We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Gunner Lindbloom. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Gunner below.
Gunner, appreciate you joining us today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your creative career sooner or later?
Yes I absolutely wish I would have discovered my writing gift as a young man. If I had, I probably wouldn’t be here right now. I would be on some remote trout stream on Labrador, quietly living out my days with my wife. But such was not God’s plan.I always knew I have the gift or creativity. It used it in my criminal life before prison, for various scams and hustles. I used it on girls. I would tell them fanciful stories, making up romantic and intriguing backstories for my legend.I’d become a man of mystery. I’d tell them, “Someday you are going to watch my movies.” That part was true. I always had a really powerful imagination. I just didn’t figure out how to use it until I had all that extra time in prison.Had I been raised in a normal home, with two normal and supportive parents, they probably would have discovered my gift as a child. But, again, such wasn’t in the cards. Once I was in prison, I went full steam ahead and didn’ stop for 13.3 years. penning 9 novels total. But yes, I most certainly regret not discovering my gift as a younger man. On the other hand, my life experiences, both good and bad, are part of what help shape and mold my writing. Perspective. It is all how you look at it. Ultimately, I am right where God wants me to be. Always have been. I just wish I didn’t have to lose a quarter of my life to a prison cell. There is so much good I could have done in the world. But that doesn’t mean I can’t use my story to do good in the world now. Ultimately, that’s my mission. Share my story and use it to inspire hope and change in people who need it most. If I had to suffer through13 years in a cage to help people, so be it. That was the burden God gave me. I have no regrets.
Gunner, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I copied this from my publicist.
Gunner has one one the most remarkable stories ever told. Raised in a Detroit mafia family, his mother was Grace Carmella Tocco, whose uncle Giacomo Tocco, was the boss of the Detroit mafia for 40 years. By age 14, Gunner was expelled indefinitely from school and became a full time criminal. By age 17 he had racked up 8 felonies. Organized crime was all he knew until age 29, when he was sent to prison for 13-50 years, for extortion, bank robbery, armed robbery., and 14 other capital crimes.. But a miracle happened in prison. While serving 17 months in solitary confinement, he had a spiritual epiphany. Not only did he vow to change his life, but he discovered God’s love and the remarkable talent for writing God had given him. During his 13 year incarceration, he penned 9 novels!
Even more remarkable is his fairytale love story. In 2009, while Gunner had been in prison for 6 years, a friend started a Facebook page for him, and published sample chapters of his latest book, “TO BE A KING.” A New York publishing executive stumbled upon them, wrote him a letter and asked to read the full manuscript. His friend sent her the 1,100 page manuscript as a PDF. She read it in 3 days, wrote him another letter, and called him a “unicorn,” declaring his book the best book she had ever read. They became pen pals and she vowed to help him get his book published. But over the next year, they fell deeply in love via nothing but letters. A real life fairytale. A beautiful 35-year-old 6-figure publishing executive with no kids committed her life to him snd waited faithfully 7 years for his release in 2016. The day after his release, he married this woman and they began their new life together.
A few months after his release, Gunner published his debut novels, TO BE A KING, and within days they cracked the top #5 in the world! The two-book series is now being called “the next Godfather” by fans all over the world. Note the reviews. Readers are saying he is the greatest Mafia writer in the world, and the new Mario Puzo, author of The Godfather.
Gunner then launched “OUR THING” Apparel, an edgy, urban, mafia inspired line of merch that sells around the world. He’s been featured on VLAD, Fox, Fox Nation, in the Huffington Post, and subject of some of the biggest true crime podcasts in the world. He has hosted his own radio show for almost 3 years, and also hosted and produced over 400 YouTube shows called “Tales Of A Reformed Gangster.” He does inspirational speaking, coaches writers, and owns a self publishing company. He currently has a TV series being made on his life, starring Emmy & Golden Globe winning actor Armand Assante.. A coinciding documentary is being made on his life..
Gunner has an interesting take on life, particularly on freedom, love, and relationships. Before prison was a bit of a ladies’ man. But prison changed how he saw women.. As an older man, having lost a quarter of his life to prison, he now sees a good woman as the most precious gem on earth. He is a committed and faithful husband to his wife live. They live on a 20 acre homestead, in the remote wilds of northern Michigan.. They have 5 cats,6 chickens, and live a quiet life.
