Daniel David

Although I've written for magazines and blogs for many years, I only began writing fiction in 2012.

My first attempt was a pretty over ambitious novel with a huge back story, that took in the mysteries of time and space and the birth of the universe (which eventually became 'Joshua and the Lost Souls').

To take a break from solving the riddles of creation, I began a short story about consciousness and the singularity (I know!), which took on a life of its own, and became my accidental first novel, 'Migration'. As the concept of the metaverse was born, the idea that I might be around just long enough to upload my fading self onto a server somewhere, living forever as a digital entity with a lifetime of friends and family, filled me with enormous relief. It was only after thinking for some time about what this would involve, how we might then value our physical selves and which version of us would be in control, that I began to wonder if things will be as great as I had first felt.

Although 'Migration' is set in the future in a world shaped by digital possibilities, rich territory for science fiction and gadget porn, I always try to write stories about people. 'Joshua and the Lost Souls' is the same. Set in a parallel world with multi-dimensional beings, ‘Joshua’ is essentially a series of portraits about growing up, love, loneliness, hope and regret.

Aside from writing fiction, I've published a fair amount of critical writing, interviews and culture features via Beat Magazine, The Stage, Fireythings and Nesta. I've worked in the culture and technology sector for most of my career, producing events, publishing books and essays, building software and launching venues.

Once upon another time I was the singer in band, and music has always played a central role in my life. Everything I do and everything I write has a soundtrack of some sorts and I share these on Spotify from time to time. There's a 'Joshua' playlist of course, which you'll find here - https://spoti.fi/390a89k.