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Wednesday, September 6, 2017

Damien Black @LifeofaBastard1 #amreading #amjoy

Joining me today is Damien Black. Damien wrote Life of a Bastard, a Coming of Age story about life in Foster Care during the 70s, 80s, and 90s. 

 Damien, give us an insight into your main character. What does he do that is so special?

My character is Javier Soto who at the time of these journals would have been about 13 to 19 years old with some social workers' notes dating earlier he is life. The events of Life of a Bastard Vol. 1 take place between 1972-1987. His internal hope to keep surviving in the "New York City Foster Care System" is what makes him unique and for me, it is not only a real story about life in foster care but a coming of age tale. 

I like your story idea of a child surviving the foster care system.  Especially in New York.  I myself was in foster care for a short time and eventually adopted so this is definitely an intriguing story.  I wonder if it's anything similar to White Orleander by Janet Fitch.  Now that was a novel I really sank my teeth into.

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via GIPHY



What drew you to write in these genre?

I believe in writing what you know; I love reading coming of age stories and talking with people about growing up. 
I love coming of age stories too.  My most recent coming of age story has to be The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky.

  Would you hire someone else to format, edit, or create artwork for your novel, how would you select them and how much weight do you put on reviews?

 I am happy with the illustrations by Laura Caiafa it captures the hidden innocence of Javier Soto. As for editing, this was a hard editing job because making sense of journals from a young person and finding a flow was a daunting task. Keeping the language and point of view of a child/teenager was very important. Vol. 2 will need another round of editing, so I am looking. 

I bet reading so many journals really helped you gain empathy for the foster care system and those kids who live in the system everyday.
Do you have any advice for other authors on how to market their books?

Promote early, let the reviews be organic and connect with other people who write and review.   
 What do your fans mean to you?

Meaningful, because they took the time out to buy my book and read it and enjoy it, so if I do have fans of the book I hope I can discuss the book with them. 

Thanks Damien for joining me.

Thanks Trin for having me.



More about Damien's work:

Life of a Bastard Vol.1
“A Coming of Age Story in New York City’s Foster Care System”
Book Series by Damien Black
Illustrations by Laura Caiafa

"An uncensored account of Javier Soto’s life as he journeys through foster care. The story tells of a deserted child, robbed of his innocence and tossed through the evils of a 1980s’ American society. With survival becoming the ultimate goal, will he ever break free from the world of institutionalization? "

Ebook and Paperback Links 
#Amazon #Kindle, #iBooks, Barnes & Noble #Nook, and #Booklocker 
Questions and Media Inquiries 


 Readers, please comment below and tell Damien what you think about his new book.

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