Thursday, January 16, 2014
Book Tour: The Eagle's Last Flight by Ron Standerfer @VBTCafe
The Eagle's Last Flight
by Ron Standerfer
Author Links
Website: www.eagleslastflight.com
Blog: www.pelicanjournal.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ron.standerfer
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/ronstanderfer
About The Book
Book Genre: Fiction, Military History/Aviation
Publisher:The Pelican Communications Group (A proud Indie publisher)
Release Date: September 9, 2013
Buy Link(s):
Book Description:
Excerpt:
Skip never forgot his experience at Camp Desert Rock. Years later, he
ran into
a Marine at the officers club who had participated in one of the
tests and the two of them compared notes about what they had
experienced.
‘‘It was the damnedest thing,’’ the Marine said, ‘‘There
we were, almost at ground zero. I mean we were sitting in trenches,
three miles away. Three miles! Not on some piddley-assed platform
eight miles away, like those Air Force and Navy pussies.’’
Skip let that comment pass, based on his longstanding belief that
arguing with a Marine who has been drinking, was not a smart thing to
do.
‘‘And get this…right after the blast we were supposed to leap
out of the trenches so we could be moved up to a point three hundred
yards away.’’
‘‘Three hundred yards?’’ Skip exclaimed. ‘‘Why so close,
for God’s sake?’’ ‘‘Why? To set up a mock defensive
perimeter against anyone who theoretically
might have survived the attack.’’
‘‘Yeah right…like anybody would.’’
‘‘Exactly. When we moved into position, there was nothing to see,
much less to defend against. I mean nothing, just a few piles of
molten metal here and there. And, oh yeah, the charred flesh of sheep
that were used in the test.’’
‘‘Sheep?’’
‘‘Yeah, sheep. There I was with my men, tromping around in this
fallout shit…you know…that white ash that crunches under your
feet?’’
‘‘Fallout at three hundred yards, that stuff had to be big time
radioactive.’’ ‘‘Right, but of course I wasn’t afraid,
because afterwards we were gonna get
brushed off with brooms and hosed down. I mean, brooms, man. How dumb
could we have been?’’
‘‘Anyway,’’ he continued, ‘‘about the same time, this guy
shows up over the top of the hill, all dressed out in some kind of
shiny, silver, protective suit with a ventilator and face mask. When
he sees us, he comes roaring over, like someone lit a rocket in his
ass. What are you guys doing here? Where is your protective gear? He
yelled. All the time he’s talking, he’s pointing this Geiger
counter thing at us, which is going click, click, click.
I yelled back, we’re just doing some reconnoitering,
getting ready to kick some ass.
Well, you guys shouldn’t be here, he replied. Are you crazy?
Well, yeah. I told him. We are crazy. I mean…we’re Marines, which
is basi- cally the same thing…right?
It turns out this dude was some kind of technician from the Atomic
Energy Commission. They were the guys who were supposed to be running
the tests. And, get this…he didn’t even know the military was
operating that close to ground zero!’’
‘‘No way,’’ Skip said.
‘‘Yep, and when I got him settled down, I found out that he
wasn’t pissed at all. He was just scared…for us. That should have
been my first clue.’’
‘‘Don’t take this the wrong way,’’ Skip said, ‘‘but it
sounds to me like the gov- ernment was using you guys as guinea
pigs.’’
‘‘Guinea pigs?’’ The Marine snorted derisively. ‘‘We
should have been so lucky. The laboratory animals they used in those
tests were washed down with soap and water afterwards, and their
health was carefully monitored. It’s been fif- teen years since
that test and nobody has asked me shit about my health. It’s like
it never happened!’’
‘‘Or like you guys were expendable, so it didn’t matter,’’
Skip offered
‘‘We were all expendable. You, me, and the 250,000
or so troops who partici- pated in all those years of testing. And
that, my friend, is the way it is.
Author Interview
What inspired you to write the Eagle's last flight?
