Submitted by steph-osborn on Tue, 2011-11-08 19:46.
Carl,
Travis and I are very glad you enjoyed the book, and we are already in the planning stages for the next one in the series.
We are sorry for the error in using Navy planes in the scene. I discovered the Spittin' Kittens in researching Minot for those scenes in the book, loved the squadron call sign and insignia, and Travis was as gung ho to use them as I was as soon as I told him about them. It was my understanding that, while the squadron is now deactivated, the call sign is still used as a kind of training unit, and that is how we played it in the book. It was literally a case of, "Who is at Minot training right now? We need them!"
Travis (who is my writing mentor) knew F-18s were Navy planes but did not catch it; I didn't know until reading your comment and doing further research, so the error is mine - I wrote that particular scene, but he only went over it and enhanced it. (We tended to tag-team the writing; when I'd get stuck or tired, I'd pass it off to him to write, and vice versa.) I'm very sorry about that; I think I'd recently seen the Blue Angels in a show so "F-18" likely was stuck in my head. While I've done some DoD work, my background is mostly NASA, so some of the military protocol is "learn as I go."
However, let's put a different twist on it and look at it like this: The Kittens got wiped out. Had you rather it be Navy training "Kittens," or USAF hardcore Kittens, getting wiped out? ;-)
And we're honored to have one of the original Kittens reading our work.
--
--Stephanie Osborn
--
Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you've imagined.
-Henry David Thoreau
-- http://www.stephanie-osborn.com
Writing the Spittin' Kittens and sequelae
Carl,
Travis and I are very glad you enjoyed the book, and we are already in the planning stages for the next one in the series.
We are sorry for the error in using Navy planes in the scene. I discovered the Spittin' Kittens in researching Minot for those scenes in the book, loved the squadron call sign and insignia, and Travis was as gung ho to use them as I was as soon as I told him about them. It was my understanding that, while the squadron is now deactivated, the call sign is still used as a kind of training unit, and that is how we played it in the book. It was literally a case of, "Who is at Minot training right now? We need them!"
Travis (who is my writing mentor) knew F-18s were Navy planes but did not catch it; I didn't know until reading your comment and doing further research, so the error is mine - I wrote that particular scene, but he only went over it and enhanced it. (We tended to tag-team the writing; when I'd get stuck or tired, I'd pass it off to him to write, and vice versa.) I'm very sorry about that; I think I'd recently seen the Blue Angels in a show so "F-18" likely was stuck in my head. While I've done some DoD work, my background is mostly NASA, so some of the military protocol is "learn as I go."
However, let's put a different twist on it and look at it like this: The Kittens got wiped out. Had you rather it be Navy training "Kittens," or USAF hardcore Kittens, getting wiped out? ;-)
And we're honored to have one of the original Kittens reading our work.
--
--Stephanie Osborn
--
Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you've imagined.
-Henry David Thoreau
--
http://www.stephanie-osborn.com