About Dario Nustrini
EARLY BEGINNINGS
Born and raised in West Auckland, I first fell in love with stories when my aunt bought me The BFG for my seventh birthday.
I read the whole thing in a week (my first serious solo reading endeavour) and fell down the rabbit hole of written fiction. I devoured all things Dahl, and started looking for juicier, thicker books to attack. Cut to a few years later, where I discovered The Hobbit and fantasy as a genre, and it wasn’t long before I spent my spare time writing cheesy little knock-offs myself.
THE SPARK OF INSPIRATION
Inspiration can strike from the most unexpected places. For me, it often comes from my observations of our world and where we might be heading as a species. My stories have a bit of a cynical, dystopian flavour to them that most millennials will be able to laugh/cry along with.
JOURNEY INTO WRITING
I spent six years in the army, writing almost nothing creative. But once I’d done my time, I went to Auckland Univeristy and got a degree in creative writing. From there, I’ve worked as a copywriter, collaborated on two seasons of Shortland Street, and finally got my publishing deal in 2023 to print a collection of stories from my time in the NZ army. After a lifetime of devouring almost exclusively fiction, and coming up with dozens of fantasy and sci-fi plots, I never once imagined that my first published work would be a book about me. But here we are, and I’m super excited for it to be out in the world.
SIGNATURE STYLE
My signature style? Wherever elaborate science fiction concepts meet very un-serious sarcasm, that’s what I’d call my style. But occasionally, I’ll try my hand at writing something to make you cry. You have been warned.
INFLUENCE AND INSPIRATION
I’m influenced by almost everything I read, but there are three authors that I read consistently that give me the urge to go out and get words on a page. In no particular order: I love Tolkien for his imagination, Adams for his sarcasm and wit; and Pratchett for his characters. Those three continuously write lines and paragraphs that roll around in my head for days at a time.
FUTURE ENDEAVORS
ANOTHER BOOK is what the future holds. ‘What’s it called?’ I hear you say, ‘What’s it about?’ You may ask. No idea, but it’s coming. Piece by piece, draft by draft.
In the meantime, enjoy my sporadic offerings of short stories as they occur to me.