After I retired from the Air Force I learned that people seemed to enjoy hearing my stories about the life I led as a fighter pilot. Many described me as a " good storyteller" and some even went so far as to suggest that I write a book about my experiences. This sounded like a very crazy idea to me at first but eventually, I said to myself why not write a book? Being retired I had more than enough time on my hands to do it and so I thought to myself why not give it a try? The rest is history.
When or at what age did you know you wanted to be a writer?
To be perfectly honest with you, I'm not sure I consider myself a writer even to this day., I am still a good story teller that's for sure, but a writer, that's another story (excuse the pun).
What is the earliest age you remember reading your first book?
My parents tell me I was an early reader. I really don't remember. For sure I was deep into books by high school and definitely in college. I probably read a few books even in junior high school.
What genre of books do you enjoy reading?
I particularly enjoy autobiographies and historical novels, especially written about people and places of previous times. There is so much to learn from books like that, things that somehow or another I manage to apply to my own life.
What is your favorite book?
That's like asking someone who is their favorite child or grandchild. There are so many books on my favorite list. Anything written by Hemingway is at the top of my list, especially For Whom the Bell Tolls, The Sun Also Rises, and the Snows of Kilimanjaro which in my opinion is the best short story ever written. These days I still read and reread The Alchemist and the Fifth Mountain by Paolo Coelho.
You know I think we all have a favorite author. Who is your favorite author and why?
Obviously my answer is Ernest Hemingway. I like his clean, crisp narrative style which I suspect he developed in Paris in the 1920s writing as a reporter for the Herald Tribune.
If you could travel back in time here on earth to any place or time. Where would you go and why?
My first choice would be Paris in the 1920s hanging out with Hemingway, Fitzgerald and all the other famous writers and artists. I can only imagine the times they had and what it was like to live their lifestyle. My other choice would be flying for the Flying Tigers in China as a mercenary in the early 1940s.
When writing a book do you find that writing comes easy for you or is it a difficult task?
Difficult does not even begin to describe the agony I go through when I write. To begin with, I am a perfectionist which is not good for writing a first draft. The problem is when I get two or three sentences down on paper I looked at them and decide they are not right and begin to correct them. This makes for it extremely tedious process when you're writing whole paragraphs and pages.
Do you have any little fuzzy friends? Like a dog or a cat? Or any pets?
All dogs and cats are my friend. Unfortunately, my wife and I travel too much to own a dog or cat but, I do have my ways of borrowing pets just to have them around. As I am writing this, for example a lovely little Boston Terrier named Greta is lying on the rug near my feet looking up at me admiringly. Well, maybe not admiringly, but let's just say we're both very happy at the moment. Greta belongs to a friend of mine. And she is welcome in my house any time
What is your "to die for", favorite food/foods to eat?
I try to watch my diet, but occasionally I like a good steak with baked potato and a glass or two of strong robust malbec red wine. I don't do that often but when I do, I tend to make it a celebration.
Do you have any advice for anyone that would like to be an author?
Yes, I have a lot of advice for beginning authors, more than I have room or time to write here. To begin with, writing is hard work, and you have to be organized and tough to succeed. You also have to believe in yourself and not listen to other writers who have had some small success writing, and for that reason only, try to convince you that you will not succeed like they did. That is nonsense. Secondly, I would avoid the large self publishing companies like the plague. They generally offer more services than you can possibly use, and in the end you will pay tons of money just to get the book on the market. And during the process, you will have almost zero artistic control over your book and eventually end up becoming an independent writer anyway.
After I retired from the Air Force I learned that people seemed to enjoy hearing my stories about the life I led as a fighter pilot. Many described me as a " good storyteller" and some even went so far as to suggest that I write a book about my experiences. This sounded like a very crazy idea to me at first but eventually, I said to myself why not write a book? Being retired I had more than enough time on my hands to do it and so I thought to myself why not give it a try? The rest is history.
When or at what age did you know you wanted to be a writer?
To be perfectly honest with you, I'm not sure I consider myself a writer even to this day., I am still a good story teller that's for sure, but a writer, that's another story (excuse the pun).
What is the earliest age you remember reading your first book?
My parents tell me I was an early reader. I really don't remember. For sure I was deep into books by high school and definitely in college. I probably read a few books even in junior high school.
What genre of books do you enjoy reading?
I particularly enjoy autobiographies and historical novels, especially written about people and places of previous times. There is so much to learn from books like that, things that somehow or another I manage to apply to my own life.
What is your favorite book?
That's like asking someone who is their favorite child or grandchild. There are so many books on my favorite list. Anything written by Hemingway is at the top of my list, especially For Whom the Bell Tolls, The Sun Also Rises, and the Snows of Kilimanjaro which in my opinion is the best short story ever written. These days I still read and reread The Alchemist and the Fifth Mountain by Paolo Coelho.
You know I think we all have a favorite author. Who is your favorite author and why?
Obviously my answer is Ernest Hemingway. I like his clean, crisp narrative style which I suspect he developed in Paris in the 1920s writing as a reporter for the Herald Tribune.
If you could travel back in time here on earth to any place or time. Where would you go and why?
My first choice would be Paris in the 1920s hanging out with Hemingway, Fitzgerald and all the other famous writers and artists. I can only imagine the times they had and what it was like to live their lifestyle. My other choice would be flying for the Flying Tigers in China as a mercenary in the early 1940s.
When writing a book do you find that writing comes easy for you or is it a difficult task?
Difficult does not even begin to describe the agony I go through when I write. To begin with, I am a perfectionist which is not good for writing a first draft. The problem is when I get two or three sentences down on paper I looked at them and decide they are not right and begin to correct them. This makes for it extremely tedious process when you're writing whole paragraphs and pages.
Do you have any little fuzzy friends? Like a dog or a cat? Or any pets?
All dogs and cats are my friend. Unfortunately, my wife and I travel too much to own a dog or cat but, I do have my ways of borrowing pets just to have them around. As I am writing this, for example a lovely little Boston Terrier named Greta is lying on the rug near my feet looking up at me admiringly. Well, maybe not admiringly, but let's just say we're both very happy at the moment. Greta belongs to a friend of mine. And she is welcome in my house any time
What is your "to die for", favorite food/foods to eat?
I try to watch my diet, but occasionally I like a good steak with baked potato and a glass or two of strong robust malbec red wine. I don't do that often but when I do, I tend to make it a celebration.
Do you have any advice for anyone that would like to be an author?
Yes, I have a lot of advice for beginning authors, more than I have room or time to write here. To begin with, writing is hard work, and you have to be organized and tough to succeed. You also have to believe in yourself and not listen to other writers who have had some small success writing, and for that reason only, try to convince you that you will not succeed like they did. That is nonsense. Secondly, I would avoid the large self publishing companies like the plague. They generally offer more services than you can possibly use, and in the end you will pay tons of money just to get the book on the market. And during the process, you will have almost zero artistic control over your book and eventually end up becoming an independent writer anyway.
Follow The Tour Here
Book Tour: Kojiki By Keith Yatsuhashi @KeithYatsuhashi @GHBTours
Title: Kojiki
By Keith Yatsuhashi
Published: April 19th, 2013
Published By: Musa Publishing
Word Count: 109,000
Blurb:
When eighteen-year-old Keiko Yamada's father dies unexpectedly, he leaves behind a one way ticket to Japan, an unintelligible death poem about powerful Japanese spirits and their gigantic, beast-like Guardians, and the cryptic words: "Go to Japan in my place. Find the Gate. My camera will show you the way."
Alone and afraid, Keiko travels to Tokyo, determined to fulfill her father's dying wish. There, beneath glittering neon signs, her father's death poem comes to life. Ancient spirits spring from the shadows. Chaos envelops the city, and as Keiko flees its burning streets, her guide, the beautiful Yui Akiko, makes a stunning confession--that she, Yui, is one of a handful of spirits left behind to defend the world against the most powerful among them: a once noble spirit now insane.
The Earth itself is at stake, and as Keiko fights to save it, strange, dormant abilities stir within her. She suspects they are vital to her world's survival, but to summon them, she must first unlock the mysteries within herself and a past shrouded in mystery.
