Readers, life doesn’t always turn out the way we plan. Lucky for us my next guest figured that out a bit too late. Please welcome the award-winning, best-selling author H.W. Buzz Bernard to Help From My Friends Friday ~ Donnell
SOMEBODY STOP ME
By: Buzz Bernard
Author H. W. Buzz Bernard
I never set out to be a writer. That’s because I always knew, from about eight or nine years old on, what I wanted be. It wasn’t a writer. What I wanted to be was a meteorologist. Or, in more colloquial terms, a weatherman.
By the time I was in high school, though, I realized I had a talent for writing. I wrote short stories that gained notoriety in a few of my classes. I also became sports editor for our school newspaper. (That’s what happens to guys who aren’t good jocks.) None of that changed the goal I had to become a meteorologist, however.
I got my degree in atmospheric science from the University of Washington in Seattle . . . a long time ago . . . shortly after the dinosaurs went extinct. I also took a few courses in creative writing. 
After I got off of active duty with the Air Force and got married, I discovered I could earn a little extra money by writing pieces, mainly about weather-related topics, for small magazines and Sunday newspaper supplements . . . remember those? . . . shortly after the dinosaurs, etc. . . . .
Then I decided, Well, if I can earn a little extra money with articles, maybe I could earn more extra money with a book. So I wrote a nonfiction manuscript about weather and climate. Didn’t know what I was doing, and figuratively “tossed it over the transom” to a few publishers. One of them snapped it up. Four more books followed. By then, however, I realized writing nonfiction was a heck of a lot of work for not that much more money. I quit writing.
Just on a whim, I started up again about a dozen years later, but this time with fiction. I figured that would be a lot more fun than nonfiction. Well, it was more fun, but it also required scaling a steep learning curve. Not so much fun.
After ten years and four different manuscripts I was ready to fall on my sword. But I got a little pissed off. I thought my writing was as good as what I’d seen in a lot of published books. So I kept shilling my manuscripts, determined to prove I could be a traditionally published novelist. That’s all I wanted to do, prove a point. Then I’d get out of the stupid business.
Well, you can see how well that worked. My debut novel, EYEWALL, turned out to be a Kindle number-one bestseller, and now I’m at work on novel number seven. Not too long ago, I thought I’d do number six, WHEN HEROES FLEW, and be done with things. After all, I’d reached the stage of my life where I wasn’t a whole lot younger than the dinosaurs anymore. But WHEN HEROES FLEW got some glowing reviews, I opted to press on. Now I’m even trying to come up with ideas for number eight.
SOMEBODY STOP ME!
About the book:
A novel of extraordinary bravery, inspired by the true 
story of one of the most harrowing air raids ever flown. Fans of Beneath A Scarlet Sky, The Nightingale, and Unbroken will enjoy this unforgettable tale of duty, honor, and compassion.
“…a bravura performance…” —Dwight Jon Zimmerman, New York Times bestselling author
For B-24 bomber pilot Al Lycoming, the mission was history in the making. For Women’s Airforce Service Pilot Vivian Wright, it was a chance to put her skills to the ultimate test…and share in the burden of combat.
Dispatched to Benghazi on mysterious orders, Al Lycoming finds nearly 200 other B-24 bombers being assembled…and a top secret assignment that will catapult them all into seemingly impenetrable Nazi defenses.
Their mission: a daring low-level attack on Hitler’s extensive oil refineries.
But when his co-pilot falls ill at the last moment, Al secretly finds help from an unlikely source—Vivian.
Together, the two fly towards dark skies filled with enemy flak and fighters…and into the pages of history.
With perspectives from American and German pilots alike, When Heroes Flew masterfully weaves together one of the most dangerous and incredible aerial operations of World War Two with a riveting tale of bravery, suspense, and self-sacrifice.
About the Author: H.W. “Buzz Bernard is the best-selling, award-winning author of Eyewall, Plague, Supercell, Blizzard, Cascadia, and his latest release, When Heroes Flew, a 2020 Award Finalist, Military Writers Society of America. https://buzzbernard.com/
Before becoming a novelist, Buzz worked at The Weather Channel as a senior meteorologist for thirteen years. Prior to that, he served as a weather officer in the U.S. Air Force for over three decades. He attained the rank of colonel and received, among other awards, the Legion of Merit.
His “airborne” experiences include a mission with the Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunters, air drops over the Arctic Ocean and Turkey, and a stint as a weather officer aboard a Tactical Air Command airborne command post (C-135).
In the past, he’s provided field support to forest fire fighting operations in the Pacific Northwest, spent a summer working on Alaska’s arctic slope, and served two tours in Vietnam. Various other jobs, both civilian and military, have taken him to Germany, Saudi Arabia, and Panama.
He’s a native Oregonian and attended the University of Washington in Seattle where he earned a bachelor’s degree in atmospheric science; he also studied creative writing.
Buzz is a past president of the Southeastern Writers Association as well as a member of Military Writers Society of America, International Thriller Writers, Atlanta Writers Club, and Willamette Writers.
He and his special needs adult grandson live in Roswell, Georgia, along a fuzzy Shih Tzu, Stormy, who doesn’t live up to his name.
I love this story! Thanks to Donnell and Buzz for sharing.. I can’t wait to read When Heroes Flew (which my bad vision momentarily translated to When Herons Flew—Buzz, maybe that can be your next book).
Great story, and what a history you have, Buzz! I’m a bit of a WWII geek, so I’ll be grabbing up this one. Thanks for sharing, Donnell!
Thanks for the article! I’ve been looking for a new book to check out and as an Air Force pilot this seems to be right up my alley.
Thanks, Barbara, Justine, and Skate (great name for a Zoomie, BTW) for taking time to drop a comment. Hope you enjoy WHEN HEROES (or Herons) FLEW. The next book is already out to my beta-readers. It’ll be WHEN HEROES FLEW: THE SHANGRI-LA RAIDERS. Target for publication is next summer.
P.S., here’s a little secret for Donnell’s website viewers: I think (no guarantees) that WHEN HEROES FLEW will be an Amazon (Kindle) Daily Deal on Sunday.
Wow,thanks for being my guest and for the hint about Kindle Daily Deal. Well done, Buzz. I’ll hold off and get my copy then. Just for readers’ edification, Buzz’s books terrify me 😉 Glad I didn’t read Plague during 2020! His other books are just as suspenseful and well-written!
Wow, that is a fascinating story. Colorful and interesting. Funny I remember Weathermen. I must be one of those dinosaurs. Thanks for sharing I grabbed a copy of When Heroes Fly. I could not resist it sounds so interesting.
Thanks, Kathy . . . from dinosaur to another. (I’ll bet you’re the junior one, however.)
Hope you enjoy the novel!
I loved When Heroes Flew – fantastic story with interesting history woven into it. So, I guess I’m not the person to suggest you stop since I’ll be looking forward to book #8
Wonderul guest blog! I enjoyed (and identified with parts of it) the author’s writing journey and am excited to read “When Heroes Flew.”
Thanks, Skye and Patricia, for taking time to comment. As I mentioned earlier, #7 is completed (in draft), and I’m casting around for ideas for #8, but don’t think I’ve hit on it yet.