John Pirillo

Wait till you read how many books John has published. In a word… Amazing!

Please, introduce yourself. Tell us about your personal life, family, education.

Hi everyone! My name is John Pirillo. I am a sci-fi, fantasy, and urban fantasy buff. I cut my teeth on Tarzan of the Apes, Casper the Ghost, and Superman as a young child thanks to my parents. I have always, always, always had a very vivid and deep imagination and the ability to take anything and spin a story out of it. I grew up with my nose in a book and didn’t take it out until I had my first child. A daughter. I raised her as a single father, worked three jobs for a time and went to school supporting her all at the same time. I was a fun Daddy-Mommy and loved all the precious time I had with her. Alas, our children grow, and move on to other fantasies to live.

I, however, having finished my Bachelor of Arts in Film, and later my Master of Fine Arts in Experimental Animation and Theater, decided to have a go at film making. All this, however, while I still had my daughter. But she did find a man. Eventually. And I found that time had turned the page on my film making career after a horrible accident where I was hit by a drug runner on my driver’s side and almost died. He has since gone on to jail on other charges for drug running. I have, however, changed my career to being an animator here in Vegas, and eventually a teacher, training young scamps and scampesses how to animate their hearts out and design cool 3D projects.

More of His Books

As I was winding down that career, the budding desire to write lit a match under me once more and I began writing seriously. My first real story I wrote at the age of ten. It was about an astronaut who snuck aboard a Sputnik to sabotage it so it wouldn’t deliver the death blow of a nuclear weapon it carried. Now, I was and am still working as a writer since 2013, part time and now full. To Mary’s surprise and many anothers, I have published over 1100 books on Amazon and almost as many more on a variety of other platforms like Smashwords, Draft to Digital and other not so well-known places. So, to put it bluntly, I am a tad prolific as a writer.

What do you like doing in your spare time?

Resting and meditating. My daughter, grandson and her baby and boyfriend live with me. So, I don’t get much rest with all of that going on.

If you are active in career fields other than writing, what do you hope for the future of that business? Describe your work or business activities in which you are presently active.

I am not actively engaged in anything other than writing at the moment, though in the past I almost made a 3D movie for Hollywood, and have written for Disney, Filmation, and a few other places professionally.

Do you have hobbies? How did you get started in them?

My biggest hobby is birds. I love them. I love pretty much all living things. But I have a pet cockatiel, who is sitting on my shoulder as I write now. Baby Baby. His name. I rescued him from his parents who ate their babies, until I saved him. I hope to eventually have a large enough place to have more sweet things like him. I love other beings like cats and dogs, but they are too much to take care of for me now.

If you are a writer, are you an avid reader?

I was an avid reader until the Pandemic hit and my eyes went sideways from the stress. I lost both my eyes to cataracts. It killed my writing career big time for about three years and only lately, since I had cataract surgery, have my eyes returned to normal. So now, look out books here I come!

What is your ultimate writing goal as you see it today?

To entertain and enlighten as many people as possible about how important it is to love yourself in the best sense of the word and to share our world lovingly with others.

What inspired you to write your first book?

Sherlock Holmes, T.H. White, Tolkien, Ray Bradbury, Jules Verne, H.G. Wells… well you get the drift. Pretty much anything I could get my hands on. I read the entire library’s fiction and non-fiction books when I lived in Los Angels as a young man.

How do you decide on the title of a book?

Sometimes I see it in my meditation or dreams, other times it just pops into my head. And way more times lately it comes when I design a cover for a book.

Have you developed a specific writing style and why?

I suppose I have. I do not look in a mirror and ask that question. I just love to write. I do not want to intellectualize it. Just enjoy the freedom of doing it.

How much of your books is realistic and experiences based on someone you know, or events in your life?

Pretty much all of it…even the monsters I write about. I’ve known quite a few monsters in my life… all human, unfortunately.

Who is your favorite writer, and what is it about their work that really strikes you?

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Edgar Rice Burroughs share the throne. Mystery and action.

Do you remember the first book you read?

Pretty much all the comic books rolled up into one massive reading book.

Is there an author, past or present, you would love to meet? Why?

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, because not only was he a brilliant writer, but also a man greatly

interested in spirituality… which I also am.

Dracula Too

If you could not write, how would you express what you wish to convey through any

stories?

I assume you mean if I were not blessed with the ability to write, how would I express myself. I already have in many ways. Being a loving father, teacher, artist, musician, composer, lover of nature, animals, birds, fish, oceans, rivers, and lakes, etc.

When you see new authors struggling, what single piece of advice could you give them on a moment’s notice?

Be patient with the world and especially yourself. Do it because you love it, not because you want to get rich. Life is not about money. Do not lose your soul to gain the world. Writing should be something you love so deeply you want to share it with the world to make it happier and thus yourself as well.

I write because I love it. I meditate because it spreads love to me and others. I teach meditation