10 Questions With Vincent Trigili

Welcome Leighgendaries to the sixth edition of 10 Questions With…

Today, our guest is:

Vincent Trigili

Vincent, father and husband of nearly two decades, holds degrees in both Math and Computer Science. In addition, he has published an astronomy journal, numerous articles, poetry and other works.

He got his start in writing fiction as a small child, losing himself in the worlds he dreamed up in order to escape the doldrums of normal life. Now, using his formal education and extensive career experience, he excels in creating fictional worlds of depth and rich fantasy, while maintaining a foundation of reality based on science and technology.

It’s time for:

10 Questions With Vincent Trigili

1.) What is something that many people might not know about you?

I am horrible at English. The only reason my books are readable is because they have three editors and 30+ pre-readers that translate them from gibberish to legible. Many people reading this will think I am exaggerating, and that is fine. Some people need to tell themselves little lies like that so they can sleep at night but the truth is out there and my team can attest to it.

2.) What inspired you to write your first book?

Nothing. I have been writing all my life, it is who I am. Asking this question is like asking a bird what inspired him to fly. They fly because they are birds, I write because I am a storyteller.

What inspired me to let other people read what I wrote and put my first book out on Amazon was encouragement I received from my wife and friends. I never expected it to actually sell copies. I never could have guess I would be where I am today in my writing career. I have readers contact me from as far away as India and I have sold books in countries around the world.

3.) Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?

Wow, I do not know how to answer this. There are so many books out there written by people that are so much better than I am at the craft. Susan Kaye Quinn, Mark E. Cooper, Annie Bellet, S.M. Reine, and way too many more to list. By reading their books I learned so much about how write better descriptions, and create better emotional attachments. I also study many of the women writers in order to learn how to portray females more realistically. I seriously could not just pick one. I have learned too much from all of them.

4.) If you could have dinner with any author, dead or alive, who would it be and why?

I talk with many great authors on a daily basis. For the most part writers are a very open group and willingly share with each other. I am not a people worshiper, so there is no one I am desperate to meet, but there are a few conversations that would be interesting.

For example, the man who we only know as “Luke” was a doctor, and the only non-Jew to write scripture in the Christian Bible. He wrote more words in the New Testament than any other author, even though he only penned two books. He was an eye witness to some of it, but for the most of his material he gathered it through research and interviews.

He traveled extensively with the Apostle Paul, who after Jesus himself was one of the most influential people in forming western culture, as we know it today. That must have been an amazing experience and I would love to hear about it.

5.) What book are you reading now?

I tend to read only indie books anymore, but as an exception to that tendency I just finished R.A. Salvatore’s Stone of Tymora. I am not sure what I will start next, but my fellow readers are pushing me to read Ready Player One. So I might be forced to buy that next. I am not sure yet.

6.) Are there any new authors that have captured your interest?

As with question 3, there are far too many to list. We are in era of publishing that is dominated by the new independent authors. Every day a gazillion brand new authors release brand new books, and even if 1 in a thousand are decent, that is still many more authors then I could list.

7.) If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in any of your books?

YES! My biggest mistakes with my first book were two things. First I released it with out having it professionally edited. My early reviews point that out very clearly. I have since gone back and had it edited so it is greatly improved, but the stigma will follow that book for eternity.

The second change is that the characters are too perfect, and things happen too easily. I feel like there is never a sense they are in real danger because everything works out to fast. If I were to rewrite it today it would be a very different story, and probably 20% longer. The characters would have flaws, and there would be some real concern for their safety. I would also add more of the stuff I skipped that I now understand is good for character building and making the world more immersive.

8.) Can you share a little of your current work with us?

I am taking a break from my big series, The Lost Tales of Power, and working on a new one that I am calling the Dragonmasters. It is straight up traditional fantasy complete with dragons and knights. The main character is not as stable as he could be, and when he loses control, people die. Through it all a young woman sticks by his side and the two of them have to learn to fight his madness, and hers.

In Lost Tales, my next book will probably be the third installment in the Sac’a’rith spin off. When we last left the survivors they were far from home and talking about running off and abandoning their military careers for a while to live alone in the woods. Their story is not done yet, and things will not be as rosy as they think it will be in there wooded retreat.

