Generated by All in One SEO v4.9.10, this is an llms.txt file, used by LLMs to index the site. # Derek Farrell Author ## Sitemaps - [XML Sitemap](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/sitemap.xml): Contains all public & indexable URLs for this website. ## Posts - [The Party Season](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/the-party-season/) - [et_pb_section][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text] Hey there! It’s been a while. I hope you’re doing well and that the nights drawing in (as they say where I’m from) is giving you lots of time to snuggle in, shut the world out and catch up on all those books you’ve been meaning to read. And with that in mind, [et_pb_section][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text] Hey there! It’s been a while. I hope you’re doing well and that the nights drawing in (as they say where I’m from) is giving you lots of time to snuggle in, shut the world out and catch up on all those books you’ve been meaning to read. And with that in mind, Book Review; Crime Fiction; - [Updates & Upcoming](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/updates-upcoming/) - [et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.20.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.20.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.20.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/CrimePanel2_WF23.jpeg” title_text=”CrimePanel2_WF23″ _builder_version=”4.20.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][/et_pb_image][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.20.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.20.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]Wow! What a couple of weeks I’ve had. On Wednesday, as part of WORDfest Crawley I interviewed two of my favourite writers at Crawley Library. Dead Rich by William - [August Update : Welcome to Dukes Halt](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/august-update-welcome-to-dukes-halt/) - And just after the book came out, this lovely little video appeared on the interweb, giving an atmospheric flavour of the book, and sharing some of the lovely pre-release quotes. I’m really quite pleased with this one (both the book and the video). Then last weekend, I got to celebrate the long-awaited publication of the - [Happy Birthday To Me (Sort of)](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/happy-birthday-to-me-sort-of/) - I’m a week late with this July update because last weekend was my birthday and, well, what with cake and presents and trips to Brighton to buy outrageous shirts and books, well, things sort of ran away with me. You know how it is, right? But there’s so much going on that I really wanted - [June Update](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/june-update/) - Hey there, and Happy June to you. It’s been a while since I checked in, but I wouldn’t want you to think I’ve been sitting around doing nothing. Au contraire my lovely friends. I’ve been writing and plotting and, well, the fruits of all that labour are about to land, so we’d better get straight to - [Happy Birthday You Sexy Devil](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/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 mind - [#LoveWins](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/lovewins/) - July 10 1990 I went out with some friends to commiserate the end of my latest 6 week romance, and smiled at a shy and sweet boy across the room. We danced to Yazoo "Don't Go," and he didn't. - [STEPPING INSIDE THE MIND OF A MONSTER](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/stepping-inside-the-mind-of-a-monster/) - NEW BOOK: Clarence transports whatever needs transporting – drugs, money, women – and he does whatever needs doing, up to and including murder. Until one day his life, his work and his pleasures collide in a way you won’t see coming… - [Dead Girl Blues: Living With the Monster.](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/dead-girl-blues-living-with-the-monster/) - It’s a book about the monster in all of us, and what happens when that monster gets loose. And it’s a book, I think, about learning to live with the monster and the consequences of our actions. One of the best books he’s ever written. - [The things you Remember](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/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 protect us against whatever - [The Isolation Diaries w/c 04/05/20](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/the-isolation-diaries-w-c-04-05-20/) - This week I read at a Virtual Noir at the Bar, watched TV, Enjoyed great books, and reminisced on Festivals past. Pull up a chair. Pour a coffee. Join me. - [The Isolation Diaries w/c 27/4/20](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/the-isolation-diaries-w-c-27-4-20/) - In which I write about week eleventy-nine of Lockdown, Readings, new books, walking, and Squirrel Aggro. - [The Isolation Diaries w/c 20/4/20](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/the-isolation-diaries-w-c-20-4-20/) - I wrote about isolation, books, TV, crazy and how amazing it would be if Shonda Rhimes made a TV show of the book I'm reading. - [The Isolation Diaries w/c 13/4/20](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/the-isolation-diaries-w-c-13-4-20/) - Life as an author in the middle of lockdown. - [Debbie Payne 25.03.70 – 24.04.01](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/debbie-payne-25-03-70-24-04-01/) - I don’t have many photos of Debbie. That’s cos she filled my world in a period before we captured every single moment of our lives via smartphones; and that fact – that timing – breaks my fucking heart. I’d love a billion pointless duplications of Debbie on dropbox, grinning and gurning and waiting for some - [Slow Bear: The Novella you want to live in forever](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/slow-bear-the-novella-you-want-to-live-in-forever/) - The first