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So
many classic corporate success stories involve a protagonist
who had a vision. In National Services, a novel version of
this old story is taking shape. Business Services coordinator
Tony Vogiantzis is celebrating the release of his first novel,
Exhortation-with a second book not far behind.
Fiction-writer
celebrating true tale of literary success
Tony Vogiantzis
used to regale his kindergarten colleagues with tales of "Zap
Man"-a yellow-clad superhero who could become invisible
and freeze time for five-second spurts. Now he's entertaining
a more mature audience with an intriguing and ironic tale
of a bank robbery ring in his recently published first novel,
Exhortation.
The coordinator
of one of National Services' mailrooms, Tony's lifelong dream
of becoming an author turned to reality during the first week
of 2002. After months of persistence, he received a publishing
contract offer from Publish America-the same company that
distributes Chasing Horses, which later became a movie
starring Matt Daemon.
"If
you would have told me a year ago that was going to happen,
I wouldn't have believed it," says the characteristically
upbeat Tony. "Other publishers had rejected my writing
because the grammar wasn't perfect, or, in one case, because
it wasn't double-spaced. I know my strength is coming up with
creative ideas, so I learned from the rejections. I spent
a lot of time reworking my writing and developing the characters
so readers would could see the pictures I had in my head."
The
balancing act
Tony's
passion for travel and outgoing personality have fuelled his
creative flair, while his self-discipline has enabled him
to balance his work and his personal ambitions. It's a balance
he particularly credits to Denman Lawrenson, national
director of Business Services, who has supported him in managing
his workload. Tony says his role at National Services is "the
perfect job" because he's able to provide excellent service
to firm members during regular business hours, but can leave
his work behind at the end of the day.
A world
of characters
So, where
does Tony get his inspiration? All over the world! His hometown
of Toronto-where he earned a degree in political science and
paleontology from the University of Toronto in 1999-provides
a constant source of inspiration. And trips to Greece, Italy,
Spain, Morocco, Portugal and Las Vegas have introduced him
to a variety of intriguing and eccentric individuals. In fact,
the inspiration for bank robber Lars Strikenberg, a lead character
in Exhortation, was a zebra-suited fellow he met on the streets
of Greece.
Hot on
the heels of his first success, Tony is set to have his second
book, Allegory, published this autumn. What's next? His current
two-and-a-half-week trek to Germany and France is bound to
generate some creative sparks for a sequel to Exhortation,
or his in-progress novel, The Coming. Looking further into
the future, Tony would love to see one of his books on the
big screen. For now, though, he's happy to keep our office
people enthralled with his stories in National Services.
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