Thank you, I appreciate having this opportunity to tell my story here. One of the biggest problems I faced in my career was changing my career from illustrator to author. I’ll tell you more about that later. I will tell you now that I never originally intended on becoming a published author. In spite of my love for writing, the thought of having my work published seems like such an intimidating thing. I like the comfort of my own little world. Plus promoting is something I’ve never really been that good at, but I’m trying to learn how to be more effective and I’m always open to suggestions so I can learn more about getting my book out there.

Another reason I wasn’t looking to put my book into the public forum is because—it’s very public. To me the word public equals an unsavory chaos I generally try to avoid. I’m not suggesting I have animosity towards others, but the outside world can be a very daunting place for a person such as myself that’s neurodivergent. Many people don’t know what being neurodivergent is or the struggle one has being neurodivergent. For my perception, I can sum up what being neurodivergent by simply stating that my own mind works against me. Therefore, if I’m not careful, it can be alienating. I don’t want to be alienated. That’s why I made the choice to publish my book. I feel that an artist has the responsibility to share their work with the world. I’ve been touched by other people’s works of art—I feel it would be an act of hypocrisy if I didn’t share what I’ve created. It’s a beautiful thing connecting with others. I would be a coward if I let my fears get in the way of that.

I think my biggest fear right now is that when I publish this summer, no-one will see it. The idea of something I’ve worked on so hard and for so many years to go unacknowledged, that’s terrifying.

Sure, I’d be delighted to. Well, to introduce myself, I’m Christopharo and I’m a FantaSci author & illustrator. FantaSci is just a fancy way of saying fantasy and science fiction. As to some background about me, I should take this opportuny to tell you about my journey from a professional illustrator to author.

It all started from a wild and vivid imagination…

As a child, I would see visions of strange creatures and events that some would consider supernatural and others believed was the product of an overactive imagination. Perhaps it was a little of both. Regardless, to this day, my imagination still runs wild, but is typically restricted to the confines of my lucid dreams or the stories and artworks I create.

My imagination also has guided me through an adventurous career, in which I became a professional artist in the entertainment industry. I contracted my services to various movie studios, tv networks, and other exciting companies. For a time, I was even an illustrator at a toy company where I worked on comic books and action figures.

After my experience in the toy and product industries, I decided to design and develop my own toy line based on my love for fantasy and arcade machines. However, after numerous rejections from various companies (due to cost restrictions), I considered trying a different approach. I thought that it would be fun to make the driving concept behind my toy line into a short story. And this is how I went from illustrator to author, because the short story I intended to write turned out not to be that short after all. The story (I now call Arcade Dawn) has expanded to a series of books—and has proved to be one of the most difficult ventures I’ve embarked on.

As a child I loved hearing and telling stories. But I found drawing and painting were a much simpler way for me to tell my stories than to write them. Plus, struggling with Dyslexia and ADHD, made it difficult to want to write. And so, the visual arts were my creative outlet. It wasn’t until after I graduated high school, when personal computers became more accessible that I began dabbling into writing. That was because I still had a void to fill from an almost all consumable passion that drove me to create. I had stories in my head that had to be told. That’s why much of my work revolves around passion, how it drives us. It’s what I relate to. Probably because I come from a family of crazy Italians and I’m a Pisces sign on the cusp of Aries.

My novel, Arcade Dawn and the Curse of Redgrave, combines elements that I love such as arcades, coming of age tales, romance, adventure, and a world of magical creatures. There are themes in my story that I feel are still relevant today: equality, diversity, and empowerment. There’s not really a lot of stories I can compare Arcade Dawn to, but I feel that people who love Netflix’s Stranger Things and Ghostbusters Afterlife are sure to enjoy this story as well.

Writing Arcade Dawn has been a labor of love. So much has happened in my life since I stared writing it—I’m still not sure how I was able to complete it. However, four years and a baby later, I’m proudly embracing my roles as a father and an author. Arcade Dawn is a romantasy novel for young adults and slated to be published this coming summer. In addition, I’m creating the artwork for my book cover which feel like a good marriage of my passion for written and visual arts. It’s like things have come full circle in a way.

I’m also excited to mention that I have a new audio and readable series (also titled Arcade Dawn) that’s based on my novel. It will be featured as episodes that you can experience on my website. Just imagine, meeting the person of your dreams… but there was a fantaclysm that only you and your friends could stop. Would you choose love or what’s expected of you? To learn more, visit https://www.arcadedawn.stream

People will have the choice to read or listen to the first season for free and it’s scheduled to debut this May of 2024!

The most rewarding aspect of being a writer/artist is the opportunity to escape into a zone where the conscience and subconscious align. It’s like a waking dream where anything can happen. When everything aligns right and I’m able to create something that knocks my socks off, I love sharing that experience with others. That connection is a reward in itself. I think we as people are designed to be that way, ever since the dawn of humankind when early modern humans lived their eternal experience while gathered around the firepits, telling stories and painting on the caves for connection and entertainment. We’ve come a long way from the caves—but the concept is still the same, now movies and media are the modern campfires and the artists and writers are the storytellers and cave painters.

Years ago, I came across the Power of Myth series by Joseph Campbell. It changed my life. I had always heard of the philosophy that ‘we are all connected to one another’. I love how the series dives deeper to demonstrate exactly as to why. Joseph Campbell does an amazing job uncovering how we are connected through the physical and metaphysical worlds as he takes us through a journey of examples throughout history and time. The Power of Myth opened me up to a greater appreciation of world culture and a thirst to learn more. One of the big philosophies Campbell teaches is to follow one’s bliss. Following my bliss has been adopted as one of my cornerstone principles to my mantra of business. It’s the underlying motivator that helped me to shift from professional illustrator to author.