I have known G.A. for 10 years . I am very excited for the world to see his work of art . You can find G.A. on Facebook and Instagram and websites, gafino.com and theknightmares.com
The Knightmares will be available on Amazon for $19.99.
Jen: What made you realize you wanted to become a writer ?
GA : Being a writer was not what I set out to do when I was going through the formative age of “figuring it all out.” I had always been a huge fan of comic books and movies, and at some point in my life I decided I wanted to create my own; to put something back into the great pool of inspiration that inspired me. That initially started out as script writing, then into a comic book pitch, and finally, after exhausting several other avenues, I decided to write novels.
Jen: What was the inspiration for THE KNIGHTMARES?
GA: Without a doubt, my greatest inspiration for this novel was THE MONSTER SQUAD. That silly 80s movie was the birth of my love for horror. I have always been drawn to the idea of a group of innocents who must stand up to evil because nobody else will, and to do it with moxy and humor and a whole lot of fun. Also, Lovecraft, because nobody can claim to love real horror without having great affinity for his work.
Jen: What draws you to a horror genre?
GA: For me, horror represented a variety of things. I have always been drawn to the survival of going through something horrific, and the dichotomy of good versus evil. Classic horror was excellent at showing us the pitfalls of the human condition in the guise of monsters. Strip away all the supernatural elements, and vampires are just people struggling with addiction. Most of all, I think overcoming fear is the most appealing aspect of horror, and that we can survive anything…or, at least the final girl can survive anything, and the rest of us are just chum.
Jen: I’ve never looked at vampires that way . That’s a interesting point of view .
Jen :Have you faced any challenges while trying to pursue your passion?
GA: Many. The publishing world is difficult. You can try to break into the industry for years and fail every single time. I think its best to keep trying, to never give up, and to keep pursuing what you love. Improve, grow, and try again.
Jen : Everyone at The Horror Syndicate feels very strongly about backing independent art, books, film etc why is it important for people to support independent work in addition to big budget movies?
GA : I think it’s important to back Indies because that’s where the big budget media makers usually get their start. In addition to that, there are many of us who don’t want to be a part of big corporate media, and want to remain in the smaller venues and to have the fan interaction and the complete control of our vision.
Jen: Who do you admire as a writer?
GA: My first and forever favorite writer is Neil Gaiman. He can mix fantasy and horror together so seamlessly, and poetically, that I hope that I can have just a fifth of his word magic. I am also a huge fan of David Wong, known for his John Dies at the End trilogy, HP Lovecraft, and Joe Hill, son of the great Stephen King. I also appreciate King’s work, but I have found his son’s writing to have greater appeal to me.
Jen: Who do you admire as an artist?
GA;I have great love for Drew Struzan, who illustrated some of the greatest movie posters of the last 30+ years, including (my personal favorite) Big Trouble in Little China, Blade Runner, Harry Potter, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and more.
Jen: Who do you admire as a film maker?
GA:John Carpenter and Guillermo Del Toro. I have always loved all of Carpenter’s movies, especially Big Trouble in Little China, Prince of Darkness, and The Thing. As for Del Toro, to me nobody can create great, stylistic, modern day monsters as well as Del Toro.
Jen: I agree
Jen: Will you be attending any up coming conventions?
GA: As an exhibitor, I am planning to tour with my book, but I have not started to plan that out just yet. I hope to start Spring of 2019.
Jen: I can’t wait to see you display your work at conventions
Jen :You have the support of your family and friends how important is that to you and your work?
GA: THE KNIGHTMARES is essentially a love letter to my college friends. Each of them are represented in that book, and I feel like I wouldn’t have had adequate inspiration for the characters without them. My family and friends have been excellent in supporting me. I think when a family member suddenly says, “hi everyone, I want to be a writer now,” there is reason to have doubt and suspicion on their motivations and talents, but everyone has been great.
Jen: What is something that no one would know about you?
GA: When I was younger, I really wanted to be a special effects artist, or a puppeteer for Jim Henson.
Jen: I love Jim Henson
Jen: Would you consider making your book into a film?
Gino: Yes, but I think a series on Netflix would actually be a better place for it. I’d love to make have someone create a short film based on one of my short stories someday.
The Knightmares will be available on Amazon for $13.99.
It is important to support people and their dreams . Everyone starts somewhere . It takes an idea and the guts to try to pursue your passion .
GA is kind , compassionate , smart , talented and in many ways the under dog. It’s not easy to take a chance on a writing career when you have always had a stable 9-5 job. Just like every 80’s teen romance movie you will want to cheer GA on . Grab your tan trench coat , clash T-shirt, white high tops and boom box and cheer on GA because just like Loyd Dobler he will get the girl in the end or in this case his best selling book .
Until next time hugs and hisses
Jenny
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