E.A. Smiroldo is a novelist, musician, and nuclear engineer with a B.S. in engineering. She uses real science in her debut novel “The Silent Count,” where her expertise blends with real-world inspired drama. 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. She is 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. In “The Silent Count,” which releases on July 19, nuclear engineer and musician E.A. Smiroldo weaves the science she has learned and the political divide she has seen with music and technology to deliver a satirical thrill ride ripe for our current times. (Black Château, 2022)

“The Silent Count” – Set in Washington DC, this climate-change fiction (cli-fi) thriller novel is based on a potentially real scenario involving the use of nuclear weapons to change weather patterns and fight climate change. It is inspired by her own observations as a nuclear engineer and singer-songwriter. The story follows different characters and explores the impact their professions have on them and the world. The book centers around Dara Bouldin and her promising, yet risky, plan to reverse climate change. There is just one problem: no one at the government agency where she works knows she exists. She is reeling from a broken engagement to her musician ex Jericho, who is rapidly rising up the charts with his new single, while she is stuck paying off student loans and her dad’s gambling debts. Dmitri, her attractive coworker, will not give her the time of day. It does not help that Dara has barely made any strides in her nuclear engineering career. When she finally gets the professional recognition she craves so deeply, with kudos from Congress and even the President himself, Dara is elated. Little does she know, behind the scenes her stroke of luck has thrown her into the middle of a global conflict where her innovations will prove dire, in ways she never anticipated. It is up to Dara to set things right before it is too late.

“The concept for The Silent Count has been with me since I was a student and read in a textbook that a nuclear weapon could potentially be used to change weather patterns. With our world spiraling deeper into climate crisis, the timing of my book’s release is crucial, as I don’t believe hope is lost. It is not too late for society to take effective action. As a musician, I believe that art can make a difference as well. Hopefully, my novel will help raise awareness as it entertains.” – E.A. Smiroldo