Flying the P-51

Easing the throttle forward and applying rudder pressure to compensate for the torque the I 1710 engine develops, is just the beginning of the thrill ride. The tail comes up and the airspeed builds and then lift-off. Air born in the hottest fighter from WW II. North American Aviation in Los Angeles built a great airplane. I was lucky enough to have a friend who owned the airplane and I was blessed to get to fly her. She zooms.

After the flight my friends had to hold onto my leg to keep me from floating away. Great experience.

Standing on the rocks watching the Pacific ocean smashing in at Montana Del Oro I was struck with the need to use such a scene in some of my writing. 'Course right now I don't have a suitable place for such a dramatic display. Still it may have a place sometime in the future; so I wrote it, and that is the nature of writing.

I am often told by various folks. "I could write a book if I could get started."

My answer is, "Write. Sit down and write." That's how it's done. I leave out the rest, which is, "Then write it again. Read it, and write it again." I don't want to discouragee them too much.

I might have added that they should find a good writing group. I am fortunate to have the Santa Maria Word wizards. A great group of people.

Man what a day

After some on again off again rain today opens with clear skies and sunshine. That's why I live here on the Central Coast of California. So to enjoy this beauty I have moved from my desk to the patio. Barbara M Hodges (A Spiral of Echoes co-authored with Maggie Pucillo) and I are working on a novel and I have to keep up with her.

This and That

I was chastised the other day by a friend who said I need to update my blog more ofter: and she was right. The problem is that I just don't seem to have 'enuff time. I am into a writ ting that she surely understands is fascinating to the nth degree.

Co-authoring is a new experience for me but is working far better than I ever expected.

I had occasion to go to the airport to receive and dispatch a visiting friend and it made me think of the "Good ole days" when air travel still had it's magic and mystic. I think I like the old way better.

The Last Dawn of Reckoning is available on Amazon

My novel "Dawn" is now available on Amazon for download to your Kindle or other device:
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=The+Last+Dawn+of+Reckoning&x=11&y=18

I am very excited about this novel. Jake McCauley and I became very good friends during the development of this adventure.

Good news for my readers. My publisher has just informed me that "The Last Dawn of Reckoning" will be available for down load to Kindle in a few days. Keep your eye on Amazon.

"Dawn" is a great read and I enjoyed my time with Jake McCauley. He is a man with a past that knows how to live.

Kindle

I have recently acquired a Kindle and overall find it easy to use. It is a super to download. My small complaint woud be that the Library can be tough to navigate. It has given me access to some books by my favorite writer. Books not available in the book store.

This brought me to one of my idols in aviation writing, Ernest Gann. Making exciting movies from aviation novels is a difficult thing. He had some great books but mediocre movies. At least three of them starred John Wayne.

The problem stems from trying to convert a writen discription of of a tense moment in an airplane where the pilot does nothing but sit there moving the controls and staring out the windscreen. Making this into a motion picture requires a lot of shouting and jerky movement. This ends up as a lousy movie.

But...I am a sucker for the old movies.