happen in my short stories, like it's like nasty addictions where people die, or like somebody gets killed in in Hanoi. Yeah. It's like, okay, well, that's not sci-fi. Yeah, so I don't even know. I I can't even say. And so it's weird. I'm steering people to my sub stack and and then I'm realizing, well, that's a whole different so I'm just it is what it is, and I don't know. I definitely don't want to uh prevent myself from writing anything. Like I don't I don't wanna say that I I write this or that, and um yeah, but I know it's it makes it tough to market, it makes it tough to to get people to follow along because you know, and me too. I like a consistent like when I read the first Michael Crichton, yeah, and then I read the next Michael Crichton, it wasn't the same book, but it was the same like vibe, yeah.
SPEAKER_01Right.
SPEAKER_03And you know, I knew that I was gonna get some technological stuff and and whatnot.
SPEAKER_01So yeah, totally.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I think that's a totally fair answer too. Like, I I understand where it's just like there is just something uh just inherent, like just like you said, that quote is like, what makes you think I have any choice? Like I I can totally understand that. Um, and like, you know, I I like the gen I like the horror genre. I also like the macabre. Um I you know, I like fantasy, I I like a lot of just fiction, you know, and it's just what about it exactly? I'm not sure. Because I also like one could say it is escapism from this world with its, you know, beauty and abhorrence uh simultaneously. But the kind of stuff I like to read still contains that kind of stuff, you know. So it's it's a way of escaping, but somehow I'm not escaping. I'm just sort of finding a different way of digesting both oh pardon me, microphone. Uh digesting both like dark themes and and a bit of fantasy where the world can be what you want to make it.
SPEAKER_01Um yeah.
SPEAKER_03Absolutely. Um, I also you escapism, I do think that's part of it, but I think it's also processing.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_03You know, like trying to figure things out, and that's you know, whether we're reading or writing or or expressing ourselves in different ways, you know. You might say escape, you know, you could say escaping if I go to a jazz concert, but I don't know, you know, as a musician, maybe I'm processing, but and even if I'm not, maybe I'm just like feeling my feelings at this jazz concert. And it's not really escaping. But yeah, it's all it's all part of the same thing, I think.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. No, that's interesting. That's that's a good thought. And I don't have much to say on beyond that, but it's definitely one that I think I'll hold on to uh and think about. That's that's interesting. Maybe, or maybe it was just me being weird. I don't know. Who knows? But it's okay. You know, I I like I like being weird. I'm a little weird too.
Online Presence, Fear, And Real Risk
SPEAKER_00Uh so uh I was looking through like your websites
Science As Magic And Genre Limits
SPEAKER_00and stuff. I was looking at your social media, and I noticed that uh one of your videos, you know, you said that you wanted to very intentionally kind of put yourself on some social media, make some more connections with folk, and and that that that was also a kind of scary thing to do. And I guess my question for you is what has your experience been generating a larger online presence? Great question.
SPEAKER_03Um, it's been lovely so far. As the best thing about it has been the connections I've made with a lot of the podcasters, including yourself. We've had some great back and forths, um, got to know each other a little bit, and I'm really excited to form lasting connections. I've got more books coming out, I got more projects, and I don't want to just like meet somebody and then you know that's the end of it.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_03Um, so that's been amazing. And then um, other than that, it is scary. Um, and the internet it's interesting. I had a talk. I was doing an inner child podcast, and then I was talking to this uh, it's it's all over my Instagram. This guy's name is Jesse Deal, really nice guy. And we were talking back and forth about inner child and vulnerability and and putting ourselves out there.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_03Um, but what I was expressing was uh the internet really is a cesspool. There really are really nasty, vitriolic people out there who are just ready to tear into you, find your greatest vulnerabilities and exploit them and try to make you feel horrible.
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_03And I'm reading that, and I'll tell you this is again um a little bit back to the LGBT theme, and I am gay, so this is part of my experience.
unknownOkay.