Goodreads | Musa Publishing | Amazon | Kobo
Excerpt:
Yui knelt on the tatami mats of her father's study, Matsuda's staff cradled in her hands. She came back to the room shortly after Vissyus reappeared, watching as long as she could before emotion overcame her. Tears still spilled from her eyes. Tokyo was as much her home as this castle. It was part of her, and now it burned. Why did her father have to take so much from its people in order to save them? Maybe surviving would be enough for them.
It wasn't for her.
Her Searching transported her to the heart of the city. Shinjuku's proud skyscrapers were a pile of ash, Tokyo Tower now little more than twisted metal. She ghosted down Chuo Dori. Ginza Station had disappeared beneath a toppled building. The intersection where she'd lost Keiko was a tangle of melted wire, soot, and shattered neon tubes. The acrid scent of charred wood and chemical fires blended with the coppery tang of blood. Their monks did their best, but she never expected them to save everyone. Her father tried to hide that from her, and now she understood why.
She felt their Spirits- lifetimes and memories forever lost to the world. A battle wasn't some game; she understood that now. The ruined city was proof enough for her. So much destruction with so little effort. What would happen when Vissyus unleashed his full power?
Shivering, she hugged Matsuda's staff and lowered her head. Where was his strength when she needed it?
Book Soundtrack:
Well, I wrote it while listening to a mixture of Giant Robo, The Animation (an anime favorite of mine), Godzilla, and--brace yourself--Phantom of the Opera. I spent 10 years as a competitive figure skater, so music is very important to me. Even after all these years, I still think in terms of choreography, how music tells and embellishes the story. For Kojiki, I'd go big, emotional, and majestic.
Character Bios:
Keiko Yamada
Keiko Yamada is an eighteen year old Japanese American whose soul holds a secret unknown even to her. Alone and afraid, Keiko travels to Tokyo, determined to fulfill her father's dying wish. There, beneath glittering neon signs, her father's death poem comes to life. Ancient spirits spring from the shadows. Chaos envelops the city, and as Keiko flees its burning streets, her guide, the beautiful Yui Akiko, makes a stunning confession--that she, Yui, is one of a handful of spirits left behind to defend the world against the most powerful among them: a once noble spirit now insane. Keiko must decide if she will honor her father's heritage and take her rightful place among the gods.
The Great Spirits
"Of all the elements, the strongest were always the most basic; Air and Water; Earth, Fire, and, Spirit, and to a lesser extent, darkness and light. There were others as well, though not nearly as powerful. Their interests were in the creatures that lived on the world and not the living world itself - birds and beasts, trees and flowers. The former group became known as the Great Spirits of the world, beings that took physical form and walked the planet, shaping it and watching over it as it blossomed into paradise. Casting their thoughts back into the void, they called out for helpers, Spirits nearly as old as they and with elemental powers complementing their own. These became the Guardians, servants and partners, bound to their Master or Mistress by what is known as the Law of Binding Trust; an oath sworn by the Guardian to protect and to serve, and to carry out the will of the Great Spirit who had summoned it. Out of respect for the Guardians' voluntary servitude, the new Lords of the world swore never to strike directly at a Guardian or allow it to be harmed by anything other than its own kind. It was a relationship so strong, that it survived even when Vissyus broke with all tradition and did the unthinkable." - Takeshi Akiko
Aeryk Tai- Banshar/Eric Aeronson, The Lord of the Air, Commander of the Winds, and King of the Heavens
One of only two Great Spirits not trapped within the Boundary, Aeryk spent the long years since the last battle reshaping the world. From his hidden sky fortress of Hurricane Point, a massive castle wreathed in the clouds of the western Atlantic, he watches over the growth of the human race, slipping into it time and again to influence the course of events. Once Yui Akiko sounds the alarm, he throws off his disguise, openly proclaims himself, and heads immediately into the Caribbean to free another of the Great Spirits, Seirin Bal Cerranon, from the mysterious prison that has held her since the end of the last war. The years haven't diminished his love for her, nor the guilt those feelings resurrect. In his heart, he feels responsible for the catastrophe the world now faces--Vissyus, Aeryk's friend, the strongest of all Spirits, insane because of him.