novella in an age that I genuinely wished was a novel. - [Regret](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/regret/) - When I was – well, let’s say younger, because ‘young’ would suggest I’m now old, and I don’t feel old (though I am old enough to remember New Order when they were called Joy Division. I prefer The Order. More fun.) Anyways, where was I? Oh yeah, not being old. Well, when I was younger - [Saturday Sonnet #3](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/saturday-sonnet-3/) - She thought that all I did was to keep house That she could waltz right in and take my man from me and I’d stay silent as a mouse. That I’d fight back was never in her plan. And yet how could I not when all I knew was heading West with Laura and her - [My Year in Books](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/my-year-in-books/) - [et_pb_section admin_label=”section”] [et_pb_row admin_label=”row”] [et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text”] It’s been a weird year.Let’s face it: The last few years have been like a never ending bin fire of Nonsense. But in amongst it all, there has – as always – been one constant: The power of books to transport me, to comfort me, to inspire, enervate - [Mrs Farrell's Christmas Cake Redux](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/mrs-farrells-christmas-cake-redux/) - My mother baked Christmas cakes then for a mid-December delivery. I've maintained the tradition. And it's kept me closer to what matters. - [Couture Kart](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/couture-kart/) - Me, in the late seventies. Re-enacting a scene from “Whatever happened to Baby Jane?” with my father. It would be twenty years before I’d drive again. Noticeable is the open doors of some of the houses; nobody locked their doors then. Also the almost total absence of cars. I count three, and the sort of - [Everything Happens: Dark, Deranged & Delightful](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/everything-happens-dark-deranged-delightful/) - Jo Perry is well known and loved, round these parts, for her series of “Dead is…” books featuring Charlie & Rose. Those books – which I have described as being what would happen if Samuel Beckett wrote a crime series, as well as being “Like ‘The Wire’ meets ‘The Tibetan book of the dead” – - [A nice piece of ass.](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/a-nice-piece-of-ass/) - I'm now - officially - a cute ass. Plus: Book signing details and freebies. - [Morecambe & Vice & Whats Next?](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/morecambe-vice-whats-next/) - In which I travel to Morecambe, read, have lots of fun and get back to writing books. - [Inspiration, Persperation & Paris](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/inspiration-persperation-paris/) - I've been travelling, researching and thinking about the importance or passion, dedication and enthusiasm. Plus I had pizza with some insiders. - [Cage: A fitting end to a Brilliant Icelandic Saga](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/cage-a-fitting-end-to-a-brilliant-icelandic-saga/) - Cage – like Trap and Snare before it – is a wonderful book. Something – like a puzzle box – that seems straightforward and entertaining but which has many depths, many surprises and which will stay with you long after the last page is turned. - [Creepy Gothic Loveliness and Perfect for The Season. The Twelve Strange Days of Christmas reviewed.](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/creepy-gothic-loveliness-and-perfect-for-the-season-the-twelve-strange-days-of-christmas-reviewed/) - And Syd Moore’s The Twelve Strange Days of Christmas is one of the very good ones. It’s a creepy gruesome wonderfully funny selection box filled with shocks, surprises, laugh-out-loud gruesomeness*, surreality, and some wonderfully emotional moments. - [Researching London Locations](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/researching-london-locations/) - The Danny Bird Mysteries are set in Contemporary London, which I treat as both a real and a fantastic place. When I started writing the books I looked around for a part of London that I knew well enough to be able to sketch it, but I deliberately wanted an area I would not be - ['Violet' by SJI Holliday is Deliciously Decadently Dark](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/violet-by-sji-holliday-is-deliciously-decadently-dark/) - A review of 'Violet' by SJI Holliday - [On My Life by Angela Clarke: A damn good page turner and more](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/on-my-life-by-angela-clarke-a-damn-good-page-turner-and-more/) - A review of the novel "On My Life" by Angela Clarke - [Made in Scotland from Murders...](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/made-in-scotland-from-murders/) - New TShirt Celebrating Bloody Scotland and Barrs Irn Bru - [Q1 Review](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/q1-review/) - Okay hush up back there. Cool it. We’re reviewing the past three months cos that’s what we do in a corporate setting at this time of year. And – if you’ve been paying any attention – you’ll know that Danny Bird, Caz, Ali, The ASBO Twins and I are very much a corporate entity. A - [Strike A Pose](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/strike-a-pose/) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Hqh7lwaNKw&t=9s I watched Strike a Pose - which is available on Netflix now - twice this week, and cried both times. I found it both heartbreaking AND inspiring, the sadness coming from the idea of people not quite reaching their potential, from the death, and the blight and fear and stigma that HIV placed on - [Dead is Good by Jo Perry - review](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/dead-is-good-by-jo-perry-review/) - Dead is Good Jo Perry Fahrenheit Press 9/July/2017 In most fiction, the death of the protagonist would be the end of the story, but in Jo Perry’s