Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Damien Larkin. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Damien thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you tell us a story about a time you failed?

After the birth of our child, my wife decided she wanted to go back to work full-time. I had no qualms with that; she’s always been a careerist while I’m a bit of a dreamer. Whereas to me a job is nothing more than an engine to get me to where I want to be (and pay the bills) my wife is a true go-getter. She wanted to climb the corporate ladder as high as possible and with her background, experience, and qualifications, I knew (and still know) she’ll achieve anything she sets her mind to. I started part-time (late shifts) to prioritise looking after our daughter during the day but it also allowed me to delve into a project/side hustle I’d been interested in for a while: app development.

In between my daughter’s naps, I learned as much as I could over the following months. Eventually, I hired some outsourced developers and graphic designers, utilised all my market research, and somehow landed contracts to develop emoji apps for a US-based influencer, a brand, and a model. Balancing my family, my job, and the countless other day-to-day things adults need to juggle, I pulled it off. I launched all three apps without a hitch and… they bombed. Like, really bombed.

They worked fine, the graphics were cool (if I do say so myself), but they did worse than my worst projections. There were a lot of factors involved, but I couldn’t believe how terribly my master plan fell apart. I dreamed of a life where I could dedicate myself to growing my app business, giving up my job, and being able to spend even more time with my family, but no. It all went up in flames. I might as well have taken what little money I had and set it on fire.

Afterwards, I reflected on what I wanted to do next. I could double down and keep pouring gasoline on the bonfire of my professional dreams or step back and reassess. As I thought about it, I realised I’d mapped out my life over the next five years in terms of growing my business, becoming financially self-sufficient, and then focusing on something I’d always wanted to do: writing.

At that moment, it was like a lightning bolt hit me. I had no interest in apps – they were a means to an end. I wanted to become a writer, so why continue to fob it off any longer? Who dares, wins after all, eh? That same day, I wound down my fledgling side hustle, opened my laptop, and started writing what would go on to become my first book ‘Children of the Dying.’ In three months I had over one hundred thousand words written of the first draft and three months after that, I launched it into the wider world.

It bombed. Like… really bombed.

I learned a lot, though, and realised the amateur mistakes I made. I dusted myself off and wrote ‘Big Red’ an Irish military sci-fi novel utilising my seven years experience in the Irish Reserve Defence Forces. That one didn’t bomb. I got a publishing deal with North Carolina-based Dancing Lemur Press and to date, three books in the series have been published. As I’m writing this, I’ve three unrelated books scheduled to come out in 2024/2025 (dates TBC).

I may still not be where I want to be, but I’m enjoying this journey. I love my family, I love being a writer, I love all the amazing friends and fans I’ve met along the way. I haven’t sold a million copies just yet (or even close…) but I’ll get there. I learn from my mistakes and relish the challenge. Plus, if you love doing something, you never work a day in your life!

Damien, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Writing is one of those things that always lurked in the back of my brain, but I always found excuses not to do it. I had great ideas (or so I thought) but other things always had priority. When I wound down my app development business, I had no more reasons not to do it. I focused what little free time I had and poured into it crafting a world that lived solely in my imagination for years.

My first book ‘Children of the Dying’ performed poorly and in hindsight, I know why. I was new to the craft and made a lot of amateur mistakes. My second book ‘Big Red’ has since established a minor cult following, mostly amongst veterans, for its dark humour, plot twists, and no-nonsense action scenes and violence.

I’ve attended and given talks at various conventions across Ireland and the UK, mostly about utilising the power of positive thinking to achieve goals. Two of my books were longlisted for a BSFA award for Best Novel and an anthology I contributed to reached the shortlist for a BFS award.

I served for seven years in the Reserve Defence Forces (Ireland) as a weapons specialist and live in Dublin, Ireland with my family.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

The old saying goes ‘Write the book you’d like to read.’ I took that to heart. Having spent seven years in the infantry as a reservist and being a big sci-fi fan, I wanted to contribute to the military sci-fi genre by adding my own unique spin on things.

‘Big Red’ follows the trials and tribulations of a young Irish soldier given the opportunity to work for a shadowy government operation on Mars. Alongside a host of Irish and British twenty-something-year-olds, he finds himself cast into a world where nothing is as it seems. The Nazi-founded Martian colonies are plagued with terrorism. A genocidal war rages between the Mars Occupation Force and the indigenous lifeforms. Day-to-day boredom and monotony are disrupted by life-and-death battles to get through the next few minutes, let alone the rest of the tour of duty. Everything that could goes wrong, does go wrong.

Some of the best positive feedback I’ve gotten for my books has come from veterans. It seems it doesn’t matter what nation you served, the same thing resonates across borders: not having the right equipment to do the job but doing it anyway. There are scenes in my books that most readers miss, but veterans spot. Like having no camouflage and being forced to wear white EVA suits against a red and brown background or being issued outdated, stockpiled weapons while facing down a more technologically advanced, better prepared, and supplied enemy.

Little details like that add to the realism of my stories which I think resonates with readers.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

‘Writing is a lonely business.’ That’s a phrase I heard a lot when I started on my writing journey and it’s true. It can take months to get a first draft down on paper and then a few more months to polish it with rewrites and edits. During that entire time, the story floats through your head. You constantly tweak it or get a jolt of inspiration to take a certain character in a new direction before ultimately rolling back to the original idea.

Book launches too can be nerve-wracking. You’ve poured so much time and effort into crafting your world and after the initial surge of excitement, all you can do is sit back and wait for those reviews to slowly drip in. The journey is different for everyone but all writers are united by their fears of failure, of being laughed at, of being branded a wannabe or untalented hack.

I know some people who’ve written one book and would never do it again because they didn’t become millionaires overnight. I know others who’ve invested years into being the next Stephen King and decided to call it a day and focus their energies elsewhere. As I said, everyone’s journey is different.

For me, there’s no other option. It’s all or nothing. Writing is the only thing I’ve ever truly wanted to make a living from and I’ll stop at nothing to get there. It may take me five years, ten years, twenty or fifty. Maybe I’ll never get there, but you know what? If I don’t, I still enjoyed the journey.

I can look back at the fantastic writer friends I’ve made and remember the laughs we shared at conventions or on virtual calls. I write in what little spare time I have, but I’m present as much as I can be with my children, talking about their day at school, helping them with their homework, or taking them to the park. My wife and I take them off on holidays during summer and day trips on weekends, filling them with as many happy memories as we can.

Maybe I won’t be a million-selling author (not for the want of trying) but I’m going to keep pushing anyway. I’m enjoying this journey too much!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.damienlarkinbooks.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/damo_danger_larkin/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DamienLarkinAuthor
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Damo_Dangerman