Seirin Bal Cerannon Queen of the Oceans, Mistress of the Waves, and Lady of Water
The most beautiful woman the world has ever known, and second only to Vissyus in strength. Impatient to know Aeryk's love and to start a family with him, she turns to Vissyus, asking him to conduct forbidden experiments on her behalf. Despite the law, despite multiple warnings, she ignores law and custom with disastrous results.
Takeshi Akiko, Lord of Spirit
Of all the Great Spirits, Takeshi Akiko is the wisest, his control and understanding of Spirit unique. He is strong and enigmatic. As events around the Spirits unravel, Takeshi develops the strategy that will save the world from ruin, even if it means manipulating everyone he loves, including his own daughter, Yui.
Yui Akiko, The Lady of Spirit
Daughter of Takeshi Akiko, Yui is the youngest of the Great Spirits and the only child born among them. Trained exclusively by her father for war, Yui is recklessly headstrong, determined to prove her worth to her father and thereby earn his love and pride. Once she and her father begin to see the signs of the Boundary's failing, Takeshi sends her out into the world as a sentinel, a scout who will report back at the first sign of danger. Her time among the humans gives her a unique empathy for their struggles, one compounded by an unrequited love a human disciple named Matsuda Yamanaka.
Roarke Zar Ranok, Lord of the Earth
Roarke is a big mountain of a man, the tallest of all except for Vissyus. Like Seirin, he remains locked inside the Boundary until the Aeryk and Takeshi can free him.
Lon-Shan, Lord of Shadow
Among the weakest of the Great Spirits in terms of strength, Lon-Shan's power is most potent wherever the light fails. He is perpetually jealous of the others' superior prowess, so much so that his envy eventually results in a darkening of his own heart. Secretly, he begins planning against the other Spirits in their war, cloning a personal army for his eventual conquest of Earth. In order to succeed, he sacrifices his friends to Vissyus, believing that once the others are defeated, the Fire Lord will move on and leave the Earth behind.
Vissyus Sar Furcan, Lord of Fire
Vissyus is the strongest and most intelligent of all the Great Spirits. His natural abilities, his power and the force of his will dwarf those of any other. Only his love for Seirin surpasses his power. When she comes to him for help, he immediately accepts, ignoring the danger to himself and the world in order to make her dreams come true.
Paitr Norwoska Drawn to the dark depravity in Paitr Norwoska's soul, Lon-Shan seeks out this one-time member of the Romanian Nobility, specifically sending his Guardian through the Weakening to recruit him. His power is second only to his lust for power, a lust he shared with his Dark Master. Once inside the Boundary, Paitr becomes an integral part in Lon-Shan's strategy to rule the world. Doing the unthinkable, the Shadow Lord tampers with young man's Spirit, granting him a portion of the Great Spirit's power and naming him a disciple, one of the few who would rule nations in the name of Lon-Shan. Ordered into the military at a young age, he acquired a keen insight into the intricacies of battle, one that even surpassed that of his Master. Dream Cast: If ‘Kojiki’ was made into a movie, who would you cast?
Nozomi Sasaki as Keiko
Meisa Kuroki as Yui
Richard Armitage as Aeryk
Delta Goodrem as Seirin
Ken Watanabe as Takeshi
Russell Crowe as Vissyus
Adewale Akinnuoye Agbaje as Roarke
Kenneth Brannagh as LonShan
David Tennant as Paitr Norwoska
About the Author:
Keith Yatsuhashi was born in 1965 in Boston, MA. He graduated from Northeastern University in 1989 and is currently the Director of the U.S. Department of Commerce Export Assistance Center in Providence, Rhode Island.
Keith was a competitive figure skater for ten years, winning the U.S. National Junior Dance Championships in 1984, a bronze medal in the 1983 World Junior Figure Skating Championships, and a silver medal in 1984.
In addition to his love of writing, Keith enjoys many hobbies such as golf, reading, and playing football and hockey with his sons. Keith currently lives in Norfolk, MA with his wife, Kathleen and three children-Caitlin, Jeffrey, and Justin.
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