We were lucky to catch up with Frank Demith recently and have shared our conversation below.

Frank, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I served in the Pentagon as my last assignment before I retired. I was tasked with the development of a program which entailed recruiting immigrants on Green Card status to serve as uniformed interpreter/translators in support of deployed units in the Global War on Terrorism. The program was a huge success, and we recruited more than fifteen hundred men and women.
The Interpreter/Translator program was active for more than a decade and began in 2004. I kept waiting for someone to write about these amazing individuals who were glad to serve their new country even though it meant that some of them would be going back to the country they grew up in. I could not find anything that highlighted their service to our country, so I took it upon myself to tell their story.
I thought about writing a non-fiction book about the Interpreter/Translator program, but it did not seem like it would have been something that would capture the attention of many readers, so I turned to historical fiction. I wrote out an outline for the chapters and some rough character sketches and began to write the book and less than ninety days later the first book was done. I didn’t do a single rewrite and really liked the way it turned out so I sent it to a publisher.
My publisher liked the book so much they submitted it for a book award just before the official release date. I found out a few months later that my book had been named the Best Military Book in 2023 and that was when I knew I had become an author.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I grew up in a suburb on the southside of Chicago. My parents both worked in factories. My father worked in a steel mill and my mother worked in the office of a factory that made springs. I never felt like I was missing anything, but my folks were not in high paying jobs and we lived a very frugal life.
I joined the Army after graduating from high school. My father and many of my uncles had served in the Armed Forces and I thought I would serve four years and then go to college under the GI Bill. Once I entered the Army I was presented with an opportunity that would change my life. I was offered a slot at the United States Military Academy Preparatory School with a chance to earn an appointment to the Military Academy upon completion. I jumped at the chance.
My four years at the Military Academy provided me the building blocks for the rest of my life. The words Duty, Honor and Country took on a special meaning for me. I came from a family of immigrants and developed a deep respect for the American Dream and a love for my country and what it stood for. I will never forget how proud my parents were when I walked across the stage to receive my diploma.
I went on to serve twenty-eight years in the Army and retired in 2007. I held several different jobs after retirement and held corporate level positions on a couple occasions. I ended my civilian career in 2022 and went into semi-retirement before beginning to write my books. I was always told write what you know, so I focused my energy on writing military books in a series I call The Carson Series.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

The goal I have for my writing is twofold. First, I want to provide those who have not served in the Armed Forces a glimpse of what our servicemembers go through when they are called upon to deploy to a foreign country during a time of war. Secondly, I want to portray the positive impact that immigrants had while serving in the Armed Forces during the Global War on Terrorism.
More than ninety percent of Americans have not served in the Armed Forces and many of those do not have a direct connection to the Armed Forces. I believe it is important to provide information on the Armed Forces in order to increase awareness of what servicemembers go through during and after battle. My goal in increasing awareness is to bring an understanding of veteran issues and find a way to provide better treatment and acceptance of those who have served.
The United States is and has always been a country of immigrants. Immigrants have played an important role in the growth of our country for centuries and we should never lose sight of that. I wrote of the Interpreter/Translators because I felt a need to let others know of the continued contributions immigrants are making in our country.
May God bless all our veterans, first responders and those currently serving our country in the Armed Forces.

How did you build your audience on social media?

I started to build my audience on social media by reaching out to friends and family to let them know that I would be publishing a book. I worked through my social media pages one platform at a time. I started out with the platform with the most relatives and close friends and moved on to the others. I chose to take this path because it allowed me to get positive movement through the support of my family and friends before moving on to others who did not know me as well.
My publisher contacted news platforms and members of the media while I focused on podcasts and book signings. I never turned down an opportunity to talk about my books. It didn’t matter how many viewers the podcast had or how small the venue was for signings. I took every opportunity I could to talk about myself and my books.
I think the best advice I could give is that branding isn’t about the books or product it’s about you and establishing a link between yourself and your audience.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.frankdemithauthor.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frankdemith/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61554827339385
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/frank-demith-0736b617/