John R. Bruning's Blog
January 15, 2020
Race of Aces NYT Review
Yesterday, the New York Times reviewed Race of Aces. This was an extraordinary and humbling moment for me, the first time in a career dating back to 1996 we've had this honor.
The review is here:
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/14/bo...
The review is here:
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/14/bo...
January 11, 2020
The Race of Aces Team
This morning, the Saturday Wall Street Journal ran a review of our book, Race of Aces. This was one of those rare life moments I will never forget.
If somebody had come to me at the U of Oregon in 1991 when I started the research on these aviators and told me McGuire, Johnson, Kearby, Bong and MacDonald would be introduced to a new generation of Americans in the pages of the WSJ, I would have just shaken my head. No way could I have even dared to look that high and dream that big.
One thing to always keep in mind: the author's name may be on the cover, but the truth is every book is a collaboration. If one part of the team is weak, the book suffers. There are so many people working in the background who usually get no credit for the work they do, yet books often fail or succeed based not on the author's words, but on their efforts. I have been exceptionally lucky--the Hachette team is like playing football with the 1989 49'ers. There are no weaknesses.
John R. Bruning
PS: Being a writer is a pretty lonely gig at times. I counter that by employing a staff that includes an orphaned dog from the Middle East, a papillon, an Aussie and two writer cats. Sylvie is the most loyal and devoted staff member here. I wrote Race of Aces with her never far. When I didn't pay enough attention to her, she would jump on my head while I was banging away at the keyboard.
After a year of writer cathood, she got to see our first print review. Her reaction is here:
https://www.facebook.com/john.r.bruni...
If somebody had come to me at the U of Oregon in 1991 when I started the research on these aviators and told me McGuire, Johnson, Kearby, Bong and MacDonald would be introduced to a new generation of Americans in the pages of the WSJ, I would have just shaken my head. No way could I have even dared to look that high and dream that big.
One thing to always keep in mind: the author's name may be on the cover, but the truth is every book is a collaboration. If one part of the team is weak, the book suffers. There are so many people working in the background who usually get no credit for the work they do, yet books often fail or succeed based not on the author's words, but on their efforts. I have been exceptionally lucky--the Hachette team is like playing football with the 1989 49'ers. There are no weaknesses.
John R. Bruning
PS: Being a writer is a pretty lonely gig at times. I counter that by employing a staff that includes an orphaned dog from the Middle East, a papillon, an Aussie and two writer cats. Sylvie is the most loyal and devoted staff member here. I wrote Race of Aces with her never far. When I didn't pay enough attention to her, she would jump on my head while I was banging away at the keyboard.
After a year of writer cathood, she got to see our first print review. Her reaction is here:
https://www.facebook.com/john.r.bruni...
