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

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,...

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...

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...

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 hair of yellow and...

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...