Vivid dreams help Bethel Park author create superhero series
Some people seem to have a hard time remembering their dreams, but not Dominic A. Bianco. His dreams are so vivid and exciting, he’s turned them into a fictional series of superhero books.
Back in 2012, Bianco had a series of recurring dreams in which he leaped from rooftop to rooftop and skyscraper to skyscraper in Downtown Pittsburgh, much like Spiderman. Excited by their persistence, he began sketching how a superhero would dress, act and talk, and Angelo Drake, a.k.a. The Apparition, was born.
“When I finished writing the book, I really had no intention of (publishing or) releasing it,” he said. “I wanted to keep it for my nephews to read, or someday my own kids to read, but at my family’s insistence and after some editing, I decided to release the book on Thanksgiving 2013.”
Bianco, 31, of Bethel Park, published the book independently through createspace, a writer’s tool offered by Amazon. To get the word out about the book, he relied heavily on social media and the marketing company DTE, run by his sister, Samantha Lee.
Currently working as a financial correspondent for Novitas Solutions, a center for Medicare and Medicaid services, Biano began writing the book while studying journalism at California University of Pennsylvania.
As the reader turns through the 200 or so pages of “The Apparition Saga,” they learn that the superhero’s powers evolve over time. Early on, he’s strong and super fast, but he’s also adept at telekinesis and telepathy. After encountering an ancient artifact called the trifecta, he gains the ability to fly, read minds and create force fields to foil his foes.
Within a month of its release, the book sold over 250 copies, and, when Bianco took another 250 to Steel City Con, a pop culture convention held in Monroeville, he sold out. To date, he guestimates that the book has sold close to 1,000 copies in print and digitalized versions at $12.95 and $2.99 respectively.
Although Bianco describes his superhero in the book and has sketched “tons” of different versions of the character, he doesn’t include images of the protagonist in the book. A visual of the superhero doesn’t even appear on the book’s cover, which depicts Downtown Pittsburgh with the image of a phoenix superimposed over it.
All that might change in a couple of weeks when he finishes his website and adds some of his sketches in an effort to get some readership feedback.
So far, Bianco has had book signings at Rickert & Beagle Books in Dormont and New Dimension Comics at the Century III Mall. He’s also been asked to speak at Bethel Park High School’s creative writing class, its newspaper team and an English class. He’s also spoken to a young adult reading group at the Bethel Park Public Library and did a spot on the library’s local access television.
This year, audiobook released the book in audible form with voice actor, Rick Waldmiller of Michigan, providing the narrative. In the same month as the audio release, several copies of the book were sold in Australia.
Last November, a sequel to the book titled “Apparition Saga: Rising Son,” was released and introduces a superhero sidekick named Dominic Perri. Bianco said the new 310-page sequel is “bigger and more involved” than its predecessor.
“Originally, I envisioned writing a three-book series, but now I can see it going to four or five,” he said.
Besides Amazon.com, copies of the books are available for purchase at Penguin Books in Sewickley and Rickert & Beagle Books, located on West Liberty Avenue in Dormont.
In addition to his job at Novitas Solutions, Bianco is also studying for an MBA at Point Park University. A self-proclaimed avid fan of the arts, he’s also passionate about writing, drawing and sculpting. When asked how he manages to find time to do all this and write books as well he said he’s able to get by on a few hours sleep.
“That and a lot of coffee,” he added jokingly.