Damien Casey

I’m Damien Casey. I write weird comedy/horror that I call “Bubblegum Bizarro.” Sort of a tribute to Bubblegum Horror, but weirder.

What country do you live in?

I live in America… sorry… low key embarrassing.

What does your ideal writing set up look like?

I write from my phone; I’ve always done that, then I transfer to a desktop for later drafts. But the first is always on my phone. So, I guess a comfy spot with a good 4K set up to have movies playing. A super fast desktop to do later drafts. Probably a soda machine like at a fast food place but it’s all Ginger Ale and Sprite.

Do you plot or wing-it when it comes to planning out your books?

I try to plot, but then I end up really winging it. Like winging it so bad that it’s a wonder I’ve ever finished anything. I get too excited about the idea and just want to do it.

What is the hardest part of writing for you & how do you combat that?

When I don’t feel like it. I have pretty awful depression and some days I just don’t want to do anything. I never force myself to write because I put out horrible stuff when I do that. Any stretch of a couple weeks where I can’t get in the flow is such a disaster for me.

Other than “Don’t give up/keep going”, what piece of advice would you tell yourself when you were first starting out?

Don’t worry about what other people will think. Your writing should be for you first. Don’t write to trends, publisher styles, agent styles, anything other than what you want to do.

Who is publishing your upcoming book(s) and how did you know they were the right fit for your story?

Squirm! I knew they were the perfect fit after spending a couple days with Stephanie (EIC) at a con. We shared a booth and I realized a lot of the things I find important with art and writing are the same things they find important. Just been a super easy and positive experience for both of us.

How long did it take you to get your first publishing deal?

OOF! My first deal was a year or so after I self pubbed my first book… it didn’t pan out. Then my second, third, and fourth AND fifth three years in… didn’t pan out hahahahaha. I’m also not sure if I know what “didn’t pan out” means but I think it sounds cool. Either way, it took around 4-5 years to finally have something that worked out.

Why did you choose the self-publishing route & what has that looked like for you?

I chose self publishing just out of the excitement to have others reading my writing. I didn’t really know how to submit, or how that would work? So I just self published and started making people read it. I enjoy the process for the most part; having total control over a book is a blast. But, I also hate doing everything other than writing, so that’s an issue. Trying to get the self publishing stuff to work the way I want it to is basically ADHD hell.

Upcoming release(s) & where we can get a copy:

My next release is on April 29 with Squirm. It’s called “Summer Camp for Werewolves.” It’s a YA horror comedy. It’s everywhere you get books for preorder right now!

What is your next big author goal moving forward?

Oh! I always do this manifesting my goals on Facebook thing. Here they are.

1. Find one of my books in a bookstore that I didn’t get there.

2. Write something official for Lisa Frankenstein.

3. Movie based on my work.

4. Write for Wonder Woman and Supergirl

What other authors would you recommend?

Stephanie Sanders Jacob

Wendy Dalrymple

Grace Reynolds

What cause/charity would you like to shout-out?

I’ve been donating certain sales to the Sabrina Carpenter fund. It spreads the money across a few charities I really love.