SPEAKER_03Um, I'm watching uh the posts from Elliot Page, um, the actor who transitioned.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_03And the comments are abhorrent, yeah, nasty. Just like, I mean, you would think that if uh if they were standing in the same room, they'd be spitting on this person or something, you know what I mean? But then you get the keyboard warrior thing, they really wouldn't, right? If they were really face to face, they'd be a lot more polite and they'd be afraid to make a scene. Maybe some people are really just off the wall, yeah. And uh as I'm not talking um, you know, right wing, left right wing or anything like that. That's not my point. But my point is the internet can, you know, and for me to write uh a memoir, I've I've said it's like it's like a vulnerability manual. If you really wanted to mess with my head, you just read that. Yeah, and so, you know, and so point being, yeah, it's real, it's real. There's a reason it's you know, putting yourself out there as a creative person um is is dangerous in a sense, um, certainly emotionally dangerous, um, you know, and um and and doxing, I mean it can even be physically dangerous for some people. And again, you know, I'm writing sci-fi and I'm I'm writing this and that. So it's not that big a deal in a sense, but then I just you know said that I was gay. Somebody who's uh homophobic might really uh take umbrage and and start writing in our comments, who knows? Um but you know, and at the same time, I'm a writer, so like I was like, if you want to know me, read my books, right? And so I didn't want to um start doing my own video thing or be an influence or whatever, this kind of thing. And I was trying to figure out how to make this happen because I knew I did need to get my voice out there, yeah, and my face out there so people could know who the writer was. And so I did land on podcasts and I did that and very intentionally, yeah, I can have a conversation. I can, you know, connect with somebody, we ask each other questions, we we you know, vibe off each other, and that's what I want my readers to do too is to read my book and the same thing, send me a message or whatever. So um, yeah, you know, it's it's it's real. If you're out there and you're afraid to get out there, I hear you. Yeah, you know, and and it's uh it's not just imaginary, it's not just everything will be okay, it's just your fear talking. Yeah. That's not, you know, that's toxic positivity a bit.
SPEAKER_00Yes, yeah, no, I hear that. No, for sure. And and there's uh there's a level to which, you know, being prepared or just knowing that there may be some real assholes out there, you know. And we're allowed to swear on this podcast, just so you know, if that's your kind of thing. Awesome.
unknownOkay.
SPEAKER_00Probably should have started with that. Um, but no, no, you shouldn't have. No, it would be a whole different conversation. You don't want that. Um, but uh, but I guess I have I have two kind of thoughts about that too, where like um, you know, it is scary to put yourself out there. You know, I can agree with that, like um in the sort of voice acting realm, and I'm sure even in the writing realm, a lot of people when it comes to marketing, they're like, be in like be a content creator, get on social media, put your face out there all the time. And like, and that's the same stuff that scares me too. You know, like it's just scary to think you could put yourself out there and there would just be people who are just really heinous, you know. Um but you know, at the same time, you know, I have uh clients of mine. Uh their podcast is That's So Macaroni. It's a history podcast. It's uh two gals kind of gabbing about history. It's a great time. It's a it's a fun lesson if you like history. Uh and I think they bring something really fresh to the uh to the space of history podcasts. Regardless of the shameless plug, uh, you know, I they started messaging me and they got some pretty nasty messages online. They uh they did a special for Pride Month where they talked about gays in the military, in the United States military, and there were just people out there being nasty and rude, and you know, and being rude to, you know, the podcasters, and you know, they weren't quite sure how to handle it in that moment, you know, and they were pretty hurt by it, but they just decided to keep going, you know, and in a certain way it's like these things are going to be scary and they're probably gonna hurt. But at the same time, kind of like you were saying, these people, keyboard warriors, you know, maybe thousands of miles away, and you know, who cares what they have to think if all they're gonna do is spew vitriol, you know, and and it can be scary. But I guess what I'm trying to say is I'm trying to look to them as a form of inspiration to be like, you know what, even if someone is like, hey, Connor, you dumbass, get off the internet. I can just say no you. So, you know, whatever.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, yeah. And I have two thoughts on that. Um, the first one, just to add the caveat, like I've also met and seen some lovely, wonderful people and amazing comments, supportive. Yeah, like um a woman just rode from California to Hawaii. I think it took her 44 days. She broke all the records, men's men's and women's records. That ended up on my feed, you know, some like watching, and everybody's like, go, go, go, you can do it, you know.
SPEAKER_02100%.
