Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am from Baltimore, graduated from the US Naval Academy, and served as a Marine Corps officer. I was a defense journalist for more than a decade. I wrote the narrative nonfiction “The Black Panthers: A Story of Race, War, and Courage. The 761st Tank Battalion in World War II,” released in 2015. My fictional thriller “Blood Stripe: The Susanna Marcasi Chronicles” debuted in 2015.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My most recent work is “Blood Stripe: The Susanna Marcasi Chronicles.” My years at the academy and the Marine Corps were the inspiration, but no one wants to read that, so I fictionalized it and laced it through one heck of the thriller.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I only write in my home office on my large antique writing desk. It is a must. It is magical.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Narrative non fiction – Erik Larson
What are you working on now?
I am working on the second Marcasi thriller (a wedding — of sorts) and I am editing the Army’s history of the Iraq War
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Radio and word of mouth.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write. If you think you’ve written a winner, you haven’t. Put it down for a few days and go back to it. After you gasp in horror. Rewrite. Repeat until you achieve something bearable.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Most advice has been wrong. But one stands out as correct “Don’t write that crap” referring to fiction, unless it is high-concept. He is still right and “Blood Stripe is NOT high-concept, but he is still right.
What are you reading now?
I am too absorbed in the Iraq War for 10 hours a day to read anything else.
What’s next for you as a writer?
The second Marcasi book and a new narrative nonfiction,
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?
Just delete this question.
Author Websites and Profiles
Gina DiNicolo Website
Gina DiNicolo Amazon Profile
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