Garinè is the author of the award-winning novel Start with the Backbeat. She is a singer/songwriter who grew up with one foot in Texas and the other in New Jersey. A graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, she is a lover of music, chocolate, and altruistic sarcasm; and a writer of post-punk humor. She is proud of her Armenian American heritage, and often draws upon that experience in her work.
She currently works full time in marketing communications, sings in a gospel choir, is the Workshops Chair for the Gaithersburg Book Festival, is a committee member of WIRoB’s Washington Writers Conference, and writes when everyone else is asleep. She lives in Maryland with her husband, three kids, a cat, a dog, and a gecko. It’s the gecko that sent her over the edge.
Professional Memberships:
- Gaithersburg Book Festival Committee, Chair of Workshops for Adults
- Washington Independent Review of Books (WIRoB)
- WIRoB’s Washington Writers Conference Committee
- Historical Novel Society
- Maryland Writer’s Association
Click Here to learn how you pronounce the name, Garinè Isassi
Some Songs by Garinè:
You may be wondering how to say her name. Click on this icon for an audio recording: 