SPEAKER_03So I mean, there's that too. So if you don't get out there, you miss that part too. There's a lot of support, there's a world of support that you can find. Absolutely. Um, if you connect with, you know, connect with the right people, connect with your people, because some people are gonna like what we do, some people are not. And um, and if you if you're touching on issues that are, you know, in the mainstream, like LGBTQ or whatever, yeah, then then it's gonna be a bit more risky, right? But the other thing about um do it anyway, I agree. And you know, those people, whatever, they they're reflecting badly on themselves. However, I also talk a lot in Wounded Angels, my inner child book, about the the physiological responses for me have been intense because I had some severe trauma when I was a kid. Right. So even if I intellectually know this guy's just being a jerk, he's just saying, you know, you're and right now I'm looking at my myself in in the podcast, and I know my nose is like bright red because I was out in the sun, and I'm like, somebody's gonna comment on your appearance, you know. Oh, well, what am I gonna do? And if they did, um, I would know intellectually this person is just being a jerk or whatever. Yeah, but I would still feel physiological like shame response, um, dread, you know, maybe I shouldn't have done this. And it it feels like crap, it hurts. Yeah, it's really, it's really rough. And this is a lot of people who have experienced trauma go through this. Yeah, and that's very real. So it's important to acknowledge that, like, yeah, you're really feeling pain when people do this. And that's why they do it. Because I I mean, if if not, if it really, if everybody could just let it go, um, people wouldn't have the power to do that kind of thing.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_03And so, you know, just to validate the fact that, like, yes, I will persist, even if somebody comments about my appearance or the fact that I'm gay or whatever. Yeah, but I know you know it's gonna take some processing, yeah, and and that sort of thing. So that's important too, and not to sidetrack too much.
SPEAKER_00Now we're getting into all kinds of different issues, but no, I hear it. Um, and and I appreciate it. I like meandering. Uh, I think that's a hallmark of a great conversation. Um, yeah, no, that's uh that is such a uh salient point that you make, and that is so important is to like acknowledge that like yes, it does actually hurt, and like um, and that is real. Um and and it makes me just think of this other quote, which is probably going to just really uh maybe be somewhat reductive, but like the idea of like uh I'm going to cry and I'm still going to do it. You know what I mean? Like you can still when it's hard, like you can still feel your feelings, acknowledge your feelings, and there's and you know, and you can still persist. So yeah. Oh yeah. Definitely.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, and the uh feeling fear um doesn't have to stop you, and but it doesn't mean you won't feel fear. Absolutely, you know, courage, bravery doesn't mean being fearless, because if you're actually feeling Less, then it's no problem.
SPEAKER_00Exactly. Yeah. Right. Absolutely. Um, so uh I want to I want to move on to some of our next questions.
Advice For Getting Read And Seen
SPEAKER_00I'm really enjoying this conversation, um, but I do have a time limit.
unknownOkay.
SPEAKER_00Um it it's loose. It's loose. Uh, but you know. Um so the my next question for you, uh kind of based a little bit on our earlier con like earlier bit of our conversation, um, is what advice would you have for authors who are struggling to get their books read and and out there and seen?
SPEAKER_03Um suck it up and go on podcasts. Maybe is the I don't know. I mean, that's just it. I I am not someone who's talking from the top of the mountain.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_03I'm here to be seen and heard, and I'm trying to do what I can to build a business by myself, and it ain't easy. And uh man, this I mean, there's millions of books out there. Um and so yeah, it's and also something that I struggled with is not everybody has to like it. You just have to find the people that are into what you're you know, into what you're doing, and that's not an easy thing, but just keep trying different things. Um, I've had more success in the last few months. I've been really at it since uh beginning 2025. I published Wounded Angels in March 2025, so a little over a year ago, yeah, a year and a few months. Um, and kind of expected the world to buy it. Didn't happen. Okay, so start working on the author platform, build up the substacks and and whatnot. Um, and I published Larry and Deep after that. Yeah, and so you know, I mean, I'm just trying whatever I can and also trying to do what fits my integrity, what fits what's good for me. I'm not a big social media guy, I'm not a post everyday guy. Yeah, I'm not into doing I just, you know, I post and I'm very I'm a patchwork quilt. If you look at my Instagram, there's drumming on there, there's like a uh QR code for uh a free book, my free book. So go check that. I'm an Instagram and all that. So, you know, and also um yeah, connect, connect with everybody, you know. That's that's another thing too, I would say, you know, because that's what I'm looking to do. And I think a lot of writers feel kind of isolated, yeah, and then uh don't feel like they can reach out, but I'm I'm looking to connect with writers too and and uh see how we can support each other.
