Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Legacy of War is my first novel and book, although I have been published in numerous magazines: both fiction and non-fiction. I was an executive with Continental AG and Michelin Tire Corporation, both International Fortune 500 companies. Prior to my corporate career, I was a captain in the US Army (Airborne and Ranger trained) and served with the 25th Infantry Division and the 101st Airborne (Airmobile) Division in the Vietnam War, where I commanded a battery of 110 men. I was awarded three Bronze Stars, one Air Medal, and two Army Commendation Medals. Other military tours included Germany, Washington, DC, and The Netherlands as NATO Liaison (Dutch language trained by the US State Department). I served as the Assistant Professor of Military History at the University of Nevada, Reno. I have an MA in Counseling (psychology) from the University of Nevada, and a BA in Political Science from the University of Idaho.
After the corporate world, I volunteered for eight years as a VA facilitator for military veterans with PTSD. I served as Vice Chairman of the Idaho Humanities Council (National Endowment for the Humanities) and as Board Member of the Idaho Falls City Club. In 2014 I was elected to a four-year term to the Idaho Falls City Council. I wrote as a Local Columnist for the Idaho Falls Post Register.
In 2009 with my wife, Cathie, I returned to present-day Vietnam some thirty years after the war, where my novel, Legacy of War, took seed. I’m writing a sequel novel.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My novel is Legacy of War. This is my first book but readers are already asking about John Moore, my protagonist, as to what happens when he returns from the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. The book was inspired by my eight years of volunteering to facilitate a PTSD group for the Department of Veteran Affairs; my return to present-day Vietnam (the Socialist Republic of Vietnam) in 2009; Joseph Conrad’s “The Heart of Darkness”; and Moyer Safer’s “Flashbacks: On Returning to Vietnam”.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not certain this is unusual but I like to write both fiction and nonfiction.
In particular, I do enjoy writing creative nonfiction pieces and have had two published.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
These writers and their books influenced me: Joseph Conrad, Stephen King, John Updike, Tim O’Brien, William Manchester, Jon Krakauer–to list a few.
What are you working on now?
The sequel to Legacy of war.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
These web sites are important for both eBook and Print versions of Legacy of War: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Goodreads, IndieBound, BookBaby BookShop. Of course, more info and links are available on my web site: www.writingsfromed.com
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Just write! There are too many distractions in the modern world and a writer should establish a daily routine to write, even if it is only a 1000 words a day. I have difficulty doing this myself as I am also focused on marketing my current novel, Legacy of War–and this is time-consuming.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
It’s better to be forgiven for making a mistake while doing something than do nothing at all.
What are you reading now?
The Coming of the Third Reich by Richard Evans.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Next is my sequel to Legacy of War which I have started. I have also started in my mind a prequel book.
Essays and fiction pieces for magazines are always in the works. While all this is happening I am proactively marketing my novel with book signings and talks.
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?
1. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
2.Embers of War by Fredrik Logevall
3. The Big Burn by Timothy Egan
Author Websites and Profiles
Ed Marohn Website
Ed Marohn Amazon Profile
Ed Marohn’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile