About the Book:

Dirk isn’t the chosen one. Not even close. So how did they end up in the middle of a potential apocalypse? 

All Dirk wanted was to escape another argument with their parents and go for a nice quiet coffee. Instead, they’ve been kidnapped by agents, attacked by mal-realmers and forced to wear a boiler suit that they’re pretty sure someone died in. 

When Dirk is taken to Base, a secret underground …well … base, they learn way more than they need to. More about other realms, more about the battle between good and evil, and more about the absolutely terrifying Violent Jack, an evil mal-realmer determined to bring about the end of the world. 

Both sides need the chosen one. But there’s not a lot Dirk can do about it, is there? It’s not like it’s them.  

Unfortunately for Dirk, not everyone knows that.  

Find this book on Goodreads and Bookshop.org UK (affiliate link)

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About the Author:

Gatlin Perrin is a North Walian living in London. They tell folktales to children, lecture to university students and do workshops for adults. Essentially, they’re trying to ruin as many generations as possible.

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Interview:

Dirk Jones Is Not the Chosen One is a loving parody of classic urban fantasy tropes, particularly the chosen one trope. What drew you to play with and subvert this classic trope? 

I’ve always loved the reluctant Chosen One trope, and I think everyone enjoys rooting for an underdog. However, I feel like these stories often wind up with a twist where the hero actually does have some special spark that helps them save the day, and I wanted to completely mess that up and explore what would happen if the hero didn’t have anything special about them. What do you do when you are just… there? Trying to not get in the way? Of course, I’m absolutely not the first person to play with this subversion (far from it!), but I hope that I at least did something funny with it.

Despite being packed with jokes, the story deals with some heavy themes including that of family vs. found family. How did you approach balancing the two?

I think all of life is just constantly balancing heaviness and ridiculousness. I’ll be protesting in the morning and doing clown cabaret in the evening. If this is the world I live in, how much more so would this apply to Dirk’s fictional world, where the supernatural is thrown into the mix? That’s the approach I try to take when balancing themes. Also, I take a lot of inspiration from Terry Pratchett’s Discworld novels. Pratchett was an absolute master at balancing comedy and heaviness and I’m always learning something new from his books.

The story is set in the myth laden lands of north Wales. Why do you think it’s important that all corners of the UK – not just the big cities or middle class towns/villages –  are represented in YA?

I initially considered setting Dirk Jones in a different Welsh town that had an easier name, because readers may struggle with pronouncing Llandudno. Then the thought hit me – which readers? Because Welsh readers would be fine with it, and to be honest, Llandudno is one of the easier place names to pronounce. I hated how automatically the thought of un-Welsh-ifying Wales had come to me, and I hated the idea of inadvertently passing that attitude onto Welsh readers, or readers of any nationality who know what it is to be pressured into ‘simplifying’ their names or languages. The more variety in representation, especially for young readers, the better. If people struggle with the Welsh words in Dirk Jones, I’m happy to help them out!

Dirk struggles to be honest with self-acceptance his identity and living authentically throughout the story, why is it so important to have queer and gender non-conforming characters in YA?

Because there are queer and gender non-conforming YA readers, simple as. And in Britain right now, it’s more important than ever for these readers to see themselves and know that there are others like them, that there always have been and there always will be. It’s a rocky road but there’s hope. 

Seren is a fantastic character, incredibly fun to read and the catalyst for everything that happens to Dirk. How did she come to be? Did she pop up fully formed or develop along with the narrative?

A bit of both! She was one of the first characters to become ‘herself’ in my head, and her unhinged personality gave her the clearest voice off the bat. She was absolutely the most fun to write as well. But honestly, you have everyone who’s ever edited Dirk Jones to thank for her being as great as she is, because every single draft I ever wrote came back with the note “more Seren”. Safe to say she is a fan favourite!

Dirk falls headlong into a dangerous world of other worlds and dangerous entities determined to consume ours. What was your favourite aspect of creating Dirk’s new reality?

Making it scary. I love children’s media where the villain is unapologetically murderous, it’s just such a gleefully dark concept, and I knew that’s what I wanted for Dirk Jones. I had a lot of fun tinkering with the threats Dirk and the team faced. What I really wanted was the idea that whatever you think these villains want to do, it’s probably worse. Jack was a very fun element to play with.

Please recommend a UKYA read you think readers will enjoy.

I love Rachel Faturoti and Flo Wooley’s Black Dolls*, and 2025 is about time for Black Dolls too! I was a proper little emo/goth growing up with MCR and Skindred on repeat, and the book’s character designs made me want to dig out my old chokers and arm warmers. I also think that it’s a galvanizing book – young black women especially keep getting pushed out of the pop punk scene despite having made the scene. I’m excited for the bands that are going to form because of this book.

Thank you, Gatlin!

*Affiliate Link