I've been looking for my next book project and think I may have found it. I'll know for sure in a few weeks. All I can say right now is that there is an aviation connection to the story, and, like my last book, it involves a wrongful conviction. This time, however, the person who I believe was …
What makes a compelling story?
Way back in 2006 I began the process of trying to find a publisher for my book 35 Miles From Shore. It was a long and arduous process. I won't waste time going through that process now, except to say that I collected a mountain of rejection letters. "Aviation books don't sell," was one common theme. …
Remembering the Missing
Today is the fiftieth anniversary of the ditching of ALM Flight 980. For some, this day will be remembered for the heroism of the rescuers and for gratitude for having survived. For others, this is a day of remembrance. For the past week, I've been going over audio from interviews I did nearly …
What happened to Maragreth?
Margareth Abraham was just twenty-four years old when she lost her life aboard ALM Flight 980. No one knows exactly what happened to Margareth. Did she make it out of the plane? Was she knocked unconscious? What I can say with some degree of certainty is that Margareth was standing in the aisle at …
The Rescuers
The very first person I interviewed for my book was Jim Rylee. Jim was the commander of a Navy SH-3A Sea King helicopter that rescued twenty-six survivors. I flew to Louisiana to do the interview. It just so happened that I interviewed Jim on the thirty-first anniversary of the ditching on May 2, …
Jeannie
I flew to St. Maarten in 2001 to interview three passengers who survived ALM Flight 980. All three had agreed to be interviewed before I made the trip. When I got there, however, things had changed. One passenger would only agree to an interview if I paid him. I guess he thought I was some famous …
