Friday, September 28, 2012

Watching Airplanes



By Wendi Zwaduk

When I went to college, I had no idea I would end up being so interested in airplanes. Why? I was just a silly art student. Flying or learning how to fly never factored into what I wanted to do. But this is where romance, flying and my future all intersected.

Enter DH – the darling husband.

He’s a pilot and knows the ins and outs of airports. I thought he was cute. I got to know him and learned how to fly. Okay, so I’m not going to go up in the air any time soon. I never got my pilot’s license and landings aren’t really my thing. But spending time with him meant watching the Weather Channel to see what the weather would be wherever he planned to fly to.  We spent a lot of time hanging out at the airport talking to other pilots, helping out where needed and watching the planes take off and land. For most people, this probably wouldn’t be the most exciting way to date. There’s a lot that goes on at a smaller airport and yet, it can get pretty boring, too.

But I took a lot away from the time there. I know my Lear from my King Air, I know what a prop is versus a jet and I can tell you when the plane is coming in too high and hot.

All this information helped me to write my 1Night Stand novella, One More Night. I knew the hero was a pilot and I could understand his longing to fly when he can’t. Pilots are like Marines – once a pilot, always a pilot. They train their gaze to the sky and heaven help when you drive past an airport. They have to look. So I could identify with my hero—the good and the bad.

Then there was the heroine. She’s not super keen on flying—kind of like me when I met DH. She likes it enough to go along, but jet fuel is certainly not in her blood. But, the hero is. Quite a quandary, not knowing what you want even when he’s standing right in front of you.

Speaking of being in front of me, DH helped me with a critical scene in One More Night. Without him and his technical experience, I wouldn’t have been able to depict the scene with the proper detail. I’m glad I had him around for that—well, that and other things. Grin.

So what about you? Authors, how do your experiences enliven your books? And readers, same for you. How does the things you’ve been through color the way you read books? Hopefully when you read One More Night, you’ll feel the same zeal for flying I have. 

15 comments:

  1. I can't really say if the things I've done color the way I read books. About the only thing I can think of is I really struggle reading first person books. I had a teacher who didn't like "I" statements and would make you rewrite a whole paper because of them. I keep wanting to "fix" them! LOL!

    suz2(at)cox(dot)net

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    1. I struggle with first person books, too. It's not generally the way I write. I've penned a couple of very short stories that were first person, but it's not my favorite.

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  2. I love when authors use personal experiences or have connections to what is written. I have done beta reading and have been able to use some personal experience to help an author. It was kinda fun. If there is something technical in the book that I am reading and it doesn't seem realistic for me, that would change how I view a book. But other than that, I just love to read.
    mel
    bournmelissa at hotmail dot com

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    1. I know you love to read, Mel. :-) I've been in all the planes mentioned in the book and spent more than my fair share of time at the airports, too. I hope that shines through in this book.

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  3. I find my experiences in life give me empathy when I read. Thanks Carin
    mawmom at gmail dot com

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  4. Flying is not my thing, but, the book looks great.I think that personal experiences make us who we are, and that hopefully, they make us strong and able to make good choices in life.

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    1. Flying is one of those either you love it or have no thoughts on it whatsoever things. Having married a pilot, I had to learn to love it. :-)

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  5. I think my life experiences definitely colors not so much how i read but what i read. Growing up in a house with domestic violence causes me not to pick books dealing with these issues. Even though i have made peace with my dad and my past, I don't want to revisit those experiences that turn me into a scared eleven year old. On a brighter note this book sounds great can't wait tocheck it out.
    andieleah78@gmail.com

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    1. I totally understand where you're coming from. I"m not wild about books dealing with car accidents. I hope you enjoy this book, though. :-)Thanks for sharing and your honesty.

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  6. Thanks everyone. I'm glad you all came out to the blog post. :-)

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  7. Thanks for sharing. It certainly is nice to know a bit more...my brother is an aerospace engineer and works for a major airline, he loves airplanes. I remember when we were kids, my parents would take us to see the planes land and take-off, it was entertainment for us and we kids really enjoyed it! It's too bad now-a-days you can't really do that anymore (for security reasons). For me as a reader, it gives me great pleasure when I can actually picture what you are talking about because of your descriptions.

    Eva
    evitap67(at)gmail(dot)com

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    1. Yes! I got to watch the planes take off and land ONE time before the observation decks were closed. So cool to see them. Entertained me. Grin. I hope you enjoy the book. i had a great time writing it.

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  8. I love lots of color in my books and my life. I try new things and love doing so.
    Yvette
    yratpatrol@aol.com

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  9. I suck at landings, too. lol
    My first time piloting a plane, they told me to aim for the treeline. Since a guy I liked was in the backseat, I didn't admit I couldn't see out the window...I'd just been flying using the horizon indicator. So, I aimed the nose downward...and nearly took us into the trees. My teacher was quick to advise that in the future, I ask for a pillow since seeing out the windows is far more important than pride...
    Like you--no pilots license. Wonder why...? Teehee.

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