Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hello. I am an author, researcher, inventor, ex-submariner and mathematics professor. My backstory is that I graduated from the US Naval Academy and served as a naval officer aboard the patrol gunboat, USS Douglas (PG 100), and on the fleet ballistic submarine, USS Will Rogers (SSBN 659). I attended Yale University on a sonar scholarship and received a Masters of Philosophy degree in electrical engineering. I studied writing and Russian history at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, SC.
My career in engineering research and development focused on underwater systems:
Modeling and digital simulations of underwater sound propagation
Submarine and surface ship sonar detection and tracking algorithms
Towed passive sonar arrays and active sonar modules
Torpedo development programs, torpedo test systems, and compact periscopes
As a pioneer in modern submarine detection, tracking, and localization, I published technical papers in multiple professional journals and lectured in the US and Europe. I won the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Journal of Leadership and Management in Engineering 2005 Feature Article of the Year Award. I hold four patents. I taught electrical engineering courses at the University of New Haven and teach mathematics at York Technical College in Rock Hill, SC.
This is my debut novel.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“The Last Saturday of October: The Declassified Secrets of Black Saturday” is an almost unknown true story bout the most dangerous day in human history and an unsung Russian hero who stepped in to prevent the launch of a nuclear torpedo by a Soviet submarine against the American antisubmarine force during the Cuban Missile Crisis. I discovered this story while researching another piece. It grabbed me an refused to let me go until I got it out to the world.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write and research simultaneously. The research paints pictures on my mind that I write down when they are most vivid. The writing raises more questions that throw me back into the research. I love criticism. It reveals how other see the story and helps me reduce my bling spots. Positive comments encourage me to press on, but negative comments challenge me to get it right. I never met a criticism I didn’t like.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Steinbeck, Junger, Clancy, Hemingway, Buchheim, Webb, Stanton, Follett, Michener, Bowden, Dobbs, Smith, Larson and Agee. All guys, I guess.
What are you working on now?
A love story with climate change.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
This is my new full time job. I research, promote, repeat. I’ll figure it out, and when I do, it will be great.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Stretch your rubber bands. Writing in the 21st Century is a battle with multiple fronts that all need winning. You have to love it all.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Just start writing. The whole world of learning begins there.
What are you reading now?
“Let Us Now Praise Famous Men” by James Agee, a spellbinding look into the victims of the dust bowl by an embedded reporter.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I put down my second novel to concentrate on revisions for “The Last Saturday of October: The Declassified Secrets of Black Saturday,” and now I’m trying to figure out the balance between book promotion and writing the next book. Maybe I should take that advice I was bragging about and “just start writing.” Good idea. I’m glad we had this little chat.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I would bring books written by the founder of the Baha’i Faith. The scenario you propose would require some deep faith. Gee, another great piece of advice. Where do you come up with these questions?
Author Websites and Profiles
Douglas Gilbert Website
Douglas Gilbert Amazon Profile
Douglas Gilbert’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile