Louis Romano, born in the Bronx in 1950, is a successful businessman who began his literary career writing urban poetry in 1968. His career in sales, advertising, and marketing campaigns continues in his capacity as CEO and principal of Informa Energy, Inc., an energy brokerage company. His Gino Ranno series is partly inspired by stories from Sicily that were passed down through the generations, stories of murder, revenge, and of family ties and loyalties that carried through to the family’s move to New York. Romano attributes the series theme largely to the influence of his own heritage. A second generation Italian, his great-grandmother came to America from Sicily in 1891. Romano’s real life experience of growing up in New York at a time when the mob and Italian culture was peaking, influenced more than just the characters in his book.