9.) If you were to get rid of one state in the US, which would it be and why?

I would not. Every state has good people in it. Sure there are less desirable places than others, but I would think what we can find good places and people through out this nation. Of course we have to turn off the news and go out among the real people to do it, but they are there. I drive a lot through many states and meet people at various levels of income and influence. There are a lot of decent people out there. Even in New Jersey.

10.)A penguin walks through that door right now wearing a sombrero. What does he say and why is he here?

Is this a test to see if I am robot? An updated version of the Turning Test? In a sense I am a robot you know. I have electrical wiring and mechanical parts. My CPU regulates the major systems, and most of the systems function to improve the whole. I am a carbon-based machine that needs regular maintenance and sometimes repair. So you tell me, Mr. Penguin, what would you say if you saw said bird walking in the door in the middle of the summer heat? Personally, I would try and be polite and offer him some ice cream and a seat.

*****

Go ahead, pimp whatever book you want:

The first book in my Lost Tales of power series is free on Amazon, and all major ebook stores. It a Space Opera (think Star Wars with stronger fantasy elements) that one reviewer compared to a cross between Rambo and Harry Potter.

Vydor is riding a wave of success, but now his ship, the Dragon Claw, is being sent to investigate a mysterious event deep within the Empire’s space. A secret research colony has fallen silent and the forces sent to investigate were never heard from again.

A new enemy has come to the Empire bringing with it dark powers that were abandoned long before the Empire was born. Powers that were thought to be legends and myths.

It’s up to Vydor to keep this force at bay and protect the Empire, but it may come at the cost of his faith and shake the foundations of the Empire itself.

The Lost Tales of Power is an open-ended series of Sci-Fi/Fantasy books set in a vast multiverse featuring a mixture of traditional fantasy and science fiction elements.

Lost Tales Series:
Volume I – The Enemy of an Enemy
Volume II – The Academy
Volume III – Rise of Shadows
Volume IV – Resurgence of Ancient Darkness
Volume V – The Sac’a’rith
Volume VI – Spectra’s Gambit
Volume VII – The Sac’a’rith: Rebirth
Volume VIII and beyond – TBA

*****

Vincent Trigili also just released the third book in The Silverleaf Chronicles.

Episode 1:  The Wanderer is free on Amazon and Episode 2:  Awakening and Episode 3:  The Hunters are both $.99

Episode one of The Silverleaf Chronicles follows the life of Silverleaf, a dragonmaster who was born into a world without dragons, and doomed to die as a madman alone in the wilderness until a young woman enters his life, and a mysterious army marches across the land destroying all in its path.

The Silverleaf Chronicles is the first season in The Dragonmasters and is made up of seven episodes, each around 70 pages in length:

Episode 0: The Storymaster (Sold as part of The Dragon Chronicles)
Episode 1: The Wanderer
Episode 2: Awakening
Episode 3: The Hunters
Episode 4: Traps – August 14 2015
Episode 5: Drac’nor – September 4 2015
Episode 6: Hope – September 25 2015
Season One Box Set: Episodes 0 – 6: November 13 2015

Season Two: The Elwyn Chronicles: coming in 2016.

I would like to thank Vincent Trigili for joining us today.  If you have any questions for comments please feel free to leave them below.

If you would like to learn more about Vincent and his books please visit his website and don’t forget to sign up for his newsletter where you can receive free stories and stuff.

If you enjoyed this interview and want to stay up to date with The Leighgendarium, follow me on Facebook or subscribe to the blog.

GIVEAWAY:  Vincent is going to giveaway 3 ebook copies of The Lost Tales of Power: Volumes 1-3.  All you need to do is answer one of the following questions in the comments below:
A penguin walks through that door right now wearing a sombrero. What does he say and why is he here?
or
If you could be any character in fiction, whom would you be?
I will take answers until 7/24/15 at midnight (EST) and I will announce the winners 7/25/15 at noon (EST).  I will announce the winners here and also on The Leighgendarium Facebook Page.