Ask the Author: David Dalglish

“Throw at me whatever silly, stupid, random question you feel like, and I'll do my best to answer. Those answers might even be interesting or entertaining, though I make no promises.” David Dalglish

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Hello, im a huge fan of the soulkeeper series and am also a voice actor, would you mind if i used snippets from the books for practice (recording and posting to places to show range and such)? full credit for the book would obviously go to you but i wanted to ask permission than assume it would be ok

David Dalglish As long as you both provide credit, and aren't charging for the snippets, you are more than free to do whatever you wish. And consider me flattered :)

Good luck!

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Hello, Hello! Thanks for answering my last question about the Soulkeeper dilemma. (I could not find the thread to thank you there). Another question, are you going to be putting out more LitRPG work in the future? I am currently procrastinating reading Level: Apocalypse because I don't want it to end yet. lol

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This answer contains spoilers… (view spoiler)[Before writing Soulkeeper, I read about how one of the most common reasons women seek out male prostitutes is because they suffered trauma or abuse in their past. They're looking for a controlled, less emotional environment to approach sex and intimacy, one where they have control and can fully set the terms and limits.

If you look at Jacaranda, she is obviously tremendously traumatized by her experiences. And her relationship with Devin is pretty tentative at this point in the story, with nothing labeled or categorized between them. But they do start to have an intimate moment together, and something Devin says immediately triggers her and causes her to completely shut down. We see that scene from Devin's POV, but she's obviously frustrated and upset.

So that scene in the brothel? That's why she goes. She's not 'cheating' on Devin in her own mind, if they even have any sort of established relationship to cheat on in the first place (they've certainly not declared themselves a couple, or boyfriend/girlfriend, or anything like that, though affection between the two is clearly building). She goes to, in her own words, see if she's broken. To see how deep the harm is. To see if sex is something she can still even enjoy before complicating it further with Devin, whom she's still learning and deciding just what exactly he is to her. Also of note is that in the world of Soulkeeper, prostitution is legal and not looked down on in any way. You'll also see that the male prostitute picks up pretty quickly why Jacaranda is there, and how it's related to her trying to work through her past.

It's also why, at the end of it, she cries with relief. She has *every* intention afterward of resuming her relationship with Devin, and has even gained confidence that there can be a sexual aspect to it, if they're slow and careful.

Will some people still consider this as 'cheating'? Absolutely. The definition of cheating is personal, and often an agreement between the persons involved. But if you're curious and willing to have a further spoiler: there is no scene where Jacaranda is treated as cheating, and Devin is angered by it. There is no moment where she is admonished for this, or punished, or scolded, etc. Devin supports her, through and through, and even if he knew, he would have understood why she went there. He's just that kind of guy. I have seen people react furiously to this scene, as if Devin should be humiliated, or infuriated, or Jacaranda punished for her horrible deed. My apologies to them, but that is not how I see things, nor how Devin would react to these circumstances.

If this is still a deal breaker, I fully understand, but I hope this gives a clear idea of both what is going through Jacaranda's head, and why I wrote the scene the way I did. (hide spoiler)]

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Hi David! I started reading the half orc series until I realized there was a different order you possibly intended the Dezrel series to be read in. I have read up to The Shadows of Grace. My question to you is, do I continue with the half-orcs or go back to your suggested order moving forward?

David Dalglish You're going to be mostly fine no matter what you do, because I also *wrote* a lot of them various series out of chronological order. I also intended pretty much every series to be standalone, barring potentially the very, very last Half-Orc novel (HO9 - Legacy of the Watcher) which is very much meant to be a send off to the Shadowdance books.

If you want to go in roughly chronological, it'd be: Shadowdance - Paladins - Half-Orcs.

However, I wrote much of the Half-Orcs first before then writing Shadowdance and Paladins. Feel free to finish up the HO first and then decide if you want more of the world!

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Hey David! Pray you and yours are well. My question is around the best 'reading order' of your books; because I am aware you 'intertwine' your series characters (same world I assume?) - how might you read them for the best 'understanding' when such things "come together?" Appreciate the time - Godspeed. :D

David Dalglish It's a lot of same world and characters when it comes to the Dezrel books. So to make things clear just in case:

Vagrant Gods
Seraphim
Keepers Trilogy
Astral Kingdoms

are all fully separate, standalone, unique worlds unrelated to the other. Read whatever and whenever!

