Damien is an Australian author based in Canberra, where he happily wrangles words into fantastical worlds. He’s been hooked on stories ever since he first discovered that books were basically portals you could carry around in your backpack.
When he’s not scribbling away, you’ll probably find him binging films, devouring TV shows, losing track of time in video games, or trying to decide which playlist best suits the mood of his day.
- To begin with, why don’t you tell us a little bit about yourself – where were you born? Raised? Schooled?
I was born in Sydney and mostly raised on the Central Coast. I attended Wyong Christian Community School which was a small private Christian school on a floodplain. My dad was a pastor of a local church and I attended church regularly. I still attend church but now its one in Canberra. It was there I developed my love for reading. My parents encouraged my reading and I found my imagination flooded with grand adventures and unique worlds.
As I finished school I moved to Canberra to study creative writing and this is what really helped me improve my work, expand my writing skillset and influenced the new direction my story was about to take.
2. What did you want to be when you were twelve, eighteen and thirty? And why?
Ok well I’m really boring because I wanted to be an author since I was twelve. I had read so many fantasy novels and adventure stories from such a young age that by the time I had turned twelve I had developed an incredibly deep passion for writing and storytelling. Initially I didn’t consider that an author was a profession, only that I wanted to write books, tell stories, and share the imaginative worlds I had created.
By the time I turned eighteen this passion had been solidified as I had already completed a couple of drafts of what would eventually become the completed version of The Tome of Haren. I knew what that if I wanted to become an author I needed to hone my craft and to that end I turned to studying a Creative Writing degree at the University of Canberra.
Being thirty and published was a different experience. At one level, my first time publishing at the age of twenty-eight had been tarnished by the indie publisher who took me on but were not always forthcoming with their business practices and often left myself and all the other authors in the dark. This period almost killed my desire to continue writing. It took a while, and I’m probably still only just now coming out of that period, but I can say that my passion has returned since the republication in April 2025 and that I’m looking forward to the future with the next novel nearing completion and the whole series already mapped out. I don’t think I’ll ever quit being a writer. It’s just too ingrained into me as a part of who I am.
3. What strongly held belief did you have at eighteen that you do not have now?
I don’t think it was a strongly held belief but I was definitely of the opinion that the only good books to read were fantasy or science-fiction. I basically read those genre of books almost exclusively as I believed they were only good kind of books to read. Thankfully I had a lot of friends and family who recommended tons of other books, with many that surpassed the fantasy and science fiction I was reading at the time.
4. What were three works of art – book or painting or piece of music, etc – you can now say had a great effect on you and influenced your own development as a writer?
Let’s start with the book that had an enormous impact on my love of fantasy, The Lord of the Rings. It might sound cliché, but it is true that it had a profound effect upon me. I remember reading the entire trilogy three times before I had turned twelve, I was so invested in the world and the characters and the story. I had read other fantasy books before, but there was just something special about The Lord of the Rings that has stuck with me all these years.
I love tons of different genres of music, but recently there’s been one song that has helped to influence writing particular scenes. The song is “Space Song” by Beach House. Its this really melancholy tune that takes me on an emotional journey of love lost and broken hearts (even the lyrics speak to this). But it takes me to a place of such deep emotional ache that I can’t help but be compelled to write.
I also am a huge fan of film and one of the films that influenced how I approach storytelling and the ability to switch back and forth between character viewpoints while still making everything feel cohere was Pulp Fiction by Quentin Tarantino. The way he uses multiple storylines that cross and intersect one another really changed the way I viewed storytelling and those elements really helped me develop the multiple perspectives in my own writing.
5. Considering the innumerable artistic avenues open to you, why did you choose to write a novel?
I think that as the main artistic influence of storytelling and expression growing up was reading, that naturally evolved into the desire to write. I also discovered that I could not draw a picture to save myself but writing came naturally to me. It felt like the bike I’d always known how to ride. And once I started I couldn’t stop. There was this kind of idea itch in the back of my head where I had so many stories to tell I just had to get them out.
6. Please tell us about your novel, The Tome of Haren.
“The Tome of Haren is an Epic Fantasy novel that follows the journey of a young orphan, Aeidor, when he is discovered by a legendary champion, The Huntsman, who informs him he is destined to become the next protector of his nation, The Keeper of Narean. Before he can claim his place as Keeper he is joined by a group of rag-tag warriors in search of a mythical object, The Tome of Haren, that could aid them in a brewing war.
On his harrowing journey he must endure horrifying entities in a valley of darkness, visit marvellous wonders, and delve deep within a cursed city where death lies in wait. But they’re not the only ones seeking the Tome. A group of elite mercenaries called Blooders have been hired to retrieve the Tome for their dark master.
Aeidor must retrieve the Tome before his enemies or else all is lost.”
The Tome of Haren is a book that I’ve been writing for a very long time that has undergone many changes and developments since its initial iterations. I started work on it before I was a teenager and as I grew the story continued to grow and evolve with me. I rewrote it at least 5 times before I started university and rewrote it again with a more mature view. To that end I blended the classic style of an epic fantasy adventure novel with horror to try and create something that showcased my love of various genres. Despite the blurb above it has multiple character perspectives who all get to tell their own journey and story. There’s a lot of elements and juggling plates, so to speak, but I worked exceptionally hard to make it all make sense. There’s a lot for people to explore and I hope they take the time to enjoy it all.
