Ward’s Top-5: Places I’ve Lived

Each month I post Top-5 Lists covering a variety of topics: books, movies, foods, etc. If you have a topic you want me to provide a list for, contact me.

5: I spent five years in Phoenix, and while the summers were a challenge, the rest of the year is gorgeous. My boys were young, and we camped quite a bit in Northern Arizona. I also did a lot of airline flying on the West Coast, which was very low-stress.

4: Panama City, Florida, is home to Tyndall Air Force Base. This was my first assignment after finishing USAF pilot training, and I have great memories of the flying. There’s nothing like being a young lieutenant when your only job is to go out and fly air-to-air every day.

3: I went to college in Orlando. It’s an unusual town with a lot going on. Everyone knows about the theme parks, but I spent most of my time across town at the University of Central Florida. I was never a starter on the soccer team, but I have great memories of making the squad as a walk-on.

2: I spent nearly a year in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It’s the only place I’ve lived that truly has four seasons. The Balloon Festival in October is terrific, and I’m still addicted to Hatch green chili sauce!

1: I was born in Sarasota, Florida, and that will always be home. Love the beaches and water. It’s a lot bigger now than when I grew up, but I have great memories and a lot of friends here. The odd hurricane aside, there’s no place I’d rather be.

About Ward: My Passion For Soccer

I follow a number of sports, but for participation soccer has always been my game. I began playing in middle school, and for whatever reason the sport clicked. Unfortunately, in Sarasota, Florida, in the late 1970s, there was no organized youth soccer. Nor were there teams in high school.

My only chance to play in those days was with a local men’s club that played league soccer in Southwest Florida. Most of the players were foreign born, and our sponsor was Lowenbrau beer. For a teenager it was quite an education—I learned how to swear in five different languages.

I went to the University of Central Florida, and made the team there as a walk-on. After two years it became clear Manchester United wasn’t going to come calling, so I began making alternate career plans. That’s when the flying began.

I’ve long been a follower of Manchester United, and was able to take my boys, who both played, to Old Trafford for a game when they were young.

Ward’s Top-5: Airplanes I’ve Flown

Each month I will post Top-5 Lists covering a variety of topics: books, movies, foods, etc. If you have a topic you want me to provide a list for, contact me.

  1. The A-10, of course, has to be first. The training was serious fun—you rarely flew above a thousand feet, and almost every day you got to shoot things with a massive gun. If you ever want to know how effective the A-10 is in combat, ask someone who served on the front lines in the Army or the Marines. When they call for air support, the Warthog is the airplane they hope is loitering nearby.

  2. Boeing 737. Okay, I’m partial here. I’ve flown all four versions of this jet, over twenty thousand hours now, and have never had any major problems. Stable and reliable, it’s the most widely flown airliner in the world over the last fifty years. Pilot’s little secret—the seats up front are far more comfortable than those in back.

  3. T-38 Talon. This is the advanced trainer the Air Force has used since the 1960s. Sleek and simple, it’s a supersonic hot rod with a dizzying roll rate. Just plain fun to fly. The only downside is actually an upside for most pilots—it has issues flying in icing conditions, meaning you rarely have to fly in the weather.

  4. F-15 Eagle. I never got an official checkout in the F-15, but I did get chances to fly it from the backseat as my squadron was transitioning. A big fighter with brute-force power, and avionics that were top notch in the day. The Eagle was first fighter designed for true air dominance.

  5. F-16 Fighting Falcon. Again, I never went through the formal course, but even from the backseat 9Gs is painful. The first fly-by-wire aircraft I ever flew, which takes some getting used to. Quick and agile, it’s hard to keep track of in a dogfight. Oh, and did I mention 9 Gs?

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Trey DeBolt is a young man at the crest of life. His role as a Coast Guard rescue swimmer in Alaska offers him a rewarding job and limitless adventure. Then a tragic accident alters his life: during a harrowing rescue, his helicopter goes down.

Severely injured, DeBolt awakens in a seaside cabin in Maine, thousands of miles from where the accident occurred. His lone nurse lets slip that he has been officially declared dead, lost in the crash. Back in Alaska, however, Coast Guard investigator Shannon Lund uncovers evidence that DeBolt might still be alive. Her search quickly becomes personal, but before she can intervene, chaos erupts outside a cabin in the wilds of Maine.

