Dar Dowling

Dar Dowling is a New York–based bestselling author, filmmaker, artist, and creative who has never had much interest in staying in one lane.

Her books reflect that range. Kayla and the Magic Dog explores imagination and wonder, while The Book of Darku and Echoes of Darku bring together her photography, poetry, and fascination with the moments—beautiful, strange, quiet, and unexpected—that most people walk past without noticing.

Then there’s SEXY BLOODY MESS, her dark LGBTQ urban fantasy, which takes things in an entirely different direction: violent, irreverent, sexy, funny, and unapologetically queer.

That creative unpredictability runs through Dowling’s work, whether she is writing a book, making a film, taking a photograph, or developing something that doesn’t fit neatly into any one category.

A longtime New Yorker, Dowling draws inspiration from the city around her, from nature, from Japanese culture and years spent in the martial arts, and from a lifelong fascination with people who refuse to become exactly what the world expects of them.

Across genres and mediums, her work is connected by curiosity, visual storytelling, and a willingness to break form when the story demands it.

Dar Dowling still has trouble coloring inside the lines.

At this point, she considers that a feature, not a flaw