Today I am interviewing Thomas Gondolfi, author of the science fiction novel, Toy Wars and the CorpGov Chronicles.
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DJ: Hey Thomas Thanks for stopping by to do this interview!
For readers who aren’t familiar with you, could you tell us a little about yourself?
Thomas Gondol: Wow, way to put a person on the spot. I’m a father of three grown children, loving husband and I think a Renaissance man. My wife calls me a certified flirt (who would be the organization that would control that?). I’ve been a board and role play gamer for pretty much all of my life.
DJ: What is Toy Wars about?
Thomas: Toy Wars is a story where a 2m-tall, purple, robotic teddy bear is the only sentient being on a distant planet. He was created as a desperate experiment as his “mother” is losing a war against other killer toys.
DJ: What were some of your influences for Toy Wars?
Thomas: I used to play a board game called “Panzer Leader.” It has cardboard chits to represent platoon level groups in WWII. One day I was pulling a destroyed unit off the board wondering what that paper chit or imaginary platoon thought of the made-up war they fought. In the background a Looney Toon was playing. It didn’t take my twisted mind long to combine the two. Toys fighting wars. Toy Wars.
DJ: Could you briefly tell us a little your main characters? Do they have any cool quirks or habits, or any reason why readers with sympathize with them?
Thomas: The purple teddy bear is alone with no one to teach him about being alive. None of the other toys at the beginning of the book are sentient. He begins life being very dogmatic like the robot that he is but he is feeling things his user’s manual says can’t happen. He must learn about the emotions we take for granted while he is trying to save his way of life. He eventually names himself Don Quixote as he thinks he might be just a bit insane and feels his quest is perhaps impossible. Continue reading