Charlie & Rose series (previously ‘Dead is Better’ & ‘Dead is Best’) it’s the starting point for a series of books which use our dead and at times - [D's Logic - or how to stay married](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/ds-logic-or-how-to-stay-married/) - Me (Reading this season's CostCo catalogue): Oooh, Costco have a discount on Pianos. Can I have a Piano? Him (paying something less than 100% attention as he focusses on the latest goings-on in Weatherfield): Yes, mmmm. Me (sensing I can probably get a yes to anything at this point): Can I have a puppy? (I've longed for a - [And On We Go](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/and-on-we-go/) - Strange day yesterday. In my dayjob I had to say goodbye to the team I’ve worked with for over a decade. I’ll still be around, but I’m no longer directly managing them - I’ve moved into ‘a closer relationship’ with what they refer to as “Senior stakeholders” (though some might say “Not real people”). I - [Angel: Week One](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/angel-week-one/) - Well, this has been an interesting seven days. A week ago, Death of an Angel was released. It’s a book I’m incredibly proud of. My best so far, I think. And not, it turns out, just me. Even before publication, writers like Neil Broadfoot had commented that the book was “Derek’s best book yet. Dark, - [Better & Better: Dead is Beautiful Reviewed.](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/better-better-dead-is-beautiful-reviewed/) - Jo Perry’s Charlie and Rose series – centring on a ghost and his sole constant companion, an emaciated phantom red setter dog – is on it’s fourth outing this time round and shows no signs of series fatigue. Rather, this series is getting better and better. If the first three novels gave us links to - [Saturday Sonnet #2](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/sonnet-2/) - I don’t wish death on any living thing, But find it hard to know that Bowie’s gone. That Prince no more will dance and play and sing, While Bashir Al Assad goes rolling on. Yet I’ll still play “Let’s Dance,” and “Kiss” Out LOUD Not read Mein Kampf from first page to the last Or - [Death of a Devil - Week One](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/death-of-a-devil-week-one/) - Well hey there. It’s been a while. What have you been up to? Me? Oh, I wrote a book. Another book. I think – save for a post celebrating Danny's first birthday - I last posted here when I was in South Africa last October. That was the week I started work on Death of - [Not The Booker Prize Long Long Longlist](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/not-the-booker-prize-long-long-longlist/) - OK, this is huge news (for me). I’m on the Long long (long) list for the Guardian’s Not The Booker Prize, and it’s the first time I’ve ever been on a good list, as opposed to one of those “People we’ll round up when our day comes” ones. I am genuinely excited. Whodathunk a - [Christmas is Heaven](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/christmas-is-heaven/) - Christmas is my favourite holiday; a way to banish the darkness, celebrate the sheer excess of life, and remember - with tears and smiles - the times and people past. Our house fills with memories and memorials at this time of year, and with the smell of cinnamon and nutmeg as we sprinkle spice - [YEAR ONE](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/year-one/) - 2015 was the worst year of my entire life. I’ve talked, before, about losing my mother. Her absence – approaching and actual - filled my life. I tried to mask the approaching nightmare by doing things – by keeping busy at work, by burying my head in the sand, by drinking and partying and - [Thursday Sonnet](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/thursday-sonnet/) - Thoughts on the British Situation by a visitor to South Africa "We’re all in this together til we’re not," Said Tessie as she stood before a crowd And said “Of Auslanders we’ll soon be shot” “Huzzah!” “Hooray” They cried as one aloud, As “Them and Us” became a policy Which – superficially – might well - [Rewrites](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/rewrites/) - Rachel Stirling asked me to share my thoughts around Rewrites. She was charming and so lovely to write for (though I did no rewrites) Click below to find out what I had to say... https://stirlingwriter.com/2016/05/23/rewrites/ - [Saturday Sonnet #9](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/saturday-sonnet-9/) - 'landscape' No-one ever really sees the lonely; They hang around in angry gangs of one And look at passers-by aloof and ston’ly; A cabal of the lost and the undone. I’ve been there and return there sometimes still, Though I’m surrounded by a world of love. Inside, a darkness battles with my will To let - [Saturday Sonnet #8](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/saturday-sonnet-8/) - ‘process’ I sit before a screen devoid of words and wait for something smart to come along. Ideas, skittish as a flock of birds, are steadfastly withholding their sweet song. This moment – now – the doubt begins to speak Of how the things you write are value-free Of plots that fail, of characters - [Style For Living](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/6471-2/) - My mother loved Fashion. More than fashion – which was prone to lapses of taste unacceptable to her – she loved STYLE. She grew up in Dublin at a time when most people were intensely proud and incredibly poor. Money, when it was there, was for essentials. Essentials included clothes, but style– the wearing of - [Saturday Sonnet #7](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/saturday-sonnet-7/) - Having spent the weekend at CrimeFest, I've become familiar with the dangers... So, in tribute, I wrote a Sonnet... On The Dangers of Believing What Authors Tell You Their Books Are About “This book you wrote,” somebody said to me “Is it all Fifty Shades - [Saturday