Dominic Carrillo is a High School English & Social Studies Teacher at AAS and a YA author. More about his books can be found here. 

What inspired you to become an author alongside your career in education?
I was inspired by my students. We worked on projects to publish their short stories in paperback books. Along the way, as I instructed them and tried to motivate them during the process, I realized that I wanted to do my own writing projects, and that I needed to jump into the editing process the same way that I was teaching them, otherwise I would be somewhat of a hypocrite.

What topics or subjects do you find yourself most drawn to writing about? What motivates you to explore these themes in your work?
I am drawn to the individual journey–the search. A character is at a crossroads in their life and needs to figure out how they will change or conquer their demons– and they set out to do it. Since I write mainly in the Young Adult genre, there’s usually an adventure aspect to it, but there’s also the internal struggle. I like the theme of identity and self-discovery because I spent my late teens and 20’s trying to figure myself out and how I fit in the world. These themes motivate me because I think that most readers are also searching for some understanding or new perspectives about themselves or the world around them.

Could you share some insights into how your experiences in the classroom influence your writing, and vice versa?
For instance, if I see a student who is seeking feedback from me and their peers (or failing to do so), it’s a good personal reminder that I need to actively seek feedback from my peers on my own writing. It’s also a reminder that vigilant editing and many humbling drafts are key to my writing process. Conversely, I hope that my books and writing experience serve as an example for students and remind them that focus and lots of effort could result in creating something that they once thought was daunting or impossible.

Are there any particularly memorable moments or interactions with students that have directly influenced your writing?
When I taught 8th grade, a Bulgarian student named Alex asked me if I knew that “we saved all the Jews from Holocaust during WWII.” I told him that I didn’t know that, but asked him to tell me more about it. He didn’t know much more about it. So it piqued my interest–the fact that he appeared to have so much pride in this event, yet very little knowledge– and I began reading about this unique and complex part of Bulgarian and European history. That was the beginning of my process of writing Acts of Resistance.

How do you balance your time between teaching and writing?
I haven’t lately. I have a 2.5 year old daughter. The last time I really had time to write was during the Covid quarantines. But my resolution this year is to carve out more time to write and finish one of two YA novels that I started a while ago. I used to reserve a few hours on the weekends and during breaks to just sit down and write. I need to do that again soon.

Can you, please, tell us more about your last visit at the Lincoln International School in Kathmandu?
I started doing author visits to international schools in 2017 at AISB in Bucharest. The librarian there and our former AAS librarian, Rebecca, recommended me to other librarians and one of those librarians ended up at the Lincoln School in Kathmandu. So that was the connection. Flying to Nepal to speak to students about reading, writing, and my books was truly amazing to me. I felt completely honored and privileged to do such a thing. It’s challenging to customize presentations to students from 3rd to 12th grade, but it’s also invigorating and I learned a lot in the process. These kinds of experiences also motivate me to write more.

What advice do you give to students who aspire to pursue writing as a career?
Don’t do it if you want to write a bestseller, be famous and make a lot of money. Do it because you love to read and write, you love the entire writing process (from generating ideas and inspiration all the way to editing your 10th draft). Do it because you see that the meaningfulness you draw from writing– the genuine reflection and empathy– adds depth and richness to your own life experience. In short, do it for the love of the game, not for the money (or extrinsic rewards).

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Link to Dominic’s latest interview: https://www.bta.bg/en/news/culture/667389-american-writer-to-present-novel-dedicated-to-rescue-of-bulgarian-jews-in-burgas