Am I a Character in Forcing the Hand of God?

I am often asked: are any of the characters in your novel Forcing the Hand of God based on you or your life? Yes, like many authors, I will admit that there is a bit of me in all of my characters and their experiences.

I was taking private flying lessons at the time of writing Forcing the Hand of God and had the great opportunity to have Colonel Jack Hayes as a flight instructor at Queen City Aviation. He flew in Korea and Vietnam and had quite a reputation as an ace. He and I simulated some maneuvers in the Cessna 150, he let me interview him for hours, and he read over my early manuscript, helping me to flesh out the character and events. Larry Vogel, my good friend and primary flight instructor, loaned me videos of the P-38 with detailed narration of the instruments and actual flight scenes. 

I also had the good fortune to be introduced to Bob Jarvis at the Hillman City Boxing gym who let me in the door and allowed me to spar a little. This was in 1982 when females rarely went into the smelly, testosterone-filled bastion of the boxing arena. I nearly wet my pants when Bob made me glove up and learn to dance a few steps. I remember pleading with him not to hit me in the face. He didn’t. Actually, the young man in the ring with me didn’t even touch me. But I sure did provide everyone with more than a few laughs, especially when I tried jumping rope. I won’t mention those hard, heavy stuffed body bags that swing unexpectedly right into you when you punch one and stand to admire your perfectly executed right jab. Well, one learns to pick oneself up and go on to another lesson.