About Derek

Derek Farrell has, since childhood, told stories.

Of course, back then they were called lies, and usually got him in to trouble, but nowadays his stories, humorous poetry and song lyrics are entertaining people from Kansas to Crawley.

Derek grew up in a small terrace close to the Guinness brewery in Dublin’s Liberties neighbourhood, where the smell of roasting hops alternated with the yeasty fermentation of the mash, and the cry of the seagulls was interrupted occasionally by the snorting of an escaped cow on the rampage from the abattoir at the bottom of the street.

To date, Derek has completed three novels. His latest novel is a contemporary Cosy-Noir mystery story called Death of a Diva. The book features his wonderfully human detective Danny Bird, and it’s been described as “Like The Thin Man meets Will & Grace via Ab Fab. In Bermondsey.”

Derek’s literary heroes include Agatha Christie, P.G. Wodehouse, Lawrence Block, Joe Keenan, Steven Saylor, Scott Fitzgerald, Jonathan Harvey, Doctor Seuss and anyone who actually drags their arse to the desk and writes, Goddammit!

His jobs have included: Burger dresser, Bank teller, David Bowie's paperboy, and eventually Investment Banker on the 80th floor of the World Trade Centre. Time in high finance, has given him an opportunity to observe people, to understand the persuasive power of language and to develop an insight into the workings of the criminal mind, whilst allowing him to live and work in Hong Kong, Istanbul, Tel Aviv, Prague and London.
And all the time, he’s been telling stories.

You should get to know him.

Twitter: @derekifarrell

Here are my most recent posts

Happy Birthday You Sexy Devil

Happy Birthday You Sexy Devil

Three years ago today Death of a Devil was published. It was the third of my Danny Bird mysteries, and one of the hardest things I’d written up to that date. When Fahrenheit signed my first novel Death of a Diva they’d asked for – and been assured by me that I had in...
#LoveWins

#LoveWins

I have Lots of Books out at the moment including the extremely limited edition Fahrenzine004 What Goes Around, but if you’ll excuse me for a moment I want to talk about something more than books. About someone more than books. July 10 1990 I went out with some...
Dead Girl Blues: Living With the Monster.

Dead Girl Blues: Living With the Monster.

Back when I was an aspiring writer, one thing would always puzzle me, and that thing was the oft-repeated phrase “Find your own voice.”“Understand character,” I got, as I did “Know the difference between story and plot,” but the own voice thing – especially because it...
The things you Remember

The things you Remember

It’s funny what you remember – and what you forget. Especially on days when the world shifts. I remember growing up in Dublin. I remember being surrounded by love; my family was a small unit, but a solid one. It was us against the world and the weapon we had to...