Ever since watching the original Top Gun movie, I wanted to be a fighter pilot. However, I wanted to be an Air Force pilot instead of a Navy pilot.

Growing up in San Antonio – Military City, U.S.A. – close to Randolph Air Force Base, planes consistently flew over our house. Without fail, I watched them pass overhead and dreamed of soaring through the clouds.

When I was a junior in high school, recruiters told me I would never fly. In fact, no branch of the military would take me because I am deaf in my right ear. I tried several times throughout my life, but I was always denied – by all branches.

The one opportunity I may have had was after 9/11, but by that time, I was married and had to think of someone other than myself.

Still, I dreamed – both daydreams and night dreams. So, since I could not be a pilot in real life, I decided to write about it.

I am a fan of military history and historical fiction. At the time, I voraciously watched Dogfights on the History Channel. Although I would not classify Life Before Me as historical fiction, I did do my homework to give it some semblance of plausibility.

I come from a long line of military heroes. I love hearing their stories. The more I listened and studied, the more parallels I saw between past eras and the 9/11 era. However, writing about 9/11 would be too raw and real. Several family members were in Vietnam, so I chose to concentrate on that time in history. Thus, Teddy was born.

The story of Abigail came about unexpectedly. At the time, I was struggling with a lot of Catholic doctrine that I saw as going against scripture. I had been struggling with Catholicism since I was 15, but at this particular moment in time, my issue was annulments. I could not understand how the church could decide that my parent’s marriage should never have happened – and yet they did not consider me a bastard child.

Abigail’s struggle with faith is my own. Father Clarance is a combination of two people – a young Priest who was willing to talk with me and answer some of my more difficult questions and my own pastor (Gary Allen Henecke from First Church of the Nazarene in Nashville).

A friend of mine, Michael “Moose” Moore, is a retired Air Force pilot. Not only did he introduce me to Krav Maga, but he helped me with the logistical parts of Teddy’s story, and he gave me permission to use his photo on the cover.

I will admit that I dream of this story becoming a movie one day. (I once had a dream of being at the premiere.) If that dream ever comes true, I do not want any big named stars playing my lead roles. I think that would take away from the story. I would rather give those jobs to new actors.

However, when I think of Father Clarence, the only person I can see playing this role is Peter MacNeill, the man who played George on the Good Witch.

AND . . . if written into the script and he would be available and willing to play such a small role . . . I would absolutely love to have James Denton play Teddy’s band leader. (Swoon! Sigh!) And I would like to make a cameo as the bad bar band drummer.

Click HERE to read Life Before Me.