Welcome to The League of Scribes!

Each week, The L. Palmer Chronicles unites the Three Crystal Trees of Mysticalness to open up a portal through the universe to bring you a member of The League of Scribes.

The League of Scribes is a legendary group of authors who write grand adventures in the realms of science fiction and fantasy. They are able to write rich, compelling stories while keeping content in the PG –PG-13 range.

If you have been on a quest to find clean sci-fi and fantasy novels, you have reached the right place.

This week, we present :

D. G. Driver

Otherwise known by her Code Name: Green Queen

About the Author:

D. G. Driver has been a published author for 21 years. She began her career as Donna Getzinger and still has several award-winning, critically acclaimed non-fiction books in print with Morgan Reynolds Publishers under that name. In 2014 she re-started her career as D. G. Driver with the publication of her first YA novel Cry of the Sea (Fire and Ice YA Books). Since then she has released a YA romance novella, Passing Notes, and had a story published in the pirate anthology A Tall Ship, A Sail, and Plunder. Her sequel to Cry of the Sea, Whisper of the Woods, will be released on November 21^st. She lives near Nashville.

D.G. Driver’s Latest Series:

The Juniper Sawfeather Series

The Juniper Sawfeather novels are about the teen daughter of environmental activists who encounters supernatural creatures during her efforts to help keep the environment clean. In Cry of the Sea (the first book in the series) Juniper discovers mermaids during an oil spill. In her efforts to save them, she finds herself in the middle of a struggle between her parents, the media, the kids at school, a marine biologist and his handsome young intern, and the oil company over the fate of the mermaid. In book two, Whisper of the Woods, Juniper is helping protest the cutting of Old Growth trees and finds herself trapped 170 feet up in one thanks to the help of a tree spirit who has taken great interest in her. Is the spirit good or evil? What does it want with her?

Interview

Who would love your books?

Anyone twelve and older who loves science fiction, fantasy and the natural world. The book is geared mostly toward teens.

What was the inspiration for your latest book/series?

My original inspiration behind Cry of the Sea was the 10-year-anniversay reports of the Exxon-Valdez oil spill back in 1999. I came up with the premise then, although the final draft of the novel was written in 2010 and picked up by Fire and Ice Young Adult Books in 2013. The sequel Whisper of the Woods owes some of its concept to real life tree-sitter Julia Butterfly Hill and her book The Legacy of Luna.

If a movie of your book were made, what movie(s) would it be most similar too?

I think movies like Hoot, Dolphin Tale, and Fly Away Home are in the same genre. Although, the characters in this story are high school age, not middle school, and these stories have the supernatural angle to them. I think of them as X-Files or Grimm types of stories for teens.

Do you use music while writing? If so, what music do you use? Is there a theme song for your book?

No, I can’t listen to music when I write. It’s super distracting for me. I’m also a singer, so I get caught up in music. Even instrumental music can cause me to get off-track. Strangely, my family can be watching TV in the other room, though, and I can tune that right out.

What authors or books inspire you most?

I am a huge fan of Stephen King and his style of writing. When I first started writing, I wanted to be a horror novelist. That didn’t really work out, though, and I found my niche in children’s books. Among YA novelists, right at the moment, I’m entranced with Maggie Stiefvater of The Raven Boys. I love Lin Oliver, Cornelia Funke, and local author Sharon Cameron are some of my many favorites.

If you were called in as an impartial ambassador in a war between ninjas and pirates, how would you create a peace treaty?

Well, first I would have to tell them to put down their knives and swords. Eek! As much as I love pirates, I don’t think they’d have a chance against ninjas. I might have to stick them in a place where they’d be out of sorts, like in the middle of the Sahara Desert.

When did you decide to be a professional writer?

It came on slowly and sneakily. I graduated college with a plan to be an actress in Hollywood. I was already writing as a hobby. I was asked to write a play, and then another. Then I sold a couple stories, and I got hooked. By the end of my twenties, I gave up acting and went into writing instead. I still do some community theater, but not too often anymore.

Are you a planner, a discovery writer, or a hybrid?

I do make a plot summary before I begin of what I want to happen in each chapter. As I write that summary often changes, so I guess I’m a hybrid.

Are you traditionally or independently published? Why did you choose this path?

My books are traditionally published with a small press, Fire and Ice (an imprint of Melange Books).

What is your number one piece of advice for aspiring writers?

Take your time. It’s not a race. Make your book as good and clean as it can be before you start submitting. Concentrate on writing a good book and not on how it’s going to be published.

Where do your books fall on the Rating Scale of PG to PG-13 Content (1 = How To Train Your Dragon, 8 = The Dark Knight, 10 = borderline R-rating).

Both books would rate around 2 on this scale. No bad words. Only one little make-out scene near the beginning of Whisper of the Woods that is short-lived.

What would you choose as your magical/technological steed, vehicle, or other mode of transportation?

Hmmm, given the nature of my books, I think I’ll go with a flying Pegasus. I’ve always wanted one, and other than eating grass, he wouldn’t harm the environment with any emissions.

To explore the worlds D. G. Driver has created, check out the books below:

Cry of the Sea (YA fantasy)
Passing Notes (YA romance novella ebook)
Whisper of the Woods (Released Today! November 21st)

To Interact with D. G. Driver online, check out the links below:

Publisher’s website: www.fireandiceya.com/authors/dgdriver.html
Website: www.dgdriver.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/DGDriverAuthor
Facebook www.facebook.com/donnagdriver
Email: donnadriver68@gmail.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/d_g_driver

Readers:

Do you have any more questions for D. G. Driver?
What do you think is the most environmentally friendly method of sci-fi or fantasy transportation?
If a pegasus and a dolphin fell in love, would they be able to live together?
What’s your favorite environmentally conscious sci-fi or fantasy story?

If you would like to join the League of Scribes, please e-mail lpalmer@lpalmerchronicles.com