7. What do you hope people take away with them after reading your work?
The Tome of Haren reads initially like a classic fantasy story with an epic quest and grand adventure, but gradually these darker elements and horror themes start to creep through. The story also revolves around a number of young perspectives who are forced to face a cruel and challenging world. I want writers to take away a couple of things.
I want them to know that even though the world might be dark and scary at times, that there is always hope and light ready to do battle. To be resilient in the face of danger. I want people to understand that sometimes when life is difficult you need to step up and take responsibility. I want them to recognise that even though our heroes might be flawed, that they’re still great examples of heroism, sacrifice, bravery, and strength, and we shouldn’t tear them down just because they make a mistake. Because at some point we’ll make a mistake too and someone will seek to tear us down. I hope readers come away with a reminder of the love they once had for those grand adventure and quest style novels.
8. Whom do you most admire in the realm of writing and why?
That’s tough because I admire different writers for different reasons. Although I still have yet to read a Brandon Sanderson novel I admire his tenacity to write so many books. I admire Matthew Reilly for being able to write such intense and fast-paced action novels that feel even more insane than a Fast and Furious film. I admire Christopher Buehlman to write something that blends so many genres together and make it seem so easy. I admire a lot of writers and all of them have had some influence over my own work.
9. Many artists set themselves very ambitious goals. What are yours?
Oh man that’s a big question. I have a few stages of ambition. I would like to complete the whole Keeper Chronicles over the next 10-12 years. I hope that as I get into a consistent writing and publishing rhythm this would start to become more achievable.
It’s a fairly standard ambition amongst writers these days but I would love to become a full-time author. To write as my job and tell stories so I can share all the fun and cool ideas inside my head would just be the dream come true.
I think I would also like to publish at least 50 novels in my life. I feel like I have so many ideas floating around inside my head that I need to get them all out of me or I’ll go crazy!
And this is the big one. I would love to one day become recognised as one of the great fantasy authors of my generation. It’s wildly ambitious compared to all other dreams and goals but I trust that if people like what I write then one day it might come true.
10. What advice do you give aspiring writers?
There’s a lot of advice I could give new writers. I think I’ll stick to like 5 main points though.
- The most obvious one is write. The more you write, the better you’ll become. Like practising anything, you’ll get better the more you do. And similarly read lots and read widely. Don’t just read books in your chosen writing genre. Read from as many genres and authors as you can. They’ll all help shape and influence you in ways you might not know.
- Don’t compare someone’s end product with your start. It’s really hard not to compare yourself to what’s happening with other people. You might look at your draft or your published book and wonder to yourself why hasn’t it succeeded where others did. It’s a fair question, but it’s also a lie. Everybody’s writing journey is different. There’s no one single way to achieve success. Don’t give up.
- It’s a marathon, not a sprint. You might have heard this before but it’s very true. Writing takes a long time. You might have finished one book and suddenly discover that others have written 3 or 5 or 10. But don’t be discouraged. If you try to write fast and put out as many books into the world as Brandon Sanderson or Will Wight you’ll drive yourself mad. Take your time, enjoy the experience. Writing is not just about the end goal of producing a book. It’s also about putting a piece of yourself onto paper.
- Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me. This is a tough one. My advice is to develop thick skin and develop it quickly. Show shorter writing samples to friends and friends of friends or even to other writers if you find a writing group. Take on all the criticism you can within your limit. (It’s also a good idea to know your limits too, but that’s what this is all about). There is no single book out in the world that pleases everyone. You have to rip that band-aid off really quick. Your book might resonate with 10, 20, 100, 1,000 people or more but you need to be able to handle the others who don’t. That takes the thick skin approach. People are allowed not to like your work. It might feel like an attack against you, but it usually isn’t. Most of the time it’s just an opinion they have. For them it’ll take a few minutes, but for you it will stay with you a long time. Don’t let it fester. Find someway to move on from it and you’ll find yourself enjoying writing more. Don’t let someone else’s opinion ruin your passion for writing.
- Have fun. I feel like a lot of advice out there is really strict practical advice. These are most likely good pieces of advice for the improvement of your talents and skills as a writer. But I’m here to say that my final piece of advice is to have fun. If you aren’t enjoying what you’re writing about or even the process of writing then take a break for a bit and find out what makes you love writing so much. Writing a novel should be just as much about how you reach the final product as it is the final piece. There’ll be ups and downs along the way, but just enjoy the journey. Have fun!
Damien Francis, thank you for playing!
The Tome of Haren
With no Keeper for over one hundred years, the nation of Narean is vulnerable.
When a legend claims Aeidor will become the next Keeper, he must leave his life behind to find the hero of old, The Huntsman. But, before he can claim his place as Keeper of Narean he must join a group of rag-tag heroes in search for the mythical Tome of Haren. A book of magic that has the power to shift the tide in a war brewing.
On his harrowing journey he must endure horrors, visit marvellous wonders, and delve deep within a cursed city where death lies in wait. However, they are not the only ones seeking the Tome. Feral mercenaries, called Blooders, have been hired to retrieve the Tome for their dark master.
As time runs out, truths are revealed, and his enemies close in around him, Aeidor must retrieve the Tome before his enemies or else all is lost...
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