His Edge by Wayne Harding
FASCINATING AUTHORS: What excites you most about your book’s topic? Why did you choose it?
Author: Relating my experiences as a test pilot excites me the most. I chose this topic, and particularly this time, to honor two of my best friends who lost their lives testing for Chance Vought Aircraft.
FASCINATING AUTHORS: How long did the book take you from start to finish?
Author: This book took me twenty years to write and ten to twelve revised manuscripts.
FASCINATING AUTHORS: What aspect of writing the book did you find particularly challenging?
Author: Writing, defining, and clarifying the conflict between good and evil and spiritual battles within the hero were particularly challenging.
FASCINATING AUTHORS: What surprised you the most about the book writing process?
Author: My volatile relationship with my characters…On some days I couldn’t feel or understand where they were taking me; and yet on other days, I couldn’t wait to write because I felt spontaneous and energetic communication with them.
FASCINATING AUTHORS: Did you have any favorite experiences when writing your book?
Author: In the later stages when I began to seek the critique of family members, each new response and suggestion became a beautiful strengthening of family bonds.
FASCINATING AUTHORS: What do you hope your readers will gain from reading your book?
Author: I hope His Edge will become a family classic which generates conversation about integrity, opportunity, love, and faith.
FASCINATING AUTHORS: What projects are you currently working on?
Author: I am researching a potential sequel to His Edge which will further explore these values into the sixties and beyond.
FASCINATING AUTHORS: Is writing your sole career? If not, what else do you do?
Author: I have basically been a business man all my life and am currently semi-retired. I still work with two of my sons on the businesses I founded: Harding Steel, Inc. (www.hardingsteel.com) and Glass Group Inc. (www.glassgroup.com)
FASCINATING AUTHORS: Did you do any research for your books, or did you write from experience?
Author: I did both. Certainly, I had to check my facts on the F4U Corsair and the PT rescue boat and similar technical information. I also spent years reading and studying good versus evil. The rest was from my experiences of being a test pilot for Chance Vought Aircraft from 1946 – 1948.
FASCINATING AUTHORS: How did you come up with your title?
Author: My main character, Waite Davis, had to have an “edge” to survive; in fact most successful people have to have an edge, a desire to be the best. As for the word “His,” it is multi-dimensional, so I want my readers to decide on a meaning which works for them.
FASCINATING AUTHORS: What books have influenced you the most?
Author:
- The Bible
- Daily with the King by W. Glyn Evans
- Magnificent Obsession by Lloyd Douglas
- Oswald Chambers Daily Devotions by Oswald Chambers
- Battling the Prince of Darkness by Evelyn Christenson
- A Ship Possessed by Alton Gansky
- Several books and pamphlets about the Holy Spirit written by Miles Stanford
FASCINATING AUTHORS: Who was your publisher and why did you choose them?
Author: My publisher was Outskirts Press, Inc. I choose them because they were also in Colorado.
FASCINATING AUTHORS: Tell us a little bit about your book.
Author: After WWII, a young Navy pilot is hired as an apprentice test pilot by an aircraft plant. He discovers the future of the company depends upon the acceptance by the Navy of an evil airplane, which through unavoidable circumstances, he must fly. Three mentors and three women influence his life and the decisions he must make.
FASCINATING AUTHORS: What inspired you to create a work of fiction?
Author: Twenty years ago, I began feeling I must tell a story to exonerate the deaths of two other test pilots, my best friends.
FASCINATING AUTHORS: What did you do to prepare – such as research – to write your book?
Author: Most was through my personal experience. I also read several books about evil in this world.
FASCINATING AUTHORS: How did you decide which information to present in your book?
Author: From my own experience as a test pilot and from my love to win.
FASCINATING AUTHORS: What do you hope people will gain from reading your book?
Author: Integrity, faith, family values
FASCINATING AUTHORS: How long did it take you to write the book – (was it longer or less time than you expected)?
Author: 20 years. I had NO idea it would take that long. I edited it and revised it multiple times.
FASCINATING AUTHORS: What tips would you offer to anyone writing fiction for the first time?
Author: 1) Know your subject; and 2) Think big on “Can you write a novel?”
FASCINATING AUTHORS: What can we look forward to in your next book?
Author: I’m 88, so don’t hold your breath. I do, however, have a sequel in mind, using some of the same characters, now facing lots of problems, family and business.
FASCINATING AUTHORS: Is there anything we haven’t covered that you would like to include?
Author: The message in His Edge is just what the USA needs now.
Please view my website: www.hisedgethebook.com. I am very excited about it and the articles I’ve written on my Blog (found on that website).
FASCINATING AUTHORS: Thank you for taking the time to be part of this interview!
