Flying High with Helicopters

The eighth anniversary of hurricane Katrina is fast approaching.

My wife and I have many memories and stories about how the weather changed our lives. In several ways, Katrina was as significant for me as the JFK assassination. Kennedy’s death didn’t cause me to move away from my home state.

Katrina did.

One of the nightmarish memories of the storm involves events that occurred in the aftermath.

The levee system in New Orleans failed. In addition to storm refugees and evacuees, now flood victims were arriving in Baton Rouge. Not too far from our home.  The basketball arena on campus at LSU became a huge triage facility.  

The “whop-whop” sound of helicopters constantly arriving at Tiger Stadium was a daily reminder of the tragedy that changed thousands of lives. Our house was close enough to the flight path that we could easily hear the airborne deliveries.

More than once, I looked toward where the sound seemed to be coming from, only to discover they were behind me.

It reminded me of the opening scene from the movie M*A*S*H.

Fast forward to the 1:06 mark.

My near obsession with helicopters recently joined forces with my 19th childhood (who needs only two?) and I started building plastic models again.  Hadn’t tried that in over forty years.

Last summer, I got back into flying radio controlled aircraft. I’d flown airplanes while in college and this time it’s, you guessed it, helicopters. I spent as much time repairing them after crashes as I did with them in the air. So I purchased several pieces of equipment to help.  The lighted magnifying glass and the “extra hands” with alligator clips proved handy for both hobbies.

Here are a few photos of my first model in 40 years, a Bell H-13H. Once I get the decals on, it will be a “M*A*S*H” replica. I can hear the music now.

“Through early morning fog I see

visions of the things to be

the pains that are withheld for me

I realize and I can see...

that suicide is painless”

If you have the right tools, any job is easy!

Just getting started: frame and skids.

Motor on the frame.

 Frame with cockpit interior. I was impressed with the detail.

Notice you can see the foot pedals.

 Almost done. Just needs decals.

Next up, a B-24 Liberator. It played a significant role in every theatre of World War II and I'll be writing a blog soon on a book about it. The book is The Wild Blue - The Men and Boys Who Flew the B-24s Over Germany by Stephen E. Ambrose. Watch for it soon.

Just who are those guys in the Presidents Club?

The Eight Sentences:

“We got no secrets,” commented Reverend Pritchett.

Pointe continued, “The facts I’ve discovered may not be secrets in this room, but I suspect that they aren’t commonly known in your community. I’ll give you a few examples. 

Three of the eight men, I’m including Louie, whose real name I know, have concealed carry permits. Five of you have had run-ins with the IRS and one is still paying them off. You all know each other’s marital and employment status. I know your military histories and which of you have been checked out by the FBI. 

I also know that the most dangerous man in the room, except for myself and Louie, who has a sawed off shotgun behind the bar, is not the youngest member of your group.”

The Back Story:

        Gerald Pointe is in charge of security for billionaire Julian Thibaut who is about to visit the Louisville Tavern in a few days. In the snippet above, he shares with the regulars of the tavern(aka the "Presidents Club"), a portion of what he's learned about them.

News items:

       1. My first novel, The Tourist Killer, is now available on Barnes & Noble so you can read it with your NOOK.

      2. Starting Saturday, May 4, The Presidents Club increases in frequency. Three chapters a week will be presented on Sat, Sun, & Wed.

What next?

        Want more exposure for your writing? 

        Join us here: http://www.wewriwa.com/

        You can also sample the work of over six dozen other great writers at the same site.

A hot Star gets hotter with every step

The Eight Sentences:

       He began to loosen his tie and saw Star enter from a cloud of steam pouring out of the bath. She wore nothing but beads of hot water that glistened as they rolled down her face, arms, and chest.                                                             When she stepped into the room, the cooler air gave her goose bumps. Her hair was soaked and pulled back into a wet ponytail that fell well past her shoulders and supplied a constant stream of water down her back. The water streaming off her nude body created a soggy trail across the carpet. 

       Another step and they were near enough for him to reach her, she stopped and surrendered by allowing her arms to fall at her sides. With one hand, he took the wet ponytail and pulled her head back. She looked up and saw him lean in so she shut her eyes and gently parted her lips for the kiss.

The Back Story:

        Last week's snippet from The Tourist Killer was so popular, it seemed like a logical progression to continue with a few more samples from my first novel. In this scene, London businessman, Brian Farrell enters the apartment of his personal assistant/lover, Star Braun. The image at the left is one from Google Images and fits my mental image of Star.

Want more?

        Who doesn't?

        Are your desires insatiable?

        Then check out the work of over six dozen other great writers  simply by clicking, HERE. Weekend Writing Warriors is a great way to build traffic to your site and to offer samples of your work.

Baby boomer and Zen 4-21-2013

The Set Up

        This week's snippet is from my first novel, The Tourist Killer. As the story begins, readers meet Claudia Barry, a sixty-two year old woman contemplating retirement.
A baby boomer.

She's a knockout.

She's an elite professional assassin who has mastered the art of disguise.
A cousin, a photographer, introduced her to Zen.
Her grandfather was a motorcycle repairman.

Now, she practices Zen -- with every squeeze of the trigger.

The Eight Sentences

         The butt of the rifle was comfortable against the shooter's shoulder. 
        A deep breath. 
        The shooter, the rifle, the bullet, the target all meshed together into one single entity. 
        The moment arrived.
        Nothing moved except the shooter's right index finger.
        Gail Oppenheimer had been helpless in the arms of a much stronger woman who was slowly bringing a razor to her throat. The blade flashed.
        With no warning, it disappeared.

Want more?

        Every week, five or six dozen authors participate and welcome you to join us. 
      Check us out at the home site for Weekend Writing Warriors, HERE.

