Podcast Guest David Somerfleck

Interview Speculative Fiction Author & Digital Marketing Veteran David Somerfleck

David Somerfleck is a speculative fiction author, poet, and independent publisher based in Hampton Roads, Virginia. A former digital marketing agency owner and SBA small business mentor, his focuses on humanity’s role in adapting to change.

His novel One Grain of Sand follows a wrongfully imprisoned pickpocket in a climate-ravaged, corporate-ruled America who must decide whether to remain one grain in the regime’s hourglass—or the grain that brings its machinations grinding to a halt.

David Somerfleck, Science FIction Author and Poet
Podcast Guest David Somerfleck

Fast Facts

 

  • Location: Hampton Roads, Virginia (U.S. East Coast)

  • Genres: Near-future dystopian SF, speculative fiction, business-focused non-fiction, poetry

  • Background: 25+ years running a digital marketing agency; former political campaign advisor; former non-profit mediaton founder; former certified small business mentor with the U.S. Small Business Administration

  • Speaking experience: 50+ podcast guest appearances; speaker at Microsoft, WordPress Foundation events, and local business/author groups

  • Imprint: Boldly Blue Press

  • Flagship novel: One Grain of Sand (speculative dystopian SF)

  • Other works: Multiple poetry collections and business non-fiction. Upcoming books include Books 2&3 of the Shards of a Shattered Sky trilogy, S is for Super Strong SEO, the Illustrated Guide to Digital Marketing, the Financially-Free Freelancer, a horror novella

Topics David Can Speak On

 

Video Conferencing and Webinar Teaching

 

 

Marketing

  • Digital marketing strategies for modern businesses.
  • Just what exactly is SEO, how does it work, what are common misconceptions about it, and how can it be used today to accelerate growth?
  • Crucial marketing differences between lean startups, small businesses, established businesses; and how they can all learn from each other.
  • Differences between traditional versus holistic digital marketing.
  • Unconventional ways to use eCommerce not only to increase profits but to also reach more, and different, types of clients or customers.
  • Navigating rapid business transformation and growth in a digital age.
  • Building a customer centric organization.
  • When and how to pivot.
  • Different types of content for the typical business website and blog.
  • How I was able to scale my own small distributed team digital marketing agency and compete with multi-million dollar corporate agencies in downtown Denver, Colorado for a period of several years and the lessons startups and small businesses can take away from that experience.
  • The power of authority, focus, and integrity.
  • The hidden value in workshops to geometrically increase outreach, contracts, and networking leads.
  • Harnessing creativity to write more often, repurpose everything you write, and be more focused for longer periods of time.
  • Establishing a daily routine for writers, marketers, and business owners: how they differ, where they intersect.

 

Creativity

  • Ways to marry marketing with creativity.
  • How poets and writers can network without social media and conversely how introverted creatives can market without having to network in-person.
  • Repurposing content and automating social media distribution so you spend a few hours every week creating content, then a few hours setting up your regular distributions channels.
  • How to effectively block out what can drain creativity and vision as an introvert.
  • Discussing impostor syndrome and how it’s not always a bad thing, also how common it really is.
  • How and why to unplug from technology and reconnect with what matters most.
  • The rise in “monk mode” and why it matters, what we can all learn from monks, monastics, writers retreats, and the hidden power of truly focusing.
  • Self-publishing lessons learned, my own “mix” of tools and approaches and why I came to it.

More

  • Writing Dystopia That Feels Uncomfortably Plausible
    How current headlines around climate collapse, surveillance, privatized prisons, and wealth inequality shaped One Grain of Sand and its “weekend culling” passes.
  • Surviving Authoritarianism: Resistance, Complicity, and the “One Grain of Sand” Choice
    How ordinary people decide whether to “go with the flow” or risk everything, and how that moral tension drives character-driven dystopian fiction.
  • Starting (or Restarting) a Speculative Fiction Career Later in Life
    The realities of launching an indie SF career at an older age, with limited energy and a decades-long business background instead of an MFA.
  • From Political Messaging and Marketing to Speculative Fiction
    How training in political campaign messaging and 25+ years of digital marketing inform David’s worldbuilding, villains, and depiction of weaponized media.
  • Indie Publishing as an Ecosystem: Print, Ebook, Audiobook, and Events
    Lessons learned publishing One Grain of Sand and poetry through IngramSpark, Draft2Digital, and audiobook platforms while juggling chronic fatigue and limited in-person events.
  • Building a Sustainable Author Platform Without Burning Out
    Using realistic systems (WordPress, limited social channels, targeted events) instead of chasing every trend, and designing a career that respects physical and mental bandwidth.
  • When the Future Looks Grim: Finding Slivers of Hope in Dystopian Worlds
    How to write bleak settings without crushing the reader—and why small acts of grace, humor, and stubbornness matter in dystopian fiction.

