Monday, November 29, 2010

Miami Book Fair International - All Stories are True

Author James Hall (Under Cover of Daylight, and other "Thorn" thrillers)was my professor of Creative Writing at FIU. He once quoted someone saying: "All stories are true, some actually happened."

When I attended his presentation at the Miami Book Fair International, I knew all would go well with my presentation the next day, because it was in the same room. Good karma, positive energy, a sign, whatever. Plus, I had a true story that actually happened.

If I had written a novel aboaut a mish-mash of pilots from nineteen nationalities that came together in a polarized city like Miami to save the lives of people they would seldom, if ever, meet--would you believe it? Would you believe that ex-CIA operatives and soccer moms and teenage pilots would risk their lives daily for absolutely no recognition? If I told you that spies infiltrated this motley group and that because one of them was also working for the FBI, two of their planes were shot down? Oh, and the United States had prior knowledge of the possibility? If I told you that this group dashed the hopes of closer relations with Cuba because, frankly, they simply pissed off Fidel and Raul Castro,you probably wouldn't believe it. It would be a great action novel.

But it's all true. Read about it in Seagull One.

No comments: