Twisted tales are right up his alley: Nicolas DiDomizio has published four novels

by Sarah Barr

Staff Writer

Courtesy Photos

If someone told Nicolas DiDomizio back in the sixth grade that someday he would become a professional author he would have said “commit to writing a whole book? That sounds like torture.”

But it’s actually a dream come true for the Cromwell native and 2006 graduate of Cromwell High School whose latest novel, “A Murder Most Camp,” is a USA Today bestseller. It marks his fourth published novel.

Now a resident of upstate New York where he lives with his husband and their bulldog, DiDomizio talked about his books, the writing bug and his bad habit of being a super perfectionist.

DiDomizio, who goes by Nic, first got interested in words as a child. Around third grade he was reading books like “Goosebumps.” However, writing was not necessarily love at first bite.

“My third grade teacher pulled me aside as I did a paper on Mark Twain,” he began, telling his tale. “She wondered if I copied it from some other source. I explained that it came very naturally to write in a way that sounded good.”

DiDomizio presented an author talk at the Rocky Hill Senior Center.

She believed him. In sixth grade, his teacher once again pulled him aside. This time, not to be accused, but to ask if he wanted to attend a gifted writer’s workshop.

“I did, mainly ‘cuz it was a chance to get out of school for the day,” DiDomizio recalled.

He enjoyed choosing a short story workshop as well as the process of getting feedback. But the writing process didn’t last as he got away from it in junior high and high school because “it felt like work and I was such a perfectionist, even at that age.”

By high school, music had taken center stage in his life, and so did songwriting. DiDomizio credits his music teacher for being encouraging, helping him prepare for auditions and being a positive influence.

Nic DiDomizio’s latest effort is his most widely received.

Fast forward to his undergraduate years at Western Connecticut State University where he started reading a lot, created a blog and wrote constantly.

“It became an addiction. I could lean in to the fun side of being a perfectionist,” he said.

But he didn’t lean in too much, to the chagrin of one of his professors, who was “really upset with me for being a music major,” a choice DiDomizio made because he said that he would rather audition than spend hours dealing with his perfectionism.

He told this professor about a book idea and received a lot of encouragement. At the age of 21, DiDomizio started his first book and immediately tried to get published. Once again, it was not love at first bite.

“It took 10 years before I wrote something that got me an agent and then I got published a year-and-half later,” he said, thanking that professor for motivation and support.

DiDomizio, who has also earned a master’s degree from New York University, is busy promoting his latest novel. It’s entitled “A Murder Most Camp.” The tour even includes a meet the author and book-signing event a few months ago at the Rocky Hill Senior/Community Center.

The story is about a highly entitled 20-something named Mikey Hartford IV. When his father changes the terms of the trust fund, Mikey is forced to make a positive contribution to the world before his 30th birthday or else risk all the money. He winds up volunteering at a summer camp and stumbles upon a police cold case.

The crazy characters and plot twists and turns have earned rave reviews from The New York Times, People Magazine and Publisher’s Weekly, just to name a few. DiDomizio’s comic writing is called lively, hilarious and buoyant.

But the tour wouldn’t be complete without “my mom’s press blitz,” getting feedback from his mother and Cromwell resident Angie Russo, as well as her friends from Zumba class.

Nic DiDomizio is currently promoting his fourth published book, with a fifth on the way.

They’re fans of all his books which include “Nearlywed,” “The Gay Best Friend” and “Burn It All Down,” which was praised as unforgettable by best-selling author James Patterson.

“All my Zumba friends loved his book,” Russo said. “The center loved Nic and wants him back next year to do another meet the author event when his next book comes out in the spring.”

DiDomizio’s next effort, “This House Has a Murder Problem,” is slated for release on May 18, 2027. The gist of this new story focuses upon if the American Dream is worth dying for? Of course, it’s told in the same humorous way.

What DiDomizio hopes his readers take away from all his books is “delight, enjoyment, escapism. I always lead with comedy and fun. I was drawn to books like that. Hopefully, mine offer delight in getting lost in a story.”

That is tougher to do these days because readers’ attention spans are shorter. Once you get published, expectations are higher. That’s why it feels good to have the title USA Today best-selling author attached to his name.

“It’s great. It gives me a tiny amount of leverage. It’s a difficult industry anyway,” he said.

He accepts the challenges as he juggles his deadlines with his full-time marketing job for a tech company. He visits Cromwell often, as it is a place that shaped his point of view. Asked what he would tell that little boy growing up here, the advice would run the gambit.

“Don’t stop reading. Don’t be a perfectionist so much. Keep following that feeling and instinct.”

This author has followed his heart. CL

For more information go to https://nicolasdidomizio.com.