 

Sample Interview Questions

 

Video Conferencing and Webinar Teaching

 

 

Some Ideas

  • One Grain of Sand imagines a climate-ravaged, corporate-ruled America with “weekend culling passes.” Where did that idea come from, and how close do you think we are to something like it in the real world?

  • Noah Harpster is a wrongfully imprisoned pickpocket who volunteers for a dangerous experiment. What do you find compelling about putting ordinary, flawed people into extraordinary dystopian situations?

  • You’ve worked in digital marketing and political messaging for decades. How did seeing those worlds up close shape the way you write about propaganda, media manipulation, and authoritarian power?

  • You’re building an indie writing career later in life, with limited energy for travel and conventions. What does a sustainable, realistic career path look like for you now?

  • How do you balance “ripped from the headlines” themes—surveillance, privatized prisons, climate collapse—with the need to still give readers a story that feels human and hopeful?

  • You’ve published poetry as well as dystopian fiction. How does your poetry voice influence your prose—or vice versa?

  • For other indie SF authors who feel overwhelmed by cons, social media, and “must do everything” advice, what would you tell them to focus on first?

 

What Others Say

Adam Sinkus, podcast host

“He was a great guest to have on my show. Really knows his stuff!”

Matt LaBarre, Co-Founder, VTC Films

“David’s input during our coaching call…on how to improve our company SEO, outreach, our content marketing, online presence, ways to build partnerships…was extremely helpful and really showed us how to turn our company website into a 24/7 marketing machine that could generate leads and even build partnerships while we sleep.

David covered multiple ways to grow our business in the short-term and for the long-term that was incredible value to us going forward.”

Reza Bakshai, Co-Founder and CEO at Complete Consulting

“I had the pleasure and honor of working with David Somerfleck recently.

His overall knowledge of the digital world, marketing and copywriting was very helpful to us, seeing things from a different angle.

His attention and focus to detail as well as suggesting what things to polish was well articulated and helped our organization out quickly and without fuss!

I would recommend him to anyone that needs help with their business, brand, or online presence.”

Tan Smyth, Owner, Ruby Moon Investigations

“After careful searching (and a few mistakes made on my own), I called David for help building my website.

I wanted to work with a web designer who would boost my rankings with SEO and understand the workings of my businesses.

Most importantly, I wanted to work with a company that was professional and could tailor my website to make it easy to navigate on mobile devices.

Upon contracting with David, I received all that I had hoped for and much more – and at a reasonable, competitive cost. He offers packages for businesses, education, social networking tied into your web presence, SEO services, web design, and many extra options that the big box sites don’t offer.

Don’t go with a cookie-cutter website and expect to increase your clientele and web presence. Contact David and invest in some of the most effective marketing tools available for your business.”

Suzanne Whang, House Hunters International Host & Author

“I was very happy to consult with David about marketing my books.

Not only did he share a wealth of information and experience, but he took the time to explain why I should focus on one aspect of marketing before another.

I had heard something similar to what he was suggesting, but nobody explained to me WHY this was the best way.

The information he gave was priceless to me because it kept me from wasting a lot of resources and investing in the wrong approach.”

David Gilman, Agency Owner, Cognito

“David’s business coaching helped me to improve my marketing which included developing a five step process, providing relevant case studies, and offering packages.

As a result of working with him, I’ve become more efficient and most importantly have already begun to become more profitable.”

Darcy Luoma, Creator of Thoughtfully Fit® | Master Certified Coach & Speaker

“I was a guest on David’s podcast and the entire experience was professional, fun and engaging.

David is a true pro and his passion for helping others is evident in every interaction.

The topic of my story and interview is highly sensitive, and David was compassionate and tactful in our conversation.

It was a pleasure to partner with him and I look forward to learning more from him in the future!”

Nancy Cronk, Business Owner

“David and I have worked alongside one another in social media marketing to help local candidates and campaigns improve their media presence and sharpen their message.

David’s background in Journalism gives him a unique perspective regarding the marketability of images and text that create a lasting impact.”

Aurita Apodaca, Orgnaizer at FRESC

“David worked for my campaign for Westminster City Council as advisor and strategic communications consultant.