Sonnet #6](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/saturday-sonnet-6/) - ‘taste’ “You can’t do Jeffrey Dahmer” says the voice Inside my head that censors what I say “A gag about a cannibal?” “My choice” I counter then begin to tap away. Til inspiration blinds me as It glints Into a scene in Woody Allen’s head That features several Mini-Pops With squints Immobilised while gaffer-taped to - [The Eurovision Drinking Game. Wasted by Albania; Hospitalised by the Final Douze Points...](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/the-eurovision-drinking-game-wasted-by-albania-hospitalised-by-the-final-douze-points/) - Yes, it’s that time of year. Tomorrow, the Eurovision Song Contest Starts. Or, as I like to think of it. The Gay Hajj. Like the Hajj, it involves going to countries you’ve never ordinarily been anywhere near, enduring hours of tedium in the hope of a religious ecstacy / handjob from a Moldovan backing dancer - [Saturday Sonnet #5](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/saturday-sonnet-4-2/) - friday In hindsight, some despair is evident, But, hey, what else are you supposed to do when pheromones, it seems, are heaven sent, and order you, put bluntly, to go screw? Whilst every single Gay in London town Comes freshly from the Spa or from the Gym, you squeeze into your jeans, perfect your frown, - [A little of what you fancy does you good.](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/a-little-of-what-you-fancy-does-you-good/) - So last weekend, before I went to visit the Haslemere Charter Fayre my friend Viv of the fannyandjohnnymummyandme blog, who is one of the nicest people you can know - and the best cook I have ever met - gifted me two jars of marmalade: A Black Cherry one, which I've swirled through some Lebanese Yoghurt, and served - [All-Male H.M.S. Pinafore - Reviewed](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/all-male-h-m-s-pinafore-reviewed/) - All-Male H.M.S. Pinafore Hackney Empire Saturday 30th April 2016 There’s a tradition, particularly in British schools, of same-sex productions of the works of W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan. Generations of boys and girls have blasted out “Three little maids,” “A policeman’s lot,” and “I’m called little buttercup” in school gymnasia, village halls and scout huts - [Saturday Sonnet #4](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/saturday-sonnet-4/) - For Rebecca Chance, who asked for it... Death of a DIva My life, it seemed, had ended on one day Until I came across a certain bar And thought that I could turn the grim to gay Which thus explains why we are where we are. My star turns life’s been ended premature And PC - [Saturday Sonnet #1](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/sonnet-1/) - "There's something wrong with Sandra," said her mum As Sandy Sat and hugged a Prada Bag "She's quiet nowadays; morose and glum And has a tendency to lose her rag. Since Yves, that French boy, left, she's been this way Cos she's a Francophile and he was Male But like I told her: 'All French - [Featured Author](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/featured-author/) - So, I was the featured author on Charlie Cochrane's blogs this week. The first time - apart from a Fahrenheit chat when Death of a DIva was released - that I've been interviewed. Typically, I agonised over the answers - do I want to appear pure comedy and silliness and risk not being taken seriously, - [The First Draft Lesson](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/the-first-draft-lesson/) - This week’s been an interesting one for my writing. I write crime fiction, which I think is heavily reliant on plot, and as a result, before I start writing, I always have a plot (and several sub-plots) mapped out, from beginning to end. I write a detailed sketch of some scenes that means I’m doing - [Our Sunrise](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/our-sunrise/) - So we woke at 0600 this morning to sit in the half light on a deserted beach and listen to the South Pacific Crashing on the shore, and hissing as it dragged back out, pulling shingle with it. It was cool, but not cold, and we chatted for a few minutes before falling silent, - [Songs From The Marq](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/songs-from-the-marq/) - http://open.spotify.com/user/113546993/playlist/60bTQVUNzGvczTvcxjmtDJ Death of a Diva is available now. To buy it, click here. You can also send it as a personalised Gift E-Book here. I write in noise. My mother used to tell anyone who cared to listen that, as a child, I was incapable of enduring silence, and that – with the arrival of - [Mrs Farrell's Christmas Cake](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/mrs-farrells-christmas-cake/) - When I was a child – without fail – November smelled of cinnamon, nutmeg, jewel-bright candied carbuncles of citrus peel, and rich, shiny brandy. My mother baked Christmas cakes then for a mid-December delivery. It was a skill she’d acquired at a women’s club in the local primary school where I’d been taught by the - [Byte And Me](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/byte-and-me/) - Those lovely people at Byte The Book have posted a piece I've written about My journey to Publication and my thoughts on Networking. Check it out here and - if you're at all interested in publication, seriously consider joining Byte. Worth every penny. - ["The Grown Up" Reviewed. - Nothing is what it seems...](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/the-grown-up-reviewed-nothing-is-what-it-seems/) - As with all Gillian Flynn stories, it's extremely difficult to discuss the plot of this without giving away spoilers. Suffice to say that, in this story, nobody and nothing is what they seem. It purports to be a ghost story, but even that is uncertain. It purports to be a book, but it's a short - [Deadly Election: A Love Story with