Thanks guys, that's pumps me up! I am actually making headway on the book. I just checked and I'm at 12,571 words. I would gauge it at about 40 pages which is far and away more than I have ever done. I have found I make good headway if I will just write a little every night or every other night. If I lay off a week it's tough because I find I need to read the whole thing to get myself back into gear, which takes about 30+ minutes.
Since this is my thread let me stay off topic for a minute.
I went to a change of command last week. A good friend of mine is taking over as Marine Aviation Training Support Group C.O. At the reception I was shocked and thrilled to see the most decorated Marine aviator (retired). He has been retired for about 8 years and lives in North Carolina. This is significant because he is the star of my book. I changed his name a little but it's him in every way. I was lucky to first meet him as a flight student when I was assigned as his driver when he came to speak at a graduation. Super nice guy, took me under his wing and we had a couple of beers together before going to the winging, just him and I , a second Lt. and a bird Col..
I was later stationed at Cherry Point with him and ohhh the stories. This guy is a wild man. He was an enlisted grunt in Korea. Got a commission, flew a zillion combat missions in Vietnam. Flew a bunch of combat missions in Desert Storm even though he was permanently grounded because of 3 ejections. That's ones a great and amazing story all by itself!
Back to my story
I went up to him and started to tell him about the book and the plot when he stopped me and told me a story. He had called a Marine 3 star (names not mentioned on purpose but another great guy and he's in the book as well) and pitched my exact plot 2 months prior. He wasn't pitching it for a book; he really wanted to do it! I was floored because it's a way out there idea and I couldn't imagine anyone really considering it. I started laughing and told him that was my story. He is a great American. He served over 40 years in the Corps and is just as big a wild man now as he was back then.