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On The Table Read Magazine, “the best entertainment eBook magazine UK“, aviation loving author Mario Lee discusses his action-packed spy novel, Airwars: The Rich And Famous, which sees teams in Saudi Arabia finalizing preparations for a well-organized and festive air race with strict rules and advanced technology.
Written by JJ Barnes
I interviewed Mario Lee about his life and career, the inspiration behind his new book, Airwars: The Rich And Famous, and his creative writing process.
Tell me a bit about who you are.
I am Mario Lee, author of Airwars the Rich and Famous, I live in Las Vegas NV, I was raised as a child in Carson CA by Joe Lee and Maggie Lee, I am married to Sherry and I have five children named Nicole Sparks PHD, Adam Lee, Crystal Lee, Mercedes Lee and Alexander Lee, I have 10 grand children.
I am a retired executive from the food service industry, I was the President and Chief Operations officer for Buffets Inc, operating over 600 locations in the United States. During my present retirement from the corporate world, I travel all over the world with my wife, while writing and playing golf in my spare time. My love of aviation is still my passion.
When did you first WANT to write a book?
I started writing at the age of 25 years old, mainly training books in the food service industry, motivating people to have great hospitality for their customers, then at the age of 30, I started to write about my grandfather and his journey to be a large landowner in Mississippi
When did you take a step to start writing?
It was fairly easy being an avid reader of Author John Grisham, I was hooked when I read A Time To Kill. The book called A Painted House to me was his best work, some will disagree, because this book did not have any legal or judicial precedent anywhere in the book. I started writing a movie script named, The Men Call Flint in 2002, a sequel to the 1960s hit movies called Our Man Flint and In Like Flint. These writings opened my eyes to start my novel.
How long did it take you to complete your first book from the first idea to release?
Seven years.
What made you want to write Airwars: The Rich And Famous?
I wanted to create a book that will always be relevant for years to come, I wanted to feature the vast wealth of the people that own these magnificent machines. My passion for aviation and business background really helped to bring this story alive in my writings.
What were your biggest challenges with writing Airwars: The Rich And Famous?
My biggest challenges were the characters in my story, since this is a unique story, and there has never been anything close to my novel ever published. It took a lot of side bar time writing about each character separately, this helped me stay focused on writing and keep each character’s part stay alive throughout the novel. This story stretches all over the globe, so once again using side notes was a vital part of my book’s organization.
Who or what inspired you when creating your Protagonist?
My main character was created by me, I needed a character that could incite the readers because of his US military pilot experience, and his pilot arrogance and swag. Dexter ( Boomer ) Cruise is 27 years of age, Tall and Handsome, with blond hair, his focus throughout the Novel is to win this race among the other best pilots in the world.
Who or what inspired you when creating your Antagonist?
My character Yuri the Russian is my favorite character, Yuri is larger than life all through out the book, he is the true villain that causes many problems for the race organizers and team owner. As you follow through out the book, Yuri plots against the other teams.
What is the inciting incident of Airwars: The Rich And Famous?
The inciting incident in this story is when the race is in full swing, and the racers are coming up on one of the many checkpoints during the race. The villain as readers already expected by now is Yuri Smirnov, a Russian that made his money during the fall of the Russian Empire. Yuri wants to win this race at all cost, so Yuri devised a plan to eliminate over half the racers in the air during this checkpoint in the middle east. Yuri is an illegal arms dealer and has many comrades in the Russian military.
During the race Yuri used his connections and wealth to launch a planned attack using military Russians fighter planes, this outrages spectacle went very wrong for Yuri, it caused chaos to have racers spit off course all over the region, and two racers were blown out of the air, keep in mind that this race is being watched in illegal betting parlors, private satellite networks and at the palace where all the main events are taking place, it caused chaos at the command center led by Sir Charles the founder of the Air Wars race. From this carnage was a rippling effect that caused Yuri to have many conflicts throughout the race with the other owners.
What is the main conflict of Airwars: The Rich And Famous?
The main conflict in the book is finding the right pilots and aircraft to win this race, there are only a few pilots in the world to compete in this dangerous race, so the team owners spend years trying to secure these pilots a many things goes wrong as the race gets closer with pilots jumping to other teams and causing many issues along with the many complications in getting the aircraft ready, keeping in mind that these are private jets worth over 40 million dollars being converted to meet the race teams needs to compete. The engines are the most important factor, prior to the start of the race, two experimental engines from GE, the fastest jet engines in the world for a private aircraft were stolen from one of their plants in Seattle Washington, the word got out during the start of the race, causing concerns throughout the race among the owners.
Did you plot Airwars: The Rich And Famous in advance, or fly by the seat of your pants and write freely?
The plot advanced during the race, I had a laid out plot that started with each team getting ready for the race, then leading the readers along the various racecourse problems and concerns during the race. The book features in depth commentating from the palace in Saudi Arabia and having commentators on the ground at the fueling check points. I stayed on point through the story with very little fly by the seat.
Did you get support with editing, and how much editing did Airwars: The Rich And Famous need?
I did not need much editing of the actual story. My publisher Spines is the best in reading my book and suggested verbiage structure corrections, making my book read extremely well. I recommend anyone at any stage from the beginning or ending to use Spines, they are patient during the process, the communication working with them was seamless.
What is the first piece of writing advice you would give to anyone inspired to write a story?
I advise writers to spend time understanding what they are trying to share with their readers, do your research on your subject and don’t be afraid to start writing as soon as possible, the hardest step is the first words. Keep in mind that writer’s block causes many writers to never return back to their story. So never leave your story alone for over 6 months, it even gets harder the longer you are not engaged with your book. The first book is always the hardest, so stay focused.
Can you give me a hint about any further books you’re planning to write?
Yes, my next book is about an American secret agent, it is a spine off of one of the characters in Airwars: The Rich and Famous
And, finally, are your proud of your accomplishment? Was it worth the effort?
Yes, I’m very proud. I spoke at a Rotarian club meeting a few months ago about my book, and the engagement was amazing. It is the highlight of my life to have written my first novel, all the time and energy was worth it.
Pop all your book, website and social media links here so the readers can find you:
Kindle: https://amzn.to/4j4AlCy
Hardcover: https://amzn.to/4jsKOYr
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snz_6-hNAbU
https://www.tiktok.com/@user9505472370754/video/7335982294282292526
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