Murders](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/deadly-election-a-love-story-with-murders/) - Deadly Election Reviewed: A Love Story With Murders - [The Girl With The Deep Blue Eyes: A Sweaty Floridian Ibsen. WIth Anal.](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/the-girl-with-the-deep-blue-eyes-a-sweaty-floridian-ibsen-with-anal/) - Book review of Lawrence Block The Girl With Deep Blue Eyes - [My New York](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/my-new-york-pt1/) - Memories of New York in 1993 - [On Murder](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/on-murder/) - I’ve come, over the past week or so, to realise that the best murder mysteries are, ultimately, about serial killers. Not, necessarily, the Gory Hannibal Lecter type of serial killers; even the classic Agatha Christies, for example, seem to work even better when the Nemesis has a couple of (or preferably three) victims. The classic Murder - [A Slow Death Reviewed](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/a-slow-death-reviewed/) - I have an admission to make: I love melancholy: that sense of ennui at the human condition, a despair at the inevitable entropy and ending of everything, and – bubbling just under it – the anger at man’s impotence in the face of a world that just won’t be set right. Which is probably why - [How I Write - The Plot](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/how-i-write-the-plot/) - Writing fiction is not always hard. It’s not always easy, either. Oh, I know some people would love us all to believe the image of the tortured artist agonising for years over the right word – something between Proust and Joyce – whilst others would see all writers (but particularly those of genre fiction) - [Autumn Salsa](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/autumn-salsa/) - Some debate, recently, around when Autumn starts: Is it immediately after the end of August, or does the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness kick in the September Equinox (23rd, this year)? For me, it feels like it started this week. It’s been the saddest summers ever for me, and my life has been changed - [Why I Write](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/why-i-write/) - I come from a story telling people. The Irish – the Celts - didn’t retain their personalities, their cultures, for as long as they did by simply painting themselves blue and waving their arses at invaders*. They did it by telling stories; by turning the everyday into the magical; by transforming victory into ecstasy and - [How to be Terrified](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/how-to-be-terrified/) - What it feels like when you get your first publishing deal - [“I was David Bowie’s Paperboy,” and other facts about me](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/i-was-david-bowies-paperboy-and-other-facts-about-me/) - I don’t remember much of the sixties, and what I can remember consists of me lying on my back with a bottle within easy reach. Some things never change. I had an interesting childhood, as both my parents were international Nazi Hunters. Kidding: I grew up in Dublin, and was taught almost exclusively by Nuns ## Pages - [Home](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/) - Crime Novelist, Humourist, Foodie, Investment Banker, Living in Londo. His Danny Bird books combine murder and M4M Romance. - [About Me](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/about/) - [et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ background_color=”#384250″ background_image=”https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/London-sky-1.jpg” custom_padding=”16px|0px|0|0px|false|false” custom_css_main_element=”#main-footer {||position: absolute;||bottom: 0;||width: 100%;||}||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row custom_padding_last_edited=”on|phone” _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”76px|0px|129px|0px|false|false” custom_padding_tablet=”23px|||” custom_padding_phone=”” global_colors_info=”{}” column_structure=”1_3,2_3″][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_image align_tablet=”center” align_last_edited=”on|desktop” _builder_version=”4.27.0″ global_colors_info=”{}” title_text=”2Q2A0330-Edit” src=”https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2Q2A0330-Edit.jpg” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″ align_phone=”center”][/et_pb_image][et_pb_image align_tablet=”center” align_last_edited=”on|desktop” _builder_version=”4.27.0″ global_colors_info=”{}” title_text=”WhatsApp Image 2024-07-09 at 16.40.46″ src=”https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/WhatsApp-Image-2024-07-09-at-16.40.46.jpeg” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″ align_phone=”center”][/et_pb_image][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ text_font=”Roboto||||||||” text_text_color=”#fbf8de” text_font_size=”17px” - [Books](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/books/) - [et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ background_color=”#384250″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row column_structure=”2_5,3_5″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”25.2578px|0px|58px|0px|false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”2_5″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_image src=”https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/01_diva.jpg” align_tablet=”center” align_phone=”” align_last_edited=”on|desktop” _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][/et_pb_image][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”3_5″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ text_font=”Roboto||||||||” text_text_color=”#fbf8de” text_font_size=”23px” header_font=”Roboto|300|||||||” header_text_align=”center” header_text_color=”#fbf8de” header_font_size=”31px” header_2_font=”Raleway||||||||” header_3_font=”Raleway||||||||” header_4_font=”Raleway||||||||” header_5_font=”Raleway||||||||” header_6_font=”Raleway||||||||” header_font_size_tablet=”40px” header_font_size_phone=”30px” header_font_size_last_edited=”on|tablet” global_colors_info=”{}”] Death