SPEAKER_00So yeah, absolutely. That's a great answer. Um, and I'm not biased at all as a guy who interviews authors. Uh no, but I mean uh truthfully, no, that that's really that's good advice, and definitely connecting is a huge key or a big piece of the puzzle towards being seen, you know, and being seen is a part of connection too. I mean, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_03Shouting into the void is frustrating. The internet, I mean, and all the algorithms and all that stuff. I'm still trying to figure that stuff out.
SPEAKER_00But yeah, no, same work it out together. Same here, absolutely, absolutely.
SPEAKER_03It's funny, I did get I got a viral drumming video video going. I did uh I played drums uh with a kid in Thailand. It's like a 30-second thing. I just handed my phone to somebody and said make a video. Yeah, and we got like half a million views. Yeah. And it's like, and watching that thing take off was crazy. It was like, oh wow, it's really rocketing up. I see what I see how that goes now. Yeah, and it's a lot of fun, it's a lot of fun, but it's there's a lot of alchemy involved. I know some people know how to game the system to make that happen. Right. But I don't, I don't, you know, it was more fun having an organic thing, you know. Absolutely. So, you know, here's to making more in uh yeah, viral moments, like that's you know, yeah, absolutely.
SPEAKER_00That was that was a lot of fun to, you know, as I was perusing your feed, like seeing those drum videos. Yeah, yeah. I'm pretty sure I'm pretty sure. Um, but just seeing your other drum videos, I think it was one where you were like drumming with the kid, like taking turns, drumming on his drums. Yeah, yeah. That was fun. It was a ton of fun to uh watch. That was definitely a blast. And um, yeah, and I think that just kind of in another way, um, maybe what I'm sort of drawing from it is like being able to like be you in the multiple ways that you are you. No one no one is like a monolith, right? Like you're not just a writer, you're also a musician, you know, and there are multiple ways to connect through the things that you love. And so connecting with people is a great way to be seen and go farther away.
Where To Find David And What’s Next
SPEAKER_00Well, I want to ask you some of our concluding questions here. Um so for those who want to learn more about you, hear more of your insights, read your books, where can folks go?
SPEAKER_03Daviddeanhaskell.com. So it's very simple, very easy, except make sure you spell my middle name with an E and you'll find me. And it's it's a little funny because there's another David Haskell out there, a writer. He's a biologist and Pulitzer Prize winning writer. So if you Google David Haskell, you won't find me. So I'm always going by my full name, David Dean Haskell, and David Dean Haskell.com, you can get Emergence for free. That's my fourth book and uh a book I'm very proud of and I love.
SPEAKER_04Yeah.
SPEAKER_03And um, yeah, that's where to find me. I'll and you can get my Substack stuff there and everything else.
SPEAKER_00Great. And folks, we will have links in the episode notes. So if you want to go over to Daviddeanhaskell.com, check out the episode notes, click the link. Um, and then I guess my next question for you is what's next for you? Any events you're attending or new books on the horizon?
SPEAKER_03Um, events-wise, I'm doing I'm just sort of on the podcast circuit. So I'll be doing a lot of conversations, both nonfiction and fiction.
SPEAKER_02Awesome.
SPEAKER_03And probably meandering like we did today, like a little bit of everything, right?
SPEAKER_02Absolutely.
SPEAKER_03Um, so that that's going on. And uh The Vibrance is the big uh sci-fi that's coming out in a few months. I haven't quite got a publishing date yet, but that's gonna be my sixth uh sci-fi book, and it's that's the first of a series um about human AI creativity in the age of AI sentience. It's pretty crazy. And I think I might be predicting the future. We'll see.
SPEAKER_00We'll see. Absolutely. Yeah, that's exciting. That's exciting. And um when uh the vibrance is going to hit the shelves, please come back. I'd love to talk to you about it. Um thank you.
SPEAKER_03I definitely would love to.
SPEAKER_00Great, perfect. I just want to make sure that I invite you because you are invited. Um, of course. So now uh, David, I want to end with some of my fun questions.
Rapid Fire And A Safe Place Answer
SPEAKER_00We have two segments here for you. We have a rapid fire segment where you just have to answer the question. I'm gonna give you kind of a this or that, and you get to choose, and then we'll have a more creative question after that. Are you ready for the rapid fire questions?
SPEAKER_03Yep. Let's go.
