CAN YOU FLY AN AGUSTA TILTROTOR AIRCRAFT?

Honestly, I'd forgotten how hard and complicated writing an Aquasapien novel was! Why did I ever decide to write something so in-depth and interwoven is beyond me. It must have been a good idea at the time. I can see why people love reading it now. The reviews I get back are amazing. So full of plot twists and action. I don't know about reading it, but writing it is certainly keeping me entertained.

Much of those first two books are coming back to me, and I'm having to learn how to fly an Agusta Tiltrotor aircraft all over again. I've left it too long to just wing it (pun intended.) Last time, I remember learning how to operate a dockside crane in Vietnam, understand the terminology and engineering aspects of deep sea submersibles and the flora and fauna of the Amazon tributaries amongst other things.

This time I'm re-learning gun velocities, flight distances and re-fuelling stations, shipping routes. Did you know you can track all shipping in real time? I can see, via my pal Google, why the UK is known for the busiest shipping routes in the world.

Currently Book three is two-thirds of the way along and I've got so many more missions to complete and the overall story to conclude in such a short period of time word count wise.  I'm wondering whether there might end up being a Book Four too. This is a story that I go along for the ride, it flows out of me unstoppable and sometimes a little scary in its magnitude.  Because I have to sleep in between, I leave pages of notes strewn across the dining table so I can pick it up where I left off the day before. Along with the inevitable questions; Is it faster to refuel the Agusta in King Saka International airport or risk travelling to Cape town? Fortunately, it has two external fuel tanks, but they lower its cruising speed velocity to 288 miles per hour. Have I lost you? Welcome to my world for the next few weeks. If you happen to see me, be advised I may be speaking gobbledy-gook until this story is over.

On the bright side, I got permission from the Faversham Eye to reproduce and read my winning competition entry LIFE AFTER CORONAVIRUS on my YouTube channel. Find it here.  I think its one of the best pieces I've written so far, despite the demoralising subject matter. I've had many requests to turn it into a novel, but I have about seven novels in front of it. Publishers and agents are you listening?

Quest for Courage is finished too, apart from proof editing and I always like to leave it a while before I do that aspect. I'm currently working with illustrators to produce the chapter headings etc.

My next novel What If?  launches on Saturday 29th May 10 to 3pm outside the Boating Pool Cafe, Ramsgate. Social distancing measures naturally. All 1 metre apart persons welcome.

---