Life, Values & Legacy: Our Chat with Dominic Pistritto of Chesapeake, Virginia

We’re looking forward to introducing you to Dominic Pistritto. Check out our conversation below.

Hi Dominic, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
If I could say one thing that has brought an immense amount of joy to me lately, it would be the sole fact that my mother has finally overcome her ongoing battle with breast cancer. She had been diagnosed with breast cancer during the summer of 2025 and has undergone an immense number of testing, blood work and a surgery to remove the cancer. The fact that she is gaining her health back is more then enough joy for me and I continue to wake up everyday with the satisfaction that I have a warrior as a mother.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Dominic Pistritto. I am a science fiction author, filmmaker, and creative storyteller with a deep passion for exploring the intersection of imagination and reality. My work blends elements of marine biology, futurism, and human emotion to create stories that feel grounded yet exciting, ranging from universe spanning novels like Project Apex One to experimental prose such as the Writers Block series.

What makes my brand unique is that everything I create is driven by personal experience and curiosity. I grew up shaping ideas in classrooms, writing short pieces between shifts, and learning to challenge the boundaries of what a story can be. My storytelling voice has been shaped by years of experimentation, education, and persistence, and I combine old academics with a lifelong instinct for narrative.

I have already published four books and I am currently working on my fifth. I am continuing to grow my author brand and expand my creative portfolio across all genres of literature. My goal is to create science fiction that feels human first, stories that spark imagination while leaving readers with a sense of wonder and connection.

Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What relationship most shaped how you see yourself?
The relationship that most shaped how I see myself was the one I shared with my ex girlfriend. During a pivotal time in my life she helped me believe that my voice mattered and that my work as a writer had real value. She stood by me while I was pushing toward becoming an established author and she encouraged me when I doubted myself. Her support helped me build confidence not only in my writing but in who I was becoming as a person. Even though we are no longer together, I still recognize how much her belief in me helped fuel my growth and gave me the courage to pursue my goals without hesitation.

What fear has held you back the most in your life?
The fear that held me back the most in my life was the belief that I was never smart enough for many things. For years, I carried this quiet doubt that I did not have the intelligence or ability to succeed in anything meaningful. All of this was in part by teachers and instructors in elementary and middle school that made made me feel really stupid. I had been a slow learner my whole life. Being reminded over and over again that I should’ve been on the same level with my classmates was absurd looking backwards. However, now I have gained an appreciation for the man that I’ve become and the resilience necessary to overcome those seemingly never ending thoughts of self doubt which had been taught to me by those awful instructors. It made me second guess my ideas, my writing, and even the goals I wanted to reach. That fear slowed me down and kept me from stepping fully into my potential. Over time, I learned to challenge that belief and push through it, but it was one of the biggest internal battles I had to overcome.

I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
A project I am fully committed to, no matter how long it takes, is the Russian espionage story I have been developing for the past year. This is a project that has tested my patience, creativity and discipline more than anything I have written before. It is taking longer than I expected because the story demands a high level of precision and creative freedom. The characters are layered, the political landscape is intricate and every plot thread has to connect in a way that feels authentic and suspenseful. I do not want to rush it because I know how important the tone and pacing are in a story like this.
Even with the delays and the moments where I feel stuck, I refuse to give up on it. I believe the payoff will be worth every hour spent building this world and every page rewritten to get the tension right. This story represents a new level of ambition in my writing and I am committed to finishing it with the detail and intensity it deserves.

Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: Are you tap dancing to work? Have you been that level of excited at any point in your career? If so, please tell us about those days. 
Yes, I have absolutely had moments in my career where I felt that kind of pure excitement, the kind where you wake up ready to move, create and just dive headfirst into the day without hesitation. One of the strongest memories of that feeling came when my first novel, “The Marksman: A Knight’s Tale,” arrived at my doorstep for the very first time.

I remember the moment so clearly. The box sat on my porch, and even though it looked like any other package, I knew exactly what was inside. I took it inside, set it on the table, and for a minute I just stared at it because I could feel the weight of everything that led up to that moment. All the late nights, the rewrites, edits, the doubts, the moments where I wondered if any of it would matter, all of it rushed back at once.

When I finally opened the box and held the book in my hands, it did not feel real at first. Seeing my name printed on a book cover was surreal. It felt like a piece of my soul had been bound in paper and ink. I flipped through the pages, feeling the texture, smelling the new book scent, and thinking, I actually did this. I created something that exists in the real world now. That moment was one of the best of my life because it represented every dream I had while I was at Tidewater Community College wanting to become an author.

It was rewarding on a level that goes beyond accomplishment. It was validation. It was a reminder that my ideas mattered, that my story that I had carried around with me for so long could resonate with people outside my own head. It made me feel seen in a way I had never experienced before.

For days after that, I walked around with a level of excitement that stayed with me every time I looked at that book. It was the first real milestone in my writing career and it ignited a fire that has kept me going through every project since. It reminded me why I write and why I will continue writing no matter how hard the journey gets.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://dominicpistritto.com/
• Instagram: @dominic_pistritto_
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dominic.pistritto/