The nurse who has been treating DeBolt is brutally killed by military-trained assassins. DeBolt is only saved when a bizarre vision guides him to safety. Soon other images appear, impossible revelations that are unfailing in their accuracy. As he runs for his life, DeBolt discovers he has been drawn into an ultra-secret government project. The power it bestows is boundless, both a gift and a curse. Yet one thing is certain: Trey DeBolt has abilities no human has ever known.

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About Ward: My Life As A Pilot

Aviation often finds its way into my books, and the reason is clear—before becoming a full-time writer, I was a full-time pilot. When I was in college, I took some flying lessons on a whim. The next thing I knew, I was talking to an ROTC recruiter. I attended USAF pilot training at Columbus AFB, Mississippi, flying the T-37 and T-38.

After graduating, I was assigned to the 95 Fighter Interceptor Training Squadron, the “Boneheads,” flying T-33s. Two years later, I was lucky to be chosen to fly the A-10 Warthog, and after training out West, was stationed to England AFB, Louisiana—the famous Flying Tigers of the 23rd Fighter Wing. In January 1991, I led a nine-ship formation “across the pond” and flew over twenty missions in Desert Storm.

The year after that, I separated from the Air Force and began flying for Southwest Airlines.

Ward’s Top-5: Locations In My Books

Each month I will post Top-5 Lists covering a variety of topics: books, movies, foods, etc. If you have a topic you want me to provide a list for, contact me.

It’s always fun, and sometimes a challenge, to transport readers to exotic locations in my stories. The choice of backdrops involves a great many factors: putting characters in difficult settings, architectural or cultural interest, or political considerations. Here are the Top 5 favorite settings I’ve used to date.

  1. Picking Greenwich, England, for the climax of The Perfect Assassin was a no-brainer. I set much of the story in England, and having been to Greenwich a number of times, I’d always been struck by the park’s contrast—broad expanses surrounded by the urban density of London. Also, Greenwich is, by a myriad of conventions, the accepted “center of the world.”

  2. Assassin’s Run begins on the Isle of Capri. There’s a twisted sense of satisfaction when bad things happen in the playgrounds of the rich and famous. Mega-yachts and oligarchs beware, there is no safe place when David Slaton is involved.

  3. I was thoroughly impressed when I first visited the island of Malta, so much so that I immediately incorporated it into Assassin’s Silence. It’s a captivating blend of new and old, and the fortress harbor of Valetta is not to be missed. It’s also exactly the kind of place Slaton would go to disappear.

  4. Slaton gets around, but the most tropical setting he’s found himself navigating was the South Pacific in Assassin’s Code. He and his family did their best to go off-grid, but even endless expanse of the Pacific Ocean can’t protect Slaton from his past.

  5. The last venue comes from one of my standalone books, Cutting Edge. This story is steeped in technology, and it highlights amazing abilities that will soon be within our grasp. What better backdrop than one of Europe’s grandest old cities? Old meets new as Trey DeBolt, warrior for the next generation, strives to comprehend what he is capable of. 

About Ward: Becoming An Author

Owing to being a writer, I’m often asked whether I majored in English or literature. In fact, I never took any college course beyond the required freshman English. I also never participated in any writing groups or seminars. 

Whatever skills I’ve acquired have come from a single source, and one that is common to every writer I know—a passion for reading. In particular, during and immediately after my college years, I began reading spy thrillers voraciously, sinking deep into tales of Jason Bourne and The Jackal. These classics taught me the most important lesson of writing: It’s all about the storytelling.

Ward’s Top-5: Reads Of 2022

Each month I will post Top-5 Lists covering a variety of topics: books, movies, foods, etc. If you have a topic you want me to provide a list for, contact me.

Sierra Six, Mark Greaney – Really enjoyed this look back at the beginnings of the Gray Man.

Oath of Loyalty, Vince Flynn/Kyle Mills – Can’t ever go wrong with Mitch Rapp. One of the best books of the series.

The Spy and the Traitor, Ben Macintyre – This book is non-fiction, and has been out for a few years, but one of the best true-life espionage stories of the Cold War. 

Red Winter, Tom Clancy/Marc Cameron – I really enjoyed this retro look back at the Jack Ryan’s early days. And of course, stealth fighters are a plus.

Dark Horse, Gregg Hurwitz – Orphan X just keeps getting better and better. The best lineup of series characters on the shelf.