Of A Diva (Danny Bird Book 1) [/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ text_font=”Roboto||||||||” text_text_color=”#fbf8de” text_font_size=”17px” - [Mail list welcome page](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/mail-list-welcome-page/) - [et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.19.18″ background_color=”#384250″ background_image=”https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/London-sky-1.jpg” custom_padding=”16px|0px|0|0px|false|false” custom_css_main_element=”#main-footer {||position: absolute;||bottom: 0;||width: 100%;||}||”][et_pb_row custom_padding=”76px|0px|286px|0px|false|false” custom_padding_tablet=”23px|||” custom_padding_last_edited=”on|phone” _builder_version=”3.19.18″][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”3.19.15″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.19.18″ text_font=”Roboto||||||||” text_text_color=”#fbf8de” text_font_size=”17px” header_font=”Roboto|300|||||||” header_text_align=”center” header_text_color=”#fbf8de” header_font_size=”31px” header_font_size_tablet=”40px” header_font_size_phone=”30px” header_font_size_last_edited=”on|tablet” header_2_font=”Raleway||||||||” header_3_font=”Raleway||||||||” header_4_font=”Raleway||||||||” header_5_font=”Raleway||||||||” header_6_font=”Raleway||||||||” custom_padding=”||” custom_padding_tablet=”||0px|” custom_padding_last_edited=”on|phone”] Thank you for signing up to the mailing list. I will be sending out newsletters with free access to lots - [Contact](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/contact/) - [et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.19.15″ background_color=”#384250″ background_image=”https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/London-sky-1.jpg” parallax=”on” custom_padding=”16px|0px|54px|0px|false|false”][et_pb_row custom_padding=”25.2578px|0px|58px|0px|false|false” _builder_version=”3.19.15″][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”3.19.15″][et_pb_image src=”https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/04_angel.jpg” _builder_version=”3.19.15″][/et_pb_image][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”3.19.15″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.19.15″ text_font=”Roboto||||||||” text_text_color=”#fbf8de” text_font_size=”17px” header_font=”Roboto|300|||||||” header_text_align=”center” header_text_color=”#fbf8de” header_font_size=”31px” header_font_size_tablet=”40px” header_font_size_phone=”30px” header_font_size_last_edited=”on|tablet” header_2_font=”Raleway||||||||” header_3_font=”Raleway||||||||” header_4_font=”Raleway||||||||” header_5_font=”Raleway||||||||” header_6_font=”Raleway||||||||”] You can email me contact@derekfarrell.co.uk or tweet me @DerekIFarrell [/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section] - [Latest News](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/latest-news/) - [et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.19.15″ background_color=”#384250″ custom_padding=”16px|0px|54px|0px|false|false”][et_pb_row custom_padding=”25.2578px|0px|58px|0px|false|false” _builder_version=”3.19.15″][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_blog fullwidth=”off” posts_number=”6″ show_author=”off” show_categories=”off” _builder_version=”3.19.15″ header_font=”||||||||” header_text_color=”#384250″ header_font_size=”18px” header_line_height=”1.2em” body_font=”||||||||” body_text_color=”#384250″ body_font_size=”16px” meta_font=”||||||||” meta_text_color=”#384250″ meta_font_size=”12px” background_color=”#384250″ custom_padding=”3%|3%|3%|3%|true|true” /][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section] ## Downloads - [Come to dust](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/download/28635/?tmstv=1784558786) ## Categories - [Uncategorized](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/category/uncategorized/) - [Memories](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/category/memories/) - [Writing](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/category/writing/) - [Food](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/category/food/) - [Travel](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/category/travel/) - [Reading](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/category/reading/) - [Music](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/category/music/) - [Theatre](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/category/theatre/) - [Saturday Sonnet](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/category/saturday-sonnet/) - [Movies](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/category/movies/) - [Reviews](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/category/reviews/) - [Art](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/category/art/) - [Writers Life](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/category/writers-life/) - [The Isolation Diaries](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/category/the-isolation-diaries/) - [LGBTQI](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/category/lgbtqi/) - [#WhatGoesAround](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/category/whatgoesaround/) - [Newsletter](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/category/newsletter/) ## Tags - [Memories](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/memories/) - [Writers](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/writers/) - [Irish](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/irish/) - [Dublin](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/dublin/) - [Gay](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/gay/) - [Banking](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/banking/) - [Travel](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/travel/) - [writing](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/writing/) - [publishing](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/publishing/) - [DebutAuthors](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/debutauthors/) - [mystery](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/mystery/) - [romance](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/romance/) - [M4m](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/m4m/) - [lgbt](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/lgbt/) - [amwriting](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/amwriting/) - [ampublishing](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/ampublishing/) - [family](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/family/) - [humour](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/humour/) - [salsa](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/salsa/) - [recipes](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/recipes/) - [kitchen](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/kitchen/) - [autumn](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/autumn/) - [crime](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/crime/) - [NewYork](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/newyork/) - [1993](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/1993/) - [90sNewYork](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/90snewyork/) - [book reviews](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/book-reviews/) - [crime novels](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/crime-novels/) - [berlin](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/berlin/) - [noir](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/noir/) - [murder](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/murder/) - [BookReview](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/bookreview/) - [LawrenceBlock](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/lawrenceblock/) - [Erotica](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/erotica/) - [Books](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/books/) - [Reviews](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/reviews/) - [food](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/food/) - [baking](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/baking/) - [mother](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/mother/) - [christmas](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/christmas/) - [sonnet](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/sonnet/) - [poetry](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/poetry/) - [Interview](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/interview/) - [author](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/author/) - [blog](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/blog/) - [Diva](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/diva/) - [prince](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/prince/) - [bowie](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/bowie/) - [gay life](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/gay-life/) - [friday](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/friday/) - [francophile](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/francophile/) - [Theatre](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/theatre/) - [review](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/review/) - [G&S](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/gs/) - [Pinafore](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/pinafore/) - [All-Male](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/all-male/) - [Musical](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/musical/) - [cheese](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/cheese/) - [bread](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/bread/) - [marmalade](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/marmalade/) - [little pleasures](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/little-pleasures/) - [trainers](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/trainers/) - [pheromones](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/pheromones/) - [Fashion](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/fashion/) - [style](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/style/) - [clothes](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/clothes/) - [love](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/love/) - [grief](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/grief/) - [depression](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/depression/) - [recovery](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/recovery/) - [eurovision](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/eurovision/) - [drinking. game](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/drinking-game/) - [music](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/music/) - [jeffrey dahmer](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/jeffrey-dahmer/) - [woody allen](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/woody-allen/) - [princess margaret](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/princess-margaret/) - [parody](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/parody/) - [saturday](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/saturday/) - [writerslife](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/writerslife/) - [book](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/book/) - [violet](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/violet/) - [london](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/london/) - [research](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/research/) - [crime