The Target by J.R. Hauptman

About the Author:

J.R. Hauptman (pseudonym) has been a professional pilot for nearly a half century. Barely twenty years old, he began as a military pilot and for almost two years he flew combat support missions in the Viet Nam War. Upon leaving military service he was hired by a major airline and was initially based on the West Coast. His flying career was interrupted by the turmoil that racked the airline industry during the early days of deregulation. In the interim, he worked as a travel agent, a stockbroker and even trained dogs and horses. In the late nineteen-eighties, he returned to aviation, flying jet charters and air freight. He concluded his career flying corporate jets and now lives in Florida. He is completing his second work, a non-fictional social commentary and surfs every day, waves or not.

You can visit his website at http://www.caddispublishing.com/

About the Book:

More than a half-century ago, Ernie Gann authored "Fate is the Hunter" and "The High and The Mighty". There has not been a bona fide blockbuster novel about the airline industry written by a genuine airline professional since then.

“THE TARGET; Love, Death and Airline Deregulation" by J.R. Hauptman, is set in Colorado and the Rocky Mountain West, and tells the tale of the tumultuous first years of airline deregulation and the effects it had on that industry and the people who worked there. There are many people today who believe it was, in large part, the rush to overall deregulation back then, that led directly to the economic chaos that threatens to overwhelm our entire economy today.

In the nineteen-eighties, Carlo Clemenza was known as "the most hated man" in the airline business, as described by some pundits. A dedicated corporate raider and union buster, Clemenza uses ruthless tactics to crush competing airlines and to bring airline workers to heel. His methods have earned him countless death threats, yet he struts with arrogance, surrounded by his cadre of security toughs.

Virtually thousands of pilots and other airline professionals find themselves forced to start their careers over or to find them at a sudden and complete end. The airline grapevine echoes daily with the cry, "Why doesn't someone kill that SOB?"

Only one pilot, angered by the deaths of his friends, takes up the chase and he makes Carlo Clemenza THE TARGET! His chase will take him to the far corners of the country as he also finds himself the object of pursuit and murder. The characters merge in spectacular action and settings and the climax of the story ultimately ends in redemption.

I was lucky enough to get J.R. to agree to an interview. This is what he had to say:

Could you please tell us a little about your book?

My book, The Target, is set in Colorado and the Rocky Mountain West and tells the tale of the tumultuous first years of airline deregulation and the effects it had on that industry and the people who worked there. There are many of us today who believe it was, in large part, the rush to overall deregulation back then that led directly to the economic chaos that threatens to overwhelm our entire economy today.

In the nineteen-eighties, Carlo Clemenza was known as “the most hated man” in the airline business, as described by some pundits. A dedicated corporate raider and union buster, Clemenza used ruthless tactics to crush competing airlines and to bring airline workers to heel. His methods have earned him death threats, yet he struts with arrogance, surrounded by his cadre of security toughs. Thousands of airline professionals are forced to start their careers over or to find them at a sudden and complete end. The airline grapevine echoes the cry, “Why doesn’t someone kill that SOB?”

Only one pilot, angered by the deaths of his friends in a bloody crash, takes up the chase and he makes Carlo Clemenza The Target! His quest takes him to the far corners of the country as he finds himself also to be the object of pursuit and murder. The characters merge in spectacular action and settings and the story ultimately ends in redemption.

Who or what is the inspiration behind this book?

I drew the inspiration for my book from my service in the Viet Nam War and decades of employment as a professional airline pilot and the life experiences gained by surviving those tough times, at least to this point.

Who is your biggest supporter?

My wife Maryanne and I will celebrate our forty-fifth wedding anniversary this week and I am in awe of her personal strength. I spent two of the first three years of our marriage in the Viet Nam War. She stood by me through those turbulent years in the airline industry and the multiple job changes that occurred in the interim. Her greatest attributes are her capacity for love and forgiveness. Her Halo is being fitted as we speak.

Your biggest critic?

J. A. Hunsinger is my friend and best critic. We are both Viet Nam veterans, we both flew as pilots for the same major airline and went through the turmoil that resulted from airline deregulation. Jerry is the author of the Axe of Iron series of historical fiction that tells the saga of the Vikings in North America. We both aspire to become respected, successful authors and he keeps me in touch with reality with brutal candor.

Which cause are you most passionate about and why?

I am most passionate about the cause to bring Constitutional Government back to our country. To begin with, that would mean no war without a sober Congressional debate and a formal Declaration of War. Next would be to abolish the Federal Reserve Bank and reestablish a stable currency system based on a commodity such as gold or silver. The first step would be to support the passage of HR Bill 1207 to Audit The Fed, which already has over 250 sponsors. Is your Congressman among them?

In the last year have you learned or improved on any skills?

I believe I have improved the most in my editing skills. When I finish a piece, I read it aloud to myself. I find it the best way to catch the tiny glitches that become invisible after a long, tiring session of writing. More importantly, it gives me a sense of the quality and tempo of a story told verbally.

What is the most important thing in your life right now?

To be able to watch my grandchildren grow up safely and well educated, becominng responsible adults as they develop their own life journeys.

What are you currently working on?

My next book will be titled, Romancing The Grey Lady; Surfing the Atlantic and Greeting Life’s Certainty. It will be built around the concept of living life to the fullest in each day we are granted.

Is there an author that inspired you to write?

In first chapter of A Farewell to Arms, Ernest Hemingway brings to life in less than two pages, a visual scene that spans an entire season and leads into a great personal and societal tragedy. This is the standard I aspire to achieve as a writer.

What do you feel sets this book apart from others in the same genre?

There has not been a blockbuster novel about the airline industry written by a professional aviator since Ernie Gann wrote The High and the Mighty and Fate is the Hunter. The subplot of The Target; Love, Death and Airline Deregulation is that Laissez Faire deregulation of the airlines and the resulting concentration of that industry and degradation of service and safety, was a harbinger of the concentration and turmoil in the securities and banking industries that has brought the economy of our country to near-ruin.

What is the most important lesson you have learned from life so far?

I learned from golf that success is much more difficult to deal with than is adversity. You must live in the moment, rather than for the moment. Let go of that last shot, whether a “birdie” putt or a “yipper”,” don’t project too far into the future and concentrate only on that very next shot.

What is your favorite past-time?

I love to surf in the winter in Florida and to play ice hockey in the summer in Colorado. These provide the motivation to keep this weary mind and body functioning. My best friends in both sports are known mostly by only their first names and each of their lives holds a story.

Is there anything else you would like to share with us?

I have been blessed to have lived an exciting and interesting life and that has rewarded me with the inspiration and a story I hope will become known as a very good book. If you are a writer who is finding it difficult to write the Big Story, then begin with the small stories around us, starting with today.