Every now and then it seems like all you hear about are private aircraft accidents. To a certain extent, that’s due to a herd mentality among media–one crash begets heightened attention and quick reporting of the next one if close in time. But it’s also true that fate occasionally allows a cluster of accidents. In fact, the majority of general aviation accidents (small aircraft not flying for a charter customer or corporate owner) you never hear … [Read more...]
Les Abend: Can An Airline Pilot Really Be Creative?
Let’s be honest. Airline pilot is not a profession that screams creativity. We’re perceived more as left-brain people. And quite frankly, our passengers want a left-brain person at the pointy end of the airplane. Passengers want their airline pilots to all be Chesley Sullenberger’s. I understand. Pilots themselves want their fellow crewmember to be left-brain people. We can certainly do without the emotions of a left-brainer dominating in the … [Read more...]
Pilot Les Abend Discusses Why He Wrote PAPER WINGS
Except for the grey clouds that I might fly through on any given flight, as an airline pilot I deal with a world that is mostly black and white. Checklists. Procedures. Protocols. The cockpit is not an environment for a philosophical discussion. If an engine chooses to catch on fire, pilots are not apt to have an open conversation about the merits of shutting it down. We follow strict guidelines for flying the airplane and strict guidelines for … [Read more...]
Les Abend’s PAPER WINGS Featured In Flying Magazine!
An excerpt from Les Abend's upcoming aviation thriller, PAPER WINGS, was featured in Flying Magazine on December 15th, 2016! Abend is a veteran airline pilot and aviation analyst whose writing has frequently appeared in the hit magazine over the last 15 years. Check out the article here! PAPER WINGS is now available from WildBlue Press! Order your copy today! “Wow! Les Abend’s PAPER WINGS rockets through a beautifully intricate plot – a … [Read more...]
Aviation Thriller Author Les Abend
At the age of six, in my hometown of Syracuse, NY, I boarded an American Airlines Lockheed Electra with my spirited mom. After receiving the obligatory tour of the cockpit, I was handed a certificate, a pilot’s hat silhouetted in the background. The certificate, signed by the captain, promised me an interview with the airline’s chief pilot 20 years from the date. Thinking that the notion of becoming an airline pilot would fade over time, my … [Read more...]
LOCKOUT’s John Nance: On The Same Page
Ah, harmony! When you’re sitting in the cabin of a jetliner zipping through hostile atmosphere at 39-thousand feet, legally and effectively at the mercy of your flight crew, the last thing you want back in 42B is a reason to worry about your crew having relational problems. You know, not playing well together. Sometimes the stress of keeping several hundred people fed and watered begins to show on the flight attendants and the passengers … [Read more...]
Author John Nance On The “Writer’s Curse”
I have to laugh when someone looks at my list of books written over the past few decades and jumps to the conclusion that I am incredibly disciplined. Okay, as a pilot, I AM disciplined to a reasonable degree, but life around our household does not include watching me goosestep to my office each morning at precisely 5 am with coffee in hand only to emerge 8.5 hours later having produced exactly 10.2 pages. I wish I was capable of such … [Read more...]
LOCKOUT’s John J. Nance Discusses How He Comes Up With His Bestselling Book Plots
As an author whose stock in trade is telling exciting stories and, hopefully, keeping you up past midnight (the way a great thriller always keeps ME flipping pages till dawn), I love it when you guys are interested enough in the backstage machinery to ask how I come up with plots like LOCKOUT. I could be flippant and say it takes a lot of scotch and cigars sitting on the back deck, but in reality, it’s more of an orderly procedure. First, I … [Read more...]
New York Times Bestselling Author and World-Recognized Aviation Analyst John J. Nance
Another New York Times Bestselling Author Joins WildBlue Press! New York Times Bestselling author John J. Nance is a veteran airline captain, a decorated U.S. Air Force pilot and war veteran, a licensed attorney, professional speaker and world-recognized Aviation Analyst for ABC World News and Good Morning America. His bestselling works include BLACKOUT, PANDORA'S BOX, MEDUSA'S CHILD and THE LAST HOSTAGE. John, who still flies, lives on San Juan … [Read more...]
Order Richard Godwin’s Thriller Noir Novel THE PURE AND THE HATED For FREE!
A man takes a stranger into his house only to unleash a savage lesson from the past… For a limited time, get internationally acclaimed author Richard Godwin's thriller noir novel, THE PURE AND THE HATED, for free! But hurry, this offer only lasts from August 14th through August 18th. This chilling crime novel is sure to leave you guessing as Godwin explores family relationships and the mind of a dangerous psychopath. 5 Star Rating on … [Read more...]