Interview with Raymond Appleman, author of Launch Facility Bravo 13, 1 NOV 80

INSIDE THE BOOK

   

Title: Launch Facility Bravo 13, 1 NOV 80 

Author: Raymond Appleman 

Publisher: AuthorHouse 

Genre: Mystery/Detective 

Format: Ebook

This is a fiction short story about a haunted missile site. Many air force personnel claim to have felt a tap on their shoulder and a voice ask “got a light?” while on Bravo 13. No person was ever seen responsible for the contact or the voice. On the night of 31 October 1980, a camper team of two guards was maintaining security while the electronic security systems were down for maintenance. The off-duty guard fired all the rounds from a short magazine on his M16 at the back door of the camper while he was in rest status inside the camper. Two security specialists were sent to investigate this incident and the story is the debriefing of their investigation.  

THE INTERVIEW

Can you tell us what your latest book is all about?

My short story is about a security team investigating a shooting incident on a haunted missile site.

How did you come up with the idea?

While enlisted in the Air Force I heard a ghost story and I wanted to write it down.  The ending was inspired while eating lunch at a local park.

What kind of research did you do before and during the writing of your book?

I referred to journal entries about the ghost stories heard about LF B13 and looked up the location of the site.

Can you give us a short excerpt?

 I took one last walk around the shot-up camper and informed the relief camper of our next destination and asked them to watch the house downhill from the fence.  Clint walked to the “outdoor restroom” on the fence side of the exhaust duct.  I picked up the wheel chocks and started the truck.  Clint bounced off the side of the exhaust fan cover and tried to run, zip his pants, and look back at the fan cover all at the same time.  He didn’t do any of those things effectively and jumped into the passenger side of the GP sternly barking, “Let’s move, NOW!”

In your own experience, is it hard to get a nonfiction book published today?  How did you do it?

My short story is fiction and I have written no nonfiction so I do not have any experience with publishing nonfiction.

MEET THE AUTHOR

I was born in Akron, Ohio, in 1955 and graduated from Tallmadge High School in 1973. I enlisted for the United States Air Force on 1978 and served as missile facilities specialist with 321 Field Missile Maintenance Squadron at Grand Forks AFB, North Dakota, and quality control inspector/evaluator with 321 Strategic Missile Wing, Headquarters Squadron. I was honorably discharged in 1983. I studied BS computer science in University of North Dakota in 1985. I have worked as a computer instructor, computer technician, bookkeeper, and flight line service technician. I got my private pilot certificate in 1996.