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.
Leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of One More Night. Don't forget to leave your email address!
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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!
ReplyDeletesuz2(at)cox(dot)net
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.
DeleteI 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.
ReplyDeletemel
bournmelissa at hotmail dot com
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.
DeleteI find my experiences in life give me empathy when I read. Thanks Carin
ReplyDeletemawmom at gmail dot com
very cool. Same works for me.
DeleteFlying 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.
ReplyDeleteFlying 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. :-)
DeleteI 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.
ReplyDeleteandieleah78@gmail.com
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.
DeleteThanks everyone. I'm glad you all came out to the blog post. :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks 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.
ReplyDeleteEva
evitap67(at)gmail(dot)com
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.
DeleteI love lots of color in my books and my life. I try new things and love doing so.
ReplyDeleteYvette
yratpatrol@aol.com
I suck at landings, too. lol
ReplyDeleteMy 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.