Monday, May 1, 2023

Interview With Author EA Smiroldo

 

 

1.      Why did you write this book?
An idea for a novel about global warming came to me that wouldn't go away!  It took on a life of its own and eventually became The Silent Count.

2.      What is it about and who is it really for?
The Silent Count is a climate change thriller about a young woman who dreams of saving the planet despite the many obstacles against her.  This book will appeal to women of all ages, or, really, anyone who cares about the planet.  I look at climate change through a more realistic lens, as my main character Dara Bouldin strives to achieve her dream while dealing with the challenges we all face with work, love, family, and finances.

3.      What do you hope readers will get out of reading your book?
I hope my novel will raise awareness about climate change, but most of all I hope readers will enjoy the thrill ride!

4.      How did you decide on your book’s title and cover design?
Every thriller needs a literal or figurative ticking time bomb.  "The Silent Count" has both.  The figurative "timebomb" is the countdown that's happening in the back of my main character's mind about the planet, which in the novel is being ravaged by climate change. It also refers to a nuclear weapon that may or may not detonate!  Without giving too much away, there are dire, unintended consequences, and only Dara can set things right.  As for the cover, it depicts a young woman looking out at what could be a cyclone or a mushroom cloud, themes that ultimately collide in devastating ways.

5.      What advice or words of wisdom do you have for fellow writers?
Just keep writing.  If you run into rejection, which every writer does, find objective beta readers, enter contests, join a writing group, and read as much as you can in your genre to get an idea of what might improve your work.  I had lots of no's before finding my publisher (Solstice Publishing), and it took several revisions to get my novel ready for prime time.  You may have to kill a few darlings, but it will be worth it!   

6.      What trends in the book world do you see -- and where do you think the book publishing industry is heading? 
I wish I knew!  I'm fortunate that I found a small, independent publisher to release The Silent Count.  They release books they enjoy reading, which seems to be their only criterion.  My book is a climate change thriller, but it's not like so many of the books in this genre that take an idealistic and, in my view, unrealistic view of how to solve the problem.  That said, climate change is showing up more and more in fiction, so maybe climate fiction (a.k.a. "cli-fi") will grow as a genre and make room for different viewpoints.

7.      Were there experiences in your personal life or career that came in handy when writing this book? 
Yes!  I'm a nuclear engineer and an award-winning musician, and many of my experiences inform The Silent Count. My main character is a nuclear engineer, and the novel's premise is based on real science gleaned from my nuclear engineering textbook from college.  Also, Dara's ex-fiance Jericho is a rising star in the music industry.  The novel is laced with song lyrics from actual songs, some of which I've posted on my YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/@easmiroldo4470).  Finally, The Silent Count is set in Washington, DC, my hometown.  Growing up around so many federal employees and being one myself for a while helped inspire the novel's the political context.

8.      How would you describe your writing style? Which writers or books is your writing similar to?
I tend to break up my chapters into fairly short scenes to maintain the pace, and create cliffhangers as often as I can. Dan Brown does this masterfully, so I tried to bring some of that forward motion into my own writing.  In addition to the action I try to get across the emotional context by making my characters relatable and real.  I'm a major fan of Jane Austen for that!  Another favorite novelist is Jean Rhys, who wrote The Wide Sargasso Sea, and I also love Muriel Spark, who wrote The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. These writers included political and social contexts in their stories, as well as created indelible heroines. I am not sure I write like these amazing authors, but I certainly admire their unique voices and have tried to learn from their work. 

9.      What challenges did you overcome in the writing of this book?
Finding time to write when you have a full time job and other obligations is not easy!  It took a long time, but certain activities helped, like taking writing workshops and finding a writing group. 

10.  If people can buy or read one book this week or month, why should it be yours?
The Silent Count is meant to be a thrilling read -- a page turner and a barn burner!  Most of my reviews on Amazon have 4 and 5 stars and the critics (Kirkus, The Midwest Book Review, many others) have been overwhelmingly positive.  My novel will also make you think about the world we live in, how climate change affects us all, and how learning whom to trust may be the first step to solving the problem.

 

E. A. Smiroldo is a novelist, musician, and a nuclear engineer. She uses real science in her debut novel The Silent Count. In it, her expertise blends with real-world inspired drama.   As a native of Washington DC, she’s seen how politics corrupts and skews human perspectives on what’s right and wrong. She understands how close humanity is to the brink of real climate crisis. And she is determined to bring to light how important it is for us to trust and love one another. The Silent Count is a cli-fi (climate-change fiction) thriller. In it, a young nuclear engineer comes up with a daring plan to combat climate change. But she faces unintended consequences as she fights for her family, her career, and for humanity.  E. A. Smiroldo has a B.S. in engineering. She’s also a Washington Area Music Association Award-nominated singer-songwriter and has won prizes in writing competitions sponsored by the Bethesda Literary Festival and the International Screenwriters' Dig. After placing in the latter, she optioned the treatment for a screenplay with X-ray Media. Explore more on E. A. Smiroldo’s website: Easmiroldo.com

 

“I'm a much better reader of the classics today than I ever could have been at 18. "The trouble with education,, is that we always read everything when we're too young to know what it means. And the trouble with life is that we're always too busy to reread it later." --Margaret Ayer Barnes observed in 1930

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About Brian Feinblum

Brian Feinblum should be followed on Twitter @theprexpert. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2023. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog. His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent.  This award-winning blog has generated over 3.3 million pageviews. With 4,400+ posts over the past dozen years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs by BookBaby  http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs  and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” For the past three decades, including 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and two jobs at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler. He recently hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America, and has spoken at ASJA, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. He has been featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald. For more information, please consult: www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum.  

 

 



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