Nina Guerrera sits down for a Q&A with dru’s book musings responding to twenty or more questions so that we can learn more about her. Are you ready? Let’s get to know Nina.

What is your full name?
Nina Guerrera. The name is Spanish for Warrior Girl. It was a name I chose for myself on the occasion of my emancipation when I was 17 years old. You see, I was found in a dumpster when I was a month old. The social worker responsible for my case named me Nina Esperanza. Esperanza is Spanish for hope. She hoped I would get adopted and have a happy life. When that didn’t happen, I gave up on hope. . .instead, I became a warrior.

How old are you?
I am now 27 years old, about to turn 28.

What is your profession?
I started off as a Fairfax County police officer, where I worked for four years before joining the FBI. Until recently, I was assigned to the FBI’s Washington Field Office.

Do you have a significant other?
I have enough baggage to fill two suitcases and a steamer trunk. Cannot even think about a relationship at this point. I have precious little experience with love of any kind. I bounced around from one foster home to the next, where I suffered my share of abuse. Bullies figured me for an easy target because I’m small, but I learned how to protect myself. . .and others.

What is their name and profession?
See above. I may be too damaged to ever have anything close to romance in my life.

Do you have any children?
No children.

Do you have any siblings?
Not that I know of. Since I don’t know my bio family, there is the possibility that I have relatives out there, but I’ve never been interested in finding them. Why would I search for parents who threw me in a dumpster? If I ever did find them, how would I get past that?

Are your parents nearby?
See above.

Who is your best friend?
I’m pretty much of a loner, but I’ve allowed a few people in closer than the rest. I don’t have anyone I would call a best friend, but my mentor is Shawna Jackson, the highest ranking African-American female in the history of the FBI. She’s the reason I joined the Bureau, and I trust her more than just about anyone else. Another special person is Bianca Babbage, a 17-year-old former runaway who now lives in the apartment next to mine as a foster child. She’s a legit genius who is about to graduate college with a double major in computer science and biology.

Do you have any pets?
My life is so hectic, I couldn’t even manage a cactus, much less a pet.

What town do you live in?
Springfield, Virginia (inside the DC beltway).

Do you live in a small town or a big city?
Springfield is in Fairfax County, Virginia, which is primarily suburban. For me, it’s the best of both worlds.

Type of dwelling and do you own or rent?
I live in a crumbling four-floor walkup in the unofficial Latin corridor. The people in my apartment building have become like a substitute family for me. A dysfunctional family, that is.

What is your favorite spot in your home?
The shower. I like to wash off the day’s stress, watching it go down the drain each evening. The hot water soothes me.

Favorite meal and dessert?
My next door neighbor, Mrs. Gomez, is from Chile. She cooks constantly, and makes the best empanadas I have ever tasted. For dessert, her tres leches cake is to die for.

Do you have any hobbies?
Only if you count running. I don’t have a great deal of leisure time.

What is your favorite vacation spot?
Las Vegas. No one cares if you’re alone, which I always am. I’m not a traveler, but there I can experience world-class entertainment, shopping, and dining.

What music do you listen to?
I saw JLo live in concert in Vegas. She’s my favorite. I have all her music.

Do you have a favorite book?
Same as hobbies, I don’t have much time for leisure reading. I tend to scan news articles online.

What is your idea of a really fun time?
An evening matching wits with Bianca. . .and losing badly. What can I say? I’m apparently a glutton for punishment.

If you were to write a memoir, what would you call it?
Victim to Warrior, a Story of Resilience.

Amateur or professional sleuth and whom do you work with?
As an FBI agent, I work with pros. On a recent case chronicled in the book The Cipher, amateur sleuths we referred to as “scoobies” kept interfering with the investigation.

In a few sentences, what is a typical day in your life like?
See below.

What does a typical day look like when you are on a case?
Since I’m pretty much always on a case, my typical day reflects that. I commute to the Aquia Commerce Center near Quantico to meet with my team and review current investigations forwarded from law enforcement agencies around the country. The team is a brand new hybrid group that consists of two Behavioral Analysis Unit profilers who analyze a suspect’s MO, a cybercrime specialist who analyzes their data, and me–a field agent who knows just enough to be dangerous. At times, we go out in the field for hands-on investigation of the most difficult cases of all: serial killers.

A Different Dawn, A Nina Guerrera Mystery #2
Genre: Thriller
Release: August 2021
Purchase Link

For nearly thirty years a serial killer has been hiding in plain sight. So has the key to an FBI agent’s dark past.

A family is murdered as they sleep. FBI Special Agent Nina Guerrera and her new team are tasked with determining whether there is any link between this attack and another triple homicide from four years earlier and more than two thousand miles away. In the process, they’ll discover a serial killer so cunning that his grisly trail of death spanning nearly three decades has gone undetected. Each crime scene reminds Nina of the ghostly Latin folktale of La Llorona, which terrified her when she was an abandoned and vulnerable child. Now it’s back to haunt her.

Nina has known evil, but these macabre reenactments are as disturbing as they are baffling. Now she must uncover the meaning behind the rituals as the evidence leads her in an unexpected direction―far closer to home than anyone could have imagined. As the team narrows in on a suspect, the present collides with Nina’s past in a twist of fate that forces her to make the ultimate sacrifice.

About the author
Award-winning author Isabella Maldonado wore a gun and badge in real life before turning to crime writing. The first Latina to attain the rank of captain in her police department, she retired as the Commander of Special Investigations and Forensics. Selected to attend the FBI National Academy in Quantico, she uses her law enforcement background to bring a realistic edge to her writing. The Cipher, the first book in her new bestselling series featuring FBI Special Agent Nina Guerrera, is being adapted as a feature film starring Jennifer Lopez by Netflix. The sequel, A Different Dawn, was published August 10, 2021.

All comments are welcomed.