Mark Rickert

Mark Rickert was born in Nashville, Tennessee. The grandson of songwriter and country music manager, Merle Kilgore, he was brought up in the periphery of Nashville's entertainment business.

He served eight years as a journalist in the U.S. Army Reserves; one of those years he spent in Baghdad during Operation Iraqi Freedom, where he worked with a team of Army journalists to write stories for various military publications. These stories were also submitted to the Associated Press for public use. Also, New York Times bestseller Andy Carroll published a piece of his writing in his Behind the Lines; for the audio version, Hank Williams Jr. read his letter addressed to Merle Kilgore. His work as a journalist taught him the need for accuracy and meeting deadlines, while demanding clear and concise writing.

He received a Master's degree in English Literature in 2008 from Middle Tennessee State University. Not only did this program enhance his analytical thinking skills, it also honed his craft as a writer. As part of his assistantship, he worked with the university's writing center, where he helped students sharpen their writing skills. During his final semester, he taught a composition course to college freshmen. Overall the graduate course taught him as much about writing as it taught him about great literature.

He currently acts as Chief of Public Affairs for the US Army Baltimore Recruiting Battalion at the Fort G. Meade military installation. He is a frequent contributor to the Recruiter Journal, a monthly publication for the members of the U. S. Army Recruiting Command stationed across the country.

Mark signed a contract with BQB Publishing to publish his dark fantasy novel, entitled The Tone Poet. The publishing date is October 29, 2014.

He lives with his wife, daughter, and newborn son in Annapolis, MD.