Isaak’s widow, Pamela Blake, speaks with Kirkus about her late husband’s book.

Please tell us a little about David and Tomorrowville.

David T. Isaak (1954-2021) was an American author of both fiction and nonfiction. David held a BA in physics and MA and PhD degrees in resource systems. His professional work spanned the globe, taking him to over forty countries. He co-authored three technical nonfiction books on oil and international politics and wrote numerous papers and monographs. David passed away in April 2021, leaving behind five novels, which are as diverse as his life; they are being published posthumously by me.

What was David’s editing process like?

David wrote every day. He had taken time off from his consulting work to write. He wrote through without much editing. Each day, though, he would begin by editing the previous day’s work, and restructure the narrative as he felt necessary to propel himself into that day’s creation. After feedback from early readers, he reevaluated the entire book or major sections and made his final edits. For publication, I hired a professional editor, Shavonne Clarke, to ensure that the quality of the book production lives up to the quality of the writing.

Were David’s storylines something that he envisioned from the beginning, or did he build/change them as he wrote?

David had a broad outline for Tomorrowville before he started writing. He knew he wanted to project certain societal topics into the—inevitably dystopian—future. As he wrote, he observed that the main character, Toby, began to take over and change the story. It was our joke that Toby really was communicating from the future and wanted his story told. Now it is.

How did David create/acquire the cover art? 

David’s early draft of the cover was ironic, showing a utopian view of the future, a la the 1950s. I was concerned the irony would not be evident and that such an optimistic perspective might give prospective readers a misleading idea of the more dystopian sci-fi nature of the story. I hired a professional cover designer, Jeff Brown, to develop a cover that reflects the darker content as well as the futuristic genre.

What other unpublished works did David leave behind?

Besides Tomorrowville, David left four other novels: A Map of the Edge (coming-of-age in the 1960s), Things Unseen (murder mystery in the desert), Earthly Vessels (magical realism), and Smite the Waters (a twisty political thriller). I am honored to bring his works into the world.

Portions of this Q&A were edited for clarity.