Meet: Vinny DiGirolamo
Vinny DiGirolamo is one of a growing number of LDS authors who are self-publishing their works. He
is the author of Principles with Promise series, On Common Ground: Bridging the Mormon Evangelical Divide, and Grace Divine (see http://www.celestinepublishing.com). He writes Scriptural Reference, Topical Non-Fiction, and as you can see, chooses challenging topics for his subjects.
Vinny DiGirolamo, originally from Bay Shore, NY, joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1976 while attending the United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD. He is the author and publisher of Grace Divine, On Common Ground: Bridging the Mormon Evangelical Divide, and the Principles with Promise series. Vinny has been previously published in the Church News, Ensign and New Era magazines.
Vinny is married to Dana Lynn Nielsen of Bountiful, Utah. They have eleven children between them and both serve in the Raleigh, North Carolina Stake. He currently is the Gospel Doctrine teacher in the Falls Lake Ward and has previously served as a Seminary teacher.
Vinny served in the United States Navy first as a Carrier Onboard Delivery (COD) pilot, and then flew the EC-130 and E-6 strategic command and control aircraft. He supported strategic and Presidential communications programs at the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense and on the staff of the Chief of Naval Operations at the Pentagon. He taught Information Systems Management courses at the University of Maryland University College (UMUC) and was the first Senior Fellow to the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association (AFCEA).
He is currently President of Applied Science International, LLC and TSNStudios, LLC; busy changing the known built world and several other industries. Vinnie lives in North Carolina in the United States.
Now let's get to know Vinny in his own words:
Tell us about your family.
Yours, Mine & Ours. I raised three boys and a girl and my wife raised four boys before we met. We adopted three girls from Russia who are still in their youth. We have a son currently serving on a mission in Portland, Oregon. Three of our children currently work for me.
What is your non-writing career?
Nuclear Command and Control, Presidential Airborne Communications, currently President of Applied Science International, LLC and TSNStudios, LLC.
What's the coolest job you've ever had?
Carrier Pilot
Any hobbies in that busy life of yours?
Writing and Painting with Acrylics
Let's talk about your writing work. First, Where do you write?
At my desk in my home office.
What's on your desk?
Camera, Calculator, Index Cards, Piles of Important Papers, Soft light lamp, Learn Basic Chinese Mandarin program, a box of Good & Plenty, etc...
You write your rough drafts on a computer, but have you always done it that way?
No – I grew up with technology, handwritten to typewriter to computer.
What kind of writing do you wish you could do?
Fictional Stories that grab the reader for the series.
Why?
If you can evoke the emotional response in readers (touch them in some way) where they don’t put down your book… what a great compliment that would be. But thinking about it, if one can write a book that causes a person to change their ways for good – now that is what is really important and that is the mark of a successful writer in my book.
How do people tend to react upon learning you write?
I am an engineer by trade and people don’t equate writing to engineering very easily… “you do what?”
When did you first start to think of yourself as a writer?
When I submitted my first articles to the Church News and they used it in their self help section.
Tell us how you first became published.
Church News, then Ensign, then New Era, then by the Naval Postgraduate School, then AFCEA… then self published.
Describe a turning point in your writing life.
When I finished twenty five years of research and cataloging that lead to the printing of Principles with Promise: for Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
Did you ever have a mentor?
Yes. Rulon Burton, Author and Publisher of We Believe.
How did your mentor help you?
He recognized the Spirit of what I was doing and not only encouraged me along the way, he became a personal friend and guided me through the process. He helped me believe in the value of what I was doing and shared my interest in providing a quality reference book for Latter-day Saints. Our stories are very similar.
Why do you write?
I write because it has provided a way for me to keep me in the scriptures continually and out of trouble.
What motivates you?
Great desires to share what I believe, have faith in or know to be true.
What do you hope your writing will do?
Improve the human condition through a greater understanding of the principles that govern life and salvation.
What process do you follow when you write?
I start with an outline of topic areas or one liners that evoke a thought I can write about.
Do you let anyone see your work before it's finished?
I shared Grace Divine when it was only 15 pages and the feedback was wonderful – that motivated me to write more, and as I wrote more, I learned more and wrote even more…
Does it matter to you where you do your writing?
Yes. I like to control the mood and music during my writing and studies.
When do you write?
Mostly between 4 and 7 AM, or 9-10 PM so as to not interfere too much with family time – sometimes I steal a weekend of writing to meet a self imposed deadline.
What do you do with your children while you write?
They occasionally hang out and read, color or write themselves. They just like being near sometimes even if I am focused on the next book.
What would make you feel you had reached the top of your career?
If Principles with Promise became an approved church reference book for missionaries and teachers, Grace Divine’s perspective was enlarged upon by other scriptorians, and On Common Ground improved relations with the Evangelical community.
Did you enjoy reading as a child?
I did not do much reading in my youth sadly. My favorite books include – Jonathan Livingston Seagull and Man of La Mancha. I am not well read – the scriptures is where I have spent most of my reading hours. Now I am almost too busy writing about life that I only have time to read self-help books for my profession and spiritual growth.
Have you ever considered writing for children?
My kids say I should write for them because my books are too boring J
Does your writing tend to have a theme--something special you like people to draw from it?
Yes. Each of my books has a specific purpose or theme. If they apply themselves to understanding, I believe each publication has the potential of giving them a positive perspective change.
Why did you choose self-publishing for your books?
Publishers work with distributors and distributors sell to book stores. If you use a publisher, your percentage is small. If you self-publish there is literally no risk for the distributor and the success of your book is solely on your shoulders financially. So for now, despite the fact that distributors have asked for my books, the only way to afford the opportunity is to self-publish with print on demand capabilities (no inventory required).
What are you working on now?
I have several other books in draft stages. I am not sure which one will make it out first. Yes – they are more of the same kind of books I have written. All three publications are a universal shift in thinking worth considering (i.e., pride, tender mercies). For starters answer this question, what is grace? If it is so important to our salvation, we should know a lot more than we do…. Grace Divine is that kind of book… the next book will redefine Websters J
What advice do you have for new writers?
Line up all of your writing projects and select the one that you will benefit most by pursuing… not in monetary terms, but in some area where it will really make a difference in your life. Principles with Promise was that for me. Grace Divine was a byproduct of that journey as will be the next few I publish.
What surprised you about being a writer?
At some point you have to take a position on the topic you are writing about. You can’t be wishy washy and take too many sides.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of self-publishing?
You can do it your way. Disadvantages? You have a lot to learn about doing it your way and even more to learn about getting the word out there.
What are your favorite promotional methods?
I use primarily press releases and book reviews. I still have a lot to learn about marketing books, but suspect you have to have some expendable resources to make it happen.
Do you ever write for free?
My first book was free for AFCEA – a not-for-profit professional organization.
Do you have a favorite book/website/resource for writers you'd like to share?
Lulu.com is a print on demand service that I use and is very automated and responsive to my publishing and revision process, etc.
What advice do you have for people writing LDS books?
Writing a book for LDS is like teaching the adult Gospel Doctrine class… what you say has to stand up to the scrutiny of revealed truth and a lot of smart people or else you will be told where it doesn’t. Let your work add to what we already have and not just rehash what we already know – get people to think about what you are saying.
How does the gospel influence your career?
It provides the framework for the way I work, think, plan and act.
If you write for a general, non-LDS audience, how does the gospel influence your writing?
It has to measure up to true principles. Why write something meaningful on a false notion? I like to stick to principles of truth as a starting point.
How I Came to Write: LDS Authors for Young Adults
