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 We
have collected the questions most often asked by Joe Weber’s readers.
If you have a question that isn’t answered here, e-mail Joe at
JoeWeberNovels@cox.net
After leaving the Marine Corps in 1975, I resumed my career as a commercial
pilot. I had always been interested in writing, so I started carrying
a yellow legal pad and a few pencils in my flight bag. In 1987, I started
my first novel - on a yellow legal pad - with a self-imposed deadline
of one year to finish the project. It actually took me one year and
two weeks. I was fortunate to find an agent, and Presidio Press published
Defcon-One in 1989.
To some degree they are. Most of my characters are a composite of a
number of people I have known. A few of them are totally fictitious.
Yes. When I was starting my writing career, Tom Clancy gave me some
sage advice. Tom, as well as Stephen Coonts, W.E.B. Griffin and others
have been kind enough to endorse my books.
Yes, it is. As a Naval Aviator, Rules
of Engagement and Targets of Opportunity
were my way of letting off steam about the politics of the Vietnam War.
I spend at least two hours a day reading research material from a number
of sources. In addition, I network with people who are currently in
the military or intelligence communities.
It takes about nine months to a year before I am ready for the publisher
to look at the manuscript. Once the publisher gets involved, it’s
another nine months to a year before the readers see it in the stores.
There are two ways to get your books autographed. You can e-mail me
at JoeWeberNovels@cox.net
and request an autograph. I will be happy to send you a bookplate to
put in your book. Or, you can mail your books to the snail mail address
at this site. I will autograph them and send them back to you. Either
way, be sure to include your mailing address.
Absolutely! One of the most rewarding things about writing is getting
feedback from my readers. I take the time to answer e-mail and letters
personally.
As I said earlier, I spend about two hours each morning on research
and administrative responsibilities. I break for lunch, then spend about
four to five hours writing.
I don’t think I could adequately bring the visceral feeling of
flying off an aircraft carrier or air-to-air combat to the reader if
I hadn’t been trained to do it. If you’ve never yanked and
banked in a high performance military jet, it’s hard to describe
how it really feels. I hope my military background allows me to put
my readers inside the cockpit with my characters.
There have been several "character building" incidents in
my flying career. Most pilots will tell you that flying is many hours
of boredom punctuated by moments of stark terror. Some of my most terrifying
moments happened while flying from the decks of aircraft carriers. During
my initial carrier qualification on the USS Lexington, my twin-engine
T-2C Buckeye jet suffered an engine fire. A year later, while completing
a touch-and-go landing aboard Lexington, my TA-4J Skyhawk blew a tire
that twisted the lower section of the landing gear. As I added full
power and rotated off the flight deck, the Air Boss in Pri-Fly (the
control tower on a carrier) warned me not to raise my landing gear.
If the damaged gear jammed in the up position, bad things could happen.
I was instructed to return to Naval Air Station Kingsville, Texas. Flying
lower than normal while dragging the landing gear in the breeze burned
tons of fuel. I arrived over the air station with six to seven minutes
of fuel left. Needless to say, I was happy that I didn’t have to
pull the "loud handle" and eject from the plane.
I love all the good reviews! When I get a bad review, I try to learn
something from it.
I have received many e-mails from readers asking the same question.
Primary Target was published in
1999, long before the events of September 11. I'm not clairvoyant; however,
when I developed the plot I asked myself - if I were a terrorist, who
did not have access to high-tech weapons, how would I attack the 'infidels?'
The answer seemed obvious. I would attack the airlines, striking fear
in the hearts of all Americans, and destabilizing their economy.
You're right, it is. I suppose it comes from being around strong women.
I think it's very appropriate for women to play a strong role in military
fiction, just as they do in the real world.
"Joe Weber writes sensational books. The pace never slows, and,
as his readers well know, Weber never guarantees a happy ending."
-Ocala Star-Banner
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