Scifipulse recently caught up with Val Neil. She is author of the Fall Of Magic books. Which encompasses the novels Dark Apprentice and Dark Mind. With the third outing, Dark Whispers, coming in 2025. Val was diagnosed with autism at age forty-one and couldn’t be happier to have her weirdness professionally validated. She lives in California with her ADHDer spouse, three children (two neurodiverse, one undecided) and two dogs. During this interview Val goes into writing about problematic historical time periods. While also discussing advice for aspiring writers; and which of her characters would win at Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes.
SFP: What made you want to be a writer?
Val Neil: I had a pretty overactive imagination as a kid, so I kinda fell into it. Everything I read or watched gave me so many ideas. I was the eldest of my cousin group and always the one coming up with stories to direct our play. I might be one of the few kids who actually enjoyed being put in time out. You mean I get to stare at the wall and daydream? Sign me up!
Eventually I started drawing and writing stuff down. I wrote my own children’s books styled after The Berenstain Bears (but with snakes). I also created a rather dark portal fantasy involving dragons and killer rabbits (was a big fan of Watership Down). I never saw it as a potential career though. Even then, I’d internalized the whole “starving artist” narrative.
I tried writing Fall of Magic in college, but some bad stuff happened and I gave it up for a while. I didn’t pick up the idea again until nearly two decades later. The story looks a lot different now.
SFP: How do you approach worldbuilding and creating magic systems in your books?
Val Neil: It’s a balancing act between what I’ve already had cooking in my head for ages and what the current iteration of the story needs to move the plot along. The base magic system was heavily inspired by computer games and movies that showed simple telekinesis. Many of Medea’s lessons came from watching how magic is portrayed elsewhere and going, okay, but how would that really work? I tried to apply logic and science whenever I could. It’s not a hard magic system but I needed it to make sense.
But there’s a lot of stuff I create on the fly. I’m what’s known as a pantser (or plot gardener, to use George RR Martin’s term). I have an overall sense of the story with certain scenes very vividly in my head, but everything in between comes to me as I’m writing it. If it doesn’t, I have to pause and figure it out.
Nikolai’s interactions with Medea were always very clear in my mind, but the second he stepped outside those scenes I had to stop and world build. Okay, he works in a magical shop. What does the town look like? How do they interact with outsiders? I knew magic was dying out, and that people think technology interferes with magic. So what counts as technology? Do they have cars? Electricity? If they don’t, do they use magic or just go low tech? I had to figure it out before I could move on.
My series takes place in the real world, which allowed me to reference history and incorporate real examples of magic. The Magi towns like Haven were created in response to the witch trials that plagued Europe, there are references to World War II and how it impacted various communities, and I touch on how poor Ireland is doing economically during this time. I also incorporated wiccan wand making, Celtic mythology, Aztec spells, and actual purported books of witchcraft. My hope is that these things not only enrich the story but also give people context and inspire them to learn more.
SFP: Your second novel, Dark Mind, is partly set in 1950s America. How did you write about that time period’s problematic attitudes towards race, sexuality and mental health without your writing itself becoming problematic?
Val Neil: Whenever you’re writing about someone or something that’s outside your realm of experience it’s important to do as much research as possible and—I can’t stress this enough—seek it from primary sources. I see this trap a lot when it comes to autism. People will do all this research but it’s from clinicians or parents, not actual autistics. History can be a bit murkier because stories are often told through the lens of an outsider. You have to read things critically and look for whatever scraps you can find.
Much of Dark Mind takes place in 1957 in Omaha, Nebraska. I knew next to nothing about the city when I began, so I had to do a lot of research. I quickly found Omaha had a rich Black history fraught with racism and violence, so I dug deeper. You can’t look at time periods in isolation because everything you see is influenced by what came before. I looked at when Black people began arriving and why, what communities they were able to build within the confines of racist policies like redlining, and what discriminations they faced. I also have a sequence that takes place in a mental hospital, so a lot of research went into that—what rights people had, what treatments were available, etc.
What I found weighed on me pretty heavily. I did a lot of my research in 2020—so, super fun time already—and then I was reading about the lynching of Will Brown, the riots, lobotomies, electroshock therapy, the rights women didn’t have—all while watching riots over the death of George Floyd. People think of the 1950s as this bygone era, but racism and ableism and homophobia persist to this day. It’s important we keep striving to do better.
When it comes to the actual writing, I do my best to show the time period while being critical of it. I have characters who stand up for what’s right and push back against injustice. I avoid using slurs, though unfortunately at times they are necessary. It probably helps that I find that kind of thing uncomfortable to write, though I worry it makes things less accurate. I don’t want to sugar coat the time period.
