Interview With Author Mike Guardia

I am very happy to have author Mike Guardia here with me today. I met Mike through his publicist and their press release. The book as well as Mike himself sounded very interesting. So I wrote to the publicist and Mike and I started talking. He is such a nice guy. I hope to read his book that is currently out. Here is a little more about Mike Guardia: Mike Guardia is an Armor Officer in the United States Army. He holds a BA and MA in American History from the University of Houston. As an author, his interests include the history of guerrilla warfare, armored warfare, and World War II in the Pacific. So we set up an interview and this is what follows:

 

1. I read you have a BA and MA in American History. When you were studying, well obviously you love the subject, but did it occur to you then that you wanted to write what you were learning about.

Well, I always knew that I wanted to write a book(s) someday, but it was just a question of finding the right topic. When I discovered the story of Russell Volckmann, a guerrilla hero from World War II who became the subject of my first book, I knew that I had found my starting point.

2. Has your time in the military changed your perspective on the way you think and the way you write?

Yes, my time in the military has definitely changed my perspective on the way I write. Serving in the Army has given me an even greater appreciation of the veterans who went before me and has given me a better understanding of the strategic impact of the Army’s missions.

3. I looked at all of your books and what is marked is marked of course history but non-fiction. Are all of your books non-fiction? And if so did you ever think of writing a book in the history genre that is fiction?

Yes, so far all of my books have been non-fiction, although I would like to publish fiction someday. Believe it or not, I’ve written the script to a children’s book involving a story from World War I. After I get my next two non-fiction projects published, I plan to do some more legwork with my fiction ideas.

4. All of your books have 4 and 5 star ratings. What has been your happiest moment as an author?

My happiest moment as an author was being able to do a joint book signing with General Hal Moore. We had this book signing at the local Books-A-Million in Opelika, Al. We both signed copies of “Hal Moore: A Soldier Once…and Always,” the biography that I wrote about him.

5. What is a book you want to write?

I’d really like to write a book about the Air War over Yugoslavia during the mid to late 90s. It was one of the few times in history that our F-15s and F-16s saw aerial combat against legacy Soviet/Russian fighter aircraft.

6. Do you have any writing influences?

Absolutely. My writing influences include David McCullough, Laura Hillenbrand, Stephen Ambrose, and Larry Alexander.

7. Is there a lot of research involved in the writing of your books?

There is definitely a LOT of research involved when preparing my books. Each book has taken me across the country conducting interviews and researching at places like the National Archives and the Army Military History Institute.

8, What is your favorite movie based on a book?

My favorites are “We Were Soldiers,” “Black Hawk Down,” “The Hunt for Red October,” and “Band of Brothers.”

9. What are you reading right now, if anything?

Currently, I’m reading a great book called “Unsung Eagles: True Stories of America’s Citizen Airmen in the Skies of World War II.” It follows the wartime service of several fine men who answered their country’s call of duty and flew in the various air arms of our military during that great conflict.

10. Would you ever write in another genre or is history your hands down no question genre to write in?

Well, as I mentioned, I would love to get into fiction, but most of my ideas in that regard are historical fiction. So I guess I’m tied to history in one way or another.

11. Where is your favorite place to write? For example out on the patio, in a nearby park, at a favorite desk.

My favorite place to write, hands down, is my home office. Peaceful, quiet, and set up just the way I like it.

12. What are you working on now?

Currently, I’m working on two books. One is titled “The Fires of Babylon: Eagle Troop and the Battle of 73 Easting,” which follows the story of a US armored cavalry troop that fought on the front lines during Desert Storm. The other is a biography of a gentleman named Donn Starry, whom I call “the most famous American general you’ve never heard of.” He commanded the 11th Armored Cavalry through the some of the deadliest battles in Vietnam and laid the foundation for the AirLand Battle doctrine, which itself paved the way for the Army’s triumph in Desert Storm.

13. What can we expect from you moving forward?

More books that hopefully my readers will enjoy.

 

It was wonderful to have Mike here today. I loved this interview. It had a lot of heart and was very interesting. You can find Mike’s new book here: Facebook –https://www.facebook.com/pages/Hal-Moore-A-Soldier-Once-and-Always/1406627382912279

And you can buy his new book here from  Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/HAL-MOORE-Soldier-Once-Always/dp/1612002072

 

 

We area doing a GIVEAWAY for Mike’s new book. Simply follow the link below to the Rafflecopter link which will tell you what to do to enter the giveaway. The prize is a print copy of  HAL MOORE – Soldier Once Always. GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE! a Rafflecopter giveaway