T.J. Champitto
T.J. Champitto is the author of The Medina Device and The Shadowmaker. In 2020, Champitto was given the PenCraft Award for Literary Excellence, the Maxy Award for Best Thriller, and was a finalist for the Silver Falchion Award. Born in Troy, New York, the author currently resides in Greenville, South Carolina with his wife and two dogs.
Twitter: @tjchampitto
Instagram: @tjchampitto
Are there particular films that have influenced your writing?
Yes, absolutely. I remember drafting my latest novel, The Shadowmaker, and my mind kept circling back to the movie, The Usual Suspects directed by Bryan Singer, and I really wanted to have this shocking moment at the end of the book similar to the film—this moment where the reader just sits there, mouth agape, realizing that the entire time there was something else happening behind the curtain, some elaborate plan that nobody could possibly see coming. So yeah, that definitely inspired me to try and capture that element of mystery that made the closing scene of that film so powerful.
Is there a work of art that you love? Have you ever visited it in person?
Rembrandt’s "The Storm on the Sea of Galilee", which he painted in 1633, is one of my all-time favorites. Unfortunately, it was stolen from a Boston museum in 1990, never to be seen again, and of course, I never got to see it with my own eyes. My hope is that someday it will resurface and the world can once again enjoy its beauty.
Are you a collector? If so, what do you collect and why?
I collect first edition novels. Mostly classics, but also books by some of my favorite modern authors. It started about twelve years ago when I was trying to fill the shelves of my office library. I went to a thrift store and stumbled upon a first edition copy of Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. I was in shock that such a prize was just sitting there, covered in dust, with a $2 sticker on the cover. It felt like I stole the damn thing, and I was hooked from that moment on.
If you could create a museum exhibition, what would be the theme?
Wow, that’s a tough one. I’d say it would an exhibit based on the human history of storytelling. It would start with life-size models of early man telling stories around a fire, then move to cave art and hieroglyphs, and eventually bring us to modern times; film, social media, literature and theatre. Yeah, that sounds like it would be pretty cool but I have to imagine that exhibit already exists somewhere.
Do you speak a second language? Does it influence your writing?
I speak Italian and I absolutely fell in love the language years ago. In terms of the influence it has on my writing, I guess I tend to include Italian locations in my story settings, as well as background characters who speak it. As a writer, you can’t go overboard with something like that, though, and it has to be done in a way that non-Italian speaking readers can still follow. So there’s definitely a fine line to walk when sprinkling foreign languages into a novel, but when done correctly, it can certainly add an element of intrigue and authenticity to a story.