Character Quiz - remember these?

My previous blog on how authors select names for their characters spawned this quiz.

The answers are all over the internet, but give it a shot without looking them up first.

See how you do.

Boomers should do well, however, these all came from a current “best of all time” list selected by contemporary viewers.

Good luck!

Match the character with his/her book, movie, description.

Hot Lips Houlihan Casablanca

Illya Kuryakin Dr. Strangelove

Melanie Wilkes Apocalypse Now

Louis Renault Taxi Driver

Harry Lime “Verbal”

Ellen Ripley Silence of the Lambs

Ian Malcolm The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

Roger Kint Gone With The Wind

Marion Crane Alien

Clarice Starling M*A*S*H

Buck Turgidson Some Like It Hot

Bill Kilgore Jurassic Park

Chuck Martin The Whirlybirds

Travis Bickle The Third Man

Sugar Kane Kowalczyk Psycho

Please post your scores, questions, suggestions, and thoughts in the comment section.

Enjoy the quiz!

Several of the characters named above appear in the following video:

4-14-13 - Whom do you trust?

News:

        Beta readers have the next twenty-one chapters of my serial, The Presidents Club. Once they're done and I've made the corrections and edits, my publisher, Venture Galleries, will increase the frequency to three chapters a week. 

        The goal is to have The Presidents Club out in trade paperback and e-book in time for back-to-school.  Teachers need something to read while the students are playing Fruit Ninja.

The Set Up:

        This week's snippet is from Chapter Twenty-one, which goes live Sunday, the 14th. In this scene, the regulars at the Louisville Tavern have been engaged in a lively discussion concerning the meaning of trust and what it means to them. 

        We join the scene just as Reverend Thomas Pritchett is concluding...

The Eight Sentences:

"Until then, we just enjoy being together and take care of each other till the time comes that we have to depend on that belief -- that trust.”

No one spoke for a moment so the pastor made it easy for them by asking, “Who thinks they can beat me in a game of checkers?”

Dr. Risk was ready, “I’ll take you on! Hit me with your best shot, Preacher!”

“Watch out, Doc,” advised York, “he’s liable to baptize you.”

The pastor turned to the smart mouth and said, “But I wouldn’t hold him under half as long as I would you.”

York muttered, “And all this time I thought I could trust you.” The two men exchanged smiles as Tommy Pritchett ambled over to the table where the checker board was set up.

Image credit: old-photos.blogspot.com

Want more?

        Each week, as many as five or six dozen writers contribute a sample of their work for your reading pleasure.

        Find all their snippets and join us, if you like, at the home  page of Weekend Writing Warriors.

        Visit our FB group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/SnippetSunday/

How do you select names for your characters?

A blog article grabbed my attention and wouldn’t let go. 

“What if three and a half billion people knew your main character’s name?” by Colin Falconer recently appeared on my publisher’s site (Venture Galleries.)

It got me thinking about memorable characters and, as a writer, what makes a name and its character memorable?

One of my favorite novels is When All the World Was Young. The main character is Porter Osborne. He's like a brother. I'll never forget his name.

I’ve read all of Michael Crichton’s books and most of John Grisham’s. The only name of any of either of their characters I can remember is Mitch McDeere. Many of the characters were memorable for their deeds, misdeeds, and well, their character. But remember their names?

Here are a few noteworthy fictional names. It seems a good bet that most culturally literate folks will remember:

Rhett Butler

Scarlett O’Hara

Mike Hammer

Perry Mason

Indiana Jones

Luke Skywalker

Pussy Galore

Harry Callahan

Mary Poppins

Princess Leia

Sarah Connor

Holly Golightly

Let’s up the ante a bit.  Would the three and a half billion people who know James Bond be able to score well on this quiz of five easy pieces?

1. “Everybody goes to Rick’s.” Yeah, well, what’s his last name?

2. Casablanca typically ranks high in many “best movies of all time lists”, so what was Ilsa’s last name?

3. The Godfather is another favorite.  What were the first and last names of the woman who married Michael (not Apollonia in Italy)?

4. What was Mr. Goldfinger’s first name?

5. What was the name of John Travolta’s character in Pulp Fiction?

If you want to cheat, go to: http://www.imdb.com/

Give it a shot without cheating first.

How’d you do?

Let’s get back to the dilemma authors face when choosing names for their characters.

What author wouldn’t want several billion people to know their main character by name?

I’d be happy if a few thousand people recognized the name, “Claudia Barry” or “John Hixon.”

A few months ago, I was invited to speak to a local book club about my first novel, The Tourist Killer.  One of the questions they asked me was how I selected Claudia’s name.  Maybe Ian Fleming could get away with cutesy puns and names that were descriptive of his secondary characters, but I thought that as a rookie, it would be best to avoid naming a professional assassin, Katrina Coldblood who had a lover named Colt Caliber. Actually, I’m not into choosing names that way at all, although I did name one character Robert Dillon. He was the guy who spoke only in Bob Dylan lyrics.

My wife, Miss Bob, helped me in many ways with The Tourist Killer and she suggested “Claudia.” Her suggestion reminded me of a long ago acquaintance. In the first grade, I met a little girl named “Claudia.” She moved away before the second grade, but her name stuck in my mind. With a bit of research, I learned that, “Barry” is an old Irish word that means, “spear.”  You could use a spear to kill someone, so Claudia Barry, a name that may be as blase’,as James Bond, was born.

As a reviewer, I don’t usually take off a star in the ratings for corny names, but I do find them annoying.

As a reader, if there are too many examples of silly name games, I may quit reading.

Maybe a character with a boring name will be more memorable for the kind of person they are than for their name.