"Why I wrote, There I Wuz!"
BY: Capn Aux:
The opening line of my latest book, There I Wuz! Adventures From 3 Decades in the Sky reads, “Ask any pilot how they started flying, and you will hear a love story.”
For pilots and avgeeks alike, this cannot be understated. For many, flying is our first, last, and only mistress. Short of falling in love with one’s spouse, the passion that accompanies the world of flying surpasses nearly any other endeavor.
My love for flying dates back to early grade school, when I first cast my gaze skyward. About that time, I wrote my first “novel,” Little Froggy and the Golden Transmitter—six pages long and fully illustrated. Thus began a (nearly) equal passion for writing. At age 14 I began writing my first real novel, Code Name: Dodger. Shortly thereafter, my feet first left terra firma in a hang glider.
As you can see, my two passions—flying and writing—are inextricably linked. They are also quite complimentary. Flying invites adventure, and readers crave adventure. In a recent post on flxedwingbuddha.com, pilot-blogger Brent Owens said, “flying is the union between the known and unknown, the calm and the chaotic, the real and ethereal. This cocktail has the effect of producing an unrivaled existential experience.” Well, the same can be said about writing. For me, both offer an equally satisfying leap into the unknown.
Over the years, while pursuing an airline career, I wrote and published freelance flying articles for various magazines, such as Arizona Highways, Plane & Pilot, NYCAviation.com and AOPA Pilot. But publishing in magazines was slow, tedious and tenuous. For every 100 queries, I’d sell one piece. With the advent of the internet and blogging, however, my writing exploded: I finally found the perfect medium to write all those adventures pent up over 30 years in the sky! My blog, Adventures of Cap’n Aux, quickly found an enthusiastic audience. I begin publishing books as well. Shortly after Code Name: Dodger, I published The Last Bush Pilots, which garnered an Amazon Top 100 Breakthrough Novel award in 2013.
There I Wuz! is a logical extension of this flying/writing arc. It’s a collection of pieces from my blog and magazines published over the years, as well as several unpublished stories and contributions from guest pilot-writers. In addition, there are several excerpts from my novels. It has been enthusiastically received, with many readers stating they couldn’t put it down till the last page.
I like to entertain and, in the process, perhaps learn something about the art of flying planes—and the art of understanding ourselves. While any artist would like to make money off their endeavors, this has never been my primary goal. 50% of all book proceeds go to orphan charities. Recently, Amazon hosted a free giveaway of the Kindle version of my books, garnering nearly 10,000 downloads in two days, spurring a torrent of enthusiastic book reviews from around the world!
And enthusiastic comments from readers like you have become its own addictive reward. I’m already working on Volume 2, due out in Spring, 2015.
Karlene doesn’t know it yet, but in Volume 2, she’s going to be a guest writer!
(Looking forward to it! :))
What's with the photos and the kids
and that letter above?
Oh my... if you want to have a tear-jerker
Drop by Eric's blog and see what this is all about
BOOK LINKS:
Amazon Page, all books http://amazon.com/author/ericauxier
AND MORE!
The next Dodger Book will be released
November 1, 2014~
“Who is the great Agent, Artful Dodger? Tell me now, and I kill you quick.” CIA Case Officer Bob Cheney is kidnapped, and Teen orphan Justin Reed—aka the Artful Dodger—is forced to match wits with a cartel family’s brilliant teen prodigy, Luis Ocho. But Luis’s stunning teen sister Kiara is another story. Is she falling for Justin, or is this just another one of Luis’s diabolical tricks to lure the “great Agent Dodger” to his demise?
Once again, Justin is forced to rely on his old street smarts—and his new CIA training—to rescue Bob from a ruthless and deadly enemy.
The Last Bush Pilots
Kindle: http://goo.gl/NCvGuW
There I Wuz!:
Print: https://www.createspace.com/4758123
Kindle: http://goo.gl/FX9n3E
Code Name: Dodger
Print: https://www.createspace.com/3964343
Kindle: http://goo.gl/9GykL
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