Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
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.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
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.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’m not sure if getting up at 5 am is an unusual writing habit but that is the time when I am most creative and productive. I tend to fade at night.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
An Australian Children’s Book author by the name of Anna Walker not only influenced me but also helped and guided me into the world of becoming a Children’s Book author.
What are you working on now?
At the moment, I am working on a book focused on helping men understand how they can heal prostate cancer naturally. I was unlucky enough to have had it not once, not twice but yes, you guessed it, three times! When it came back for the third time, I decided to do things a little differently by looking at my diet and lifestyle. Throughout that journey, I believe I learnt how to beat it naturally.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I use a variety of methods to promote my books. I try to get air time on radio media as well in traditional newspapers and magazines. I personally visit bookstores to show them my titles and also heavily promote my books on social media plus my website http://lousilluzio.com/ .
I also have a You Tube site where I post short clips describing each of my books and the inspiration behind each one – see http://bit.ly/1SpRYu4 .
I also love doing book readings at schools and bookstores as that is when I receive my greatest reward; seeing children respond to my stories and even getting a few handshakes thrown in at the end!
One other avenue I’ve found success with is promoting my books to child entertainment play centres.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
The best advice I can give new authors is to shadow someone successful to see what they do. Copy them but try to do it better! Most importantly, put pen to paper and write like crazy at every opportunity.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
In my many years on this planet, I’ve come across a lot of pearls of wisdom. But if I can be cheeky enough, I’d like to quote something I wrote one day when I was reflecting on advice I would give my children and grandchildren::
“I don’t remember when I was born. Death I haven’t experienced yet. All I know is I’m here now and right up until my used by date comes, I’m going to shake that tree of life until every leaf falls off.”
One should never wait – get shaking!
What are you reading now?
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.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Of course, my dream is for the world to be aware of my books. I’m travelling to the largest book fair in the world in April next year in Bologna, Italy. I’m hopeful I can secure contracts with Italian or European publishers so that my books can be distributed throughout Europe which is where I am from originally.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I would choose books that provide the following information:
• A book on survival
• A book on how to build a boat
• A book on how to play a musical instrument made from materials naturally found on a deserted island
• A book on natural medicine
Author Websites and Profiles
Lou Silluzio Website
Lou Silluzio Amazon Profile
Lou Silluzio’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account