SUDBURY -- Ryan Pagnutti, 31, was born-and-raised in Sudbury’s south end as one of the youngest siblings in a large family.

In a busy home of family members who would later become engineers and entrepreneurs; growing up with a younger sister, and four older brothers, made for a catalog of unique experiences.

"We have a big family and every Sunday we’d get together, the whole side of my mom’s family, all my aunts and uncles and cousins for this big Italian style family lunch where we would eat spaghetti with a three or four course meal and enjoy each others company," said Pagnutti.

"Playing until two or three in the afternoon, it would get to the point where we would be taking naps over-top each other on the couch.  Just a very ideal childhood and I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to grow up with the outdoors."

Pagnutti was a student at R.L. Beatie Public School before graduating from Lo-ellen Park Secondary where he, like his brothers before him, developed into a quality athlete.

"As for growing up in Northern Ontario, growing up in the neighborhood, I was always more-inclined to sports, and to have this playground for swimming, biking, basketball," he continued.

"We really have such a good foundation, such a good variety of activities and it’s hard to find just one passion when you have so many different options."

Today, Pagnutti is working his chosen trade as a Powerline Technician – a career he is passionate about and one he earned in part with an Advanced Diploma from Cambrian College.

"For me, I couldn’t have picked a better career, or a better trade and occupation to get into with my personality and the activities I enjoy," he said.

However, Pagnutti recently reached another significant milestone – one he says helped him get off the screens in his life and hopes inspires others to do the same – he published his first novel.

Genesis: The Lonely Path is a medieval-era based story that focuses on the hierarchy and political structure of a royal family in the fictional world of "Tehbirr."

With subtle magic and fantasy elements –Pagnutti describes it as a world similar to that of a Game of Thrones or Lord of The Rings type universe. 

In fact, those franchises have helped give rise to a new fantasy sub-genre called “human-based fantasy” – one that focuses less on elements like mystical creatures and more on the characters or the objects in their world that might possess fantastical elements.  Pagnutti says that is the exact type of universe he has carved out in the book.

"When those movies came out – they were some of the genre’s most impressive achievements at the time, and still are. I really just fell in love with the ability to control these magic or fantastical elements in a world based so far in the past."

As is common literary practice, Pagnutti drew from his past and personal experiences when creating characters, plot, and storylines, but credits growing up in northern Ontario as the piece that helped bring the story to life.

"So many times I would find myself out for a hike with my dog and I would end up at a spot where my imagination would just allow me to see the book play out in my mind," he said.

"It was easier for me to picture the setting because it was right in front of me and I feel like a lot of the atmosphere and the world you live in, in the book, is drawn from the environments in Northern Ontario."

When drawing the comparisons between the book’s main character and his own life, Pagnutti says that despite being set in a different era, the themes found in the story are still relevant and are told with that level of authenticity readers will appreciate.

"While I try not to get too close.  I try not to draw too many similarities but I mean this young prince that grows up in the shadows of his father’s great accomplishments and he’s trying to figure out to who he is in this world," said Pagnutti admittedly.

"Through my life experience I get to come up with ways to relate life-events, my thoughts, maybe there are certain motivations behind people’s actions – to me that’s part of creating a genuine character."

The entire project, from conception to publication, has taken over a decade and Pagnutti says that while it has been rewarding seeing his work finally available for purchase, he says he wants to use his experience to help inspire young readers to put down the device and pick-up a book.

"I really wanted to create or capture that yearning or feeling of someone wanting to read my book rather than pick-up that phone or turn on the TV," said Pagnutti.

“That’s one of the most accomplished feelings for me right there, to hear someone say that.”

Genesis: The Lonely Path is now available for purchase online.