5 Minutes With Theo Vigo

 Could you tell the readers a little bit about yourself?

Hi everyone! My name is Theo. I'm twenty-six and live at home with my mom and brother in Toronto, Canada. I've been a pretty casual reader throughout my life. I would mostly read what I was assigned in class and a few books for leisure on the side. During late high school and college, I spent most of my time in song writing rather than literary works. My reading habit truly blossomed after my dad passed away in 2006. I started reading spiritual books, then business books, books about life and a random collect of fiction. I also started to do a lot more creative writing that eventually lead to the completion of my first full length zombie adventure novel, Our Undead.

Do you prefer the term Horror, Weird Fiction or Dark Fiction?

I prefer Horror. It just sounds right, and I think it’s a much more powerful way to describe the genre. Instead of using two words, one that maybe isn't descriptive enough and one that is a given, just use one distinct title. Horror. Boom. Perfect.

Who are some of your favourite authors?

I don't so much have favourite authors as I do favourite books. In my current collection, I am most likely to re-read "The 4-Hour Workweek" by Timothy Ferriss, "The Monsters Of Templeton" by Lauren Groff, or "The Slight Edge" by Jeff Olson. Some of my favourite stories growing up were Great Expectations, Goosebumps and Archie comics.

What are you reading now?

Right now I am reading a book called, "A Treatise On White Magic" by Alice Bailey. According to Wikipedia, it was published in 1934 and is a fun esoteric text, which Bailey said was dictated telepathically by the Tibetan Master, Djwal Khul. So far it's pretty entertaining and educational. I figure if we all lived in the Star Wars dimension, I would most likely be a Jedi and not a Sith Lord, so white magic has caught my interest.

How would you describe your writing style?

As I said earlier, my understanding and skills in song writing grew stronger before that of my creative writing skills. That being said, I think that my writing style is on the lyrical side. It is very descriptive and sometimes poetic, probably because I'm so used to writing lyrics for songs. But it's hard to judge myself. I'm not quite sure, so you tell me.

Describe a typical day spent writing. Do you have any unusual writing habits?

When I was in the process of writing Our Undead, I was truly an author. I wrote everyday. I had to write everyday, because I had set a goal that I had to accomplish, that being to finish writing a book before 2012 came to an end. I started in May of that year and finished the first draft in October. When I started writing, I was naïve about the amount of work it takes to release a finished written piece, and strenuous editing and revisions followed the completion of the first draft, so I didn't get to release it before 2012 ended. However, I did get to release it in February this year, and it came down to getting up everyday and working on Our Undead with every free moment I had to spare in the day. I would always have my laptop with me, always close. There was no secret to it, just hardcore, straight up, writing and revising everyday like an obsessive little writing nymph. It's almost frightening to think that I'm going to do it again.

What’s your favourite food?

My favourite food is… urgh… if I have to choose JUST one, like last meal type thing, I choose… spaghetti with sweet ground beef tomato sauce.

What’s your favourite album?

Another hard one this is… Okay. Desert island. I can only take ONE album… I would take The Red Album. It's a compilation album of The Beatles songs from 1962-1966. I feel like I can get a little piece of every genre from them. It’s a two-disk set with 26 tracks, but that counts right??

What’s the most important lesson you have learned about writing?

Two things. First, I have learned that you must sit down and write. The hardest part is sitting down, making the time and quieting your mind long enough to let the ideas start flowing. You really have to get all of the extra noise out of your mind, and then just write what comes. The second big thing I learned is that YOU ALMOST CAN'T REVISE ENOUGH. Seriously, it's like, intense. If you are writing you're first novel, you'll see what I mean, and anyone who has already written one knows.

Fame and fortune, or respect?

Neither choice is really good without a little mix of the others, but since I must choose between the two, I choose fame and fortune. Why? I guess I'm just hoping that the fortune part makes up for the lack of respect I'd be getting. Plus, it kind of sounds like more fun.

What piece of your own work are you most proud of?

I'm most proud of the first work I've completed, Our Undead. Breaking it down, in that project I am most proud of the characters I was able to develop. It's weird. I've spent so much time with them in my mind that I feel like I have been getting to know them, much like any new reader would. I think I'm most proud of that, that I've created a living world with characters that have and continue (in a way) to take on a life of their own.

Can you tell us about your last book, and can you tell us about what you are working on next?

"OUR UNDEAD: Abe" is my debut eNovel. Available for sale in the Amazon Kindle Store and other online retailers. It's a dark but fun(ny) story for young adults and those who enjoy action and adventure with a zombie twist. It's got 28 juicy chapters and was really fun to come up with and re-live. I hope it is just as much fun for others.

I have a strong sense of what I am going to do next when it comes to another project in literature, but I don't want to get into it or give anything away. Just know that I am casually working on something. At the same time, I'm letting my inner musician resurface, so if you like some of that good old pop-punk music, keep an ear out for some new music later this year. Thank you GNOH for having me, and thank you all for reading!

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