David provided my campaign with marketing and media relations consulting and overall strategy.

Based on his professionalism, and the quality of his contributions, he’s been one of the best political consultants I’ve ever worked with and I can recommend his services without reservation.”

Steve Harvey, Lawyer, Author

“David worked for me overseeing political campaign communications, and based on his work, I would rank him as one of the best consultants we have ever had.

He distinguished himself by consistently submitting exceptionally well-researched and well-written messaging, framing, branding, letters, slogans, and other political campaign materials.”

Rev. Marcia Ledford, Civil Rights Attorney

“David is a great podcast host. He’s organized, and I felt like he was genuinely interested in my work and in giving his audience a chance to hear from me.

David has many interests; you’ll benefit from his willingness to speak with you!”

Leslie Lyon, Writer, Editor, Civil Servant

“When I needed website help from somebody who could write AND speak geek, David was the first person I called.

His passion for the written word and his tech savvy make him a real find for anybody looking to create a dynamic web presence or make an impression in print.”

Alec Wizner, Mediator at Agency for Dispute Resolution - Super Lawyer since 2012

“David has an incredibly broad scope of knowledge which enables him to go way outside the box in assisting clients with their websites.

His integrity is unimpeachable and he’s a joy to work with at every juncture.”

Mark Eckdahl, Software Manager/Sr. Software Engineer

“David is full of energy and ideas for growing businesses.

He helped us to create an app for our online scheduling company to ease integration with website use.

He gave key direction on exactly what steps to take and how to market it, and it has been hugely successful.”

Shanika Grant, Owner, Images Salon

“David built a website for my salon that really made me look at my business in a different way.

By putting our site at the top of Google, making our phone number more clear, adding a shopping section, teaching us how to attract more customers…We had more calls coming in to the store, were selling shampoos and added more services, and we had to hire more staff to to keep growing so fast.”

Warren Davis, Corporate Acquisitions Lawyer

“Over $160,000 and counting from just one consultation!

David showed me what I was doing wrong, and how to put systems in place to increase visibility, which led to more new client intake right away.

We’ve already gotten eight new cases this month!”

Jennifer Gilliam, Realtor

“I started getting more phone calls and emails from new property buyers that more than tripled my commissions within weeks after working with David.”

Gregory Bragg, CEO & Founder, Bragghost

“David has helped me tremendously as a mentor, teaching me how to find enterprise clients who want and need my services and address their larger more important problems.

He has loads of experience that has been very beneficial to me.”

Gil Asakawa, Journalist & Cultural Consultant

“We contacted David about an issue with the WordPress database for the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival, and his depth of expertise with WordPress was very helpful in troubleshooting our issues and getting the content management dashboard up and running again.”

Igor Gnatenko, Author CEO, Nimble Commerce

“David’s suggestions helpmed me market my services better, so I could reach more pre-qualified leaders faster, work more efficiently, and provide better service to our customers.”

Mary Shallies, Owner, AdSource Marketing Agency

“We’re very appreciative of David’s efforts for consulting with our agency, AdSource, as we look for guidance on creating more growth opportunities.”

Richard Brevoort, President, The Hudson Group

“David consistently worked in a very professional manner that impressed everyone with our company.

We learned we could always count on him for providing services in a reliable and flawless manner.”

Clarene Mitchell, National LinkedIn & Social Media Speaker, Trainer

“If you are a small business owner or entrepreneur looking to grow your brand and business, I strongly encourage you to submit your request to be a guest on David Somerfleck’s podcast.”

Tech & Logistics

  • Time zone: U.S. Eastern (ET)

  • Format: Comfortable with audio-only, video, or livestream interviews

  • Tech: Quality USB microphone and headphones/headset, wired or stable Wi-Fi connection, quiet home office

  • Platforms: Google Meet, Whereby, or host’s preferred platform

  • Length: Happy to fit typical slots (20–30 minutes, 45–60 minutes)

David is thoughtful, candid, and comfortable with either structured questions or more free-flowing conversation.

Podcast Guest David Somerfleck

Downloadable Assets

  • Speaker Sheet
  • Book Sell Sheet (One Grain of Sand)
  • Reading Group Guide – One Grain of Sand (PDF, PPTX, MP4)
  • Cover Images (One Grain of Sand)
  • Author Photos

 

 

Books Out Now by David Somerfleck

One Grain of Sand by David Somerfleck
Love Her Blind & Other Poems Audiobook
Road to Digital Marketing Profits
My Grandfather's God