Featured Interview With Lou Silluzio
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
My name is Lou Silluzio and I immigrated to Australia from Italy in 1957 when I was nine. I live in Melbourne with my beautiful wife, Roberta. I am a proud father of three and an even prouder grandfather of six.
Following a very successful career in building and real estate, a health scare convinced me to pursue my long-held dream of becoming a writer. I also wanted to leave a legacy for my grandchildren and so my children’s series was born.
I have written nine children’s books all based on the true-life adventures of my grandchildren. I hope my tales will impart life lessons for young readers.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I’ve loved books for as long as I’ve been able to read! But I only began writing much, much later in life. As I’ve noted above, a health scare propelled me to pursue my dream of becoming a Children’s Book author. I also wanted to leave something for my grandchildren that was special and personal to them. What better way than to take a story from each of their lives and tell it in a picture book. I also wanted to make sure the stories had lessons in them that other children can learn from. For example, I have two grandchildren who had very different attitudes to dogs – one was terrified of them and one terrified them! I wrote written two books about their journeys to understanding dogs and becoming friends with them, one entitled ‘Felix and Jedi’ and one ‘Camillia and Chilli’. These two titles should be out by Christmas.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
At the moment, I’m reading ‘Fifty Great Short Stories’, compiled by Milton Crane. Some wonderful authors feature in this book including Hemingway, O’Hara, Steinbeck and Joyce to name a few. The writing is like eating the finest piece of dark, Belgian chocolate.
I draw inspiration from many authors but in particular an Australian Children’s Book author by the name of Anna Walker. She not only influenced me but also helped and guided me into the world of becoming a Children’s Book author.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
I wrote the book ‘Max, The Boy Who Didn’t Believe in Christmas’ after my son told me a story about his son. He had decided that Santa Claus wasn’t real and was trying to convince his other siblings this was the case. He tried to stay up to catch the real Santa but I won’t reveal any more as I wouldn’t want to spoil the book! Suffice to say this delightful tale will help parents deal with the inevitable question ‘Is Santa real?’ in a thoughtful and inspiring way.
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