An Interview with: Col.(ret.) Thom P. Nicholson
Saturday, November 6, 199
9 BA: Sir, we talked a little bit about your new book at the Special Forces Association meeting, is 15 Months in SOG the only book you have written, and if not, do you feel there is a central element to most of your books?TN: SOG was my first book, and the only book that is not fiction. I have written seven westerns since I retired in 96.
BA: You seem very candid with your writing, how does your wife feel about this barring of the soul to the public?
TN: This is my second wife. She thinks it is honest and worth telling, since I tried to say why I fell from grace, so to speak.
BA: What book by another author is your favorite all time read?
TN: My favorite book ever is Killer Angels, by Sharra. I also liked: This is your War by Pyle, Winds of War by Wouk, A Bridge Too Far by Ryan, Starship Trooper by Heinlen, and Custer by Wert. There are many, many more.
BA: What book that you have written is your favorite? Is this the book you enjoyed writing the most?
TN: I enjoy writing westerns the most and Ride With Custer is my persoal favorite. I didn't enjoy writing 15 Months. It brought back many unpleasent memories.
BA: Who do you feel has most influenced your work as an author?
TN: John Plaster's great book on SOG, and my friend Dan Gunther's memoirs, China Wind.
BA: Is this person the main reason you are writing now, or is there another major reason?
TN: I have decided to try and write full time.
BA: Where do you get your inspiration for the characters you write about, or are they all based on true to life accounts?
TN: True life is my inspiration.
BA: Where do you see yourself going from here? Are you planning on going off into any new directions with your writing?
TN: I am back to writing Western fiction. I may do one more SOG book in the future.
BA: What do you see as the most challenging problem or opportunity facing authors today?
TN: Getting published without an agent is almost impossible, and finding an agent is even worse. A matter of luck in my case.
BA: What one piece of advice would you offer to aspiring authors?
TN: Keep trying, and send you work to everyone you can think of that might have an idea how you get it in front of a publisher.
BA: What do you like most about writing?
TN: I like the challenge of putting thoughts into words, and words into pargraphs that make the reader want to read some more.
BA: Do you feel that there is one common denominator with fans of your work, or do you feel that they have little in common?
TN: My fans all like adventure and military subjects.
BA: If you had to synopsize your work for a potential reader, what would you say about it?
TN: A true-life account of one man's odossey into the morass of the dirty little war we waged in Vietrnam, told in his own words as he saw it.
BA: Thanks for talking with us, veteran bookworms such as my self appreciate your candor and view point.
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