I also employed a sensitivity reader. I see a lot of pushback against sensitivity readers and I don’t understand why. You don’t know what you don’t know. Their job is to tell you. If you did enough research—again, of primary sources—then hopefully their job will be easier.
In the end, though, a sensitivity reader is just one person, so I also try to get beta readers whose experiences match those of my characters, and I ask them to tell me if there are any problems. The more eyes I have on my manuscript, the more likely I am to catch something before it goes out. You’d be amazed at what people catch—sometimes not even problematic things, just odd or unintended details. I once unintentionally named a character Harper Lee (I only needed his last name for a single line so I just threw in something that sounded good without stopping to figure out why).
SFP: Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?
Val Neil: The first thing I’d say is that there’s a difference between being a writer and being an author. If you want to write for pleasure, go for it! There’s no rule that says you have to share your work with the world. Try not to stress over it and just have fun.
If publishing is your goal, that’s a different matter. In that case I’d say read a lot. Pick apart your favorite books and try to figure out why you like them. What works and what doesn’t?
Get critique partners, get feedback, and sit with that feedback even if it makes you uncomfortable, especially if several people are telling you the same thing. Get beta readers and ask them to tell you when they felt comfortable putting the book down. If people can’t get through your story or they all quit at the same place, that’s a sign something is wrong. Not everyone will enjoy your work and that’s fine, but you can’t grow as an author if you aren’t willing to self-reflect and learn.
That said, don’t be afraid to be yourself. I think author voice comes naturally and isn’t something you can force. Don’t shy away from what makes your work unique, especially now that AI-generated content is becoming more prevalent. There is room in the world for weird stories – you just have to find your audience. If you enjoy something, chances are others will too.
SFP: Please can you tell us a bit about what fans can expect from your upcoming book, Dark Whispers?
Val Neil: Nikolai suffers from a curse that causes bouts of debilitating depression. His only treatment was stolen by witch hunters in Dark Mind, and he picks up the trail in Dark Whispers. These witch hunters are uncannily organized and are somehow able to block magic. Nikolai and Medea surmise they’re being aided by a powerful Magi—and there just so happens to be one living in the area. I won’t give away who, but fans of legends and mythology will recognize their name.
Dark Whispers has a more serious tone, delving into themes of trust, identity, and the fallout of past decisions. Nikolai gets into serious trouble and avoids asking Medea for help (shocker, I know, but in this case, it’s justified). Medea’s trying to do the right thing while grappling with past choices that didn’t turn out so well, and there’s someone under the thumb of the witch hunters who’s caught between who they are and who everyone expects them to be. It’s about navigating impossible situations, figuring out who you can rely on (if anyone), and the messy, unpredictable consequences of our choices.
SFP: What are your top 5 SF books and why?
Val Neil: That’s a hard one because I read a lot more fantasy than science fiction, and to me a “top book” is one I’ve reread at least once. The only SF book I can recall rereading is Ender’s Game, (by Orson Scott Card) though I really enjoyed Old Man’s War, (by John Scalzi) The Murderbot Diaries, (by Martha Wells) Lock In, (by John Scalzi) and The Expanse (by Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck). Lock In is probably the least well-known and I love how it shows ableism and discrimination against people with disabilities. I generally enjoy character-driven stories with a decent amount of humor, and themes exploring government and corporate influence on society.
SFP: What do you think the future of autistic and neurodivergent representation in spec fic looks like?
Val Neil: In many ways we’ve been represented fine, but much of the time it’s been completely accidental, so those diagnoses aren’t canon. I think there are far more neurodivergent writers out there than people realize, many of whom are undiagnosed. The craft really appeals to introverted weirdos who overanalyze social mores and dream up fantastical worlds.
I do think we’re slowly making strides, but sometimes people try too hard and characters end up a walking checklist of behaviors without any depth or understanding. Again, this is why it’s so important that people seek primary sources when trying to portray something they’re not (or don’t know they are).
SFP: And finally; who would win at Star Wars Galaxy of Heroes, Nikolai or Medea?
Val Neil: Medea. She’d hyperfixate and get pretty good. I can’t see Nikolai sitting down long enough to get good at a game. He’s too sensory seeking. He’d much rather be outside getting into mischief.
Scifipulse would like to extend our most heartfelt thanks and warmest best wishes to Val Neil for so graciously taking the time to answer our questions.
Val’s website: Val Neil, Dark Fantasy Author
Her Bluesky: Val Neil (@valneilauthor.bsky.social) — Bluesky
Val’s Instagram: Val Neil (@valneilauthor) • Instagram photos and videos
Her Twitter: https://x.com/valneilauthor
Val’s Facebook: Val Neil | Facebook
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