Damian Alexander is the author and illustrator of the new middle grade graphic novel Absolutely Everything. He also has created the book Other Boys. He lives in New England.
Q: How did your own experiences with ADHD help you create your character Marcella, the protagonist of Absolutely Everything?
A: Much like Marcella, I wasn’t hyperactive or bouncing off the walls like many other depictions of ADHD. Instead, I was quietly being overwhelmed by too many thoughts at once.
In elementary school I was always creative, but as I reached middle school, I found the overabundance of thoughts and ideas far too overwhelming. By high school it was nearly impossible for me to focus on classes, even in ones I enjoyed. My mind would ricochet from one thought to the next.
Q: In the book’s author’s note, you write that you first invented Marcella when you were in middle school. How did the book change over the years?
A: I had written Marcella into so many different stories before I finally landed on Absolutely Everything. One version had her meeting her friend Nigel when he first moved into her building and another focused on the fact that she has two dads.
I’d always imagined her being a lot like me, so when I was diagnosed with ADHD as an adult, I went back and rewrote her story to be more like my own sixth grade experience.
Q: The author Kayla Miller called the book a “sensitive look at the realities of having ADHD that is sure to make kids going through similar situations feel less alone.” What do you think of that description?
A: I think Kayla Miller’s description of the book is spot on, and what I wanted readers to take away from this story.
Q: Can you say more about what you hope kids take away from the book?
A: I hope kids a lot like Marcella (and my sixth-grade self) feel seen in this book, and it brings them some kind of comfort.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: I am working on too many projects at once but am currently out on submission with a young adult graphic novel with science fiction elements, as well as finishing up a pitch for a contemporary middle grade graphic novel about pen pals.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: I recently wrapped up the artwork for my next book, a graphic memoir, titled Hand-Me-Down, about being raised by my grandmother after the death of my mother. It’s scheduled for Summer 2026.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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