Interview Speculative Fiction Author & Digital Marketing Veteran David Somerfleck
David Somerfleck spent two decades helping businesses tell the truth about themselves; from running a digital marketing agency and mentoring small-business owners through the SBA in partnership with other nonprofits. Now he writes fiction about what happens when the systems we build outgrow the people inside them.
A speculative fiction author, poet, and independent publisher in Hampton Roads, Virginia, his work circles the silently singular question: when the ground shifts beneath us; whether it be climate, technology, culture, or power; how does it impact, across what spectrum, those living amidst those changes?
His novel One Grain of Sand, which Kirkus Reviews called “…riveting and frighteningly plausible” and which won the Literary Titan Book Award, puts that question to a wrongfully imprisoned pickpocket in a climate-ravaged, corporate-ruled America. He can stay one grain among countless others, feeding the regime’s hourglass…or he can become the grain that jams the works and brings the whole machine to a halt.
Why he’s worth an hour of your audience’s time:
- He’s lived on both sides of persuasion—from a career in marketing, advising political campaigns, mentoring startups, and mediating court cases, to now a career in fiction—and has sharp, contrarian things to say about how each one shapes belief.
- He writes speculative fiction, focused on human adaptation rather than spectacle.
- As an independent publisher, he can talk candidly about building a writing career outside the traditional gatekeepers.
Fast Facts
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Location: Hampton Roads, Virginia (U.S. East Coast)
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Genres: Near-future dystopian SF, speculative fiction, business-focused non-fiction, poetry
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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
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Speaking experience: 50+ podcast guest appearances; speaker at Microsoft, WordPress Foundation events, and local business/author groups
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Imprint: Boldly Blue Press
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Flagship novel: One Grain of Sand (speculative dystopian SF)
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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
Why Interview David
Hi there, my name’s David Somerfleck. I write speculative fiction, and I’d welcome the chance to join your podcast.
My debut novel, One Grain of Sand, is set in a near-future America where democracy has dissolved into corporate rule, citizens compete on reality television for healthcare and civil rights, and the survivors of failed government genome experiments cling to the country’s burnt and frayed margins. At the center stands Noah Harpster—pickpocket, three-time loser, and possibly the one grain of sand fine enough to grind the machinery of power to a halt.
The book has earned a Kirkus review calling it “…riveting and frighteningly plausible,” a Reader’s Favorite Silver Medal, a Literary Titan Book Award with a five-star review, and a 4.75 average on Goodreads. It’s held in the Library of Virginia’s Indie Virginia collection. As Book One of the Shards of a Shattered Sky trilogy, it’s drawn reviewer comparisons to Octavia Butler, Margaret Atwood, and Philip K. Dick.
Here’s what I think your audience gets out of a conversation with me—angles most novelists can’t credibly cover:
- When Fiction Becomes Forecast — how the novel’s invented horrors started showing up in the headlines before publication, and what that suggests about where we’re headed.
- The Machinery of Media and Power — how weaponized media and corporate governance in the book mirror the real architecture of influence, drawn from my years advising six political campaigns and running a marketing agency.
- The Indie Author’s Crucible — what a retired marketing strategist learned about book promotion from the other side of the table: the lessons, the failures, the unvarnished truth.
- Poetry, Pickpockets, and Prison — how writing across genres, from lyric poetry to dystopian fiction, shapes a story’s prose and its moral core.
- Survival and Resistance — why dystopian fiction has always been the literature of warning, and why it matters more now than ever.
Some quick background: former journalist published in fifty-plus outlets, poet with four collections, college English instructor, political campaign advisor.
I’m comfortable in long-form, I come prepared, and I’ll promote the episode across my platforms. Review copy, headshot, and bio available for download below.
If any of these threads pull at you, I’d welcome the conversation.
Thanks for the work you do.
Warmly,
David Somerfleck
Topics David Can Speak On
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.
- 18 skills every author needs to learn and cultivate.
- 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
Some Ideas
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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?
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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?
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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?
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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?
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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?
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You’ve published poetry as well as dystopian fiction. How does your poetry voice influence your prose—or vice versa?
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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
Tech & Logistics
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Time zone: U.S. Eastern (ET)
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Format: Comfortable with audio-only, video, or livestream interviews
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Tech: Quality USB microphone and headphones/headset, wired or stable Wi-Fi connection, quiet home office
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Platforms: Google Meet, Whereby, or host’s preferred platform
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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.
Downloadable Assets
- One Sheet
- Book Sell Sheet (One Grain of Sand)
- Study Guide – One Grain of Sand (PDF, PPTX, MP4)
- Cover Images (One Grain of Sand)
- Author Photos
- Promotional / Advertising Videos
- Links: LinkTree & Bookish.Blue