fiction](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/crime-fiction/) - [pubs](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/pubs/) - [lgbtq](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/lgbtq/) - [bars](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/bars/) - [SydMoore](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/sydmoore/) - [12StrangeChristmas](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/12strangechristmas/) - [Fiction](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/fiction/) - [CrimeFiction](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/crimefiction/) - [Spooky](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/spooky/) - [paris](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/paris/) - [les deux magots](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/les-deux-magots/) - [atelier des lumieres](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/atelier-des-lumieres/) - [Morecambe & Vice](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/morecambe-vice/) - [Literary Festivals](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/literary-festivals/) - [Authors](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/authors/) - [Seaside](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/seaside/) - [Authors Life](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/authors-life/) - [donkey](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/donkey/) - [libraries](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/libraries/) - [Danny Bird Mysteries](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/danny-bird-mysteries/) - [Safe Haven 4 Donkeys](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/safe-haven-4-donkeys/) - [Jo Perry](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/jo-perry/) - [Everything Happens](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/everything-happens/) - [las vegas](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/las-vegas/) - [fahrenheit press](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/fahrenheit-press/) - [seventies childhood](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/seventies-childhood/) - [cooking](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/cooking/) - [best books of 2019](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/best-books-of-2019/) - [South Africa](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/south-africa/) - [Johannesburg](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/johannesburg/) - [Capetown](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/capetown/) - [Adventures](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/adventures/) - [native American](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/native-american/) - [quixote](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/quixote/) - [bravery](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/bravery/) - [struggle](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/struggle/) - [Memorial](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/memorial/) - [Friends](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/friends/) - [Eighties](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/eighties/) - [80s](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/80s/) - [lockdown](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/lockdown/) - [corona virus](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/corona-virus/) - [youtube](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/youtube/) - [Facebook Live](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/facebook-live/) - [WORDfest Crawley](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/wordfest-crawley/) - [DEVS](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/devs/) - [MENTAL HEALTH](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/mental-health/) - [squirrel aggro](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/squirrel-aggro/) - [#FNATB](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/fnatb/) - [#FahrenFridays #VNATB](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/fahrenfridays-vnatb/) - [#FahrenFridays](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/fahrenfridays/) - [#VNATB](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/vnatb-2/) - [NATB](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/natb-2/) - [#NEWCASTLENOIR](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/newcastlenoir/) - [#MarRef](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/marref/) - [#Memories](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/memories-2/) - [#HomeToVote](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/hometovote/) - [#Ireland](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/ireland/) - [#LGBTQI](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/lgbtqi/) - [Dead Girl Blues](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/dead-girl-blues/) - [LoveWins](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/lovewins/) - [anniversary](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/anniversary/) - [ThirtyYearsTogether](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/thirtyyearstogether/) - [#Crimefiction](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/crimefiction-2/) - [#writers](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/writers-2/) - [#Inspiration](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/inspiration/) - [#Politics](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/politics/) - [#LondonFiction](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/londonfiction/) - [SInner](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/sinner/) - [Dukes Halt](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/dukes-halt/) - [Noir from the Bar](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/noir-from-the-bar/) - [Bay Tales](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/bay-tales/) - [Blood Bros Blowout](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/blood-bros-blowout/) - [events](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/events/) - [festivals](https://www.derekfarrell.co.uk/tag/festivals/)