Anthony E. Ventrello Author

Anthony E. Ventrello:

A Biography

 

Anthony E. Ventrello was born in 1974 in the small Indiana town of Rensselaer. He started writing at a young age and participated in the Young Author's program while in elementary school. During middle school he started to write poetry as well as prose. He wrote several short stories, poems, and even tried to write a full length novel about Alexander Hamilton while in high school. In college he continued to write, but didn't publish until 1999. That year he published his first book "Bloody Kisses: The Trials and Tribulations of Anton the Vampire" under the pen name Archie E. Ouglie. A year later he published a Christian Living/Autobiography called "Straying from the Wrong Path" which is now out of print. It took him several years to publish again, having married in 2002 starting a family. He published his first poetry anthology called "Of Tears, Passion and Hope" which contains 25 years of poetry. He co-wrote and illustrated a Children's book with his daughter JoAnna in 2014 called "The Haunted Carnival: An Emily and Louise Mystery". His second poetry anthology "Hope for Tomorrow, Lessons from Yesterday" came out in 2015.
In 2015, Mr. Ventrello decided to write only E-books, as he wanted to make his books more available to people and to help the environment. Early in 2016 he published "Bride of Blood: First Kiss", a Gothic/Vampire Romance novel, which was a re-imagined and re-telling of "Bloody Kisses" his first book from 1999. It will be the first in a trilogy. It was the first time he worked with two editor friends of his named Stacey and Petrina of New Zealand. The book's controversial cover and no-holds-barred erotic content have helped it to develop a cult following.
For many years Mr. Ventrello has wanted to write fantasy, and his latest release called "The Willow Arboretum" is just that. Co-created and co-written with his daughter JoAnna, Mr. Ventrello takes the reader into a magical world similar to Narnia and Middle Earth. It's sequel "Father Time and the Last of the Passenger Pigeons" was released in early October 2016. His third poetry collection "Of Love, Lust and Romance" was released at the start of 2017. This collection is unique in that all the poems herein were written for his wife Verl.
In February 2017, Mr. Ventrello published a humor book called "Why We Prefer Cats". It is a study of sorts, comparing cats to other pets and why cats are always the best choice. He drew many of the illustrations himself and used pictures of his own cats. This was the first book in quite a while to be available on both print and E-book.
About a month later, at the urging of his wife, Mr. Ventrello edited the cat book, making it larger and more like a coffee-table book. It has been renamed "Why We Prefer Cats: Deluxe Edition." Since its publication, it has received rave reviews and developed an online following by cat fanciers around the world.
In late May 2017, Mr. Ventrello and his daughter JoAnna released the 3rd Willow Arboretum book "Merrygold and the Minotaur". This book teaches children important lessons about racism, stereotypes, and making new friends, while still keeping the light-heartedness that has been expected from the series.
Also in May 2017, Mr. Ventrello released "Bride of Blood :: First Kiss" in paperback format. In an interview he said that he wants to make his books available for all readers, and felt that he was excluding some of his audience by making his newer books E-Book only. Although he cares deeply for the environment, he believes that eventually E-books will be the norm and print books will become obsolete. Until that time, however, he feels that both types of readers should be accommodated.
As far as upcoming projects, Mr. Ventrello has stated that more Willow Arboretum books will be coming and a print anthology will be made after Book 5. Also, some Non-Fiction, a short story anthology, another poetry collection, and of course the next "Bride of Blood" are on the horizon.

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