Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I live in Phoenix, Arizona, where I spend my days teaching seventh and eighth-grade middle school science and my evenings immersed in dark fantasy worldbuilding. As a teacher, I spend a lot of time thinking about resilience, mentorship, and what it means to support people when the weight of the world feels heavy. When I’m not teaching or drafting chapters, you can usually find me camping across the desert landscapes of the Southwest in my motorhome, tending to my backyard fruit trees, or diving into deep strategy video games.
To date, I have completed the first several installments of my 10-book epic fantasy saga, The Unbroken Mark—including Book One (*Unbroken, Uncrowned*), Book Two (*Chainbreak*), and their Spanish-language editions (*Inquebrantable, Sin Corona* and *Rompocadenas*).
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My debut novel is *Unbroken, Uncrowned* (Book One of The Unbroken Mark).
The story was inspired by a desire to write an antidote to both the “chosen prince in a shining castle” trope and the hopeless nihilism that often creeps into modern grimdark. I wanted to tell a fantasy story where the heroes aren’t royalty or legendary warriors, but ordinary working-class outcasts—miners, teamsters, a runaway priest, and a street thief—stepping into the mud to pull a trapped family out of an abandoned quarry. The heart of the book is built around an ancient working-class creed: “Lords build thrones. We hold the ceiling. No living being is rubble for another.”
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Because of my background in science and teaching, I am obsessed with the tactile physics of my scenes. Before I write a fight or a cave-in, I think about convective air drafts, timber shear stress, the smell of burnt tallow, and the weight of wet shale. I also tend to pace out the physical space of my characters’ movements. My half-orc character, Grok, has a habit of meticulously tallying rations and debts down to individual slices of salt pork, and I found myself keeping an actual ledger beside my keyboard just to make sure his arithmetic was honest!
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Joe Abercrombie is a huge influence for his unmatched ability to ground fantasy in gritty, visceral character voices. I also love Nicholas Eames’ *Kings of the Wyld* for proving that an action-packed fantasy adventure can still have laugh-out-loud camaraderie and genuine heart. Classic worldbuilders like J.R.R. Tolkien laid the foundational love for deep mountain lore, but I love turning those traditional tropes on their head to see how the laborers, quarrymen, and unbonded workers actually survive under the stone.
What are you working on now?
I am currently working on the upcoming volumes of The Unbroken Mark saga. Book Two, *Chainbreak*, is already released, and I am putting the finishing touches on Book Three, *The Honest Mark*, which dives into the economic fallout of the mountain haven and the struggle for food sovereignty along the borderlands. It’s an ambitious 10-book arc, and keeping the pipeline moving is an exciting ride.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Word-of-mouth and authentic community connection. I love connecting directly with readers who appreciate character-driven fantasy on Reddit communities like r/Fantasy, sharing behind-the-scenes worldbuilding deep dives, and utilizing reader newsletters and podcast spotlights. When readers realize that a book has real heart and isn’t just generic tropes, they become your best advocates.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Stop waiting for permission, and don’t write what you think the market wants—write what makes you feel something real. If you don’t care deeply about your characters’ bruises, grief, and small victories, your readers won’t either. Finish the first draft without editing every sentence as you go. You can fix a messy page, but you can’t fix an empty one.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Shared weight breaks no bones.” It’s a core theme in my books, but it’s just as true for creative life. Nobody builds anything meaningful completely alone. Find people who believe in your work, stay humble, and remember that persistence beats raw talent every single time.
What are you reading now?
I’m currently re-reading parts of Josiah Bancroft’s *The Books of Babel* series. His architectural imagination and prose style are brilliant reminders of how worldbuilding and character development can feed into each other seamlessly.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Continuing the rapid release of *The Unbroken Mark* saga. My goal is to deliver all ten books of the series over the coming year, complete with dual-language editions for English and Spanish readers, expanding the world of the Tor and following this found family as they build a haven where no living being is treated as disposable rubble.
What is your favorite book of all time?
*The Lord of the Rings* by J.R.R. Tolkien. It’s the grand foundation of secondary worldbuilding, but more importantly, it proved that the fate of the entire world ultimately rests in the hands of the humble and overlooked, not the mighty lords on high thrones.
Author Websites and Profiles
CJ GREEN Website
CJ GREEN Amazon Profile
CJ GREEN’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
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Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.