Damian Maximus wasn’t meant to become a storyteller. In fact he had planned to study civil engineering. But life has a way of changing and without boring you with the details (it involves a great deal of serendipity, a kind man, and a Ugandan mountain) Damian looked up one day and realised it would be far more fun (though perhaps somewhat less financially stable) to tell stories.
Since changing paths he has studied journalism and social anthropology, specialising in the use of fiction as a source of truth-telling. He is the author of short story The Blind Ballroom Dancer, published by Scarlet Leaf Publishing and serialised novella The Romance of Unconnected Lives, published by Culture Honey. He also publishes short stories monthly for his Patreon supporters.
In 2020 he started work on his most ambition project, a novelised story of his grandmother. Working with Boz Publishing, Damian has brought together four artists (not including himself) to tell his grandmother’s story in new and exciting ways. Writing, painting, graphic design, illustration, and photography. Five mediums. One story. Together these artists use every inch of the book to tell the story, from the cover to the end pages to the illustrations taken from actual photos that are dotted throughout the chapters. The book is proof of what a story can be if you let it, and just how important it is for writing to remain firmly grounded among the other arts and not isolated like it so often can be. This work, titled Rosemary’s Corner represents an exciting new chapter in his journey as he pushes the boundaries of what the novel can do.
If you want to learn more about the man, you can find him awkwardly bumbling his way through Instagram @Damian_Maximus or on Patreon at AuthorDamianMaximus.