Gunner has endless wild stories from his past. He has been shot multiple times, stabbed twice, in 7 gun battles, had a bat broken over his face. In his past life, he robbed banks, drug dealers, pimps, and even a Meijers. Before prison, he was involved in essentially every criminal racket imaginable, and once worked for the highest levels of the mafia (his own family), including his uncle Anthony Giacolone, the #1 suspect in the Jimmy Hoffa disappearance. He survived 13 years in high level prisons, changed his mindset, discoed God’s love for him, and today lives an amazing life with his wife,
These days, Gunner all about living life, having fun, being creative, and inspiring others. He owns two companies,”OUR THING” Apparel and White Pine Publishing Consultants. He has two new novels dropping this year.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
I spent ages 14-29 as a criminal, a gangster, mafia associate. But when sentenced to prison for 13-50 years, I had two choices. Remain a monster or change. I decided to change. I no longer wanted to be a bad guy.Secretly, I had always been a good guy. I just gave in to peer pressure, always trying to fit in with the wrong crowd. Change was all a mindset. I worked on being a good man, and started writing books, which was my great escape. I could leave those prison cells for hours everyday, immersed in the stories I was writing. I managed to survive 13 years, and every day was a struggle. But I focused on my mission–to get out and live a good life. Find love, and just be a good man. God led my wife to me, and we fell in love through love letters. She was the first woman I was ever honest with. And she fell in love with me for me, not a fake persona I fabricated in an attempt ti impress her..
I was able to get out, start a life, publish my books, launch a company, and be happy as a free, good man who does the right thing. I speak to audiences about how change is possible, and dreams can come true if you focus your talents. I have proven it.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
Ultimately, my mission is to bring awareness to God. I know it seems cliche. Bad guy goes to prison and finds God. But God found me. I know my talent as a writer is supernatural. I have a 7th grade education. There is NO WAY a guy like me, a former gangster street guy, would be able to write the way I do. It is literally impossible. I didn’t even read that many books before I started writing. Almost supernaturally, I just knew how to do it. The stories came to me I knew how to deliver them. So ultimately, I have to give God the credit. And I want others to know that God can do the same for them. That is my mission, To give hope and to encourage people to take a chance on God. They have nothing to lose but everything to gain Every believer I know was shocked by how their life transformed after giving it to Christ. It is always the same story. Life is never perfect, but with Him you have a sense of peace knowing that HE is sin charge. He loves you and forgives you for your sins. That is huge.
So, ultimately, my goal is to get films or TV series made from my books, and then one day when the world knows me for my writing, I will tell the world that God did that, not me. He protected me in the streets for 16 years. He protected me in prison for 13 years. He gave me my natural gift for storytelling. He is here with me right now, inspiring these words. And I want people to know that He can be there for them too. The deal is simple. Just believe. Believe in Christ and your sins are forgiven. You will be blessed in life. Even better, you will have eternal life in heaven with God. This is my mission. I know that my secular writing is intended to garner attention of lost souls who see my writing, movies, success, etc, as a shiny thing to admire. But when I have their attention, I will tell them abut how God did it all. I have stories of several impossible miracles in my life, I had a guy put a gun to my head and pull the trigger, just to have the gun go “click.” God was protecting me all along. I just didn’t know it yet. People need hope. They need a reason to turn to God. I don’t want them to have to hit rock bottom like me to find Him. They can find Him now, before it is too late. I want to help.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.gunnerdetroit.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_real_gunner_detroit/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gunnerdetroit/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gunner-alan-lindbloom/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/gunnerdetroit/media?lang=en
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC429jv7XjEC3RGDqicOHH_w
- Other: Radio Host on 1010 The King Talk Radio – Where readers go to find their next book, https://www.gunnerdetroit.com/1010 “OUR THING” Apparel www.ourthingapparel.com White Pine Publishing Consultants www.whitepinepublishing.com Gunner’s novels at Amazon https://www.amazon.com/BE-KING-Gunner-Lindbloom/dp/1520399944
Image Credits
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