Dario Giardi’s debut novel is a sweeping and magical tale that came to him directly from his dreams. The author shares insights into his passion for writing and more below.

YOUNG ADULT: What made you decide to start writing?
Dario Giardi: I love writing for so many reasons. I love the way my pen hits the paper. I love how I can express myself and my beliefs without actually saying them outright. I love describing characters and settings, forming them into something you can see and feel. I love developing these characters into real people with feelings and emotions. I love creating a world that you can envision, that you can breathe in, that you can live in through the words.

 

YA: Tell us a little bit about your latest work.
DG: Adudan is my debut novel.
The story comes to life during sleep and in the dreams of Marcel Guivarch, a Breton writer who is able to immerse himself in the memory of an ancestral past. In this land which lies between dreams and reality, the protagonist starts to become fully aware of his true identity and of his mission. Through the visions that a mysterious civilization manages to send him, he traces his life backwards until he discovers that he was Railen, a guardian chosen by princess Adudan, the only sovereign left to rule the planet Atlas after the death of her father.  For Marcel, these visions are the first pieces of a story that traces its roots back into time.

 

YA: What are some of the qualities in your latest work that set it/you apart from what’s currently our there on the young adult market?
DG: Adudan comes from my dream journeys. Many call them astral travel. The creative drive always starts with an image. I wake up, I take notes on the images that my imagination has produced … everything comes from them. If there is a strong emotion behind that image, I do not take it into account. In what I write, there is always a profound message I like to convey and I think that in this sense Adudan concveys many. My writing is something that goes beyond the pages.
Adudan is an urban fantasy which I think is very innovative and special for the message it contains, but I’ll leave you to judge for yourselves.

YA: Can you describe the path to getting this work published? What were the challenges? What was easy about it? DG: I have decided to take a gamble with self-publishing on the Amazon platform. America is the land of opportunity. Self-publishing has made many dreams come true. I’m sure it’s a positive sign of changing times and of the direct power that new technologies give readers, bypassing the old, traditional publishing system to give a voice to what for me is the only criterion for publishing success: the public.

YA: What were your specific influences for this book? Films, literature, other stories?
DG: Everything comes from my dreams.
I also love the movie The Lake House and its magical and dreamy atmosphere. The Lake House is about possibilities and impossibilities and the decisions we make on our way to finding the right person.

YA: If you could cast the Dream Film Adaptation of your work, who would you cast?  
DG: Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock represent the perfect cast for an Adudan film adaptation.

YA: If you hadn’t become an author, what path would your career have perhaps taken?
DG: I work as a researcher in the fields of environment and energy, although my true passion is writing.

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