Daniel Murphy says he grew up hating English and language arts. What he read didn’t make sense to him, and when his teachers asked for his opinion on the theme or purpose of the work, he often felt off-center.
But Murphy’s outlook on writing changed thanks to two fortuitous factors: a love of storytelling and an inspiring teacher at Bishop’s School in La Jolla.
More than 12 years after writing the first draft, Murphy’s debut novel is now available.
“The Unforgiven”, released on November 21st, is a science fiction novel set in a future where the world has fallen into environmental destruction and only a few civilizations remain. In this technological society, prisoners do the state’s dirty work as a “forgiveness program.”
The story is about a janitor who participates in a forgiveness program and hopes to return home and improve his situation. In the process, he must address two important issues. It’s about what we do with the wrongs that have been done to us, and how we accept the wrongs that have been done to us.
Murphy felt that stories would be the “best teacher” to the question of how to reconcile one’s past and present, rather than taking a more literal approach.
“You could even write an essay to answer that question. Here are 10 steps and some ways to think about it,” Murphy said. “It can be very interesting (and) very easy to understand, but when you talk about it, it gets into your heart. It gets into your heart.”
Murphy said he was drawn to science fiction as a way to “bend the world” and create a container for stories that were “very human and very relatable.” He said Unforgiven, which combines elements inspired by his own experiences and people he has met, is not a myth in the traditional sense.
“People think myths are false, but it’s actually about creating a framework for the truth you’re trying to convey,” he said.
Murphy attended Bishop from 1992 to 1998, then moved to Virginia with his family. La Jolla Private School is where he found his writing inspiration.
He said his 10th grade teacher, Gary Hendrickson, changed the way he looked at English and language arts. Instead of telling Murphy that his interpretation of the novel’s themes was inaccurate, Hendrickson encouraged him to elaborate on his thoughts and explore the ideas he presented.
From there, Murphy began writing. He deviated from the typical high school approach of writing essays to meet page count requirements.
“When you receive an essay, you’re going to double-space it or shorten the margins to try to fill the page,” Murphy said. “I remember in[Hendrickson’s]class, I always had to switch to single-space or shrink the font because I had so much to say.”
Murphy’s father, Dan, who lives in La Jolla, said he saw a similar change in his son during his time at Bishop’s.
“I think[his writing]really blossomed because of the English teachers he had at Bishop’s School,” Dunn said. “The teachers instilled in him a love of literature and a love of Shakespeare, and they really encouraged his writing skills.”
Parts of La Jolla and other locations in the San Diego area can also be felt in the novel. From the way Murphy describes the smell and texture of water as the protagonist muses to his friends and an Alpine-inspired jungle. Used for playing paintball.
A data analyst by day and a writer by night and weekends, Danielle decided to make writing a serious side hustle until she came to Virginia in her 30s. He drew inspiration from a friend who had published his debut novel, prompting Murphy to start writing his own book.
But since writing that first draft, Murphy and his wife, Grace, have raised three children, now ages 7, 4, and 1. Because of that and his daily work, “Unforgiven” faded into the background.
Murphy has come to think of his writing process as similar to being a gardener. It’s not just about pruning the stems as they grow, it’s also about being happy with their growth. He has seen the story develop and mature over time.
In Murphy’s 12 years of writing, his friend published 10 books. But Murphy remained determined to get the long-running story across the finish line.
“They say that once you write your first book, you should burn it because you learn so much in the process. That’s why your second book conquers the world,” Murphy said. “And I think there’s a lot of wisdom in that.
“But I loved this story and wanted this story to exist. That’s why I wanted this story to exist, rather than moving forward with something that might be easily understood on the first pass. I really wanted to finish this book.”
Her father said he had already read the novel and bought more paperbacks. He added that he was proud of his “amazing, extremely talented son.”
“The Unforgiven” is available for $14.99 on Amazon and $4.99 on Kindle. Murphy said she plans to deliver 10 paperback books to Warwick Bookstore in La Jolla during Christmas week. ♦