As for the Dezrel series, I tend to recommend people read them roughly in chronological order, which goes as -

Shadowdance
Paladins
Half-Orcs

so long as you keep in mind that they were not *written* in that order, so when you hit the Half-Orcs, you'll actually reach some of my oldest stuff, so you can expect some minor shifts in writing style/ability.

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Why did your mother want you to write a book like sky born?

David Dalglish She never read/liked fantasy books with a lot of the more traditional sword and sorcery fantasy elements like orcs and elves and medieval kingdoms. Skyborn shed a lot of those elements for something slightly more modern feeling, which she was always really excited for.

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Which of your stories gods would you be a follower of if they were real?

David Dalglish Uhh...probably Lycaena from Vagrant Gods, I'd guess.

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Hi David, I am new reader of your work and see that only the first 3 books of Shadow dance are translated in bulgarian language. My question is if i read only them from these series, will this leave a feeling of incompleteness?

David Dalglish A little bit yes, a little bit no? The original Shadowdance books, when I self-published them, were just those first three that have been translated. I then wrote three more, adding onto the story when I signed with Orbit Books, but there's no big cliffhanger or unanswered questions after the third book. At the same time, yes, there's clearly more, and it continues even beyond the other three untranslated Shadowdance books, because it eventually leads into my Half-Orcs series as well.

If I was to give a solid yes or no, I think yes, you'll overall be fine.

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How is Tommy Devin’s and Adria brother in law ?

David Dalglish If I remember correctly, Tommy is Devin's deceased wife's brother, which makes him their brother-in-law.

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This question contains spoilers... (view spoiler)

David Dalglish I appreciate the suggestions, but should I return to the VG series, it'll be because I've got an itch to tell a specific story I want to tell, which means it's going to be one personal and close to me. If you like the idea, tho, you've got my full blessing to write any and all fanfic exploring it :)

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This question contains spoilers... (view spoiler)

David Dalglish I think I tossed in the tiniest of easter eggs to imply it was potentially the case, but basically no, it's a fully separate story/world with its own rules and lore.

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What series of yours would you want adapted first?

David Dalglish Um, if I could wave a magic wand and just get whatever I desired, it'd be an animated rendition, Castlevania on Netflix style, of Vagrant Gods. That'd be sick.

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David Dalglish Nah, as you said yourself, there's plenty of nods toward it throughout the books. Some people may be surprised, but I suspect it's on the lower end of numbers.

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I understand you are big into gaming. Top 5-10 favorite video games of all time?

David Dalglish Hrm, this list shifts and changes over time, but I think it is roughly something like this (in no specific ranked order).

Bloodborne
Hades
Elden Ring
FFXIV
Chrono Trigger
Factorio
FFX
Baldur's Gate 3
Starcraft 1 and 2
FFVI
Dark Souls 3
Lies of P

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Hey, I’ve read all the shadow dance series and most of seraphim. I’m almost done with soul keeper and was wondering how to pronounce viciss. Everytime his name comes up my head bounces between vi-kiss and vi-siss? If it’s something else entirely that would be cool too, was just curious. Thanks for the amazing books!

David Dalglish You got it right on your first try, Vi-kiss is how I also pronounce it in my head (but I've also never been a stickler for pronunciations for any of my characters, so if that bugs you hearing it that way, consider yourself with full permission to refer to them as Vi-siss).

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Hello! I love your books. The Paladins is my favorite series of yours and one of my all time reads. I was wondering, do you ever consider writing a book or series that focuses on the plight of the werewolves? I became very invested in Redclaw’s story and his mission to have a better world for his people and pups. Redclaw also showed great awareness at then end and I hope the wolves may one day be given a chance.

David Dalglish Hey, I'm glad you enjoyed the Paladins! And the Half-Orcs books do get into Redclaw's children starting in...book six, I believe? They're not 100% the focus but their story does continue on from there.

Thank you that’s really the main questions bugging me while listening to the audiobooks. If I ever become a billionaire I hope I can help get your books adapted to cartoons they are wonderful. ?

David Dalglish I mean. If you ever become a billionaire and want to create a Vagrant Gods anime, I will certainly not say no ;)

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