SPEAKER_00Okay. The fifth element or blade runner? Fifth element. Star Trek or Star Wars? Star Wars. Matched grip or traditional grip?
SPEAKER_03Uh match grip for beginners, traditional grip for when you get better.
SPEAKER_00Great. Giant squid or blue whale? Um blue whale. Blue whale. Tuktuk or rickshaw?
SPEAKER_03Uh the tuk-tuks. Uh, I rode those a lot last year in uh in Southeast Asia. I've never been in a rickshaw because they're too expensive here in Tokyo. So I'm gonna say tuk-tuk.
SPEAKER_00Great. Extraterrestrials or subterraneans? Uh E.T.s. All right.
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_00Great. Well, with that, that ends the rapid fire segment. Uh and now for our final question, the hard-hitting ones. If you could take one fictional character to one real-world location, who would you choose and where would you take them?
SPEAKER_03Uh this is uh my books or any fictional character ever.
SPEAKER_00Any fictional character could be your books, whatever you like.
SPEAKER_03I, you know, I I'm gonna say this, and this is going to the inner child stuff. If you read my my book Wounded Angels, yeah. Uh, when I was a kid, I used to want to uh believe in Superman so that he would come and kick the shit out of my enemies that were bullying me.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_03Um, so you know, a superhero friend would be kind of cool. And actually, um uh Calistia is the main character. Actually, Calistia and Kyle are the two main characters in the Solarian Deep, yeah, they've got some superhero tendencies as well, but uh they don't really do so well on the land, so I think we'd have to stick to the oceans for them.
SPEAKER_00Great, great. Um, and uh I guess just to push it one little bit further. So if you could take them anywhere in the real world, where would could where would you take them?
SPEAKER_03As we were talking about, you know, again, um my characters are always struggling, I think, and and just as I have and still struggle. And I think it's like I'm very protective. Um, and so you know, I would take Calistia to my house and and Kyle too, and hang out with them and and like reassure them that the people that are you know messing them up and and trying to destroy their lives are not okay, are not healthy, are not the authority figures that should be in charge. Um, I think, you know, exactly that. Where would I take them? I would take them someplace safe.
SPEAKER_00That's a really beautiful answer. I like that. Well, David, thank you so much for coming on the podcast today. I've had a really great time talking with you. I'm really excited to perform uh a couple chapters, a chapter of the Solarian Deep. And I'm really excited to show you what we're able to come up with. I'm so excited for that too, Connor. Thank you so much for having me. It's been amazing. It's been great. Thank you so much. And uh listeners, until next we turn the page tootle loo.
Closing Thanks And Chapter Reads Tease
SPEAKER_00Howdy folks, welcome back. I hope you enjoyed the interview as much as I did. Uh, David, thank you so much for coming on the show. I really had a great time interviewing with you. I'm super excited to get those chapter reads out and to you. Production is going just fine. So, folks, keep an eye out uh for those episodes in the next coming weeks. And yeah, go check out the episode notes and see what David Dean Haskell is writing, see what he's up to. And yeah.
Bonus Audiobook Drop And Review Codes
SPEAKER_00Hey there folks, it's Connor. Just here to interrupt myself real quick and let you know. If you are seeing this right now, that means the Men of the Mountain audiobook, written by Drew Harrison, performed by me, is on the digital shelves on Audible right now. It is getting some awesome reviews. Drew and I are over the moon with how people are responding to it. We still have a few more review codes, so if you're looking to get your hands on a free copy in exchange for a review, go ahead and check out the link in the episode notes, and you will find the Google forms that you can fill out and see if you can get a review copy. So again, Men of the Mountain out now. It's really awesome. I'm super proud of it, and I really hope you check it out. Purchasing the book helps Drew and me. So, yeah, what are you waiting for? So, again, thank you, listener, for stopping by. David Dean Haskell, thank you so much for coming on the show. It's a real joy to talk. I'm really glad we have connected, and yeah, I look forward to talking with you again soon. Until next, we turn the page. Doodaloo. This has been Connor Reeds Books.
Final Outro And Review Request
SPEAKER_00I hope you enjoyed the episode. If you have, please share and leave a review. Feel free to check out my social medias at LConnor Voice. Links in the episode notes. A big thank you to Louie Sanders, the producer of the Connor Reeds Books theme song. Until next, we turn the page to the Louis.